Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, August 7 Update:
Cobia fishing is improving in the Way South region, with several fish around the 50-inch mark showing up when weather allows boats to sight fish. Bull red drum remain dependable around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, while excellent flounder fishing is being reported from the Virginia Beach windmills and several inshore structures. Bluefish and Spanish mackerel are also widespread, giving anglers plenty of options from the Bay to the Virginia Beach oceanfront.
The wind has limited the days that boats can get out to sight fish for cobia, but there are decent numbers around to target when the seas are calm. There is a little over a month left in the season, and we are starting to see more big fish boated. We saw several reports this week of fish around the 50” mark, which is a true Chesapeake giant. Boats with towers have the advantage when sight fishing as they can cover large areas of water and spot the cobia from a distance. When spotted, a stealthy approach and a well-placed cast with a bucktail or live eel in front of the cobia usually gets them to eat. Some cobia are also being caught at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel around the pilings and islands. One way to target them is to run along the bridge and look for them circling around the pilings. The CBBT islands are also where the schools of bull reds are hanging out. If you put in enough days, you have a good chance of landing a bull red around the bridge tunnel. Searching for them with side scan or live scope will give you the best chance at locating them. We had reports this week of a decent bite around the third and fourth islands, including a boat that found a nice school while night fishing. These fish should continue to provide opportunities well into the fall.
The flounder fishing has been excellent at the windmills offshore of Virginia Beach. The run is about 25 nautical miles, but it is doable on calm wind days. Boats fishing at these sites are catching some very nice keeper flounder. Some mahi and other species like spadefish and triggerfish have also been around at times. At the inshore grounds of the Bay, flounder are being caught around the islands of the CBBT, the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel, mouth of Rudee inlet, Kiptopeke concrete ships, and several reef sites. These fish are often tide dependent on whether they are going to bite or not, so try to hit these zones on the tide swings.
Bluefish are reliable around structure in the Way South region. The CBBT islands and pilings on the east side of the bridge tend to hold schools frequently. The various shoals and lumpy zones are also hotspots for bluefish. Trolling drone or clark spoons should produce bites, and throwing out some surgical tubes to troll may also help you pick up a bull red or cobia while you are at it. Spanish mackerel are still being caught along the beaches and channel edges running up the Bay. Most of the mackerel action has been in depths of 20 to 40 feet of water, but they have pushed in close to the beaches near the various public fishing piers at times. If you plan to visit any of the piers, bring a rod with a Gotcha plug or metal jig to cast in case the mackerel are within striking distance. Along the Virginia Beach oceanfront, surf fishing is picking up. Red drum, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, kingfish, spot, croaker, and plenty of sharks and rays are available to catch from the suds.