Lateral Line Ambassador Jay Fleming sent in this shot of a nice red fish he caught wading in shallow water this past week in Chesapeake, Virginia. WTG, Jay, nice fish and the Crisfield fishing shirt looks sharp as well if we do not say so ourselves! (photo: Ben Fleming)

A new approved IGFA World Record from Virginia saltwaters. Male 20 pound Tippet Fly Rod Class Striped Bass weighed in at 51lbs, 5oz

Richie Keatley of Norfolk was approved recently as the newest World Record holder from Virginia. The 51lb, 5oz striped bass he boated on the fly at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel on December 17th, 2010 topped the existing 43lbs, 12oz record previously held by another Virginia resident, Harry Huelsbeck.

Richie was fly fishing in his 22-foot boat at the Bay Bridge Tunnel using a hand-tied 3/0 Clouser blue-tinted fly. After a nerve racking battle and three netting attempts, once again Virginia fishing history was made!
Congratulations Richie!!

Virginia Fish Citations for the week of March 29, 2010
Click to enlarge image

Anglers registered 5,191 trophy-size fish for Citation awards during the 52nd Annual Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament, which ran from January 1st through December 31st.  This was the tenth year in a row anglers registered at least 5,000 Citations since the Tournament began in 1958.

For the first time in Tournament history, speckled trout accounted for the largest number of Citations among the 35 eligible species.   The 849 speckled trout registered last year represented 16% of all Citations awarded and was the second most ever for the species.  Released speckled trout composed 28 % of the species total.  Among the speckled trout Citations registered for weight, seven speckled trout topped the magic10-pound mark while 45 fish weighed 8 pounds or more.

Offshore anglers found white marlin willing targets in 2009, as bluewater anglers set an all-time mark of 775 whites, accounting for 15% of all Citations.  The previous best was in 1978 when 728 of these acrobatic fish were registered in the Tournament.  White marlin are only eligible for release so all of these beautiful billfish were released.  The season’s first white marlin was caught June 26 but the fishing did not become consistent until mid-July.  All of August and early September produced substantial catches of whites.    What stood out about the 2009 season was some of the very best action occurred the last two weeks of September!  Catches would have been much higher if the summer fishing fleet had been in place.

Only slightly behind white marlin and in third place for 2009, striped bass Citations totaled Continue Reading »

Virginia Marine Resources (VMRC) 2009 Saltwater  Fishing Tournament Leading Entries for the week ending September 11, 2009 .Click on the image for a larger view of the fishing tournament leaders.

Virginia Marine Resources (VMRC) 2009 Saltwater  Fishing Tournament Leading Entries for the week of September 3 ,2009 .Click on the image for a larger view of the leaders.

Virginia Marine Resources (VMRC) 2009 Saltwater  Fishing Tournament Leading Entries for the week of August 7,2009 .Click on the image for a larger view of the leaders.

There should be no problem finding a species to target right now. Both inshore and offshore varieties are available. Inshore, cobia action continues to lure anglers to the lower Bay shoals. Chummers are scoring with a nicer class of fish using chunks of bunker, live eels, and live croaker fished on the bottom. The best locations for chummers lately are the seaside areas of Fisherman’s Island, the Nine foot shoal, and Latimer shoal. Sight-casters are lagging behind, mostly because of frequent cloudy and windy conditions. Pier anglers where thrilled this week when 3 big cobia hit baits off the Seagull Fishing Pier located at the 1st island. Red drum are also taking cut bunker in these same areas. Black drum are still circling the islands of the CBBT, with a smartly placed shad or buck tail the lure of choice.

Flounder action is hit and miss again this week, but anglers who put in their time are finding a few keepers. Most keepers are coming from drifting with strip baits and minnows. The Hampton Bar, buoy 36, Back River Reef, and the Thimble Shoal Channel, are proving the most action for drifters. Those dropping live bait and jigs on lower bay structures are also finding a few nice fish along the HRBT and the CBBT. Within Lynnhaven Inlet, Rudee Inlet, and Wachapreague, flounder enthusiasts are finding a few fish, but the action is generally slow.

The hunt for the king mackerel is on. Unfortunately, the kings are not cooperating. A few small kings ranging from 10 to 15 pounds are coming from the CB line of buoys near the entrance to the Bay. Spanish mackerel action has also slowed up. Captain Steve Wray, skipper of the Ocean Pearl out of Lynnhaven, reports that the best Spanish bite is occurring off the Virginia Beach ocean front, where the fish are hitting in 10 to 30-feet of water.

Some spadefish are schooling around near shore wrecks, the span of the CBBT, and the 3rd and 4th islands. Most of these fish are ranging to around 4-pounds. Plantation Light and the Cell are holding some larger fish, but getting them to bite is another story. Triggerfish are helping themselves to the clam offered to spades near the islands, which are fun to catch, and a good consolation prize.

Sheepshead action is good lately, with fish to14-pounds taking fiddler crabs dangled along the Bridge Tunnel complex. Noel Dennis of Carrollton, scored with a trophy 10-pound sheepsead while offering a fiddler crab at the CBBT. Decent tautog are also coming from the same areas, with fish tipping the scales at 9.5-pounds this week.

Plenty of medium-sized croaker and nice spot are scattered around the lower Bay. The lower Bay inlets, the Concrete Ships, and the small boat channel south of the first island are providing good numbers right now. Squid, shrimp, and Fishbites are all working well.

The folks at Ocean’s East 2 report that speckled trout made a modest showing within Lynnhaven, Rudee, and Little Creek Inlets lately. Most fish are just keeper sized, but a few 4-pounders are also in the mix. Puppy drum are going strong, with fish active in all the lower Bay shallows and Inlets, with the Elizabeth River, and Lynnhaven Inlet favorite hot spots this week. A few pups are pushing up to over 30-inches.

The folks at Chris’ Bait and Tackle report that other than a few sightings, the tarpon action is still basically non-existent. Tarpon experts are speculating that the Virginia tarpon run may not materialize this season if it does not jump-start within the next week or so.

Amberjack are a no-brainer at the South Tower, where anglers are finding good numbers of Continue Reading »