Way South Fishing Reports
Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, July 2 Update:
The Way South region remains one of the Chesapeake's top summer destinations, with cobia, bull red drum, sheepshead, and flounder all providing excellent opportunities. Cobia are being caught throughout the lower Bay by anglers sight-fishing or chumming around shoals, while big sheepshead continue to come from bridge pilings and structure. Despite increasing holiday boat traffic, anglers willing to adjust their approach are still finding productive fishing throughout the region.
The boat traffic has been picking up in the Way South region as we approach the fourth of July weekend. Anglers fishing the bridge tunnel this week for sheepshead reported a slower bite, but the fish that were caught were big. One kayak angler landed two fish between 20” and 24”. Another kayak angler caught three fish up to 20” while fishing with fiddler crabs and bottom sweeper jigs. Dropping fiddler crabs and other crab baits along the pilings can also produce black drum and red drum. There has been a decent red drum bite around the islands of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. If you plan on heading out this weekend, be prepared for there to be a lot of other boats out on the water fishing. We had reports this week that there were schools of drum also roaming around the beaches of Fisherman’s Island and near the High Rise of the bridge. Boats scanning ledges with side scan have the best chance of finding the reds. Live Scope also gives anglers a big advantage for staying on the schools once they are located. If you don’t have either, soaking peeler crab near these zones will give you a good chance at catching a red, but you will likely catch skates, rays, and sharks too.
Cobia are one of the most popular species to target during the summer in the Way South region. Boats with towers are having luck sight fishing along the Virginia Beach oceanfront, at the mouth of the Bay, along the main shipping channel, and near Cape Charles. Chumming around the shoals and tossing out bunker chunks or live eels on fish finder rigs is another way to catch cobia in this area. The cobia crowds will likely be large this weekend, so it may be best to get away from the bridge tunnel if possible, because there will likely be a lot of competition. The flounder bite has been decent in this zone. Anglers dropping Gulp! lures and bull minnows near the CBBT islands and other bridge structures in the area have pulled some nice keeper flounder this week. We also had reports that several artificial reefs in the area are holding some flounder. One boat fishing an unspecified wreck said they took several drifts which only produced some toadfish before the tide switch, but once it turned, the flounder bite turned on and they boxed three keepers. The flatties can be found near ledges and any bottom cover.
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