The Game Department (they now call themselves the Division of Wildlife Resources, but I still call them the Game Department) did a piece recently on catching blue catfish in Virginia’s tidal waters. In the article, they said that anglers should target blue catfish, first, because they are delicious to eat and, second, they are an invasive species and need their populations reduced. It is … [Read more...]

The cooler water temps have stirred the appetites of many fish in the Bay and tributaries. Some stud-sized flounder are coming from the humps and structure near the CBBT. Speckled trout fishing is beginning to boil in shallow waters and near grass beds. Puppy drum are right there with them. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel (CBBT) islands are productive for Tautog and Sheepshead near pilings and … [Read more...]

Spot are packing up their bags and beginning to head out to sea, but some nice fish are still biting on the piers and in the lower stretches of the tidal rivers. They happen to be an excellent bait for jumbo flounder and other gamefish (as seen above). Big flounder are patrolling the humps along the CBBT, and bluefish continue to be caught throughout the lower bay. The rockfish season is going … [Read more...]

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...]