November 19, 2024
Previously in part I of this series on the ESVA we looked inside the Bay, and in part II we looked at the wrecks and obstructions off the ocean side of Fishermans Island (sites 1-14 on Chart 1).…
November 7, 2024
If you missed it, see Fishing the Southern Eastern Shore of Virginia, Part I.
Chart 1: Color Shaded Relief image in greyscale of features off Cape Charles in the northern Chesapeake Bay Entrance…
October 3, 2024
Large natural formations along with wrecks and obstructions along the lower east side of the Bay provide good structure for everything from croaker to cobia. In fact, this portion of the Bay is so…
September 8, 2024
During 1969 the USS Manta became the fourth demolished submarine to adorn the Bay’s bottom, when it was blasted into oblivion by the Navy as a bombing target and sunk somewhere in the area we report…
July 9, 2024
Our trip out of Chincoteague began with Part I: Blackfish Bank and nearby wrecks. Now, let's look at the famed Winter Quarter Shoal. It has a number of elements that go along with its reputation as…
June 14, 2024
A jig head is a jig head is a jig head, right? It has a hook and a lead head. Done deal. Well, sort of. You’ve undoubtedly noticed that there are about six kajillion different shapes, sizes, and…
June 1, 2024
There’s no mistaking the “rattle-rattle-THUMP” of a feisty flounder attacking your bait. These oddly shaped bottom dwellers strike with authority and fight with a unique combination of vibrating head…
May 27, 2024
Visiting Chincoteague has been in the back of my mind ever since first hearing about the Virginia Capes. It’s a long way to haul my baby white whale over from Northern Virginia, and then, what’s…
April 9, 2024
It’s a curious thing that we might learn something about fishing structure from Edward Teach, dba Blackbeard the Pirate, or more precisely, from physical changes around his late ship, the Queen Anne’…
October 25, 2023
Today we think of the waters off the DelMarVa Peninsula as fishing grounds for species like sea bass and flounder, but they were U-boat hunting grounds in both World Wars. Early on, it was a turkey…
September 5, 2023
Cape Hatteras is aptly known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic, but Cape Henry at the Chesapeake Bay entrance has collected its share of wrecks - which have become fishing reefs - as well. A cluster…
August 11, 2023
The Chesapeake Bay entrance is best known for its fishing at the CBBT, but there's far more structure through this area than many anglers realize.
Chart I of Chesapeake Bay entrance fishing spots…
December 29, 2022
You might hear that fish like black sea bass and flounder are at the “DB” Buoy (commonly referred to as Buoy “B”) off Cape Henlopen. How often has that or a similar report been heard? It does seem…
December 15, 2022
Like they say on some obscure TV show no one’s ever seen: winter is coming. The good news is that in this neck of the woods that doesn't portend the end of fishing season, much less an invasion of…
December 3, 2022
Good winter bites can be tough to come by for a Mid-Atlantic angler, but one species we can always rely on to keep our rods bent during the frigid months is tautog... Not! Truth be told, tog are…
November 29, 2022
A varied array of natural, accidental, and artificial reef building bottom features marked by blue circles on Chart 1 are available for sportfishing off the southern end of the Delaware – Cape…
November 10, 2022
During this leg of examining Delaware coastline structure and reef fishing, the focus is on a dozen offshore features shown by black circles on Chart 1 south of the Cape Henlopen – Five Fathom Bank.…
September 15, 2022
The Delaware seacoast is rather short, yet the saltwater wreck and reef fishing opportunities along it abound. Through the treacherous Delaware Bay ships carry local, regional, and international…