You don’t see an Opah fish like this one very often. In Virginia, it’s like never. But last week a bunch of fishermen out of Hampton ventured out to the Norfolk Canyon, some 80 miles off Virginia Beach and tried their hand at swordfish. No luck on the swords, but just as they were ready to call it a day, they had a bite. A big bite. It was a 143-pound Opah, sometimes called a moonfish. It is the first known Opah fish to be caught by a recreational angler in Virginia. Though the world’s record for an opah, is 180 pounds, it is widely believed this will be a record catch for Virginia – since it’s the only one. Commonly found on the West Coast, Hawaii and other Pacific Islands, the Opah is also the only known fish in the world that is fully war-blooded.
Speckled Trout Time
Virginia’s fall speckled trout season is in full swing .Long Bay Pointe Bait & Tackle has been weighing in some nice 5 to 6 pounders. The specks are holding in all the usual hot spots inside Rudee Inlet, Lynnhaven Inlet, Little Creek Inlet, in Eastern Shore bayside creeks, on the Poquoson Flats and in the York and Elizabeth Rivers. They are feeding on shrimp and minnows near marshes. Shrimp hooked under a popping cork is a top bait, though jigs, plugs and topwater baits are also productive.
Puppy drum are in the same areas and hitting the same baits. A few large red drum are still hanging around in the lower Bay. Anglers fishing Sandbridge, near the wildlife refuge are landing them in the surf. Sheepshead, tautog and flounder are available inside the Bay. Lots of school-sized striped bass are available around lighted bridges and piers.
Offshore bottom fishing continues to produce sea bass in good numbers and a few large flounder, some bluefish, black drum and triggerfish. Offshore trollers are picking up some nice tuna and a few wahoo. Many are successfully targeting swordfish and tilefish.
The Rudee Head Boats are now focusing their effort on offshore trips. Their full-day and 12 hour trips have been loading up. Anglers are catching limits of black sea bass with many citation fish in the mix. They are also catching big bluefish, triggerfish and 10 to 12 flounder each trip.
The crew at Knot Wish’n Guide Service is finding plenty of trout inside Rudee Inlet. There have been lots of short fish, with a few keepers mixed in.
Dr Ken Neill fished the Triangle Reef. While jigging for sea bass he caught a half-dozen big black drum, a bunch of small bluefish and a handful of nice triggerfish. He kept a limit of big sea bass. He finished the weekend on the artificial reefs inside the bay where he caught little sea bass, more small bluefish, pufferfish, pigfish and a good number of tautog that he tagged and released.
Capt. David Wright on the High Hopes is focusing on half-day trips. Long Bay Pointe Bait & Tackle continues to weight in lots of citation fish.
Freshwater
The big news on the freshwater scene is water. Lots of water. Flooding in many areas. While this may put a damper on the short term fishing possibilities, it bodes well for the rest of the month, especially for trout fishermen. The brook trout streams are in tip-top shape and the smallmouth rivers will be highly fishable when the water tables drop a bit.
Buggs Island is up again, at 304’ and rising, with the bass behind the bushes. Anna striper fishermen are putting fish in the live wells at dawn and dusk. Crappie are beginning to drift to deeper water, but the bite has been good in most Virginia lakes. Schools are holding on stumps, docks, bridges and most any cover.
OBX
The blue water fleet has remained in port for much of the week. Surf fishermen braving the wind and rain were catching blues, puppies and sea mullet at Hatteras. The northern beaches produced the same assortment, plus a big trout bite on Wednesday. Capt. Reese Stecher of Beach Bum Fishing says the stripers have turned on in the sound and at the inlet and the specks and puppy drum continue to bend rods.
Pier fishermen landed a few mullet, trout, black drum and small spot. bOats out of Hatteras Harbor caught some nice king mackerel before the blow.