I was headed to the Rappahannock River last September hoping to get into the spot – those big yellow bellies that show up each fall. For this, I needed bloodworms. As soon as I saw the first bait shop in West Point, I stopped.  No bloodworms, they said. Nobody’s got them. Again and again, I stopped and there were indeed no bloodworms to be had. But on my last stop, a lady said she did … [Read more...]

  All summer, boats venturing out in deeper water have returned to the docks with nice Blue Line Tilefish. These colorful bottom dwellers hang out in deep water, really deep water, like 250 feet and more. They hang in the same kind of habitat with groupers and snappers and prefer sandy bottoms. James Friend Dickerson and buddies chartered The Doghouse out of Manteo last week and caught … [Read more...]

  Eighty-one teams fished the Virginia Beach Billfish Tournament last week. Cash awards totaling $785,250 were handed out. That’s a lot of dollar bills for the big bills – the blue and white marlin. It’s the peak season for them right now. As a rule, the billfish action gets hot and heavy from now until the first big Atlantic hurricane passes by.  Then it slows down considerably, but for … [Read more...]

(From Paige II Charters) Saltwater fishing right now is as good as it gets. Almost every species is biting – particularly spadefish and Spanish mackerel – both delicious in the eating department. Spadefish and sheepshead are on Chesapeake Bay structure. Kayakers have been catching lots of large sheepshead around the pilings of the CBBT. The Spanish are well up into the Bay as well as roaming … [Read more...]

Sailfish, blue marlin, white marlin! Yep, they are off the coasts of Virginia and Carolina now and they’re biting. It’s perfect timing as the local tournament season is underway. Boats have been having multiple hook-ups with blue and white marlin. Mahi catches in Virginia are coming from inshore seamounts such as the “Hot Dog”. Wahoo are in the same area as well as tuna. Swordfish, too. Carolina … [Read more...]

Jacks are wild, amberjacks that is. They go wild at the end of a fishing rod. No fish alive - pound for pound - fights harder, and they are fighting fishermen right now from the wrecks off Nags Head to the towers along the Virginia Coast. The Brewer Family, Jimmie, James and Virginia (my son, grandson and granddaughter), tried their luck with amberjacks while fishing with Ace Captain Reese … [Read more...]

The rivers are low and clear, which makes things a little tougher for a smallmouth angler, but a lot easier for a carp fisherman. Yes, carp are gaining in popularity as worthy opponents and especially on a fly rod. Carp primarily feed by smell, but they will also pick up a bait if it looks good, then spit it out if it isn’t. A fly fisherman has a brief opportunity to set the hook when that … [Read more...]

  It’s been a while coming, but the flounder bite is on and catches are on the increase. Some of the larger fish are being caught by anglers jigging bucktails tagged with strip baits or Gulps near the CBBT. Captain Craig Paige, Paige II Charters has been putting his clients on the flounder as shown above. This is really the peek fishing season in Virginia. There’s a nice class of Spanish … [Read more...]