By Dr. Julie Ball
The hottest days of the year are making outdoor activities a challenge lately, but fishing can be good if you can bear the heat. And with a decent forecast for the weekend, plenty of anglers will hit the water.
Cobia continue to provide very good action for sight-casters, with more large fish showing up this week. Chummers are still scoring with keeper-sized fish, but the trash fish and sharks are relentless.
The red drum action is hot right now as pods of big drum school around the mouth of the Bay and off the Virginia Beach oceanfront. Casters are thrilled with easy catches of fat fish, making great props for summer photo-ops. Boats targeting sharks are having good luck with a variety of toothy species ranging to 4-feet or more, especially off the oceanfront area.
The flounder action in the Bay is still very productive. Jigging and live bait are most effective, with both techniques working around all four islands of the Bay Bridge Tunnel, with the average flattie going between 20- and 22-inches. Anglers drifting with strip baits and minnows are also lucking into good numbers of fish near the 4th island, the Hampton Bar, and the Thimble Shoal Channel. Both Lynnhaven and Rudee Inlets are also giving up a few keepers lately. Good action is also coming from near shore and inshore wrecks. Jumbo sea bass will also take offerings on the same wrecks.
Big Spanish mackerel continue to dominate the trolling scene along the ocean front, with some citation-sized fish boated lately. Some catches of Spanish are also occurring within Bay waters, especially around the islands of the CBBT. King mackerel are around, but the bite has not taken off yet.
Sheepshead are still biting along the CBBT structure, with more fish beginning to move to the tubes of the artificial islands. Triggerfish are still hitting in many of these same areas. Spadefish are still available at the Chesapeake Light Tower, the Tower Reef, the CBBT, and several inshore wrecks. The 4th island of the CBBT was particularly productive this week with some respectable fish using clams as bait.
Bottom bouncers are gathering in Oyster to get in on the big yearly croaker ritual, as the size of the hardheads increases week but the sizes vary with the location. The area off Kiptopeke State Park is a favorite spot, while some nicer croakers are also coming from the Inlet. Sea mullet are also still lurking off Kiptopeke and the concrete ships.
Tarpon are active on the Eastern Shore, with some reported hook-ups in the backwaters of Oyster.
Amberjack are still available on many offshore wrecks and at the Southern Towers. Deep dropping is going well, with good hauls of the usual blue line tilefish, golden tilefish and an occasional grouper and side-catch of nice sea bass. The new state record Golden Tilefish was recently approved at a 58-pounds.
Offshore, the billfish are beginning to show, with a few blue and white marlin responding to live bait. Further south, crews are finding sailfish. Catches of yellowfin tuna and big eye tuna are scattered, but some decent yellowfin are hitting near the fingers. The bluefin tuna bite at the fingers has cooled. Some big dolphin are showing, along with some wahoo.
Nags Head
Surf Fishing:
There were Bluefish, Spot and nice size Sea Mullet scattered among the catches. The water temp is 70 degrees.
Sound Fishing:
The Little Bridge on the Nags Head/Manteo causeway reported a keeper Flounder, some keeper Trout and assorted bottom fish.
Pier Fishing:
Avalon: Early morning Bluefish and Sea Mullet.
Nags Head: Spot, Sea Mullet, Bluefish, Dogfish, Skate and Crabs.
Jennette’s: Sea Mullet, Pompano, Bluefish, Flounder and Triggers
Outer Banks: Bluefish.
Inshore Boats/Near Shore:
The near shore fleet had a great day catching trophy size Drum. There were good numbers of Spanish and Bluefish, Tilefish, Amberjack and Sea Bass as well. Inshore boats also caught big Drum, Speckle Trout, Sea Mullet and a few Spanish. The Head Boat had good action deckling Spot, Croaker, Puffers, Sea Mullet, Flounder, Pig and Pins.
Offshore Boats:
Offshore fleet had an excellent day on Wednesday with mammoth-sized Big-eye tuna weighing up to 187 lbs. There are also large Wahoo boated up to 71-lbs. with some Blackfin Tuna and limits of Yellowfin reported.
Hatteras
Hatteras still has no or very little power and reports (and fishermen) are few and far between.
Hatteras Harbor, however, said that a few boats headed offshore on Wednesday morning and enjoyed a beautiful day on the water. The charters returned with fair catches of Wahoo, some Dolphin and bottomfish – tilefish, trigger fish and grouper
Inshore boats fishing around the inlet and along the beach had catches of Spanish mackerel and Bluefish. Back in the sound, boats caught Speckled Trout and dug limits of Clams.
