Way South Fishing Reports
Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, June 4 Update:
Fishing opportunities continue to expand in the Way South region as Spanish mackerel, sheepshead, red drum, bluefish, and cobia arrive in force. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel remains the focal point of the action, with anglers enjoying productive catches around the islands, tunnel structure, and nearby shoals. With cobia season opening soon and fish already showing in strong numbers, anticipation is building for an excellent summer fishery.
June is a magical month for the Way South region as most of our seasonal visitors arrive, offering an abundance of fishing opportunities for anglers in the area. A reader fishing the CBBT reported catching 24” and 25” sheepshead, along with a mix of croaker, flounder, and some shark. He said they also spotted some big bull redfish at the first island and while they couldn’t get them to bite, they did see another boat hooked up to one. Another boat fishing near the tunnel caught a dozen Spanish mackerel while trolling. After catching the macks, they went to the fourth island and caught a big sheepshead and a black drum. There are still some black drum around the islands, but the red drum heavily outnumber them. These schools are growing bigger, but they are not always easy to locate. Even when you do locate them, they don’t always want to bite. Fishing pressure definitely has an effect on them, so fishing during the weekdays or fishing at night can be a great way to beat the crowds and get on a better bite.
Bluefish have also been around the bridge tunnel, and there have been a few feeding frenzies that popped up over the past week. Most of the blues are in the 16” to 20” range, but a few around the 30” mark are also being caught. The public fishing piers in the area are producing a mixed bag of species including bluefish, flounder, spot, croaker, and kingfish. There have also been some Spanish mackerel around these piers, so it would be a good idea to have some Gotcha plugs ready to throw in case some mackerel or bluefish move through the area.
The cobia are showing up to the Way South region in full force. This is good news for anglers as the season opens on June 15th and there appear to be plenty of fish around right now. Several boats reported successful sight fishing trips along the Virginia Beach oceanfront. The fish have also arrived at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel where they are being spotted over the nearby shoals and along the main shipping channel ledges. Tower boats are having the most success as they have the advantage of a higher viewpoint and can spot fish cruising at the surface of the water from farther away. Live eels have been very effective, but several anglers have also enticed bites while throwing large bucktails and jigheads dressed with big soft plastics. You don’t have to have a tower to catch these fish, however, and there was a report from a kayak angler who caught two fish from the CBBT bridge pilings this week. They were on the smaller side, but a cobia out of a kayak is a big accomplishment no matter the size of the fish.
