At least they are “here” off the coast of North Carolina.
Country Girl Charters out of Manteo fished Wednesday and loaded up with Yellowfin Tuna and Triggerfish. Fishing offshore has been excellent when weather permits. Sea bass are also being caught in good numbers off structure in deeper water.
At Nags Head, when the wind isn’t blowing, fishing has been good. On Wednesday, the pier jockeys hoisted up sea mullet, dogfish, black drum and skates. Surf fishermen found the same species along with a puppy drum or two.
Back in the sounds, boats are having great luck catching stripers by trolling along the bridges.
At Hatteras, sea mullet have been biting in the surf. Some nice specks, puppies and black drum have been hitting near Buxton. A couple big, bull reds were also beached by surf anglers.
Virginia Saltwater
The big news in Virginia continues to be stripers. Fishing improves daily as the water temperatures drop. Boats are finding fish in the both the rivers and main bay. Eels are effective for the larger rockfish.
Lots of speckled trout are biting in the inlets and along the ocean front. Puppy drum and rockfish are being caught in the same areas. Sea bass action is red hot, but that season ends Dec. 31. Tautogs are biting along all the structures, but most boats are targeting stripers.
Virginia Freshwater
Bass fishing has been very good in the tidal rivers and major lakes. Big bass don’t seem to mind the cold water and are taking advantage of vulnerable baitfish. At Lake Anna, a 24-pound bag of bass took top prize at a recent Winter Tournament. That’s nearly 5 pounds per bass! Some nice stripers are going after swim baits at Anna, as well. Buggs Island Lake has dropped several feet, but bass’n is good and boats are finding some nice crappie around brush in 18’ to 25’.
The James and Shenandoah rivers are both low and clear, making for difficult fishing for smallmouth.
The trout streams are very cold, making the fish sluggish and slower to bite.
