Right now, is a great time to catch a mess of crappies (as seen from this Lake Orange catch). The fish are through spawning, they’re hungry and well spread out. A small minnow is your best weapon. The water temperature at Lake Orange has dropped from the mid 70-s back to the upper 60’s. Bass are cruising and catfish are biting nightcrawlers, minnows and chicken liver. Sprouting vegetation in … [Read more...]

Striper season is in full swing and lots of slot sized fish are being caught in tidal rivers around docks, on shaded shorelines, and on deeper structure. Croaker catches are steadily improving in the James and other tidal rivers, but sizes remain on the smaller size. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel is beginning to produce sheepshead, black drum, and red drum around the pilings. Flounder are … [Read more...]

If you’re headed to the OBX this Memorial Day weekend – or anytime soon for that matter – you can expect to catch some nice bluefish from the piers. The sleek predators are hitting Gotcha plugs and most anything else that gets in their way. It looks to be another excellent year for catching bluefish all the way from Hatteras to the upper reaches of the Chesapeake Bay. Pier jockeys at Jennette’s … [Read more...]

They were first discovered in Virginia back in 2004, and it was thought at that time that Northern Snakeheads might seriously harm the native fish populations. As it turned out, the strange looking fish with serious dentures have not affected our native species and they have proven to be a blast to catch at the end of a rod and reel. Fact is, they are now established in Lake Orange despite all … [Read more...]

The last several years have seen ever improving catches of nice bluefish and 2026 looks to continue that trend. Big bluefish up to 10 pounds are currently ravaging schools of bait in the lower Bay, in the Virginia surf and from piers. No reports of those 15- and 20-pound gator-sized blues from the past, but an 8- or 10-pounder is certainly no slouch Croakers are spreading throughout the bay, … [Read more...]

In years past, the shad run on the Potomac at Fredericksburg would almost be over by now, but this year, it hasn’t really started. Mark Scott said he drove to Fredericksburg to try for shad last week and never saw a fish. He said that locals noted that the herring haven’t arrived, and they are usually ahead of the shad. Mark also said the water was extremely low. The shad runs are still in … [Read more...]

One of Virginia’s top crappie fisheries is right here in Central Virginia – Lake Orange. The 124-acre lake was stocked with crappie from Buggs Island Lake, known to produce lots of 3-plus pound slabs. The food chain ion Orange is abundant with lots of shad to feed on. Darrell Kennedy (pictured above) of Angler’s Landing the says that crappie are currently in all phases of the spawn – some are … [Read more...]

Black drum are returning to the Chesapeake Bay for their annual spawning run. Boats heading out of Cape Charles are making the run to the mouth of the Bay where they are finding black drum near the surf. These fish can be caught in the surf along the coastal beaches but are also found at several locations in the Bay, like reef sites and the bridge pilings at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. … [Read more...]

The Virginia Marine Resources Commission has closed the recreational speckled trout harvesting season because of the heavy cold snap a few months back. Anglers will not be allowed to keep any specks from now until June 30, giving the population a chance to recover. Black drum are creeping into the Eastern Shore waters and headed for the lower bay. Red drum should be close behind. There is … [Read more...]

Striped bass are now making their spawning move up into the Chesapeake Bay. Some will head up the tidal rivers, like the James, while others push up into Mayland waters. Some catch and release action can be found in shallow waters, but the bite is inconsistent as the stripers have other things on their minds. It’s still cold in the bay. 60 degrees is when it usually happens and we are just … [Read more...]