Way South Fishing Reports

Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, December 25 Update:

We hope that everyone has got some new fishing gear this week to use as we head into the new year. Now is a great time to get out on the water near the southern portion of the Chesapeake Bay to take advantage of the trophy striped bass that have migrated into our area. The main channel running on the Eastern Shore side of the Bay has been a hotspot for catching trophy fish. Eeling has been very effective, and there were reports this week of trophy-sized fish landed near Cape Charles and Kiptopeke. Some big fish are also still being caught around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and at the mouth of the James River. The lights from the bridges and islands are drawing in striped bass at night, especially in the James. There is no telling how long these big fish will stay in this zone of the Bay. They may stay around all winter, or push further north into the Bay, or head back out to the ocean, so if you want to catch a trophy fish, now is the time to do it. The striped bass season will close in Virginia after December 31st. The start of the new year will mean catch and release only for the remainder of the winter.

In the tidal tributaries surrounding Norfolk and Virginia Beach, resident speckled trout and red drum are in their wintering zones. The Elizabeth River is arguably one of the best bodies of water to fish in the Way South region during the winter as it has both deep and shallow water that these fish will move through depending on water temperature and where the bait is. Most fish are likely to stay down deep in the channels, but when we get warm fronts, they will push into the shallow creeks and coves to warm up on the mud flats and feed on bait. We had a report from an angler fishing in the Elizabeth who caught their personal best speckled trout measuring 25 inches. They also caught a half dozen other specks in the 18” to 20” range. They were fishing the southern branch of the Elizabeth River. An angler fishing in a small tributary off the lower York River reported catching some slot and over-slot puppy drum during this week’s warm-up. The specks and pups should continue to provide a reliable winter fishery as long as we don’t see the extreme cold we saw last winter.

Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, December 19 Update:

The big talk in the Way South region is the arrival of big migratory striped bass. Ocean’s East Bait and Tackle said reports that big numbers of fish have shown up in the southern Chesapeake Bay. The bite has been exceptional over the past two weeks, with several boats landing multiple trophy sized fish on recent outings. Sho-Nuf Sportfishing has been chasing these big fish, and their crews are catching some giants. On a recent trip, they landed 10 fish, with the largest weighing 51 pounds. The key has been to live line eels near main channels and areas where the stripers will be migrating through. Anglers are also catching stripers in some of the Norfolk and Virginia Beach area tributaries, with bridges being a hotspot. These include the Monitor-Merrimac Bridge Tunnel, Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel, and James River Bridge. If you can brave the elements and have the right gear, fishing near the bridges at night has been good, especially in the waters illuminated by the bridge lights. The striper fishing should remain reliable through the end of the year.

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel has been holding good numbers of tautog around the bridge pilings and rock islands. They are usually a reliable option this time of year as long as you have some type of crab bait to drop down near structure. You can also use clam if crabs are hard to find. When fishing for them along rocky structures, you want to use heavy tackle so that you can pull them away from anything that could potentially snag and break your line. In the tributaries, speckled trout are still available to catch. With colder water temperatures, the specks will usually spend time in areas of deep water with close access to shallow flats. The Elizabeth River is an excellent tributary to fish for them throughout the winter. Suspending jerkbaits will be one of the best lures to throw right now. You will want to fish them very slowly, as the specks are not feeding very aggressively. When retrieving the lure, give it a few jerks, then pause for a few seconds. The specks will often eat it on the pause.

Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, December 11 Update:

Confirmed reports of some seriously big rockfish are starting to come in, with a 46.25” caught near Hampton Roads last weekend and a pair of fish over 40” from the CBBT area. This week, a reader report rolled in of a 41” caught at night near the Hampton area as well. All of these were catches made while night fishing, and the anglers mentioned frigid temps and, in one case, rain. This sort of fishing certainly isn’t for the faint of heart, but the catches you might be rewarded with can be magical. Big rockfish catches have also been reported on the Eastern Shore of Virginia in the Bay. Boats heading out from Cape Charles to Exmore have been pulling in some big ones this week. Live lining eels is a popular method, but trolling is also a very effective way to cover water and find them. These fish will hopefully continue to push in from the ocean and offer exciting catch and release opportunities. Virginia’s rockfish season runs until December 31st, but the slot limit is 19” to 24” with a creel of one fish per person, so the big fish must be released.

Speckled trout have pushed into the tidal creeks near Norfolk and Virginia Beach. Cold water temperatures are making them slightly less active, but still plenty active to target. Soft plastics, suspending jerkbaits, and swimbaits are still effective. Productive tributaries in the winter usually include the Elizabeth River, Lynnhaven Inlet, Rudee inlet, and Broad Bay. Specks will often seek out shallower waters with mud bottom that warm up when exposed to sunlight. A big key for finding them in the shallows is to locate areas with deep water nearby. The same goes for puppy drum in these areas. They can still be found in the shallows in the winter near oyster beds, mud flats, and the upper reaches of tidal tributaries. Rudee Inlet is a hotspot for reds in the winter, but it can get crowded. The other tributaries mentioned also hold reds, and there are more areas to search for them that are less crowded.

Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, December 5 Update:

Migratory striped bass are making their way back into the Chesapeake Bay. The big fish are beginning to arrive, and December is the best time of year to catch them in the Way South region. Some fish have been caught around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and in the waters off Cape Charles, but we are still waiting on the big push of fish, if they even show up. What the migratory stripers do in the winter tends to vary year by year, but for the past few years, they have pushed up the Bay in December. Eeling is very effective way to catch them, but trolling and light tackle jigging can also work. The eel bite has been good on the James River, and we had a report from an angler who said they caught stripers up to 35” on the river this week. Creeks off the main stem of the James are also holding plenty of slot fish. The striped bass season will remain open in Virginia until December 31st.

The speckled trout bite is beginning to slow down now that we have had some nights below freezing. There are still plenty of fish to catch in the Virginia Beach and Norfolk tidal tributaries, but many of them will be in deeper water and prefer a slower presentation. Lynnhaven Inlet, Rudee Inlet, and the Elizabeth River have been highlighted hot zones lately. Red drum can also be found in these tributaries. The bull reds have pushed either offshore or to the waters south of the Bay, but the puppy drum can be caught throughout the winter months. At the rocky islands of the CBBT, tautog are schooling and can be caught by dropping down crab baits. The nearshore wrecks and reefs off the mouth of the Bay are holding plenty of sea bass and tautog as well. There are still plenty of fishing opportunities, so bundle up and get out there.