Hatteras Offshore
Capt. Dave Wilson on Godspeed Charters had this report:
On July 8, we didn’t have a ton of bites but they were all quality!
I wound up fishing south of the fleet and around some beautiful conditions, just not a lot of action. Still everybody on the boat caught a quality fish including three gaffer dolphin, two wahoos and a sailfish.
July 7 was another beautiful day offshore, complete with some meat and marlin action! We started out on a color change that had a pretty good sign of bailers. It wasn’t “one stop shopping”, but we worked at it until our group had all they wanted. We went one for three on wahoos, and the highlight came when Alyssa landed a 175 pound blue marlin.
Virginia Report
Dr. Julie Ball
Flounder action is good this week, with respectable catches coming from most of the usual spots around the lower Bay. A nice class of flatfish is filling limits, with many fish over 22-inches. A good number of trophy doormats are also making a showing this season, as larger fish respond well to live-baiting and jigging techniques with Gulps around the pilings of the CBBT. Strip baits are producing some decent catches while drifting on the outgoing tide, especially near the 1st island of the CBBT. Good hauls of keepers are also responding within both Lynnhaven and Rudee inlets, and the Eastern Shore flounder trend is still going strong in the seaside inlets, near buoy 36A and the Cell areas.
The cobia scene is still worthwhile, but plenty of smaller fish are competing for offerings this week. Sight casters are working harder for their catches, while chummers are having better luck, with some fish over 50-pounds. Boats offering chum slicks across the Inner Middle grounds and Latimer Shoal areas are finding the best results on cut bait. Those working the Nine-Foot and Nautilus shoals are also finding a mix of red drum and sharks among the cobia. Schools of red drum are spreading out into the lower Bay as and along the oceanfront.
The Spanish mackerel bite is hot right now, with reports of nice fish coming from all over the lower Bay. Folks trolling off Virginia Beach are still finding limits of big Spanish and a smattering of Taylor bluefish. King mackerel sightings and catches are also on the rise off Sandbridge. This trend should continue to evolve as long as the bait and the clear water remain consistent. A variety of sharks ranging from 2- to 6-feet long are providing some good action for anglers chumming around 2-miles off the ocean front area.
Spadefish are pretty much everywhere right now. The Chesapeake Light Tower and Reef, and the CBBT are giving up good numbers of decent fish, with a few fish exceeding 6-pounds. Sheepshead anglers are finding takers along the entire span of the CBBT using crab and fiddlers, with some big fish around this year. A good display of triggerfish in the same areas and on many inshore wrecks will keep things interesting.
Lower Bay and Virginia Beach pier anglers continue to enjoy a good summer run, with an assortment of sea mullet, flounder, spot, bluefish, and croaker. Spot are available in both Rudee and Lynnhaven Inlets, and croaker are an easy target throughout the lower Bay. Some hardheads are pushing to 1.5-pounds near the Bay Bridge Tunnel and the Cell. The flurry of anglers rushing into Oyster is an indication that hardheads made their debut in their backwaters. A few rumored tarpon sightings and hook-ups are also encouraging anglers to frequent their secret tarpon holes out of Oyster this week.
Amberjack are a good bet at the Southern towers, as well as some offshore wrecks. Deep droppers are still finding plenty of nice tilefish, black-bellied rosefish, and some big grouper in deeper water near the Norfolk Canyon. Nice sea bass are available on many wrecks as well as scattered among the catches of blueline tilefish in deeper water.
The offshore season is offering great options right now, with a mixed bag to choose from. Billfish are making a strong early season showing, with a good introduction of blue marlin over the past few weeks, and now good numbers of white marlin are responding for boats offering live bait. Yellowfin tuna are a possibility, along with some tackle-busting big eye tuna. Bluefin tuna are also adding to the menu this week. Some nice gaffer dolphin and wahoo are also around.
Nags Head
TW’s Bait And Tackle reports on Thursday, July 9.
Surf anglers are beaching sea mullet, croakers and spot. Everything is small. The winds are SW at 13 and the water temp is 64 degrees.
The Little Bridge on the Nags Head/Manteo causeway reported flounder, croaker, black drum and trout. A keeper Flounder and several keeper trout were caught s yesterday.
The Piers:
Avalon reports croakers, spot and bluefish off the end.
Nags Head was slow.
Jennette’s had spot, sea mullet and croaker.
Outer Bank Pier anglers decked some croaker and sea mullet
Near shore boats are returning with Albacore, Bluefish, Trout, Amberjack, and Triggers. The inshore boats are filling their coolers with Blues and Drum. The inlet boaters catch lots of croaker, sea robin, flounder, gray trout and sea bass.
Offshore Boats reported that the Mahi-Mahi fishing has been unreal the last several days. The Yellowfin are plentiful and there was a citation Wahoo. There were also billfish releases.
Hatteras Surf
Red Drum reported on Wednesday that Ramp 44 had a good bite on pompano, sea mullet and croakers. Bluefish were beached at the Jetties in the morning. Avon had sea mullet and croakers.
On Tuesday night, Ramp 44 was open but you could not walk to the Point. Scattered sea mullet, croakers and bluefish were landed up and down the beaches.
