Cobia. One of the most splendid game fish in all of saltwater. They winter as far south as Florida, then make their way up the coast in the spring, slamming baits off of Charleston and Myrtle Beach before reaching Hatteras waters and heading north. Last week, the cobia arrived en masse at Oregon Inlet and skipper Reese Stecher and clients were on hand to take advantage.
“At first we could see them, but they wouldn’t bite. The water was too cold,” said Capt. Stecher. Early last week, conditions improved. “Everyone was catching fish,” Reese said. “Boats landed as many as thirty per day.”
Cobia fishing in Carolina usually peaks in late May and throughout June. Call Capt. Stecher at (252) 449-0232 to get in on the action.
In Virginia, now that the tautog season has closed, some anglers are targeting sea bass. The sea bass season opened May 15th.
Sheepshead are holding around CBBT structure as are striped bass. The spring striped bass season is open; and anglers can keep two slot fish between 20 to 28 inches long. Bluefish are mixed in with the stripers.
Flounder fishing is picking up. Flounder catches remain good inside of seaside inlets on Virginia’s eastern shore.
Plenty of red and black drum are still on the shoals on the northern side of the bay.
Offshore Virginia boats are either making a long run south to get in on some outstanding tuna fishing off Carolina or they are deep dropping closer to home for tilefish and grouper. The Rudee Angler and Aquaman charters have been doing very well with the tilefish and grouper.
Outer Banks
Surf Fishing Report: Sea Mullet are on all the beaches. Avon had Bluefish and Spanish and so did The Point for anglers willing to walk there. Some Sea Mullet and Bluefish were caught on the beaches north of the Inlet.
Sound Fishing Report: The Little Bridge on the Nags Head/Manteo causeway reported 4-5 pound Black Drum, plus Trout, Stripers and some big Spot on the north side of the bridge.
Pier Fishing Report:
Avalon: Sea Mullet and Croaker.
Nags Head: Bluefish.
Jennette’s: Bluefish and Flounder.
Outer Banks: Mullet, Rays and Toads.
Inshore Boats/Nearshore Report: Trolling boats out of Oregon Inlet are catching Spanish and Bluefish. The Cobia fishing was great yesterday for the boaters fishing near shore and inshore.
Offshore Report: The Bigeye Tuna was still the catch of the day with one weighing in at 171 lbs. The fleet continues to fill boxes with lots of citation Yellowfin Tuna. There are also plenty of Mahi, plus yellowfin, blackfin and big eye tunas. A 690 lb. Blue Marlin was just caught and there are some wahoo around.
Out of Hatteras Harbor, cobia began filtering through Hatteras Inlet on Wednesday and inshore anglers took advantage. Several citation drum were caught as well as sea mullet and bluefish. It was somewhat choppy, but anglers made the best of it offshore. The billfish bite was on and three blue marlin and one sailfish were caught and released. The meat fish bite produced fair catches of dolphin and a few tuna.
Water temps:
Chesapeake Bay Bridge: 68.0 F
Cape Henry: 68.0 F
Kiptopeke: 69.6 F
Duck NC Pier: 66.9 F
Oregon Inlet Sound side: 76.1 F
OI offshore Buoy @ 60 feet: 63.7 F
Hatteras Surf: 75.7 F
Diamond Shoals Tower: 74.3 F
Freshwater: The Rivers
With the exception of the Chickahominy River, all major Virginia rivers were high and muddy following torrential rains. And just as they were returning to normal, more rain is projected for the Memorial Day weekend. Maybe a farm pond? Or golf?
The Lakes
Lake Anna
Bass fishing is excellent on secondary points. Striper fishing has been consistent, but best early and late in the day. Crappie fishing remains excellent. Bream are bedding and catfish are biting for those who target those species.
Chickahominy Lake
Most every species is hitting at the Chick, but the bream action is top notch. Fly rod poppers or live crickets will take a cooler full.
Lake Gaston
Fishing is good, with striper fishermen catching fish on live shad and bucktails cast up on the bank near Kerr Dam. Catfish action is good for anglers fishing live shad on the bottom. Largemouth action is picking up, with topwater lures accounting for nice fish in the grass. Bream are spawning in the shallows.
Buggs Island
The lake is at full pool and stable. Bass are still feeding in the coves. Crappie are on brush piles in eight feet of water and are taking live minnows. Stripers are being caught on live bait, from Buoy 7 to Clarksville. Night anglers are taking stripers on Redfins in mackerel and fluorescent red finishes, from Buoy 4 to the mouth of Nutbush Creek. White bass are being caught at the mouth of Bluestone Creek.
Smith Mountain
Lots of bass are being caught in the backs of coves and on shallow banks. The better bass fishing is in the Blackwater River arm of the lake. Striper and white bass fishing is excellent, with fish all over the lake. Best results are coming on bucktails, Cordell Redfins and live shad, fished on main lake points.
Lake Moomaw
Bass action has picked up. Largemouth bass are taking crankbaits during low light periods. Some smallmouth are being caught at night. Trout action has been steady with browns up to 6 and 7 pounds. Rainbows are biting best after dark. Lots of big yellow perch and bluegills are also being caught.