We were in the midst of some super saltwater action all the way from Chincoteague to Hatteras when Miss Florence decided to visit. Now, anglers along the Carolina coasts are just praying they’ll still have boats and cottages when the dust settles. Sadly, the first major blow generally signals the end of the billfish season, and Florence was a major blow. Marlin and sailfish say “Enough of this … [Read more...]

Capt. Chaconas says that low tides around late morning into early afternoon will allow for a genuine topwater bite this week. Topwaters like poppers and walkers are all good bets. Fish over grass or along marsh or pad edges. Try them with 12-pound Gamma Copoly line. Vary retrieves from continuous movement to adding a few pauses. Hollow frogs on braid will work over thick grass at the lowest … [Read more...]

By TH Spangler /Connie Barbour September is just around the corner. And that means peak fishing in Virginia. The offshore waters are filling up with white marlin. The whites school off the Virginia coast until the first good autumn blow, or until a tropical storm stirs the cooler water to the surface, and off they go. But until then, the fishing will be outstanding. On many days, charter … [Read more...]

Early week rains have subsided and the James River should be both fishable and productive this weekend. The water level at Bent Creek was 4.17 on Thursday and dropping. The flow was 3.86 thousand cubic feet per second, a little rapid but fishable. With slightly stained water, crankbaits, buzz baits and spinnerbaits should be productive. Splashy topwater offerings should also trigger strikes. … [Read more...]

Chris Bait & Tackle at Kiptopeke notes that the cobia run is still strong from Buoy 16, 13 and 36. Anglers are having success with both live eels and bunker. The red drum bite has also been great, especially the evening bite. Fresh bunker, again, is doing the trick.  At the Lattimer Shoals and the Middle Grounds, the flounder bite is improving with some fish weighing over 4 lbs., Spanish … [Read more...]

From the South River Fly Shop The South River in Waynesboro continued to fish well all summer thanks to the rains we have received and cooler temperatures. The river has been up and down but is now stabilizing. There's no way to be certain about the weekend conditions, but it looks promising. Nymphs and streamers have been the go-to categories the last two weeks. Our mountain streams are in … [Read more...]

Heavy rains this week have not only made fishing on the rivers practically impossible, they have also created dangerous conditions on lakes, having washed lots of debris from upstream. Logs may be lurking in your favorite lake, just beneath the surface. So be extremely careful this weekend if you venture out and – for sure – wear a life jacket no matter how well you can swim.   The … [Read more...]

It’s now official. Jeffrey E. Dill boated a 68 pound, 12 ounce flathead catfish on May 25 at Lake Smith, setting a new record for that species in Virginia. Blue catfish typically run larger, but a 68-12 flathead is nothing to sneeze at. Lake Smith, in Norfolk, is located across Northampton Boulevard from the Little Creek side of Lake Whitehurst. The lake’s 193 acres average only five feet in … [Read more...]

Catfish don’t mind a little hot weather. Sometimes they feed later in the day or into the evenings, but feed they do, especially at Lake Orange. Lake Orange is owned by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, which annually stocks the 130 acre impoundment with catchable size channel cats. The limit is 8 per day and some anglers have been known to catch quick limits at first … [Read more...]