The Plantz family from Charlottesville had an exciting trip with Capt. Reese Stecher of BeachBumFishing.com at Oregon Inlet. Site casting to vast schools of red drum, the family scored with fish after fish.
Reese said there are plenty of stripers in the sound, but that there are too many drum around to mess with the stripers.
He also said that the speckled trout are showing up now, but they are mostly back in the deeper water. Overall, it looks like another great season at Oregon Inlet.
Virginia Saltwater
Fishing conditions are improving daily.
Tautog fishing remains very good. They are being caught around underwater obstructions like wrecks, reefs, rocks, and the pylons of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. Tautog like fresh crab. Captain Craig Paige, Paige II Charters got in on the tog action last week. David Wroton weighted a 10 lb. 7 oz. tautog; Drew Aladj had a 24.5″ tautog release and weighed a 11 lb. tautog. The season closes on May 16th through June 30th.
Puppy drum are still available in all three local inlets, Lynnhaven, Rudee, Little Creek and in the Elizabeth River. The speckled trout bite is picking up inside Lynnhaven. Soft plastics and top waters are working. Most hookups are coming from the shallows. Long Bay Pointe Bait and Tackle filled out a citation form for Steve Jarvis for a 26-inch speckled trout release.
Large red drum have arrived on the shoals between Fisherman’s and Smith islands. The most popular angling technique for them is anchoring on top of the shoal and positioning yourself so your baits drift back to deeper water. Chumming helps draw the fish in. Blue crabs are the best bait.
Black Drum are showing up along the shallow channel ledge running from Fisherman’s Island to north of Cape Charles. Look for boats anchored close together near Kiptopeake, the Cabbage Patch and the Concrete Ships.
There’s been some nice early season flounder action on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. The best catches are coming from Wachapreague, Oyster and Chincoteague. The minimum size this year is 16 1/2 inches, with a limit of 4 per person.