By Alex McCrickard/DWR   It’s easy to understand why striped bass are known as “everyman’s fish.” They’re fun to catch and are one of the most accessible fish for anglers to target. Add on the variety of different methods you can use to successfully catch striped bass—live bait, trolling, bottom fishing, artificial lures, and fly fishing—it’s easy to understand why they are referred to … [Read more...]

  October is here, and with it comes a change in the fishing scene. Some of the summer fish start to leave, the waterways become less crowded, and the fish become more active. It’s a wonderful time of the year to be on the water, weather permitting. Flounder fishing in the Bay is winding down, but Captain Craig Paige still managed to land a couple of citation-sized flounders on a recent … [Read more...]

I have always heard that the best time to fish saltwater was the day before or the day after a hurricane. Last week, I had the opportunity to check out that theory, and it was right on. After we had booked our VRBO cottage on Ferry Creek near the Piankatank River, we found out that Hurricane Ophelia would be passing through during our stay. Since we would not be taking a direct hit, we decided to … [Read more...]

As the evening temps dip into the 50’s, as the water cools, and as the days grow shorter, the fish figure it’s that time. Time to feed and fatten up for the coming winter. At Lake Orange, for example, water temperatures have dropped to the low 70s. Bass and crappie are heading to the bank. The next few weeks will bring bass and crappie on to shallow brush, feeding on baitfish. A variety of soft … [Read more...]

  Hurricane Lee was on the radar of many anglers, but it did not affect the local fishing conditions, except for some big swells. In fact, fishing was good. Red drum are now leaving the Bay and heading to the ocean, where they can be seen in large schools on the surface, but they are still biting.  Surf fishing for them should be extremely good in the coming weeks. The lower bay and the … [Read more...]

A Grand Slam home run is when you clear all the bases with a mighty blow. A Grand Slam in golf is a sweep of The Masters, PGA, the US Open and the British Open. A Grand Slam in the Gulf Stream is to land a Blue Marlin, a White Marlin, and a Sailfish on the same trip. An Inshore Grand Slam means you caught all three of the mighty sportfish back in the sounds – a Bluefish, a Speckled Trout, and a … [Read more...]

Unfortunately, the weather does not look favorable for fishing in Virginia waters this Labor Day weekend, as the cold front lingering in North Carolina is bringing instability to the area. Mid-week there is also a chance of strong winds, as Tropical Storm Idalia approaches. However, there are still some fish to be caught, especially Spanish Mackerel. The Big Mac attacks are happening from the … [Read more...]

As summer draws to a close, the saltwater fishing scene in Virginia is heating up. Especially for flounder. Flounder fishing has been excellent, with many fish exceeding the minimum size limit of 16.5 inches. The best areas to look for flounder are the coastal wrecks, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel (CBBT), and the lower bay shoals. Live bait, such as spot, croaker, or minnows, is the … [Read more...]

Billfish flags, that is. From the Norfolk Canyon off the Virginia Coast to the blue waters out of Hatteras, boats are hooking up with blue marlin, white marlin, and sailfish. Last week, several boats out of Oregon Inlet had more than 10 billfish releases. Along with the “bills”, first mates were pulling good numbers of dolphin and wahoo and some tuna across the stern. Elsewhere on the Outer … [Read more...]