The saltwater striper season is underway in both the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries. But in many cases, the tributaries are more productive than the Bay itself, especially the tidal Chickahominy. Stripers are most plentiful in the Chick and a trusty Ratt’l Trap will get the job done. While some stripers will be throw backs, there are good numbers of 22- to 24-inch fish. A falling tide will find many stripers poking around the shores, looking for exposed bait. But remember, saltwater rules and licenses are in effect. Anglers are allowed to keep one fish that measures between 20 and 36 inches per angler per day in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.
The upper James is high again after this week’s rain. But it’s falling fast and should be red-hot by the weekend.
Buggs Island is also up at bit at 300.71 feet. Crappie fishing at Buggs and Anna has been excellent. Crappie are in water ranging from 6 feet to 12 feet, either on bridge pilings or beneath docks. Bass are also scattered, depth-wise, but the topwater bite has been consistently good.
In Anna, Buggs and Smith Mountain, it’s “find the bait and you’ll find the stripers.” Catfishing is solid in all the lakes and has been very good on the tidal Rapp.
Virginia Saltwater
Fall is speckled trout season and fisherman are finding them in all the southside inlets and in the surf from Sandbridge to the south. Captain Jake Beck, Knot Wish’n Guide Service, said the trout and puppy drum bite inside Rudee Inlet has been hit and miss with some great days and some very slow ones. If you can find live shrimp to fish beneath a popping cork, it’s a trout’s favorite snack. Topwater plugs and jigs with plastic tails are also effective.
Puppy drum like fresh cut bait fished under a float or on the bottom. The key is fresh. Fresh spot is a favorite for puppy drum. There have been plenty of spot around, catches have come from the piers and inside Lynnhaven and Rudee Inlets. Croaker are mixed with the spot.
Captain Jake said the Spanish mackerel bite turned on again last week and anglers were able to load up. King Mackerel and schools of large drum also popped up off the beach.
Tautog action is picking up. Look for fish along the CBBT and on the inshore wrecks and reefs. Dr. Ken Neill caught 24 tautogs on a recent trip. They were tagging and releasing them, they caught two twice. They also picked up sea bass, gray trout and red drum. Hunter Southall rounded out the trip with three big sheepshead. The flounder are moving to deeper waters, a few were landed at the triangle wrecks this week.
Offshore, swordfish have become a popular target and anglers have been enjoying good action. Captain David Wright, High Hopes Charters, released an under-size, 44 inch swordfish Saturday. They pulled the hook on a larger one. He rounded out his day with a nice catch of dolphin, sea bass and tilefish. Others got into a nice tuna bite as well.
Deep-droppers are finding plenty of tilefish.
The Rudee Head boats will be running offshore deep drop trips all month on Tuesdays and Saturdays. They said fishing is excellent, with citation tilefish and sea bass being caught. They also had some snowy groupers brought in with the largest weighing in at 53 pounds! Inshore bottom fishing is slowing down somewhat, but they are still catching sea bass with some triggerfish mixed in.
OBX
In the surf, Frisco reported some pompano and Hatteras produced drum. Wednesday was a tough day with the wind and grass. On the south end of the north beaches, the grass was really a mess, though there were still a few drum and sea mullet caught. On the north end, further up than Duck in Corolla and Carova, there were no problems and the drum were biting.
In the sound, anglers fishing from the Little Bridge on the Nags Head/Manteo causeway reported drum catches. Further back in the sound, it was specks and pups.
Because of the conditions most of the fleet stayed tied to the docks on Wednesday. One boat out of Pirates Cove sailed and came in with a meat fish slam catching Wahoo, Yellowfin and King Mackerel. On Tuesday, the blue water boys filled the docks were with yellowfin, blackfin, wahoo, Mahi and kings.