Sheepshead aren’t the easiest fish to catch. Their take is swift and soft. Some fishermen say that in order to catch a sheepshead, you have to set the hook before they bite. And they fight like John Deere Tractors once hooked. The 19.3-pounder above must have put up a mighty battle before coming to net. The sheepshead action is good, with many nice-sized catches reported. Fiddler crabs, … [Read more...]

  Spaniards. Spanish Mackerel. They’re well up into Bay waters and if they see a Clarke Spoon, they’ll eat it. I can remember about 30 years ago when Spanish first began to poke their snouts up into the Chesapeake Bay. Before that, they stayed in the ocean – mostly to our south. Today, the mackerel make an early appearance in the Bay and head well past Deltaville and Sting Ray … [Read more...]

As the summer heart intensifies, so does the saltwater fishing in Virginia. Flounder fishing is starting to take off with more fish and bigger fish taking baits. The increased catches are coming from along bridges, inshore wrecks, and artificial reefs throughout the lower bay and along the coast. Flounder are ambush predators, favoring hard structures, drop-offs, and creek entrances—ideal spots … [Read more...]

Cobia are stealing the headlines on the saltwater front. The big fellows have moved well up into Bay waters. The best results for bigger fish have come from chum lines. Winds have made it difficult for sight casting. Live eels are by far the best baits. Red drum fishing just gets better and better. The lower bay is producing nice catches and nighttime has been the right time for many boats. … [Read more...]

Boats out of Oregon Inlet and Pirates Cove are pounding the Mahi on each trip.  Also in the mix are yellowfin bluefin and bigeye tunas. A few wahoo have been gaffed and blue marlin and sailfish action is picking up steam. Nearshore and inshore boats are loading up on bluefish, Spanish mackerel, albacore, and sharks. The speckled trout and puppy drum bites are hot in the sound. From the Nags … [Read more...]

Veteran angler George Craig of Elizabeth City caught a large tarpon Tuesday morning on Jennette's Pier in Nags Head just after 10 a.m. He fought it for an hour and 13 minutes. In the end, the big fish swam away unharmed. "I'm glad the fish lived, I'm very glad about that," he said. Craig thanked several of his fellow experienced anglers, Jacob Barlow and Taylor Bandy, for all of the effort they … [Read more...]

On May 30, 2022, Randy Morton was fishing at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel when he landed a 9-pound, 2-ounce sheepshead on 8 lb. test line, it was a potential world record for that class. This year Randy is back with a 13-pound 7 oz Sheepshead pictured above. Monster sheepshead are now being caught routinely at the CBBT and on other bay structures. They go for fiddler crabs and are considered … [Read more...]

Looks like the Shenandoah is the spot for smallmouth these days. Water quality has been a bug-a-boo for the scenic Valley river but recent upgrades to runoff and pollution are paying off. Bryce Davis and John Savides from Afton took a float on the Shenandoah and put 50 in the boat, including nice smallies like the one pictured above. The river was a bit high and slightly stained and flashy … [Read more...]

An early saltwater surprise this year is the large number of bluefish being caught all the way from the sounds behind Nags Head up to Virginia Beach and across the bay. Many of the fish are running 2 to 5 pounds, but some monsters in the 10-15 poundclass have also made an appearance. Biting alongside the blues, are Spanish mackerel which are now well up into Bay waters. Cobia are now along the … [Read more...]

  Just in time for Memorial Day Weekend, here come the cobia. For the past few weeks, cobia have been moving up the Carolina coast and now they’re here. The first schools have joined with red drum and will hit anything in sight - live eels, spot, menhaden, mullet, large spoons, white buck tails, plastic eels, swimming plugs or cut bait. They are hanging around buoys and other structure, … [Read more...]