The primary driving force on the fishing scene lately is the relentless weather. The fish seem ready and willing, but anglers are having a tough time reaching them. Therefore, many are resorting to an inshore fishing itinerary. And with the ongoing speckled trout run, not many are complaining. The fish are active in the shallows of the southern section of the lower Bay and rivers, as well as in the surf line. Surf anglers are pulling keeper fish from the wash near the Sandbridge pier on grubs and cut bait. Most of the larger fish are coming from the Elizabeth River and Rudee Inlet, but Lynnhaven is also giving up some respectable fish lately. Richard Stell of Virginia Beach lucked out when he hooked a hefty six-pound, 11-ounce speck fishing in the Broad Bay section of Lynnhaven, while Randy Price of Norfolk scored with a nice seven-pound, 13-ounce bruiser from the Elizabeth River on a Mirrolure. There are several fishing methods used for targeting speckled trout, and all techniques are producing lately. But many are finding especially good luck with trolling this week. Puppy drum are still active in these same areas, but the action slowed up this week. Surf anglers are reporting some quality fish coming from the surf along Cape Henry, and down to Sandbridge.

If a decent weather window presents, there is warm water within range, but few boats will make the run. There is a chance for yellowfin tuna, longfin tuna, and bluefin tuna. Swordfish are also a good possibility for those venturing to the deep for an overnight trip.
Until next week, good luck fishing!

Julie
Dr. Julie Ball
IGFA Representative,

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
Kevin must be into some good fishing right now. 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.

Luckily we have some reports from the Virginia Saltwater Review covering this region.
Chincoteague – No report this week.
Wachapreague - At Captain Zeds, there was a nice run of small flounder in the area before the poor weather set in. The Bull’s Head area (at day markers 133 through 137), Green Channel, and the Hummock were all productive for flounder. A few sporadic striped bass and grey trout have been reported as well.

Virginia’s Middle Bay Fishing Report
by Jerry Thrash From Patriot Charters and Queens Creek Outfitters
Jerry writes: “This was another speckled trout week.  We weighed FIVE  citation-sized fish, all caught in the Ware/East River area. These fish are staying late.  One angler, Keith Nuttall, had a whopping 7 lbs, 12 oz Speck and a 38” 20 lbs Striper, both in shallow waters and both on a Mirrolure.   Water temps were about 56 degrees. Tautog are biting on structure and hard bottom. Striper anglers fishing for school-sized fish are having success casting bucktails and other lures from shorelines at narrow creek channels and working docks and structures.  Best fishing is at first light and just before dark. Schooling stripers varying in size from 16-24” have been common this past week on moving tides at the Hole-in the Wall, Windmill Bar and in Fleets Bay above the bar.  Activity dies with the tide.  A few scattered big fish in the 40” range have been caught but these fish are isolated, not in schools yet.  Chilly nights expected this week should bring great striper fishing in the next week or so with big fish to come by Thanksgiving. Storm-type lures fished on bottom bouncing rigs, small umbrella rigs and spoons fished deep and up high are working as are bucktails with grubs or shad.

CITATIONS:
SPECKLED TROUT
25.25″, 5 lbs, 4 oz caught  11/14  in the Ware River by Mark M. Ottarson of Bohannon on a Mirrolure.
26″, 6 lbs, 1 oz caught  11/14  in the Ware River by Lee R. Alto of Gloucester on a Mirrolure.
28.5″, 7 lbs, 12 oz caught  11/13  in the Ware River , by Keith Nuttall of Gloucester on a Mirrolure.“

Virginia Saltwater Fish Citations Reported for week of 11-13-08 through 11-19-08

click above to see larger chart

The inshore water temperatures are still cooling, encouraging a larger class of stripers to move into lower Bay waters. And although the hogs are still yet to arrive, fish to around 45-inches are keeping anglers content in the meantime. These larger fish are not biting in a frenzy, but the outgoing tide is providing the best luck with rockfish of all sizes. School-sized fish are available to casters working the pilings of the lower Bay structures, while boats using live bait and wire-lining over the tubes and near the 4th island of the CBBT are finding bigger fish. The folks at Ocean’s East 2 report that the HRBT is holding plenty of school-sized fish, while the JRB and the M&M are giving up fish averaging up to around 32-inches. For those using eels at the high rise, the best bite is usually at night. Ben Sheppard and Rudy Levasseur of Chesapeake put their crew on several nice fish to 44-inches on a recent overnight eeling trip the high rise of the CBBT. Some folks are also finding good luck fishing the open Bay waters trolling and casting under working birds. Todd at Bayside Bait and Tackle reports that folks targeting trout and stripers in Willoughby are also catching plenty of croaker near all three of the jetties.

