Virginia Fishing Report: Covering the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, Inshore and Virginia Offshore Fishing by Tidal Fish Correspondent Julie Ball
Virginia Fishing News
New!! Pending State Record GOLDEN TILE off the Ocean Pearl
On June 10th this past week I  received the call from CAPT Steve Wray at about 6pm when he was passing Cape Henry. He thought his angler had a new state record golden tile. I was already on my way to Long Bay Pointe to certify an IGFA Record Spadefish.
The group was deep dropping in the Norfolk Canyon, aboard the Ocean Pearl when Aaron Sledd of Virginia Beach hooked into something that took him 30 minutes to hoist to the top. The golden tile weighed in at a whopping 56lbs 8oz, topping the existing record caught last year, and just a few pounds shy of the All-Tackle World Record also caught last year.
VSWFT committee member, Capt Craig Paige showed up to verify the weight, and everything seemed in order.  Congratulations to the angler, captain, and crew aboard the “OCEAN PEARL.”

Virginia Fishing Reports
With all of the summer species now place, anglers are turning most efforts towards the abundant cobia, which are now available all over the lower bay and inshore waters. These brown-colored hunters are making their presence known as they take chummer’s offerings, and cruise along the top waters as if it were August. Boats using the chumming technique are having excellent success from the Rock Pile to the Buckroe area, and Latimer Shoals. Christian Seay and Charles Thain, both from the Eastern Shore, landed an 86-pounder, and a 90-pound bruiser respectively while chumming near buoy 13 this week.

The drum bite is

still good, as big reds continue to bite on the shoals and in the surf near Fisherman’s Island, as well as the Nine-foot Shoals and CBBT area. The black drum action is shifting more to the islands of the CBBT, which is common for this time of year.

Spadefish are still lagging behind the usual level of action of years past, as anglers are putting in a full day to land their limits of four fish. The larger spades are coming from inner bay hot spots, such as the Cell and Wolf Trap Light, but the action is still behind the curve. Schools of spades are also available around the islands of the CBBT. Sheepshead action is not much, but a few fish have cooperated. The best run should appear within a few weeks. An 11-pound sheepshead was hooked as a by-catch while drum fishing at buoy 13 this week.

Pan trout anglers can find takers schooling around the 12-mile marker and up to the high rise section of the Bay Bridge Tunnel, with a few fish still biting near the Concrete ships. There is little word on the larger fish lately. Reports of speckled trout and puppy drum are still coming from within Rudee Inlet, Lynnhaven Inlet, and Mobjack Bay. One boat had a good trip in Lynnhaven recently, scoring with thirteen pups up to 25-inches while fishing the outgoing tide.

Small bluefish and croaker are available all over the lower bay. The HRBT, the Hampton Bar, the Monitor-Merrimac, the James River Bridge, Little Creek, and the southern small boat channel at the CBBT are providing the best action on a range of sizes of hardheads. The folks at Ocean’s East 2 report that croaker to over 2-pounds are cooperating at the Coleman Bridge in 45 feet of water.

Folks are catching some flounder, but catching keepers is not an easy feat. The back waters of Oyster are still providing the highest ratio of keepers, with some fish reaching to 7-pounds this week. Other good places to try are the Cell, buoy 36A, and the channel edges and structure of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. Lynnhaven and Rudee Inlets are also still giving up above average numbers of keeper flatfish.
Spanish mackerel are providing lots of action along the Virginia Beach ocean front to anglers trolling small Drone and Clark spoons, and Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnows

Deep dropping boats are making a dent in the tilefish population lately.  Although many boats catch blueline tiles, the coveted golden tilefish is a more rare catch, with an occasional boat reporting one or two. CAPT Steve Wray guided his crew aboard the Ocean Pearl to the Canyon this week, and loaded up on seabass, tilefish, and blackbellied rosefish. The crew landed one golden tilefish, which was the one to get. The lucky crewmember, Aaron Sledd of Virginia Beach, landed the new pending Virginia state record golden tile. The fish tipped the scale at an impressive 65.5-pounds.

Amberjack have been here for several weeks, but a few boats took the initiative to make the run to the best jack-holding structure, the Southern Tower. Large schools of cooperative jacks are there taking baits and jigs, with a few pushing over 51-inches landed. Only a few big jacks are available at the Chesapeake Light Tower, where one 60-pounder was speared by a diver this week.

