Virginia anglers wrapped up another short February black sea bass season. When weather permitted access to the reefs and wrecks, bottom fishing for sea bass and tautog was good. Unfortunately our sea bass season is over, but the tautog season continues. There have been reports of decent speckled trout catches. Louis Glaser and Douglas Wilburn posted about a good bite on the Elizabeth … [Read more...]

  Not much happening on the saltwater scene. Striper season closed on Dec. 31 in the Chesapeake Bay. It’s catch and release only now, and few are trying. A handful of hardy anglers are trying their luck and fighting the elements offshore over wrecks and a few togs are biting here and there. On the Outer Banks, it’s mostly dogfish sharks and skates – and who wants those? One angler … [Read more...]

  Local angling is officially entering the winter season. We still have a few more days available in our sea bass and Bay striper season. Both close midnight December 31st. After that, it’s all catch and release. This time of year, hearty anglers turn their attentions to wreck fishing. Tautogs will be the main focus, but look for some flounder and bluefish to be caught as well. Dr Ken … [Read more...]

While Virginia striper fishermen are experiencing a little rough going, the striper fishing around Nags Head has been red hot. There have always been stripers back in the sounds behind Nags Head, but the fish have generally run small – lots of throwbacks and few over 20-inches. All of a sudden, that has changed. Anglers are catching some very nice sized stripers in the sounds and lots of … [Read more...]

  A 70-pound, 11-ounce Albacore Tuna, sometimes referred to as a “True” Albacore or Longfin Tuna, caught on September 22, 2019 by Wendy Brockenbrough of Virginia Beach, VA, has been certified as a Virginia State Record by the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament. Brockenbrough caught the record tuna while deep dropping for swordfish at the Washington Canyon aboard the private boat Sea … [Read more...]

  There is a great song out now called “Shallow” performed by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper in the movie, “A Star is Born.” As the lyrics go, “We’re far from the shallow, now.” In Myrtle Beach last weekend and overlooking the ocean from our 6thfloor condo, I might advise fellow fishermen not to go too far from the shallow, now. In the shallows are lots of fish. The waves were … [Read more...]

This is prime billfish season offshore along the Mid-Atlantic coast. White and blue marlin, sailfish, spearfish and swordfish are all available, and dolphin and tuna fishing is excellent. It’s also exciting to see a few big yellowfin tuna being caught this year. The one above  topped the scales at 188 pounds. Most have been caught in Carolina waters. Generally yellowfin that size are caught on … [Read more...]

Virginia Beach’s offshore bluewater action is getting better by the day. It should peak in July and August. Boats are catching white marlin, yellowfin tuna, wahoo and gaffer dolphin. Blue marlin encounters will increase this month and peak just in time for the Virginia Beach Billfish TournamentAugust 21-24. White marlin action usually continues into September. Deep droppers are still catching … [Read more...]

The saltwater report is about the same this week. It’s still very good and there’s a wide variety of fish from which to choose. The latest target is amberjack at the south tower and the Chesapeake light tower. Good Spanish mackerel fishing continues along the oceanfront and in the lower bay. Most fish are being caught on Clark or Drone spoons tied directly to a 20-30-foot mono leader behind a … [Read more...]