Way South Chesapeake Fishing Report, May 29 Update:
Virginia waters at the mouth of the Bay are providing some of the most diverse and action-packed fishing across the Chesapeake right now. We were SO excited when we had a reader report this week that they spotted a cobia, although the fishery isn’t fair game just yet (the season opens June first). The reader who spotted the cobia also let us know that they caught drum on the shoals, where they picked up a medium-sized above-slot redfish on peeler crab and also had two run-offs that didn’t come tight. A mix of puppy drum and bluefish are also available in Rudee. The blues are returning as somewhat of a nuisance, forcing anglers to trade in plastics for spoons. Anglers in Lynhaven reported similar issues with blues, although they did manage to land some specks and the occasional flounder, as well. Hampton Correspondent Chuck Harrison found some nice eating-sized two to three pound blues at the second island of the CBBT, but reported slow action at the HRBT.
Striper fishing, meanwhile, has been pretty good slightly farther up the Bay with schoolies hitting around structure in the lower tribs. Many anglers are opting to fish for the with soft plastics right now, and due to a high concentration of rays throughout the area bait fishing is tough at times. Some anglers reported that it has been impossible to cast at times due to their abundance, with Mobjack a particularly problematic area.
Recreational crabbing has been fair. Crabbers are bringing in family-dinner-sized portions of crabs as opposed to huge numbers, and are hoping to bring in bigger feasts as the weather warms up.
Way South Chesapeake Fishing Report, May 22 Update:
Full Disclosure Warning! High winds and poor conditions forced anglers to stay land-locked for much of the week, through much of our area. Due to these circumstances, most of the info in this week’s report comes from over the past weekend and early in the week. If you get the chance to head out, shoot us an email at [email protected] and let us know how you did!
Red alert: We're looking forward to the return of cobia, and they are headed north right now for sure! We had confirmed reports from anglers who headed out of Oregon Inlet and absolutely smashed them, just before the weather turned. Meanwhile, the red drum are still hitting, in an excellent way. Ocean’s East let us know that they’ve been biting steadily on the eastern side of the Bay, taking peeler crab and clams. The shallow channel ledges from Fisherman’s Island to near Kiptopeake, the Cabbage Patch, and near the Concrete Ships have all produced fish. While some have been on the small size, plenty of them are fish to brag about. For surf anglers, this has also been true. Ocean’s East said that when the wind allows the surf bite has been killer, producing multiple large fish. They’re around in greater numbers than previous weeks, as are the black drum.
Flounder and bluefish are making a serious showing as well. Flounder are showing no signs of losing steam, and have been taking squid and fluorescent colored soft plastics and Gulp! Swimming Mullet and Jerk Shad bounced off the bottom near the CBBT and in the inlets. Rudee has been particularly hot, with a nice mix of specks, slot reds, flounder, and some bluefish.
Hampton correspondent Chuck Harrison checked in to let us know that despite the widespread availability of speckled trout he found them difficult to find in the Elizabeth on a trip this week. Better reports have come in from the inlets and also around the CBBT. We also got a reader report of a few stripers caught around the CBBT, plus the first sheepshead of the season came in last week so this species is a possibility now, as well.
Way South Chesapeake Fishing Report, May 15 Update:
Ocean’s East reported that this week brought a killer bite around the Eastern Shore shoals for both black drum (fishing clams) and red drum (fishing crab). They’re also available for anglers fishing peeler crab from the surf. There’s also been a solid slot red bite in the inlets, Lynnhaven especially, with specks in the mix. However, bluefish have also moved into the inlets in good numbers making bait fishing a risky business. Anglers targeting the blues are primarily using spoons and Zmans tooth-proof plastics. Flounder are also hanging around, accessible for anglers fishing pink, chartreuse, and white soft plastics bounced off bottom and drifted squid chunks, though many being caught in the inlets have been undersized. Some bigger fish have been caught at the CBBT but not in spectacular numbers this week.
