My family spent a few days fishing out of Cape Charles last weekend and one thing I can say for sure – the whiting were biting. Whiting, called sea mullet in ocean waters, are strong fighters for their size and one of the better eating fish in the Bay. They are a mild, flaky fish and highly prized on the dinner table. We caught about 3 dozen last Saturday afternoon. They weren’t large – about … [Read more...]

When a blue water boat hoists up white flags with a blue fish it means that a blue marlin has been caught. Blue flags with a white fish indicate a white marlin. The upside-down flags show that a fish was caught and released and how many. Currently, boats coming back to Virginia Beach have lots of flags flapping in the breeze. The white marlin bite is red hot. This is prime time for billfish … [Read more...]

If you were fishing on the Carolina coast last week, odds are you were “drumming” up business, as in catching or trying to catch drum. John Savides of Afton wrestled in a slot size drum from the beaches of Topsail, and anglers on the Outer Banks were caching these powerful fish from piers, from the surf and from nearshore and sound side boats. The best bait was finger mullet, which was flying off … [Read more...]

The scant 2-week North Carolina flounder season opened on September 1 and will end on September 14. Recreational anglers are allowed 1 fish daily, at least 15-inces. In Virginia, the season is year-round with a limit of 4 per day. In South Carolina, it’s also a year-round fishery with a limit of 5 per person or 10-fish per boat. Why the difference? Are flounder in North Carolina’s saltwater … [Read more...]

Beautiful fall weather has only stimulated what has already been a great season for sheepshead. These powerful and delicious fish can snatch a bait off a hook like a pick pocket on a New York Subway.  But once you set the hook, the battle is on. Sheepshead fishing is still going strong around bridges and structures, with the CBBT tunnel reigning supreme. Captain Craig Paige of Paige II … [Read more...]

I discovered this by accident. We were headed down to a cottage just off the Piankatank River with a wonderful dock in a protected cove and I brought a couple rods, a bag of frozen shrimp, a net, a sturdy bucket, a filet knife, but I left my saltwater tackle box in the basement. Our daughter Laura was coming the next day, and I asked if she would please pick up my gear and bring it. But it was a … [Read more...]

One of the most exciting moments in saltwater fishing is motoring up to a huge school of red drum, especially when the bronze monsters are running 30 and 40 pounds. Anything you throw to them will be eaten and you are in for a war. Such has been the case for many along the coast of Virginia Beach. Big schools are actively cruising the oceanfront, offering exciting opportunities. Saturday, Captain … [Read more...]

If there is such a thing as a fishing hotspot, it’s the Chesapeake Bay. Everything is biting, even the newly arrived spadefish – like the giant shown above caught at the Chesapeake Light Tower. Cobia reports are increasing in the bay, with the lower bay and oceanfront, claiming most of the action. Red drum fishing has been non-stop with some big black drum in  the mix. Catches of … [Read more...]

Cobia are in the bay waters now, but it’s catch and rerease until June 15. By then, the bite should be in full swing as more and more of these sleek warriors enter the bay. Surface schools of both cobia and red drum were spotted along the beach last week. The water temp in Poquoson Flats is 65. When it hits 70, look out. The early run of Spanish mackerel and bluefish fizzled some, but there … [Read more...]

On the OBX, lots of boats made it through the inlet and the fishing was steady from the piers and the surf. There were good reports of Sheepshead, Spanish, Bluefish, and Cobia all weekend. Bonita and Black Sea Bass have also been biting. Cobia to 54.5 pounds have been weighed at TWs Tackle. Sea Mullet, Spanish, Bluefish, Croaker, and Trout are biting in the surf and from the piers. The … [Read more...]