The first big striped bass tournament of the season is coming up on November 28th. The Kiptopeke Rockfish Riot is hosted by Chris’ Bait and Tackle, and benefits the North Hampton County Toy Closet for children. For more information, call 757-331-3000.

Tautog action is still on the rise on lower bay structures and on coastal wrecks. Even
with somewhat muddy water this week, crab, clam, and black mussels offered along the pilings and the tubes of the CBBT are rewarding anglers with limits of fish averaging to more than 6-pounds.  Folks targeting the concrete ships off Kiptopeke are also having good luck with keeper fish.

Although speckled trout action slowed a little this week within Lynnhaven Inlet, anglers fishing Rudee Inlet, the Elizabeth River, and Ocean View are still finding good numbers of fish. The larger specks are coming from Rudee Inlet and the Elizabeth River, where several citations hit the scales from both locations recently. Greg Campbell of Virginia Beach weighed in a nice five pound speck he hooked while casting a Mirrolure in Rudee Inlet this week. The best luck in the Hot Ditch area of the Elizabeth River is coming from floating minnows on bobbers. Puppy drum are still a big hit in most all shallow backwater areas, with both live finger mullet and cut mullet working well.

Flounder reports from Bay waters are hard to come by, but good hauls of flatfish are coming from coastal and offshore structures. The Triangle Wrecks area is a favorite hot spot for flounder lately, where Captain Fred Feller put his crew aboard the Rudee Mariner on more than 20 keeper flatfish up to 6.5-pounds recently. Nice seabass are also available on these offshore structures, but the trick is finding a wreck that has not been fished lately. Huge chopper bluefish pushing to over 20-pounds, continue to lure folks to the Triangle Wreck area. These fish are easy to catch and offer a great battle, especially on light tackle. Both trolling and jigging is working well lately for these toothy fish. Very good triggerfish action is also occurring on many offshore structures.

Reports of bluefin tuna sightings are beginning to trickle in. Although no schools of giants have been reported as of yet, Captain Jake Hiles aboard the Matador reports that schools of smallish bluefins are making a showing at the Triangle Wrecks and the Hot Dog area, along with scores of small false albacore. The offshore winter yellowfin tuna bite is not materializing. The hit and miss bite of a few weeks ago fizzled, with no promise of returning. Swordfish are still a possibility for overnighters when a weather window presents itself.
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
Kevin must be into some good fishing right now. 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.

Luckily we have some reports from the Virginia Saltwater Review covering this region.
Chincoteague – No report this week.
Wachapreague – No report this week.

Virginia’s Middle Bay Fishing Report
by Jerry Thrash From Patriot Charters and Queens Creek Outfitters
Jerry writes: “Schooling stripers varying in size from 16-24” have been common this past week on moving tides at the Hole-in the Wall, Windmill Bar and in Fleets Bay above the bar.  Activity dies with the tide.  A few scattered big fish in the 40” range have been caught but these fish are isolated, not in schools yet.  Chilly nights should bring great striper fishing in the next week or so with big fish to come by Thanksgiving. Storm-type lures fished on bottom bouncing rigs and up high are working as are bucktails with grubs or shad.”

I received the below report from fellow fishing friend Julie Ball from some fishing she did last week before the winds blew into the Chesapeake, sounds like some good fishing. Congrats to her on achieving 150 Virginia Citations, that is a heck of an accomplishment!

——

My parents came into town from Florida for my birthday this week. This was bad timing for fishing, with not much of a break in the weather. We moved my birthday gathering from Tuesday to Monday evening, since Tuesday looked like the most fishable day of the week. Capt Skip Feller, captain of the Rudee Angler and supervisor of the Rudee Inlet Head boat fleet, kept hinting that he wanted to go fishing. Skip hadn’t fished on a “small” boat in years, and was itching to go. So, when the forecast was still W 10-15, we planned to point the bow east off Virginia Beach in our 31-footer and go as far as we could. Tuesday morning, the wind was from the SW at 15 to 18, but was supposed to drop to W at 10 after 7am. That didn’t happen. But, my parents were going fishing!

We left from the Virginia Beach Fishing Center around 8am, and made our way to the Chesapkeake Light Tower in 3 to 4 foot seas. The Backlash was there trolling for kings, and told us on the radio that he was going in early due to the weather. We looked around at the 3 to 4 footers, and decided to stay at the Light Tower and try to drop on a few wrecks. We put Skip to work, and he expertly maneuvered the boat over the wreck while we fished. After about an hour, the seas dropped to about 2 to 3 feet, and Robin gave Skip a break so he could fish. We hauled up several dozen nice keeper seabass to about 3 pounds.

