It may never stop. Catches of big red drum got off to a hot start in the Chesapeake Bay back in April and they show no sign of letting up. Large schools of huge drum continue to pop up and anglers with a rod ready are casting and hooking up with some big boys to 70 pounds. Both the larger red drum and the cobia are plentiful throughout the lower bay and along the coast. Anglers are catching them … [Read more...]

Fishing on the Rudee Inlet head boat fleet has been excellent this week. The sea bass bite remains good. Limit catches are not uncommon. Deep droppers are catching tilefish at the canyon. Rudee Tours has 17 hour offshore trips scheduled for Aug 13, 20, 27, and Sep 3. They also run daily inshore ½ day, ¾ day, full day and night trips. Give them a call, 757-425-3400. The offshore action has been … [Read more...]

August is typically the time when big flounder start showing up at the weighing scales. The big boys, however, are  generally caught in deeper water near wrecks and structure. This week, lots and lots of 4 to 6 pound flatties were netted near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and The Cell, but a monster 12 pounder was landed by Capt. Brandon Cook out of Virginia Beach. Hurry down, the action is … [Read more...]

  This could end up as one of the best seasons for spot in recent memory. For starters, the tasty panfish showed up early this year, in June. Whereas September is usually the prime month for spot, it could be August this year. Small croaker and spot are currently found throughout the lower bay and in the tidal rivers. Anglers fishing at the Virginia Beach Piers and along the beach are … [Read more...]

    Flounder action has really picked up in Virginia waters. The big flatties are being caught along the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and on rough bottoms. Many of the larger fish are being taken around near-shore wrecks and artificial reefs. Drifting flounder rigs and jigging have both been effective. Remember, large baits catch big flounder.  Rudee, Lynnhaven, Little Creek and … [Read more...]

As I recall, it was about 30 years ago that Spanish mackerel first started entering the Chesapeake Bay. Considered strictly an ocean fish, the Spanish macs quietly began poking their noses past the Bay Bridge Tunnel and moved up as far as Windmill Point of the western side of the bay. It was big news at the time, and some thought it was a freak event. But now, the Spaniards enter the bay in June … [Read more...]

Not everyone has the time or the money for an all-day charter fishing trip in the Gulf Stream, but lots of folks would enjoy spending a half-day fishing out of Virginia Beach without paying a king’s ransom. For them, it’s the Rudee Angler, a head boat out of Rudee Inlet on the southern end of Virginia Beach. Some head boats take trips and return with barely legal trout or small croakers, but … [Read more...]

The ribbonfish are back. Boats trolling for Spanish mackerel off Virginia’s coast are catching them with regularity. But what’s a ribbonfish? Also known as cutlassfish, ribbonfish look exactly as described – long, sleek and an iridescent blue with a mouth full of teeth. The “ribbons’ mostly hang on the ocean’s bottom, until they get hungry and swarm to the surface to intercept menhaden or … [Read more...]

Last week started off badly, with everyone stuck at the dock in Virginia’s saltwaters. But after the wind died down, the good fishing continued. Spadefish are abundant and are congregated around buoys, pylons of the CBBT and the Chesapeake Light Tower. Anglers fishing with Aquaman Charters did well with the spades last week and Captain Craig Paige, Paige II Charters, also got in on the … [Read more...]