Good flounder action along the Narrows, just inside the inlet, along the Hook and around Buoy 14. Yellow-bellied spot, croaker, pan trout and snapper blues are available throughout the bays. Small sea bass are hitting along the oyster bottoms, with larger fish found around the bridge pilings. Outside the inlet, Spanish mackerel are close to the beach and big flounder, black sea bass, triggerfish and spadefish are hitting on the inshore wrecks. Surf anglers are catching a mixed bag of spot, sea mullet and small sharks. Inshore anglers are finding croaker and a few pan trout taking squid at the 2TL Buoy. Red drum are starting to show in the same area. Offshore catches consist of dolphin, yellowfin tuna and false albacore. Chunkers are having great results on 30-50 pound yellowfin at the Lumpy Bottom. Trollers are working the 20-fathom contour.
Cape Charles
Plenty of medium spot and sea mullet, plus lots of croaker, are active near C-10. Red drum and cobia action has slowed. Some big flounder and speckled trout have been caught recently. Flounder are being caught just inside Plantation Light and off the Cement Ships. Speckled trout are hitting on most of the bayside creeks, especially Hungars Creek. Inshore wrecks are producing a mixed bag of triggerfish, black sea bass and flounder.
Virginia Piers
Lynnhaven: Good fishing now for spot and puppy drum. The best action has come on the early morning tide.
Virginia Beach: Spot fishing has been very good. A few small Spanish mackerel and keeper-sized striped bass are being caught from the end of the pier by casters.
Sandbridge: Spot are the mainstay, but puppy drum, sea mullet and croaker are mixed among the catches.
Virginia Saltwater
By Dr. Julie Ball
Offshore, the bluewater anglers have been waiting for this – the first run of billfish. Late to arrive, marlin are making up for lost time as boats now proudly displayed riggers overflowing with release flags. White marlin are showing in the biggest numbers, along with some blue marlin and scattered sailfish. Dolphin and some yellowfin tuna are also a possibility, along with bigeye tuna and big wahoo.
The cobia bite has been good this season and as the summer winds down, more fish are gliding along the surface in the Bay and along the oceanfront, making easy targets for sight casters. Fish can also be found circling navigational buoys.
Flounder anglers are finding enough keepers to hold their interest. Anglers using live-bait and jigs are having luck in the southern portion of the Bay, mostly along the CBBT structure. Local inlets are giving up some keeper fish.
Along the Virginia Beach oceanfront, trollers continue to score with big Spanish mackerel, and a by-catch of bluefish. Large king mackerel are also a possibility along the coastlines. Plenty of sharks in Virginia’s coastal waters continue to provide interesting catches.
Sheepshead anglers are having success on the bridge pilings of the CBBT as well as over the tubes of the artificial islands. Spadefish are also still lingering in these same areas and near the Tower Reef, but not for long. Triggerfish are everywhere near structure in lower Bay waters, with a few fish pushing four-pounds caught near the 3rd and 4th islands.
Some puppy drum are hitting with the best action in Lynnhaven and Rudee Inlets.
Spot are available in the usual hot spots on the southern end of the Bay, inlets, and along the Beach oceanfront. This panfish action will pick up over the next few weeks.
Big amberjack are still lurking among the legs of the Southern Towers as well as on several offshore wrecks. Deep dropping is good off Virginia, with nice blueline and golden tilefish available.
Nags Head
Surf Fishing: Surf anglers caught a few scattered small bluefish.
Sound Fishing: The Little Bridge on the Nags Head/Manteo causeway reported small trout and bottom fish.
Pier Fishing: Avalon had bluefish and spot.
Nags Head anglers caught bluefish and albacore.
Jennette’s had bluefish and spot.
Outer Banks was slow.
Inshore /Nearshore: Nearshore boats caught Spanish and bluefish along the beaches and some tilefish. Inshore anglers had good catches of drum, trout and flounder.
Offshore: Sport fishing is good. There were plenty of billfish releases. The Tuna fishing was fair. Some dolphin were caught along with some Wahoo.
Hatteras Surf
On Tuesday, anglers caught Puppy Drum, Flounder, Albacore, Sea Mullet and Spanish. The evening bite produced Spanish and Blue Fish. Ramp 55 anglers beached some slot-sized Puppy Drum.
It was hot, hot on Wednesday Shelly Island produced Spanish and Blue Fish in the evening. Bruce Miller caught 5 Spanish which one weighed 3-2. Frisco had a 27-inch Flounder caught on the sound side.
Hatteras Offshore
One group of offshore anglers returned on Wednesday early with a good catch of Dolphin and two sailfish releases. The Wahoo bite was really good, perhaps the best bite so far this year. There were a total of three Sailfish released by the fleet. The Drum bite was hot all day for inshore anglers. Bluefish and Speckled Trout were plentiful this morning.
