If you’re headed to the Outer Banks for the 4th of July, you’re in luck. The fish – lots of fish – are biting.
At Nags Head, pier jockeys are hauling in blues, Spanish, sheepshead, spadefish and a few cobia. Surf fishermen are finding spot, sea mullet, blues, and sharks – like the dusky shark above. Swimming anyone?
Soundside fishing has been good for trout, drum, sheepshead and bluefish. The creel season is finally in for speckled trout with a limit of three fish daily between 14- and 20-inches.
Offshore anglers are pounding the Mahi and catching limits of yellowfin. A few billfish releases have also been reported.
Virginia Saltwater
Inshore, anglers are finding sheepshead stacked around bridges and reefs, with fiddler or marsh crabs being the top bait. Flounder are plentiful around inlets and structures, with minnows and squid strips or live spot, croaker, and mullet proving effective. Speckled trout and puppy drum are feeding in the grass flats and around docks during early and late hours, and they can be caught on a variety of lures, artificial and live crabs or shrimp, or fresh cut bait like menhaden or spot.
Spanish mackerel and ribbonfish are running strong just off the beaches, responding well to small lures like Clark Spoons trolled behind boats or Got-Cha lures off the piers.
Red drum schools have been sighted near the CBBT, where fresh menhaden, blue crab, spot, or clam are enticing bites The cobia season has just opened, and live eels or sight-casting setups with live eels, spot, cut menhaden, or peeler crabs are catching fish.
Offshore, deep drops are reliably producing tilefish and sea bass, with fresh, oily baits like squid, cut mackerel, bonito, or sardines for tilefish, and cut squid for sea bass.
Additionally, tuna, Mahi, and wahoo are showing up in force offshore, particularly south of Triple Zeros. Trolling with artificial lures or baits such as ballyhoo is the ticket. Cut fish baits for schooling mahi are productive near weed lines.
