Way South Fishing Reports

Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, May 23 Update:

The Virginia Beach area rivers are producing as the shallows are coming to life this spring. Puppy drum, speckled trout, striped bass, white perch, black drum, bluefish, and many more species have moved into the rivers and are available to catch. A few anglers fishing in the western branch of the Elizabeth River had an excellent day combining to catch five puppy drum, 10 striped bass, some big white perch, and a ton of small croaker. Most fish were caught using fly rods. Rudee Inlet and Lynnhaven Inlet have also been hotspots for bluefish and puppy drum. The blues are hanging at the mouths of the inlets while the drum are cruising the shallow flats feeding on baitfish. Flounder are starting to be caught around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and its Islands. They are also moving into inshore areas, and a few have been caught along drop-offs and rocky edges at the mouths of tidal rivers.

Black drum can be found at the various bridges in the Way South region including the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, Lesner Bridge, Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel, and the Monitor Merrimac Bridge Tunnel. They have been willing to hit fiddler crabs, blue crabs, and Gulp! baits jigged along bottom. Flounder are starting to be caught around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and its Islands. They are also moving into inshore areas, and a few have been caught along drop offs and rocky edges at the mouths of tidal rivers. Sheepshead numbers have been on the rise around the CBBT, and many boats are beginning to target them. Fish are being caught along the pilings and rocky islands. Fiddler crabs work best for these fish, and a common strategy is to drop them next to the pilings on bottom sweeper jigs. It can be hard to fish the pilings in the strong current at the mouth of the Bay, so a trolling motor with spot-lock helps a lot to keep your bait in the strike zone. Kayak angler Yak Machine caught a limit of sheepshead from the pilings this week. We have heard some rumors that cobia have started to show up around the CBBT, but we do not have any confirmed reports. We should see a lot of fish show up over the next few weeks. Cobia season opens on June 15th where the limit will be one fish per person or two fish per vessel (whichever is more restrictive) with a minimum size of 43 inches.

Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, May 15 Update:

The islands of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel have been a hotspot this month for tautog and there are more species beginning to arrive as warmer weather has settled in. Anglers targeting the tog are encountering more sheepshead, and it is a safe bet to say it is time to start fishing the pilings of the CBBT for them, as there have been some double-digit fish already pulled from the area. Their numbers should increase through the remainder of the spring. Dropping down fiddler crabs and sand fleas on bottom sweeper jigs next to rocks and pilings is a popular way to catch them. Make sure to bring plenty of bait as both species are notorious for picking the bait off before you can set the hook. Striped bass season is now open, starting Friday, May 16th in Virginia waters of the Chesapeake Bay. The slot limit is 19” to 24” with a creel limit of one fish per person per day. There have been some stripers caught in the tidal rivers, including the James and Elizabeth. One angler fishing near Norfolk on the Elizabeth River had a successful day catching red drum and striped bass in the throwing artificial jigs to docks and bridge pilings. Bluefish showed up in force this month, and they are continuing to be caught in the Virginia Beach inlets and rivers. Anglers fishing Rudee Inlet have reported a hot bite for the blues at times this week and some big fish in the upper 20” range have been landed.

Schools of bull red drum are still cruising around the mouth of the Bay but are starting to make their way north. Some of these schools will be migrating up the Bay over the coming weeks, but there are always fish that stay in the Way South region. We had a report from an angler who went targeting the bulls last weekend, but says the schools were difficult to locate thanks to choppy conditions. The few schools they did encounter were small, and they only managed to catch two fish, but they were both over 40 inches. Cobia are also on the move along the North Carolina coast and will soon make their way into the Bay. Anglers are catching them close to the beaches south of Virginia, but we have not heard of any confirmed reports of fish caught in the Bay yet. We can expect the first schools to show up towards the end of the month and quickly increase in numbers during June. Cobia season starts on June 15th, so make sure to get that gear ready over the next few weeks so you can hit the water running when the season opens.

Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, May 9 Update:

Several bites are going strong as we are in one of the most action-packed times of the year to be on the water. Bluefish have made a big push into the Virginia Beach area over the past few weeks, with fish being caught along the oceanfront and in the local tributaries. Blues in the 20” range are now being caught in Rudee Inlet, Lynnhaven Inlet, the Elizabeth River, the York River, and on the beaches. Many anglers encounter them when casting paddletails and other lures for specks and reds. Down the coast on the North Carolina beaches, bluefish over the 30” mark are being caught, so we may have a larger class of fish on the way. There was a report from a kayak angler fishing Rudee Inlet who had an excellent day on the water. They caught two slot red drum, three keeper speckled trout, and three bluefish. Striped bass have also been caught in the local rivers and their season will open on May 16th with a limit of one fish per person per day and a slot of 19” to 24”. Puppy drum and speckled trout are also being caught in all the local inlets and rivers.

Tautog fishing has been very good this month with the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel being a hotspot. Most anglers fish for them around the rocky islands, but some are being caught off the bridge pilings too. Other areas with hard bottom structure are also holding fish, including the concrete ships at Kiptopeke. There are only a few days left to target these fish as the season closes on May 15th. While tautog season is closing, black sea bass season will open on May 15th with a minimum size limit of 13 inches and a possession limit of 15. Another structure oriented fish that has made their way back into the Bay is sheepshead. The first reports have started to roll in of these fish being caught at the CBBT and Lesner Bridge. Fiddler crabs are their preferred bait, but sand fleas or green crab also work. The technique is to drop bottom sweeper jigs along the pilings and fish different sections of the water column until you get a bite. Their numbers will continue to increase throughout this month. Black drum are also being caught at the various bridges and bottom structure in the Virginia Beach area. Chunks of peeler crab on fish finder rigs is the main method to catch them, but some anglers have also caught them while jigging Gulp! baits along bottom.  

Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, May 2 Update:

Now is the time to get out on the water folks. There are several bites going strong, and opportunities are only increasing in the southern Chesapeake. Bull red drum continue to dominate the coastal seaside bays near the mouth of the Bay and anglers are finding them in waters of less than five feet. Kayakers have been enjoying good success while searching shallow flats with side scan. Several anglers have mentioned that when boats come through the area, the schools of fish scatter, and it takes some time for the fish to start biting again, so stealth is key. Post-spawn striped bass have also been seen in big schools cruising the shallows on their way out of the Bay. These fish can be difficult to get to bite as they are focused on making their migration back north, but trying several different lure presentations can help figure out what they are preferring. It is a good idea to have paddletails, swimbaits, and hardbaits in the tackle box. Although these are post-spawn fish, it is still important to handle them with care and take the time to properly revive them after the catch.

The tautog bite has remained good around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, Kiptopeke concrete ships, and other reef sites. Fiddler crabs, sand fleas, and crab baits are working well to entice them to bite. Several anglers caught keeper tog at the islands of the CBBT this week. We have also heard a few rumors of sheepshead showing up in the area of the CBBT and Lesner Bridge, but we do not have any confirmed reports yet. Bluefish have also started to show up along the oceanfront and are being caught around Rudee Inlet and other tidal tribs. Most of the blues are in the 20-inch range, which are solid fish, but we are hoping the 30+” fish show up like they did last year. The blues will hit a variety of lures. Just make sure to use heavy leaders because their sharp teeth can cut through lighter lines with ease. Another fish to start getting excited about is cobia. There are reports coming in from the North Carolina coast that cobia are starting to be caught just off the beaches, so we should start to see these fish show up in the Chesapeake region by the end of the month.