Way South Fishing Reports

Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, October 25 Update:

The October bite has been very good in the southern Chesapeake. A reader wade-fishing near Plantation Creek reports good action on redfish in the slot. White Salt Strong Skinny Lippers were noted as effective. Many anglers are reporting that dock fishing is productive for reds right now and most of the tributaries are fishing well. There are plenty of pups and slot fish willing to hit artificial paddletails and other swimbaits. The striped bass bite has also been good at night in areas where there are dock and building lights illuminating the water. We had a reader check in from Lynnhaven, after discovering that bluefish in the mid-20-inch range are still around and willing to smack MirrOLures. Oceans East Bait and Tackle let us know that the speckled trout bite is heating up too, with the cooler temperatures. They said that now through the end of fall is an excellent time to catch a gator trout and they have had multiple reports of big trout roll in recently. Grass flats in three to six feet of water are fishing very well right now. Shrimp are still in the area, so popping corks with shrimp soft plastics is a great bait choice.

The big bull redfish that visit the Chesapeake Bay during the warmer months are headed south for the winter. The bulls can be found spread across the southern Bay right now, but many have excited the Bay and there are still a good amount staging at the CBBT. Boats fishing around the CBBT islands reported a good bite this week. Cut mullet on fish finder rigs seemed to be the preferred bait.

Sheepshead are still holding around the bridges and other structure in the Virgina Beach zone, though we can’t expect them to stick around for much longer. Both kayak anglers and boats are finding good success at the CBBT, Lesner Bridge, and HRBT. Sand fleas, fiddler crabs, and green crabs are the top baits and most anglers fish them on bottom sweeper jigs. Tautog are also moving inshore with the colder water temperatures, and we saw a report from a kayak angler who had an impressive haul that included four sheepshead, two tautog, and a triggerfish. Black sea bass are also moving inshore and can be found at wrecks, reefs, and any other deep-water structure.

Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, October 18 Update:

It was a cooler week across the Chesapeake Bay, but that seemed to get the fish fired up in this region. Virginia Beach Sport Fishing reports that there is an exciting variety of fish inside Lynnhaven Inlet right now, and most of the tributaries for that matter. Anglers are finding a mix of speckled trout, red drum, flounder, and striped bass. Many of our summertime visitors are still hanging around for a little while longer. Big bull red drum are being caught by the CBBT. Anglers are using live bait such as croaker or spot, fresh cut bait, and large artificial lures to entice the bulls to bite. A kayak angler fishing the bridge pilings landed a few bulls over 40 inches while jigging an eight-inch paddletail along the bridge pilings. Other anglers are finding them on side-scan while searching around the islands. Sheepshead are also still around and can be found at many of the bigger bridge structures and wrecks at the mouth of the Bay. Water temperatures are in the low 70s and steadily dropping, so they won’t be around for much longer.

The speckled trout bite has really picked up with the cooler temperatures. The fish are moving into the shallows over grassy areas and have also been caught near structure such as docks and bridges. Light tackle anglers have found the most luck throwing popping corks, swimbaits, and even topwater baits in low-light scenarios. Striped bass have also moved into the rivers and are being found hanging around deeper docks. Fishing at night in areas that are illuminated by buildings or dock lights seems to be a good way to catch the stripers right now as they are feeding on bait attracted to the lights. An angler fishing around Little Creek reported catching lots of juvenile trout during a trip in the wind this week. Gulp! swimming mullets did the trick with chartreuse and nuclear chicken being the two top producing colors. Another angler fishing in Rudee Inlet had a good day during a late week trip. They started fishing on the low tide and caught two trout and a cooler full of mullet. Then they made a move to fish Owl Creek before dark and caught around a dozen speckled trout. Most fish were caught using paddletails and the biggest speck was 19 inches.

Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, October 11 Update:

The north winds and cool breeze have caused the big reds to start their migration south out of the Bay. The Virginia Beach area is a major staging ground for these fish before they make their way down the coast towards the Carolinas. The CBBT has been holding a lot of bull reds this week and the fish seem to be concentrated around the islands. Boats have been finding them on side scan and catching them with large artificial baits and cut baits such as spot, mullet, and crab. Multiple reports of fish in the 45 to 50-inch range were caught. The colder weather will soon push most of the reds south, but there should still be a few weeks left for anglers to target these huge fish before they head south. Many of the cobia have pushed south, but there are still some hanging around the CBBT as well. The season is closed for them, but catch and release fishing is permitted and anglers may be able to catch these bruisers for a few last days before they are gone until next year. There are also some sheepshead, including very large ones, still being caught at the CBBT and at Kiptopeake. This week we had a couple of reports of good action including three fish over 20" and one that hit 25" so get out there for them fast, they won't stick around much longer as the water temperatures fall. Peeler crab has been reported as a top offering for them this week.

A group of kayak anglers working the waters from Cape Charles south reported excellent action last week, including a handful of bull redfish, a bunch of slots, lots of  specks up to 25" and lots of small flounder. Then they switched gears and caught a couple of sheepshead including the beaut above. In total they caught 15 different species of fish!

Striped bass are pushing into the rivers and tributaries in greater numbers. Now is the best time of year to have a chance at catching stripers, reds, and speckled trout in the same areas. The best striper bite has been at night in rivers with an abundance of dock lights shining into the water. An angler throwing topwater at night caught several slot size fish and a handful of reds while fishing earlier in the week. Deeper structure in the rivers should be holding stripers throughout the day. Target them on a moving tide to have the best chance at getting them to bite.

Bottom fishing throughout the southern Bay region is still great and anglers have been able to fill their coolers with a variety of tasty fish. Big yellow-belly spot are biting in just about all the rivers and on the Bay. Croaker, white perch, small sea bass, flounder, red drum, trout, and just about everything else has been willing to hit standard bottom rigs baited with bloodworms, Fishbites, and small bits of crab. All the coastal piers have been productive to fish from as well. If you are looking for a meat haul, bottom fishing should give you plenty of fillets.

Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, October 4 Update:

October has arrived and it is the start of an exciting transition period in the Bay. Many of our seasonal arrivals including cobia and bull redfish will start to migrate out of the Bay as the colder months approach. The area around Virginia Beach and the CBBT is a major staging ground for these fish and as of this week is still a hotspot for anglers to catch them. Cobia fishing is strictly catch and release right now, but there are plenty offering opportunities for anglers still looking to tussle with a big fish. The cobia can still be found along the CBBT pilings as ell as along the shipping channel and shoal areas. Schools of red drum can be consistently found around the islands of the CBBT. Boats with sidescan or livescope have the best luck with locating these fish. 

Sheepshead are still abundant at many of the wrecks, reefs, and bridges found in the area. These tricky fish hold tight to structure and prefer to feed on crabs crawling along pilings or hard surfaces. Virginia is known for producing big sheepshead and there have been some very nice fish caught this week. If you can’t find fiddler crabs to use for bait, peeler crab, green crab, or sand fleas will work, but nothing tops the fiddlers.

As water temperatures have started to cool off in the inlets and rivers, the shallow water bite has been improving. Red drum are offering good action in the shallows over grass beds and along nearshore structure. Speckled trout are also moving into the shallows and are prowling over the grasses searching for bait to feed on. There are a lot of shrimp found throughout the creeks and rivers right now, so cast-netting some and using them as bait is a great idea. Fresh shrimp under a popping cork or on a fish finder rig should have any fish in the area willing to bite.

Anglers looking for a more relaxed style of fishing should be happy to hear that there is excellent bottom fishing going on in the rivers and tributaries with jumbo spot and keeper croaker. Bottom rigs tipped with a variety of baits including blood worms, lug worms, Fishbites, and peeler crab is working well. Also in the mix has been kingfish, white perch, and black sea bass.