Dr. Julie Ball reports.
The flounder action in the Bay is very productive. Good action is coming from near shore and inshore wrecks, where anglers are taking limits of nice fish running 22- to 24-inches. Some keeper sea bass will also take baits on the same wrecks. In the Bay, jigging and live bait are both techniques working well around all four islands of the CBBT, where flounder are running from 20 to 22-inches. Anglers drifting with strip baits and minnows are also lucking into good numbers of fish near the 1st island, the Hampton Bar, the Thimble Shoal Channel. Both Lynnhaven and Rudee Inlets are also giving up a few keepers.
Overcast conditions create a challenge for those sight casting to cobia, but when conditions allow, many are reporting solid catches. Chummers are still finding fish, some over 60-pounds. Red drum are providing top water action as they school around the mouth of the Bay, especially near the Baltimore Channel.
Ten to fourteen pound sheepshead are taking fiddler crabs along the Bridge Tunnel complex. Plenty of triggerfish are also available. Spadefish continue to school on near shore wrecks and along most of the span of the CBBT.
Spanish mackerel are hitting off the Virginia Beach oceanfront. Taylor bluefish are also mixed in with the Spanish. A few scattered king mackerel are available in the same areas.
Croaker are hitting throughout the Bay, with good hauls coming from the backwaters of Oyster and Area 262 in Magothy Bay. Spot are also biting along the oceanfront, the southern shores of the lower Bay, as well as near the Bay Bridge Tunnel. A few nice spot are reported at Lynnhaven Inlet. Puppy drum are responding in most lower Bay shallows, along with some speckled trout.
Amberjack to 50-pounds are biting at the Southern Towers. Deep droppers are still pulling in good numbers of tilefish, rosefish, wreckfish, and grouper along with a smattering of sea bass near the Canyon edges.
Offshore, billfish encounters are on the increase. White marlin and some scattered blue marlin are taking baits. Yellowfin tuna to 60 pounds are still around, along with some huge bigeye tuna. Big gaffer Mahi are coming on strong. Wahoo are a possibility, and swordfish have been caught on overnight trips.
Nags Head
TWs reports:
Surf Fishing: There is red matter in the surf and on the beaches called Naked Butterfly Jellies. It occurs when the SW wind sweeps the bottom of the ocean and brings the jellies and the cold water to the surface. Decent Sea Mullet and small spot are scattered.
Sound Fishing: The Little Bridge on the Nags Head/Manteo causeway reported small bottom fish and small trout.
Pier Fishing: Avalon: Spadefish.
Nags Head: Spadefish, Sea Mullet and Flounder.
Jennette’s: Spadefish, Sand Perch and Sea Mullet.
Outer Banks: Small Sheephead, Black Drum and several nice Sea Mullet from the wash.
Inshore Boats/Near Shore:
Near shore and inshore boats caught an incredible number of blues and Spanish. They also caught citation Red Drum measuring 48” and a 50-lb. Cobia. Miss Oregon Inlet anglers caught sea mullet, puffers, flounder, pigs, pins, gray trout, sea bass, lizardfish, ribbonfish, and bluefish.
Oregon Inlet Offshore
Sailing out of Wanchese, anglers aboard the Doghouse encountered black sea bass, yellow fin, a few black fin & tile fish. Blues and Spanish still stealing the show inshore
Hatteras Surf
Wednesday was a good day for Hatteras anglers, reports Red Drum & Tackle. The Point opened and there were a lot of happy folks. Between Ramp 44 to the Point, there were some real nice Pompano caught. The Point had lots of Spanish, Puppy Drum, Sea Mullet and Bluefish. The inlet had a few Puppy Drum.
Hatteras Offshore
Tuesday was windy and only a few boats fished. They had good catches of Blackfin Tuna and a scattered Dolphin bite with a few billfish encounters. Inshore boats caught Red Drum on fly rods and some Bluefish and Speckled Trout.
Fishing was slow on Wednesday for inshore anglers. The morning bite brought in a few Bluefish and Red Drum. Near shore boats brought in a nice catch of Spanish mackerel.
Offshore, Dolphin fishing was good. The Blackfin Tuna bite was also good for some boats. Wahoo were scattered. Two Blue Marlin and one Sailfish were released.