As the Virginia saltwater striper season heads into its final month, the striper action at Nags Head has been awesome. Capt. Reese Stecher (beachbumfishing.com) has been hammering the stripers back in the sounds – nice fish at that. For the last few years, the average size of stripers in the sounds has increased dramatically – fish up to and exceeding 10 pounds. Anglers are finding tons of stripers near all the bridges. Capt. Stecher’s parties are also finding and catching slot size puppy drum, nice-sized speckled trout, and bluefish. Sounds like a road trip to the Outer Banks is in order.
Elsewhere on the OBX, big drum showed up at The Point last weekend. Ten or more of the big boys were beached. Also in the surf were sea mullet, trout, pups, puffers, and black drum. Some big permit were landed at Avon. Jennette’s Pier reported sea mullet and flounder while the southern piers had sharks, sea mullet, spot and small trout.
When the blue water fleet can sail, they are finding and catching lots of tuna.
Virginia Saltwater
The speckled trout action seems to get better and better. Rudee Inlet, Lynnhaven, Long Bay Point and the Elizabeth River have been on fire with catches of numerous 24 to 26-inch fish. Smaller stripers have been caught in the same areas. The islands on the CBBT are holding keeper size fish. Night fishing has been best.
There’s a good sea bass bite going on when weather conditions allow boats to fish the ocean wrecks. Tautog are hanging around the ocean wrecks and inside the bay. The bridge tunnel is a good place to target the tautogs.
Freshwater
On October 16, Richard Hayden, Jr., from Bracey, Virginia, arrowed a 48.0-pound flathead catfish from the Belmont Bay. The fish measured 3 feet, 11 inches and had a girth of 28 ½ inches. After biologist verification and review by the State Record Committee, Hayden’s catch was certified and is recognized as the current Virginia Archery State Record Flathead Catfish. The previous record was held by David Raines with a 44-pound, 8-ounce flathead catfish captured in 2020, also from Belmont Bay.