Offshore, warm water continues to push within range for Virginia boaters, where trollers are hooking into nice yellowfin tuna, and a few bluefin tuna up to 95-pounds. Gaffer dolphin are also hitting, with billfish sightings on the rise and a few released this week, including an unusual sailfish release. The best water is located east of the Cigar in around 500 fathoms of water.

The Oregon Inlet fleet is experiencing a good run on nice big eye tuna recently, while billfish continue to make a good showing. Some big blue marlin are cooperating for Big Rock Tournament.

Until next week, good luck fishing!

Julie
Dr. Julie Ball
IGFA Representative, Virginia Beach

Virginia’s Eastern Shore Fishing Report
Covering Inshore and Offshore Fishing out of Wachapreague, Chincoteague and Assateague
by Kevin of Lyn B Sportfishing - TidalFish.com Correspondent
“Brandon, “This weeks report is a mixed bag. At Chincoteague kingfish and bluefish have turned on with most fish found in the inlet near marker #15 .In the surf drum ,kingfish and flounder are being caught . In the sound some anglers are catching flounder , but the ratio is 10 throwbacks to 1 keeper . Mark Bankards caught a 116lb mako at the lumpy bottom .

At Wachpreague offshore boats fishing caught big bluefish at the 26 mile hill . One boat reported a 54inch bluefin caught at the lumpy bottom .Inshore wrecks are holding good numbers of seabass , with a few sharks and bluefish mixed in . Flounder fishing has been good , but there are lots of small fish in the area . In the surf at Paramour some red drum and kingfish are available.”

Kevin of Lyn B Sportfishing, a 34ft custom sport fisherman Captained by Bill Bowen. They offer inshore, wreck and offshore fishing adventures. Fishing from the Wachapreague, Wachapreague . Call 757-787-1074 to book a trip.

Virginia’s Middle Bay Fishing Report
by Jerry Thrash From Patriot Charters and Queens Creek Outfitters

Jerry writes, “Croakers  are biting well everywhere.  Some medium spot are mixed in.  Saturday our house guests with children who had never fished managed a dozen or so croaker in an hour off our Queens Creek dock.   Some medium spot are mixed in.
Flounder fishing at Buoy 42 and in the Cell area continues to improve.  Finally decent numbers are being caught by experienced anglers.   We weighed two citations this week, the first in about a month.
Spadefish continue to bite at the Cell and at Wolftrap but there have been no feeding frenzies.  Most who have caught them had only a few bites although there are a lot of fish visible.   We weighed in five citations through Saturday, 3 from Wolftrap, 1 from the Cell and 1 from the Rappahannock Range Light.
Speckled Trout fishing slowed a bit.  With a full moon mid-week and another crab shed underway, we may see another strong Speck week.  We registered two citation specks this week, 1 from the East River and 1 from the White’s Creek area near the Hole-in-the-Wall.

Citations:
Flounder:
27″, 9 lbs, 4 oz caught 6/12 at the CBBT on a minnow by A.L. Willett of Hallieford
28″, 8 lbs, 8 oz caught 6/13 at the Cell on cut bait by David S. Strbavy of Aylett while fishing aboard “LESS STRESS”
Spadefish:
20″, 10 lbs, 14 oz,  caught 6/9 at Wolftrap Light on clam by Duane Alan Davies of Huddleston
23″, 13 lbs, 8 oz caught 6/9 at Rappahannock Range Light on clam by Doug Purcell of Gloucester
21″, 11 lbs, 14 oz caught 6/9 at Wolftrap Light on clam by Chris Pritchard of Gloucester
22″, 11 lbs, 15 oz caught 6/14 at Wolftrap Light on clam by Edward J. Barker of Lynchburg
21″, 9 lbs, 1 oz caught 6/14 at the Cell on clam by Eric C. McCoy of Hayes
Speckled Trout:
26″, 5 lbs, 14 oz.  caught 6/11 in Whites Creek by Alan W. Moe of Hudgins on a Tsunami grub.
27″, 7 lbs,  7 oz.  caught 6/13 in the East River by Walter W. Smith of Gloucester on a Mirrolure”

Trackback URI |