About this time 30 years ago, sportsmen headed for the coasts of Virginia and Carolina to catch bluefish. Big, gator-sized bluefish to 20 pounds. Then, they went away, perhaps victim of the netters who caught them by the truckloads and sold them as catfood for a nickel a pound.
Well, maybe they are back. Capt. Reese Stecher and parties have been catching them up to 10-pounds in the sounds at Nags Head and last week, surf fishermen caught some huge fish (like the one pictured above) at Cape Henry. No fish fights harder. Here’s hoping the big boys make a comeback.
Virginia Saltwater
Red and Black Drum have arrived on the Bay shoals, and more are on the way. Schools of drum and now cobia are migrating along North Carolina’s Outer Banks.
Some nice, speckled trout have been caught in the Sandbridge surf and off the Virginia Beach Pier. Virginia Beach Pier anglers are also catching spot, roundheads, gray trout, rays, skates and blues.
Trout, puppy drum and bluefish are available inside Rudee Inlet. They’re also in the shallow waters of the Western Branch of the Lynnhaven River.
Flounder catches continue improving as water temps warm, especially around Wachapreague and Chincoteague on the Eastern Shore. Flounder are also showing up in local inlets (Rudee, Lynnhaven, Little Creek) and along the CBBT.
Tautog action continues to be good, especially on ocean wrecks. Catches along the CBBT and on Bay structure are steady. There are only a few more days left in the Virginia season which closes May 15th.
Offshore anglers are beginning to catch black sea bass, blueline tilefish, golden tilefish, snowy grouper, black belly rose fish and spiny dogfish. The sea bass season reopens May 15 and runs through July 15. Blueline season is May 15 through November 15. A Rudee boat ran south and found some Tuna last week.
OBX
Good news! The cobia schools have made an appearance south of Hatteras, off Ocracoke and big red drum schools are showing in the ocean, near inlets. Trout and blues are in the surf and in the sound. The offshore fishing remains steady with great dolphin and tuna catches! A few blue marlin have been caught and released.
Freshwater
Bass and crappie have spawned and the shad are heading back to the oceans. Striper action is on fire in the Staunton and Dan rivers. Bluegills and shellcrackers are now fanning out beds on the shorelines of Virginia’s lakes and ponds.
