Way South Fishing Reports

Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, April 25 Update:

Spring fishing is kicking off in a big way with several species offering great fishing opportunities throughout the Way South region. We had multiple reader reports of bull red drum up to 44” on the lower Eastern Shore of VA in the coastal bays, in the Nassawaddox area and south. The fish are moving shallow when it’s sunny out (the 44” came from just 18” of water) and are hitting paddletails and suspending jerkbaits. One angler noted that stealth was key, and the fish were easily spooked by boats running nearby, but after 15 or 20 minutes of silence they started hitting again. Virginia Beach Sport Fishing reports that excellent tautog fishing is happening at the various wrecks, reefs, and rocky structures. Anglers are catching a fair number of keeper fish at the CBBT along with a lot of throwbacks. They are also being caught at the Kiptopeke concrete ships. Blue crab, fiddler crabs, and clam baits are working well. These same areas are also holding some black drum, and they can be caught using chunks of crab with fish finder rigs.

The inshore bite for speckled trout is heating up as water temperatures in the Bay have surpassed 60 degrees and grass beds are starting to emerge. One reader reported that he has already caught a few specks on topwater in recent weeks. Puppy drum are being caught throughout the Virginia Beach tributaries and are spreading out in the local rivers. An angler fishing the Elizabeth River reported catching a few drum in the mid and upper 20-inch range using live croaker. Another angler fishing docks in an unspecified river said that the schoolie stripers have moved in, and he caught several along with a few slot drum while casting to pilings using three-inch paddletails. Bluefish are starting to show up, and if it is anything like last year, we should have some chopper blues to chase this spring. They have been reported along the oceanfront and are starting to show in some of the rivers and inlets. The numbers aren’t great yet, but we should see a bigger influx of fish during the month of May. If you are going to target them, make sure to have heavy leader, because their teeth can easily cut through line.

Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, April 17 Update:

Water temperatures are warming and many of the tidal rivers and tributaries have approached and surpassed the 60-degree mark. This has inshore species like speckled trout, red drum, and striped bass more active throughout the Virginia Beach area. Rudee and Lynnhaven inlets are still hotspots for puppy drum, and they have been found cruising shallow flats. Anglers are reporting increasing schools of mullet in the tidal tribs and fresh cut mullet has been working great for drum. Inshore tautog action has picked up and anglers are catching keeper tog at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel with more regularity. There are a lot of undersized fish, but there are enough keepers in the mix to make it worth targeting them. Sand fleas and crab baits are working well. Black drum are being caught around the CBBT and other shoals in the Bay. Anglers throwing out chunks of blue crab or sand fleas on fish finder rigs are having the most success. There are also black drum in the surf and red drum are starting to show up as well. Bluefish have been reported along the North Carolina beaches, and we usually see them show up at the end of April or beginning of May.

FishTalk contributor David Rudow reports that increasing numbers of bull red drum are making their way into the Bay. A kayak trip on the eastern side of the Bay produced several big fish, with the largest being over 40 inches. David says that large paddletails got most of the bites, though he also got hit on poppers and wakebaits. The big drum are still in the shallows in less than five feet of water. Light tackle guide Steve Griffin from Griffins Guide Service has been running trips in the Way South region for bull reds this spring and reports that the action has been incredible. Steve has been able to locate large schools of bull reds cruising the shallows by sight fishing them and has had several days where his anglers have caught double digit fish. Spring is the time to target these fish in the shallows on the main stem of the Bay. Once water temperatures warm, and we get closer to summer, they will move to deeper waters. Big schools of red drum will continue to migrate into the bay throughout April and May.

Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, April 11 Update:

Just as the local flora is blooming with Spring’s arrival, we are seeing the amazing fishery of the Way South region bloom as well. Several bites are going strong and there are now fishing opportunities for just about any style of fishing you enjoy. Tautog continue to move inshore and there have been good reports from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and the concrete ships at Kiptopeke. Tog are structure-oriented fish, so you will want to focus your fishing along rocky bottom and in areas with hard bottom structure. Pier anglers should be happy to know that croaker and spot are beginning to return to our waters. Netters in this region are reporting that these fish are turning up in their nets, and we also had reports from the Ocean View pier that small croaker were biting this week.

FishTalk contributor David Rudow reports that bull red drum are making their way into the mouth of the Bay. He was fishing in an undisclosed location and reported finding scattered schools of big fish in water less than 10’ deep. There have also been reports around the mouth of the York River showing that some big drum have finally arrived to the Bay. This is the initial push of fish, and more schools should show up between now and June. There are a lot of big drum being caught in the surf along the North Carolina coast, so these fish are definitely making their way north. While the big fish are just starting to show up, the inshore fishing for puppy drum is still going strong. Anglers fishing in Lynnhaven Inlet, Rudee Inlet, and the Elizabeth River are finding fish throughout these tributaries as they are becoming more widespread with warming water temperatures. One angler fishing in the Elizabeth River reported catching a handful of drum up to 28” on a recent trip. Another angler caught a 33” drum and a 26” speckled trout, although they didn’t say where they were fishing. One of the better reports we saw came from a kayak angler fishing Rudee Inlet who caught close to a dozen trout and nearly two dozen red drum with a mix of under and over slot fish. The inshore fishing is really heating up folks.

Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, April 4 Update:

The springtime fishing action is heating up with bites for several species steadily improving. Virginia Beach Sport Fishing reports that the redfish action in the shallows has been notably good lately. All the tributaries appear to be producing fish with the Elizabeth River, Rudee Inlet, and Lynnhaven Inlet yielding solid catches. Knot Wish’n Charters has been enjoying great action in Rudee Inlet with slot fish being caught just about every trip and increasing numbers of speckled trout showing up now that the weather is turning. Water temperatures in the tributaries have reached 60 degrees in some areas which will start to spread out the drum and specks. This shouldn’t hurt the bite, it just means they will be found in more areas. Shallow mud flats and grass flats should start to produce more fish this month as fish start to feed on emerging crabs and other baitfish moving into the shallows. 

Water temperatures at the mouth of the Bay are now in the mid 50’s and are approaching 60 degrees. This has many of our migratory fish on the move with a lot of fish starting to return to our waters. Tautog numbers are increasing as these fish move inshore and there have been some keepers caught at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. We had a report from an angler who caught four keepers and a few throwbacks earlier in the week at the CBBT. Another angler fishing the Kiptopeke concrete ships also pulled a keeper tog from the structure. Black drum have made a big push north and are running along the coastal beaches. There have been a lot of catches centered around Chincoteague, but the drum should be available in the surf along Virginia Beach as well. The shoals and other structures in the Bay are also known to hold big black drum and the traditional areas like the CBBT, Cape Charles, and the Kiptopeke ships should see their arrival soon. To our south, anglers fishing at the beaches in North Carolina are catching big red drum and bluefish which means they will be arriving to our waters very soon. There have been some rumors of bull red drum already showing up in the southern Bay, but we don’t have any reliable reports to confirm as of yet.