The temperature is dropping but the saltwater bite remains strong in Virginia. Pier and bottom fishermen are still catching croakers, spot, whiting and bluefish in the lower Chesapeake Bay. Red Drum: Good numbers are roaming the shallows, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, reefs, and local inlets like Lynnhaven and Rudee Inlet. Cut bait or soft plastics are working.  Speckled Trout: … [Read more...]

Tautogs, a delicious fish on the dinner table, are starting to bite. A cold-water favorite, the togs are beginning to peck away at baits along the CBBT. It will only get better. Striped bass activity is picking up in the James and Elizabeth Rivers as temperatures fall. Speckled trout continue to provide plenty of action in the tidal tributaries, while bull red drum are making their seasonal … [Read more...]

A couple inches of rain last week replenished the water in many of our trout streams and fall stocking is now fully underway. As of October 1, the trout hatchery trucks have been rolling down mountain roadsides, stopping here and there to introduce brook, rainbow and brown trout to their new homes. Fall is a great time to trout fish with cool weather, beautiful and colorful surroundings and … [Read more...]

The group pictured above found tons of Spanish and blues around the islands at the CBBT, plus a keeper King Mackerel. The big Kings are beginning to patrol the waters off Virginia Beach and ribbonfish are their favorite meal. Elsewhere, bull red drum are active around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel pilings and shoals, while smaller puppy drum and speckled … [Read more...]

My family spent 3 days fishing on the Eastern Shore and “variety” was the name of the game. We caught sea robins, hogfish, sea bass, spot, croaker, whiting, puppy drum, speckled trout, whiting, bluefish and flounder. Also on the Bay menu are bull drum, cobia, sheepshead, rockfish and Spanish. With cooling water on the horizon, anglers should enjoy these fisheries while they can. The fall … [Read more...]

So maybe you haven’t gone fishing in a while because you don’t have a license and it would cost you twenty-five bucks or so. Well, if you wait a few days, you can give it a shot for free, and the Virgina Wildlife folks figure that might get you hooked. During the three days of Sept. 27-29, no fishing licenses of any kind will be required for recreational rod and reel fishing in both fresh … [Read more...]

Maybe all the strict regulations and conservation measures are taking effect. Lots and lots of stripers are being caught around Virgina Beach, in the tidal tributaries and lower Chesapeake Bay. Glide baits and live eels are working as the sleek warriors attack from docks, structures and any area holding bait. Nearshore boats out of Virginia Beach are running into Mahi as the warmer blue waters … [Read more...]

Flathead catfish are on the prowl in the upper James and many other rivers and lakes in Virginia, and they’re hungry. Unlike blue or channel catfish, flatheads are as advertised with very wide, flat heads and a lower jaw the extends past the upper jaw. They also grow big. The Virginia state record stands at 68 pounds. Unlike other catfish species, flatheads want fresh bait. They are very … [Read more...]

It’s September. It’s spot time – time to catch a cooler full of these tasty saltwater panfish. In September, spot put on the feed bag and can grow quickly and impressively. By mid- and late- September fishermen begin to catch the “yellowbellies” – spot up to a pound and more. Spot are bottom feeders and like hard bottoms where they find shrimp and crustaceans. The best bait is always a bloodworm, … [Read more...]

If you like to dig your toes in the sand and heave a line out into the crashing waves, you’re in luck. Now is the best time of all to surf fish. Why? Because the list of available fish to catch is longer than at any other time of year. Pompano are running, plus there are blues and Spanish Macs prowling the surf. All the bottom fish – croakers, sea mullet, spot and flounder - are available, and you … [Read more...]