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...]

Bluefish seem to be making a comeback. Some really nice fish have been caught this spring in both the Bay and in the surf and sounds off Virginia and Carolina. Blues were once the most popular gamefish in saltwater leading to big-dollar tournaments and mass migrations of fishermen to the Carolina Coast in November. Then they largely went away, the big ones anyway. This spring, though, lots of … [Read more...]

It was an exciting weekend on the OBX. Cobia, Bluefish, Drum, Trout, you name it, and they were biting! The boats fishing nearshore this weekend caught Cobia, Red Drum, Black Drum and Spanish! There has been plenty of action inshore lately! Lots of Drum, Speckled Trout, and Bluefish. There have been a few Sheepshead caught around the bridges. Stripers have been biting further inland. … [Read more...]

Mark Scott, formerly from Charlottesville, returned to his home state from North Carolina and found lots of willing hickory shad biting in the Rappahannock. Mark was able to fish from the shore at the city park without having to wade and had nice catches, like the one above. Crappie and bass have mostly finished their spawn but are still cruising in shallow water. Stripers are on their way up … [Read more...]