Virginia Report
By Dr. Julie Ball
The first cobia and spadefish have arrived in the Chesapeake Bay. Only the Spanish mackerel are later summertime arrivals and there will be reports of them soon. We will have to wait until June to keep cobia in Virginia.
The bay’s drum run is going full bore. Red drum are sporadic spawners. There are new drum every year, but occasionally we have a very successful spawn, which results in tremendous puppy drum fishing. We must have had one of those spawns recently because puppy drum are being caught everywhere – in the rivers, creeks, inlets, from the fishing piers and around the grass beds on the flats. A lot of smaller black drum are also being caught. Both big red and black drum are around. Schools of big red drum have been encountered in the Bluefish Rock area and the occasional large black drum has also been caught on the western side of the bay. The most consistent action for large red and black drum has come from the shoal areas near the mouth of the bay.
Some big sheepshead have been caught. Anglers targeting black drum near the CBBT landed the first ones. Striped bass of a variety of sizes are being caught in the bay, up in the rivers, and along the seaside of the Eastern Shore. Look up the regulations for where you are fishing. Striped bass regulations are especially tricky this time of year.
Bluefish are around in good numbers with small blues being caught throughout the lower bay. Choppers up to almost 15 pounds have been caught along the coast with some making it into the inlets and up in the bay with some big bluefish being caught places like Poquoson Flats and in the Mobjack Bay.
In addition to the puppy drum, some speckled trout are being caught on the flats, in Back River, up in the James, in the York and the Mobjack. Good numbers of flounder are around with many too small to keep. There have been some nice catches on the Eastern Shore.
Bottom fishing has produced some spot, a lot of small to medium croaker and some really nice catches of sea mullet.
Offshore, Virginia boats have begun to get in on the action as both yellowfin and bigeye tuna are brought back to the docks. With the opening of sea bass on May 15, there is more interest in offshore bottom fishing.
Nags Head
Capt. Reese Stecher says everything is biting down his way. Cobia and sharks are early arrivals. Boats landed up to 30 fish last Wednesday. Specks, flounder, red drum, blues and black drum have been hitting inside in the sound waters. Contact Capt. Stecher at catchem@beachbumfihing.com.
TW’s Reports
Surf Fishing
Surf fishing was fair. On the northern beaches, a few Trout, Sea Mullet and some Blow Toads were reported.
Sound Fishing:
The Little Bridge on the Nags Head/Manteo causeway reported some bottom fish and a good Trout bite on Wednesday morning.
Pier Fishing Report:
Avalon: Bluefish and Sea Mullet.
Nags Head: Trout and Bluefish.
Jennette’s: Bluefish and Sea mullet.
Outer Banks: Trout, a 20-incher was caught along with Bluefish.
Inshore Boats/Near shore Report:
The Head boat anglers are catching citation Sea Mullet.
OBX Marina, Wanchese
The anglers aboard MISS NELL hit the docks with yellow fin and a 115-lb. big eye tuna on Wednesday. Private boats also had a great day with a 52-lb citation cobia and yellow fin among the haul.
Hatteras Surf
Red Drum reports:
The Spanish hit The Point early on Tuesday. Lots of Bluefish and some Spanish were caught on Sting Silvers. Some nice Sheepshead were also brought to the scales. There were Sea Mullet scattered on the North and South Beaches. Avon Pier had Spanish. The inshore boats caught a couple of Cobia.
It was another good day on Wednesday. Ramp 43 and 44 had pretty Sea Mullet and a few Spanish. This morning there were a couple of Spanish on the Point. The evening bite included they had a few Spanish and Bluefish. The south beach had Bluefish, Sea Mullet and one over-the-slot Puppy Drum.
Hatteras Offshore
On Wednesday, the Spanish arrived and inshore boats had epic catches. Bluefish were also hitting and some nice cobia were decked. Further offshore, it was Blackfin and Yellowfin tuna, a few Big Eye tuna and some triggerfish from deep water.
Freshwater
The Rivers
Virginia’s major rivers have gone from low and clear to high and muddy. Rains this week will keep the waters stirred up and make for difficult conditions.
Trout Streams
Ideal conditions on both stocked and native streams. Now is the time to go.
Lake Orange
Contributed by Darrell Kennedy of Anglers Landing (540.672.3997). The water temperature is in the mid 70s and the lake is clear. The bass and crappie are mostly post spawn and feeding up on baitfish in the shallows. The bream have moved into their spawning areas and are hitting red wigglers. Some nice catfish have been caught up lake on chicken livers and live bait. A few walleye have been caught on night crawlers and minnows worked along rocky areas.
Potomac River
Post spawn fishing has been really strong and changing winds have made it tough to fish the same spot two days in a row. The water temperatures range from 68-72.
Fish are still holding on wood cover and docks. Fish in grass are starting to get active again. Look for clear water and work a Lucky Craft Pointer 100 on 16-pound test Gamma Copoly to keep this suspending jerkbait above the grass. Also use Lucky Craft LVR D-7 lipless cranks on 14-pound test Gamma Edge Fluorocarbon to snap this bait out of the grass. Gold on cloudy days and chrome on sunny days. Craw patterns in stained water.
Heavy drop shot is working well around post spawners. Use 20-pound Torque braid with 12-pound Edge leader. A 3/16-ounce BullShot with a 2/0 Mustad Mega Bite hook and a centipede soaked in Jack’s Juice. Pitch to grass edges and docks. Lift and drop or just gently shake in place.
With clear low water try walking the dog with a Lucky Craft Gunfish on 30-pound Torque braid. Walk a G-splash too.
Capt. Steve Chaconas, cell: 703-380-7119,
Chickahominy Lake
Fishing with Capt. Conway, Mickey Cleveland had 1 bluegill, 9 crappie, and 5 white perch. Carolyn Conway had 32 bluegill, 1 shellcracker, 1 yellow perch, 1 pickerel, and 1 bass. Tony Fritz and Hugh Kent had 36 bluegills, 6 shellcrackers, 1 crappie and 2 bass.