Way South Fishing Reports

Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, March 20 Update:

The first few flounder of the year were caught along the Eastern Shore of Virginia this week, so it appears that the flatties are beginning to move inshore. As water temperatures continue to warm up, the creeks around Fisherman Island and the ledges along the mouth of the Bay are great places to target flounder in the spring. Flounder will also move in around the islands of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. As the flounder move inshore, black drum should not be too far behind. We usually hear of the first drum being caught in the surf in late March or early April depending on the year, so it really could be any day now. By mid-April the drum run should be in full swing. These fish will also make the turn into the Bay and head up to spawn. Common places to catch them in the early spring are the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, The Cell Reef, and a variety of other sources of bottom structure. They can be caught consistently from the mouth of the Bay up to the Tangier Sound. Most anglers target them with fresh clams, sand fleas, or blue crab. These behemoths can grow to over 50 pounds, so you have a decent chance at a true trophy during the spring drum run.

Over at the rivers and inlets surrounding Norfolk and Virginia Beach, water temperatures are steadily climbing and have reached the low to mid 50s. The upper reaches of creeks and shallow flats will warm up much quicker, so on warm sunny days anglers may even see temperatures near 60. Puppy drum are still one of the best species to target in these tributaries right now. The shallow flats inside Lynnhaven Inlet are known to be productive in the early spring. Once water temperatures reach that magical 60-degree mark, all sorts of species will start getting more active in the shallows. We should also start to see the return of some of our migratory fish, such as bull red drum. As we have mentioned before, speckled trout took another big hit this winter with a cold stun event that affected their wintering grounds. We have not received any great reports of speckled trout since before the arctic weather moved in over the winter, but the bite usually picks up for them in April. Warming weather will trigger the specks to leave their wintering areas in the creeks, and they will disperse into the rivers and areas with grass beds. The warm days are beginning to outnumber the cold days, so the action should start to pick up with each passing week.

Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, March 12 Update:

Water temperatures are on the rise in the southern waters of the Chesapeake Bay. The fish are getting more active in the tributaries, but this recent cold front is countering the warming trend we saw at the beginning of the week. There are plenty of puppy drum in the inlets and rivers but getting them to bite has not been easy. One angler reported seeing a few schools of reds on shallow flats in Rudee inlet this week but said he could not get them to bite. Speckled trout fishing is still slow, and we don’t have any reports from this week. These fish got hit hard by another fish kill this winter due to extremely cold temperatures. That is two years in a row, so it will likely have an effect on the fishing this year. There are still plenty that made it through the winter, but they won’t start becoming very active until water temperatures reach the mid-50s to low 60s

Striped bass are around the industrial areas of the Elizabeth River and the waters around Norfolk. Fishing the deeper docks and other structures is a productive way to target them. A kayak angler in the area said he has found a few fish on recent trips, with most fish around the 20-inch mark. Jerkbaits and paddletails have been producing bites. Water temperatures at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay are in the mid to upper 40s right now but should break the 50-degree mark within the next few weeks. Once they do, tautog will move inshore to structures such as the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and other reef sites in the Bay. They offer a fun early season bottom fishing opportunity that is followed shortly by the arrival of black drum. Anglers have been reporting that large schools of menhaden are moving into the Bay. They have been seen on the mains stem and in some of the tidal tributaries. Spring fish migrations will continue to bring several different species to our home waters and make for amazing angling opportunities as we progress through the spring.

Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, March 6 Update:

Fishing is still slow in the Way South region of the Chesapeake Bay. The good news is that we are right on the brink of several bites kicking off. Water temperatures are in the low to mid 40s, but once they reach that magical 50-degree mark, several species will offer excellent opportunities. There are puppy drum in Lynnhaven and Rudee Inlet, but anglers are reporting that these fish are still very lethargic. We had two skunk reports from the area this week, and another angler only had a few bites. They are also still seeing dead speckled trout from the fish kill last month, so don’t have any high expectations for speck fishing at the moment. Some striped bass are being caught in the deeper waters of the Elizabeth River near bridges and docks, especially those with lights illuminating the water at night. The striper spawning migration should start soon when the big fish move up the Chesapeake Bay. We had reports of bunker schools moving in the Bay this week and the stripers usually follow this bait in the spring.

Water temperatures around 50 degrees turn on the nearshore tautog bite, which we should be approaching this month. The larger fish will still be hanging at wreck and reef sites offshore, but keepers and a lot of smaller fish will move inshore to areas such as the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. Crab baits on bottom sweeper jigs or small octopus hooks are the best way to catch them. These fish prefer rocky bottom structure, so be prepared to lose some rigs to rocks and other snags. Black drum should start to make their return to the surfside beaches by the end of the month, and by mid-April, the spring run should be in full swing. These fish will be running in the surf along the beaches, but will also move into the Chesapeake Bay where they can be caught around the CBBT, Kiptopeke concrete ships, and several other areas with bottom structure. These behemoths can grow to over 50 pounds, so make sure your gear can handle these giants.