The water temperature along the oceanfront and near the CBBT is approaching 75 degrees. At the mouth of the Elizabeth River, it’s a warm 77. Offshore at the Norfolk Canyon, it’s hovering around 68. That means just about everything’s biting. Inshore, red drum, cobia, spadefish, sheepshead, flounder, bluefish and Spanish mackerel are biting. Offshore, it’s tuna, dolphin, marlin, tilefish, … [Read more...]

    The Spaniards are at our doorstep, Spanish mackerel, that is, and they are moving well up into the Chesapeake Bay. Along side the sleek mackerel are an even sleeker fish – ribbonfish. They are fun to catch and good to eat. Spanish mackerel are now available to trollers from Sandbridge to Cape Henry. A large class of fish has arrived along the oceanfront and some smaller ones … [Read more...]

  (Great Tuna Catch Out Of Rudee Inlet)   Virginia saltwater anglers enjoyed outstanding fishing over the long Memorial Day weekend! Water temperatures hit the magic 70-degree mark and lots of cobia arrived on cue all along the oceanfront and up into the lower bay. The cobia capture season opens June 15th, until then anglers are releasing them. Cobia will hit just about … [Read more...]

  The sea bass season in Virginia is back in and the action is outstanding! Look at the whopper above! Ocean wrecks are where it’s at. There are many charters available, that can put you on the fish. Other species that are biting in the ocean now are Yellowfin Tuna, Mahi, and the Blue Marlin bite has been very good. The charters out of Hatteras have been doing better for the Marlin. Folks … [Read more...]

  Mark Scott, a former Virginian who abandoned Jefferson Country to settle in on the southern beaches of North Carolina, made a return visit to our Commonwealth and caught some nice shad at Fredericksburg. Mark and Dan Beisner caught about 15 hickory shad between them. The shad run typically begins with the first dogwood bloom, so it’s about over for this year. At Buggs Island Lake, the … [Read more...]

  As the water heats up, so does the freshwater fishing in Virginia. At Lake Orange, bass and crappie are mopping up after their spawning duties and feeding heavily in shallow water. The walleye bite has picked up and nice bluegills and redear sunfish are moving to the bedding grounds. Bass’n in the tidal rivers is outstanding A bag weighing 24 pounds claimed first place in a recent … [Read more...]

  (It ain’t what it used to be, especially smallmouth fishing on the James. Below is Bruce Ingram’s account along with some stats and Q & A with DWR biologists)   By Bruce Ingram   It’s no secret that the smallmouth fishing on the upper James River has declined in recent years and that Virginia’s river enthusiasts are concerned. DWR fisheries biologists George … [Read more...]

    (The dogwoods are blooming, and that means one thing: the shad run is in full swing. Dr, Peter Brookes, below, writes his accounbt)   By Dr. Peter Brookes   Perhaps nothing lights up online message boards and email inboxes of Old Dominion river anglers more than the much-anticipated arrival of spring shad from the Atlantic Ocean to Virginia’s rivers for … [Read more...]

  By Rick Perry, the Assistant to Executive Director for Law Enforcement at DWR. His goal was to catch a Virginia walleye, and he was shocked at what happened! This last Thursday, March 3, I caught the fish of a lifetime in the New River. I had always wanted to catch a walleye, but didn’t really want to go to Canada to catch one. Last September I was working with CPO Wes Billings when … [Read more...]

  The big news on the Virginia saltwater scene is that large red drum have arrived on the shoals near Fisherman’s Island. Dr. Ken Neill, Stan Simmerman and David Brabrand made a run over and caught a shark, had two drag screamers, and pulled the hook on one. But David did manage to tag and released their first bull red of the season. Good puppy drum action continues in Virginia Beach … [Read more...]