An 8-pound 9-ounce Atlantic tripletail caught on July 14, 2021 by Hayden Head of Yorktown has been certified as the initial Virginia State Record for the species by the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament. The record-setting tripletail measured 23 inches and had an18.5-inch girth. Hayden, his dad and four other anglers were primarily searching for cobia but spotted the fish hanging below a … [Read more...]

  That’s the Virginia rockfish season, and it’s almost gone. Virginia’s striper season ends next Friday, New Year’s Eve. December 31st. After that, it’s all catch and release. The Bay water temp at the CBBT is now 50 degrees and most of the large rockfish are being caught on the east side of the Bay. Some are coming from areas near the mouths of the Rappahannock and Potomac rivers, and … [Read more...]

  At least they are "here" off the coast of North Carolina. Country Girl Charters out of Manteo fished Wednesday and loaded up with Yellowfin Tuna and Triggerfish. Fishing offshore has been excellent when weather permits. Sea bass are also being caught in good numbers off structure in deeper water. At Nags Head, when the wind isn’t blowing, fishing has been good. On Wednesday, the … [Read more...]

  The water temperature in the Bay has dipped into the mid-50s. It’s Rockfish time. The Big Rocks have now drifted out of the rivers into the main bay and some ocean-run fish from the Atlantic have also squeezed in, all looking for a wad of menhaden to attack. Boats found the big stripers this week, many on the Eastern Shore side. The Plantation Lights and Cape Charles areas were … [Read more...]

  One of the best eating fish that swims in the ocean is a big, fat sea bass. Not one of those little runts that steals your bait in the summer, but a 14-or 16-inch sea bass hauled  up from deep water wrecks. And they’re biting now in deep water out of Virginia Beach over most any structure. Bundle up and go catch a few. In fact, sea bass, tautogs and flounder are all available now around … [Read more...]

  There are lots of fish that could bite in Urbanna Creek at the mouth of the Rappahannock River – stripers, trout, puppy drum, and white perch - to name a few, but they didn’t like what I was cooking for dinner. So, there I sat, bite-less. I had been throwing grubs and Ratt’l Traps and dunking Fishbites off the docks, but no takers. As long as I was just going to sit there, I went to the … [Read more...]

  Speckled trout action has been on fire on the Outer Banks for several months, and now it’s “speck” time in Virginia. Specked trout and puppy drum action is picking inside the inlets. Topwater baits or popping corks baited with fresh shrimp, fresh cut bait or soft crabs will do the trick. Captain Beck and his Knot Wish’n Charter crews have been catching them inside Rudee Inlet. Long … [Read more...]

  Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) Fisheries staff will be busy this fall stocking catchable channel catfish in more than 120 waters throughout the state. These stockings will begin during the last week of October and will continue through November. According to Brendan Delbos, the State Hatchery Superintendent, “The fall catfish stocking program is one of our most … [Read more...]