There is a great song out now called “Shallow” performed by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper in the movie, “A Star is Born.” As the lyrics go, “We’re far from the shallow, now.” In Myrtle Beach last weekend and overlooking the ocean from our 6thfloor condo, I might advise fellow fishermen not to go too far from the shallow, now. In the shallows are lots of fish. The waves were … [Read more...]

This is prime billfish season offshore along the Mid-Atlantic coast. White and blue marlin, sailfish, spearfish and swordfish are all available, and dolphin and tuna fishing is excellent. It’s also exciting to see a few big yellowfin tuna being caught this year. The one above  topped the scales at 188 pounds. Most have been caught in Carolina waters. Generally yellowfin that size are caught on … [Read more...]

Virginia Beach’s offshore bluewater action is getting better by the day. It should peak in July and August. Boats are catching white marlin, yellowfin tuna, wahoo and gaffer dolphin. Blue marlin encounters will increase this month and peak just in time for the Virginia Beach Billfish TournamentAugust 21-24. White marlin action usually continues into September. Deep droppers are still catching … [Read more...]

The saltwater report is about the same this week. It’s still very good and there’s a wide variety of fish from which to choose. The latest target is amberjack at the south tower and the Chesapeake light tower. Good Spanish mackerel fishing continues along the oceanfront and in the lower bay. Most fish are being caught on Clark or Drone spoons tied directly to a 20-30-foot mono leader behind a … [Read more...]

Wednesday was a scorcher. The fishing was hot, too. On the south beaches, there were croaker and sea mullet caught along with Spanish macs at Ramp 45. On the north beaches, the spot bite picked up along with some nice sea mullet. The piers enjoyed good catches of sea mullet, Spanish, flounder, bluefish, black drum, sheepshead and pinfish. They are catching lots of trout on the Little Bridge … [Read more...]

In Virginia saltwater, cobia are dominating the action. Chumming has been super productive, says Stan Cobb with Greentop. Eels are what most use for bait, but live fish, such as croakers, are also excellent. The problem is that croakers have been hard to find. At least, the good-sized ones. Use plenty of chum, as to make the scent trail as strong as possible. Be prepared to tangle with sharks, … [Read more...]

There's been a surge of large Black Drum over the last week, according to Stan Cobb of Greentop, from both the seaside of the Eastern Shore and inside the bay. The Bay bite has been from the CBBT to Cape Charles, with some 70-pounders caught. Fresh clam has been an outstanding bait. The red drum are biting well also, but the blacks made the bigger headlines. Along with the drum, anglers have been … [Read more...]

By Dr. Ken Neill, III   Flounder are among the most sought-after fish in our waters. They are great to eat and fun to catch. In Virginia, it is primarily an April through November fishery though some are caught in March and December. Early season action is found in the seaside inlets of Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Wachapreague has a world-class fishery that peaks from April through … [Read more...]

By Dr, Ken Neill, III At this week’s VMRC meeting, there were a couple of actions directly affecting recreational anglers. The one that will get all the attention is the closure, through emergency action, of Virginia’s Spring Trophy Striped Bass seasons. There actually are three, though we think of them as one - bay, coastal, and tributaries of the Potomac. They are all closed. As they were … [Read more...]