Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, September 5 Update:
The fishing improved this week after a rough go last week in the southern Chesapeake Bay. Way South correspondent Chuck Harrison checked in with a recent report. Chuck said that he got out last weekend to fish the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel with a friend. The only fish they caught that was worth mentioning was a 40” bull red drum. After landing that fish, they fished the area hard but couldn’t find any others willing to bite. There has been a decent red drum bite at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. The fish are schooling and feeding hard before they migrate out to the ocean and down the coast. The best bait has been fresh spot and croaker. Boats with side scan and live scope tend to have the best luck when searching for red drum around the islands, but anchoring up and dropping down live croaker can work too. It just might be a waiting game. Sheepshead are still being caught at the CBBT pilings. The bite is not red hot, but with enough peeler crabs and patience for fishing several sets of pilings, there have been some big ones caught.
Virginia Beach Sport Fishing reports that king mackerel have arrived to the nearshore waters off Virginia Beach. September is known to be the month that anglers have a chance at the kings on the oceanfront. AquaMan Sportfishing Charters just caught the first king mackerel that VBSF has confirmed this season. Trolling spoons or live bait is the best method for catching the kings. AquaMan has also been catching bluefish, some Spanish mackerel, and the occasional drum or cobia. Inside the inlets and rivers, puppy drum, speckled trout, and striped bass have been the primary targets. We had a report from an angler fishing in the James River who said that shoreline docks have been consistently producing puppy drum in the mornings. Fishing at night can also be very effective for drum and stripers this time of year. The Elizabeth River has several industrialized sections that include a lot of dock and building lights. The illuminated water usually attracts baitfish, and also gamefish looking to feed. The most exciting catch we heard of this week was a 17-pound tripletail that is the pending new Virginia state record. That is quite an unexpected catch!