Virginia Piers are giving up nice catches of a large variety of fish. Check out the results below.
Lynnhaven Pier
Excellent spot, bluefish and trout action, with a few croaker and sea mullet thrown in. Also, excellent crabbing.
Virginia Beach Pier
Spot, croaker and sea mullet are the main catch. Spanish mackerel and bluefish are show during daylight.
Sandbridge Pier
Spot, sea mullet, croaker and flounder are the mainstays, while casters take Spanish mackerel and bluefish. Cobia are hooked daily.
Virginia Saltwater
By Dr. Julie Ball
Since the flounder bite escalated last week in lower Bay waters, anglers are finding decent catches most anywhere. Anglers working the CBBT with jigs and live bait are landing the biggest fish with a few citations in the mix. The seaside inlets on the Eastern Shore, and both Rudee and Lynnhaven Inlets on the Southside, are also starting to see increases in catches of keeper flounder.
The Spanish mackerel action is excellent, with trollers filling coolers with limits of exceptionally large fish this year. Boats are finding schools of Spanish off the Virginia Beach Ocean front, ranging to about 6-miles off the beach.
King mackerel are around, although no news of confirmed catches as yet.
The spadefish fishery is a huge success this season, with healthy-sized spades dominating catches at the Chesapeake Light Tower and nearby wrecks, as well as along the pilings and islands at the Bay Bridge-Tunnel and the Cell. Some really nice sheepshead are also still taking offerings along the CBBT, with clams and fiddlers the top bait choices. Triggerfish are also available in most of these same locations.
Nice sized croakers are hitting in Oyster. Sea mullet are making a good showing, with anglers catching big fish from local piers, off the Concrete Ships and Magothy Bay. Speckled trout and puppy drum are available in most lower Bay inlets and shallows.
Reports of Tarpon sightings continue to draw anglers to the back waters of Oyster, where anglers are enduring the heat and battling the infamous Eastern Shore flies for a chance at hooking up with an Eastern Shore Silver King.
Deep dropping is a good choice, with quality blueline tilefish, golden tilefish, and some nice grouper available. Jumbo black sea bass are also mixed in with the tilefish. Good catches of sea bass are also rewarding anglers checking out offshore wrecks this week. Amberjack are still available on several coastal wrecks and at the South Tower, where live bait is the best option.
The offshore bite is very good right now. Yellowfin tuna in the 50-pound range are still hitting in the Canyon, along with some nice bigeye tuna. School-sized bluefin tuna ranging to around 100-pounds are also lurking near the Fingers lately. Mahi are also a guarantee right now, with some big gaffer-sized fish thrilling anglers. Wahoo catches are becoming more common.
Chincoteague
Fair to good catches of keeper flounder are being made at Queens Sound, Cockle Creek and in the vicinity of the 2TL Buoy. The inlet mouth has lots of smaller flounder, while bottom fishermen are taking croaker, with a few spot, puffers, snapper blues and sea mullet mixed in. Sea bass are plentiful around the bridge pilings and on the old oyster beds. Surf anglers are taking spot on bloodworms.
Offshore, bluefin tuna action is picking up at the Parking Lot. Mixed in the catches are yellowfin tuna, bigeye tuna, king mackerel, large bluefish and an occasional dolphin.
Cobia are out in force, with both sight casters and chummers having very good luck with fish ranging to over 60-pounds.
Nags Head
Surf Fishing Report:
Some Sea Mullet and Croakers. Good action at the Little Bridge and Wildlife Pier across from Pirates Cove – both on the Nags Head cause way.
Sound Fishing Report:
The Little Bridge anglers on the Nags Head/Manteo causeway are catching lots of croakers, throw back trout, some nice size stripers and drum as well.
Pier Fishing:
Avalon: Sea Mullet and Croakers on shrimp.
Nags Head: No report.
Jennette’s: Spot and small Croakers.
Outer Banks: A few Croakers.
Inshore/Nearshore:
Nearshore boats continues to limit out with Spanish and King Mackerel. Inshore anglers caught Drum, Spanish and plenty of Sheepshead around the bridge pilings. The headboat decked Sea Mullet, Gray Trout, Flounder, Pigs and Pins.
Offshore:
The fleet caught some large Yellowfin, some Wahoo, a few Blackfin, Big-Eyes and a few Dolphin.
Hatteras Surf
The water was clean and pretty for the most part on Wednesday. Ramp 55 anglers had sea mullet and croakers early in the afternoon. Ramp 38 had sea mullet and croakers. The Point produced shark catches and bluefish. Behind the motels, it was more sea mullet and croakers. The Spanish have been seen, but not caught. On Tuesday, they showed up at the Point and outside of Buxton, but no hook-ups.
Hatteras Offshore
Hatteras Harbor reported lots of fishing action on Wednesday. Congratulations to Hatteras Fever for the first Grand Slam of the season with a Blue Marlin, White Marlin, and two Sailfish releases. Chaser released a Blue Marlin as well. Dolphin and Blackfin Tuna fishing was good today and one Wahoo was caught. Predator went fishing nearshore this morning and returned with some Dolphin. Inshore anglers stayed busy with Speckled Trout and Bluefish. That afternoon they went after the Redfish.
