Way South Fishing Reports
Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, August 21 Update:
Spanish mackerel are plentiful throughout the Way South region, with strong action around Thimble Shoal, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, and schools of bait along the Virginia Beach coast. Bluefish are mixed in with the mackerel, while cutlassfish are providing a fun nighttime opportunity around piers and dock lights. Flounder fishing remains only fair, but keeper fish can be found around bridge structure and channels, while bull reds continue to hold around the CBBT islands.
Over in Virginia Beach, we are hearing some good reports from the surf for a variety of species. The mackerel are present when the water is clean and the bait is running close to the beaches. Casting metal jigs has been effective when the mackerel are present. There are also increasing numbers of puppy drum starting to show up in the surf. These fish have been tempted by fresh cut bunker and chunks of peeler crab. The larger red drum should start showing up along the beaches in September for the fall run. Another fun fish to catch close to shore is cutlassfish. The best time to catch them is in the late evenings or at night. This is because they often feed on the baitfish that tend to surface in the evenings and also crowd around dock lights at night. The fishing pier at Kiptopeke State Park is excellent to catch them at night as they swim close to the pier in the lighted water. Metal jigs are a great option because they are shiny and won't get tore up from their teeth. If you throw soft plastics at them, make sure to throw bite-resistant ones such as Z-Man, because they will shred them to pieces. The cutlassfish have also been present around the public fishing piers on the west side of the Bay.
Spanish mackerel are plentiful throughout the Way South region. We had reports this week that there was a good bite near the Thimble Shoal Lighthouse. A boat trolling with planers and metal spoons spent an afternoon slinging several over the railings. Another boat reported that they found the mackerel feeding at the surface near the second island of the CBBT this week. They caught plenty while casting Got-Cha plugs. Schools of bluefish are also roaming around these same areas, and these two fish often run closely together. You can usually spot mackerel jumping out of the water chasing bait, so keep an eye on the horizon when searching for fish. When casting at the bluefish and mackerel, one ounce rain minnows and metal spoons work well both by casting and reeling in as fast as you can, or by dropping to bottom and vertically jigging. If you hook up on a bluefish, there are usually followers, so have your other anglers ready to pitch to the fish as it comes to the boat. Most of the bluefish are in the two-to-six-pound range (but some chopper blues are around too), and the mackerel are mostly between 18” and 23”.
The flounder fishing is just okay right now around the mouth of the Bay and its tributaries. We usually start to see a better bite pick up in September, but there are keeper flounder around that can be caught before then. We have reports that there are some around the pilings of the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel on the Norfolk side of the bridge, and around the tunnel itself. Live mullet has been a great bait for tempting keeper-sized fish into the net. Other areas to try are around the rock islands and pilings at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel but be ready for small sea bass and other little critters to harass your baits. Other potential hotspots are the channels and ledges around Fisherman’s Island and the concrete ships near Kiptopeke State Park.
Cobia have been elusive for many anglers, but boats with towers scanning the surface of the water are finding some sight fishing opportunities along the oceanfront and up the main shipping channel on the north and south end of the CBBT. Schools of bull red drum are consistently being found around the islands of the CBBT, but the pressure from summer fishing is starting to wear on them. These fish aren't always willing to bite, but if you can fish for them during the week or at night, your odds of hooking up are much better. Sheepshead fishing has also been a grind lately, but patience is paying off for some anglers with some trophy-sized fish.
Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, August 14 Update:
Bluefish and Spanish mackerel are providing some of the most consistent action in the Way South region, with both species concentrated around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and Virginia Beach oceanfront. Anglers are finding mackerel around schools of glass minnows, while cobia remain spread from Virginia Beach to Cape Charles and Yorktown, with both undersized fish and quality fish available for anglers willing to cover water. Bull reds, sheepshead, and spadefish round out the CBBT fishery, making the area a strong destination for a mixed summer trip.
Bluefish and spanish mackerel are plentiful in the Way South region and anglers are reporting that there are plenty of bluefish hanging around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel between the fourth island and the high rise. These fish can be caught by casting bite poof soft plastics on jigs up to the rocks or near the bridge pilings. A good depth is generally between 10 to 20 feet of water, but they can also be caught at deeper depths. The mackerel have been encountered by anglers trolling near the CBBT and along the Virginia Beach oceanfront. One boat reported catching 15 mackerel and a bluefish while trolling Drone spoons along the bridge pilings this week. We have also received reports that the mackerel are hanging around the York River Channel and near the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel at times. The key has been to find the glass minnows, so keep an eye out for ripples on the surface. On calm wind days, the blues and mackerel have been coming up and blitzing periodically, so keep an eye out for bird action or splashing water. A pair of binoculars come in handy this time of year. Light tackle anglers are casting bite-proof soft plastics for the bluefish and a mix of Gotcha plugs and metal jigs when mackerel are present with the bluefish. Trollers are finding success pulling Drone and Clark spoons behind number one and two planers at speeds of five to seven knots. The faster trolling speeds tend to lead to a better hookup ration on mackerel when they are mixed in with the blues. The bluefish and mackerel should stick around well into September as long as the weather stays warm.
Cobia are still roaming around the waters on the bayfront of Virginia Beach and up the shipping channel ledges up to Cape Charles and Yorktown. There are a lot of just undersized cobia around, but there are also plenty of big fish around if you put in the time to track them down. The better reports have been in the vicinity of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and along the oceanfront, but you can run into these fish just about anywhere right now. Historic grounds around the Cape Charles shoals and York Spit are holding some fish. The name of the game has been to either stick to soaking eels and cut bait or commit to running and gunning from a tower boat to try and sight fish. The other trophy species in this region is red drum. The schools are hanging around the islands of the CBBT and will move around to different shoals and ledges from time to time. Weekdays or at night is the best time to target them because weekends can bring a lot of boat pressure to the area and cause the fish to vacate or have lockjaw. Sheepshead and spadefish are also hanging around the islands at the CBBT. The sheepshead prefers fiddler crabs or sand fleas. Tipping them on bottom sweeper jigs is the most effective method to catch them at the pilings. Spadefish can be caught using small hooks with bits of squid. They tend to hang around the rocky islands and can be chummed up at times. When you hook one, it is not uncommon for the school to follow it to the boat.
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.