Speaking of the CBBT: the first of the sheepshead have showed up for anglers dunking peeler and fiddler crab baits. As water temps increase this fishery should rapidly develop and we have a feature coming in the July edition focusing on sheepshead, but here’s a sneak-peek with some important intel for anyone who’s dying to get out for an early exploratory sheepshead trip: “A big part of sheepshead fishing involves perseverance and patience. A sheep bite is unique and the angler may not even feel the fish taking the bait. When the fish first grabs the bait, it pushes it to the back of its mouth, and when it starts to crush the bait, a tiny increase in pressure is felt. At this point, simply raising the rod tip will encourage the fish to try to suck the bait further back to potentially avoid losing the meal. This causes a further increase in pressure — now try setting the hook.” – Beth Synowiec
For those interested in the slot striper season opening this weekend (one fish, 20 to 28 inches): a few have been caught near the CBBT islands and in the inlets, mostly by accident by anglers casting plastics for speckled trout. We also had a reader report of some success on fish that will be keepers soon, from near the High Rise.
Way South Chesapeake Fishing Report, May 8 Update:
The Bay’s southernmost waters are holding an abundance of species right now, with more flowing in every day. Ocean’s East reported that bluefish are beginning to show up south of the CBBT, chasing bait. While they aren’t here in huge numbers yet, they’ve made their presence known through the occasional ruined soft plastic tossed by trout anglers. The specks are still showing strong, fortunately. The Elizabeth and the lower James remain hot places to fish for them, however, anglers are also reporting pier and shoreline catches, they’re coming from the Virginia Beach surf, and also around the islands of the CBBT. MirrOlures and four- to six-inch soft plastics are bringing them in. The puppy drum and flounder bites are continuing to heat up, as well, particularly in the inlets (Lynnhaven has been a hot zone). Puppy drum have been taking jigs and peeler crab, and flounder are typically hitting bright soft plastics bounced off the bottom. Reports of success fishing with squid chunks have popped up, as well.
The tog bite is still strong at the CBBT but seems to have slowed down a bit from last week. We had fewer reports coming from anglers fishing the rockpiles for them this week, however, the bite hasn’t totally dropped off and we did hear of a couple limit catches on crab baits and sand fleas.
Way South Chesapeake Fishing Report, May 1 Update:
Standard COVID-fishing disclosure, folks: wherever you live, there are probably some restrictions in place and some waterways made inaccessible. Our Social Distancing While Fishing page has links to the different state authority webpages with the latest info and updates on when, where, and how fishing can be done. With many businesses still closed, again we say thanks to all you readers who sent in reports and pictures. Please keep them coming to [email protected].
Oceans East reported that puppy drum are in the inlets, and are coming in more frequently as spring wears on. That matches up with reader reports of some very nice bull reds being caught on the shoals; Latimer, the inner middle grounds, and Nautilus were mentioned as good places to be. The flounder bite is continuing to gain steam too, both bayside and coastal, and anglers are reeling them in on drifted squid chunks and soft plastics bounced off the bottom. Some of the fish being caught are dinnerplate-sized, and Ocean’s East recommended bouncing pink, chartreuse, or white plastics off bottom or drifting squid to catch them.
Tog have also been present in the inlets along the rocks and inshore on structure, taking peeler crabs and sand fleas at the CBBT islands and the Cement Ships. This fishery shuts down in a couple of weeks so if you want to enjoy some toggin' before the season ends, note that the window is closing. Oceans East mentioned that there's a bluefish bite picking up as well, with oddball catches popping up throughout the area. We’re hoping to see better numbers as the water warms up and season wears on.
What about the specks? The awesome run continues, with some larger fish showing up this week. The Elizabeth remains a good bet but the trout are now being caught throughout the area including in the inlets and from the fishing piers. A mix of soft plastics in the four to six inch size range and hard plugs including MirrOlures are the lures of choice for most speck sharpies, but some have been reported by bait anglers fishing peeler crab, as well.