It’s slow going on the saltwater scene. Bay water temps have plunged into the 30’s, but so far, so good. No fish kills have yet been reported because of cold water. A few speckled trout are biting as they can tolerate the cold water better than most species. Some puppy drum have also bundled up and are hitting. Some very nice sized specks are being tugged out of the Elizabeth River … [Read more...]

When I found out that my daughter Laura had rented a cabin in the western corner of Virginia and wanted to trout fish, I had one piece of advice. If it’s near Whitetop Laurel, fish there. It’s Virginia’s finest trout stream. Period. Whitetop Laurel Creek is in Washington County and runs through the small town of Damascus. It is the longest trout stream in Virginia and one of the richest … [Read more...]

  Skates and dogfish. That’s what will be biting in the surf for the next couple months, not a very exciting forecast. Skates, yikes! What exactly is a skate? Is it a sting ray or what? Though similar in many regards, skates and rays are two different creatures. Both are cartilaginous fish, meaning – like the sharks – they don’t have bones, but rather cartilage. Also, they don’t have … [Read more...]

  One day, a rather inebriated ice fisherman drilled a hole in the ice. He peered into the hole and a loud voice said, "There are no fish down there." He walked several yards away and drilled another hole and peered into the hole and again the voice said, "There are no fish down there." He then walked about 50 yards away and drilled another hole and again the voice said, "There are … [Read more...]

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...]