Nancy and I have been attending the Oyster Festival in Urbanna each year for the past 20 years, missing only a couple. It’s one of the best parties on the East Coast. It started back in 1958 when some local businessmen were trying to drum up a little business and staged a parade. Everybody loves a parade and people came, a few at first, then hundreds, then thousands. Nobody knows … [Read more...]

  With cooler weather settling in, anglers are targeting speckled trout and they haven’t been disappointed. It is speck time in both VA and NC. Look for specks inside Lynnhaven, Little Creek and Rudee inlets, in creeks on the Eastern Shore, around the Poquoson Flats and in the York, Nansemond and Elizabeth Rivers. Many fish are ranging 18- to 22-inches, with a few exceeding 24-inches. The … [Read more...]

They’re killing ‘em in Nags Head. Stripers, speckled trout, puppy drum. Not just some days, every day. Capt. Reese Stecher with Beach Bum Fishing says he’s never seen anything like it. “The fishing is unreal,” he said. “Everyday.” The speckled trout fishing has been very good around Oregon Inlet for the past few years, but it seems to be getting better and better with numerous five-pound … [Read more...]

The fall trout stocking season inVirginia is in full effect. Lots of fish are going into the streams and lakes. The main problem is finding enough water to cast too. Boy, do we need a couple days of drenching rain. Despite the cooler weather, fall is a prime time to fish. Don’t miss out on the best time of the year to catch a limit of fish. DGIF biologists stock frequently throughout the season, … [Read more...]

  It’s been a great year for smallmouth on the Shenandoah River. Guides with Mossy Creek Fly Shop noted the season began with high, discolored, and cold water and ended with low, clear, hot and perfect conditions. September, they said,  was their best float fishing year in history. “Our guides were slammed up every day into October and the fishing conditions couldn’t have been much … [Read more...]

North and South Carolina are known for their shrimp industry, but many are unaware that Virginia waters also hold the tasty decapod crustaceans. Folks at the Virginia Beach Fishing Center say there has been an increased interest in fishing parties for shrimp. Personnel at the Center say that Virginia has  always had some shrimp. For the last few years, however, there have been eating-size shrimp … [Read more...]

It’s here. The best time of all to go fishing. This Wednesday, the nighttime temperature dipped into to the 50’s and it might get in the 40’s on Thursday evening. When that happens, fish instinctively understand that it’s time to feed, to put on as much weight as possible before winter arrives. So it’s time. One of the best places in all of Virginia to fish in the fall is at Lake Orange. This … [Read more...]

  Back in the late 1970’s, one of the most targeted of all the saltwater gamefish in Virginia was the grey trout, or weakfish as they are sometimes called. Anglers dropping rigs around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel regularly pulled in ten to twelve-pound fish. In 1982, the state record, a 19-pounder, was boated. Then, the big greys largely disappeared. The head boats were lucky to put a … [Read more...]

There has been some of the most spectacular speckled trout fishing in recent memory on the Outer Banks at Oregon Inlet. Acres and acres of vast grass beds draw bait like shrimp, crabs and mullet and the trout have moved in to take advantage. Capt. Reese Stecher of Beach Bum Fishing continues to put his clients on trout, with near daily limits and some nice fish, as well. “It’s still great, as … [Read more...]