Fishing in the lower Chesapeake Bay is red hot, with strong catches of red drum, cobia, Spanish mackerel, and spadefish. Pier and surf anglers are pulling in steady numbers of spot, bluefish, and sea mullet. Offshore trollers are finding billfish, tuna, and mahi-mahi.
Inshore & Bay Catches
Red Drum: Good numbers of slot and oversized red drum are being caught with both sight-fishing or chumming tactics.
Cobia: Sight-fishing and chunking with live bait around the lower bay and oceanfront towers continues to produce some big fish.
Spanish Mackerel & Bluefish: Trolling small spoons or casting metal jigs around the buoys and surface feeds is working well.
Spadefish: Lower bay structures and wrecks are holding active spadefish.
Pier & Surf Fishing: The Virginia Beach Fishing Pier reports a heavy spot and sea mullet bite along the rails.
Surf Zone: Anglers fishing the surf from Virginia Beach down to Sandbridge are landing pompano, small bluefish, and occasional puppy drum.
Offshore & Deep Sea: Trollers working the offshore canyons and warm blue water are encountering white marlin, blue marlin, yellowfin tuna, wahoo, and mahi-mahi.
Bottom Fishing: Deeper wrecks are yielding blueline tilefish and black sea bass.
OBX
Anglers on Jennette’s Pier were hammering the bluefish on Wednesday, where ocean waters have cooled to 66 degrees. A few nice specks were caught on Monday. Surf anglers beached some nice drum as well as big sharks. Spanish mackerel continue to prowl just offshore. Offshore charters are having good luck with Mahi and tuna when the seas allow them to sail.