At about noon, we noticed the seas had dropped to 1 to 2 feet, so we decided to see if we could make it to the Triangle wrecks, and we did. Again, the seas were 3 to 4 feet. My parents did great! Robin held the boat while we all fished again. We caught seabass to almost 5 pounds. After awhile, I noticed marks above the wreck that looked like bluefish. A few minutes later, Skip pulled up a CRUSHED seabass head. Ah-ha, they’re here! Let’s see how big they are. I broke out my Braid Slammer jigs on 50lb Power Pro line. A few minutes later, Skip was pulling up a seabass on the jig, and he shouted, “There he is!” A bluefish had taken his seabass and was hooked up. When it surfaced, I knew he was big enough! It was a stud! The next one hit the same way; he grabbed my seabass on the way up. It was another citation fish, although not as big as Skip’s. The seas had calmed to 1 to 2 feet again, and we headed back in at about 4pm with a cooler full of seabass and bluefish. I have a tough crew! And Skip caught fish for a change instead of taking others to catch them!

Back at the dock, Skip’s bluefish tipped the scale at a whopping 19lbs, 15oz which should be the new State Leading bluefish! Way to go Skip! I was also a happy camper, since I was able to obtain my goal for the year. My citation bluefish gave me my 150th Citation for the State of Virginia, giving me the 1st ever 6th Level Master Angler honors! I’m done!
Not bad for a crappy weather day of fishing!! Julie

Although blustery weather is not allowing much opportunity for fishing on the open water, not many anglers are complaining since sheltered water is providing impressive speckled trout action. Plenty of fish averaging to three pounds are keeping casters busy. The most consistent speck action is happening in Rudee Inlet, Little Creek, Lynnhaven River, Back River, the Eastern Shore shallows, the Poquoson flats, and the Elizabeth River. Todd at Bayside Bait and Tackle reports that anglers are lining the beach in front of the old Duck Inn near the Lesner Bridge and leaving with buckets full of keeper specks, just like the “old days.” The best lures are chartreuse or red and white Mirrolures. Smoke-colored grubs and Gulp grubs are also producing.

Spot reports are scarce, with the great bite of the last few weeks dwindling to almost nil within the lower Bay inlets. Croaker catches are also slowing, but a few big heardheads are still providing some action in Lynnhaven Inlet, Rudee Inlet, and near the lower Bay Bridge Tunnels. Puppy drum are still generating a stir in the backwater areas, where hopeful die-hard spot anglers are scoring with nice pups in the 5 to 12-pound range in both Lynnhaven and Rudee Inlets. Surf anglers are also experiencing good puppy drum encounters on cut bait from Fort Story to Sandbridge.

Although this season’s king mackerel run was a good one, the recent string of blows has dropped water temperatures into the upper 60’s, which may have cut the run short. The same goes for cobia. Dave Trax, skipper of the Oblivion and a local king expert, maintains that 67 degrees is the cut-off for Virginia king mackerel action. The king bite out of Carolina is fantastic lately though, with several boats reporting limits of kings each day. Big red drum are still a possibility along the ocean front, along the Eastern Shore shoals, and near the 3rd island of the CBBT. The bull red action off the Little Island Fishing Pier and the surf line slowed up this week.

Striped bass are becoming more active, but not much bigger…yet. But, since the water temperatures are finally beginning to drop, bigger fish should begin moving in soon. Chunking and live baiting is still your best bet for a larger class of fish. Casters are scoring with schoolie-sized rockfish between 20 to 22-inches along the Monitor Merrimack, the James River Bridge, the HRBT, and the CBBT, especially during night time hours. Wire liners are also boating fish ranging from 24 to 26-inches from the tubes of the CBBT this week. Lots of bluefish to around 5-pounds and small gray tout are rounding out most catches.

Flounder are scarce with the muddy water right now. Drifting strip baits along the Baltimore Channel, near buoy 36A, along Cape Henry, and the small boat channel are good places to try when the wind breaks. Working bait and jigs around the CBBT structure can also prove effective for big flatties. These fish are fat in preparation for their migration offshore.

The inshore and bay tautog bite is beginning to draw more interest as reports of keeper fish up to 8-pounds are trickling in. Several keepers were boated from around the artificial islands of the CBBT this week on blue crab. Wreck action is also taking off nicely with ample numbers of respectable seabass in the 3 to 5-pound range becoming active on both inshore and offshore wrecks, with trigger fish still available in the same areas. Chopper bluefish are circling offshore structures. Captain Skip Feller of Virginia Beach landed the new State Leading bluefish when the chopper took his seabass while wreck fishing with Dr. Julie Ball and crew. His fish tipped the scale at 19-pounds, 15-ounces. Also look for a possible bluefin tuna sighting to surface soon in these same areas.

Offshore, it has been difficult to get out due to weather. When boats could make it to the deep, wahoo were providing some action, along with a few bill fish and bailer dolphin. This line-up can change considerably since the good water has moved out. Once overnight trips resume, more swordfish are a good possibility.
Dr. Julie Ball
IGFA Representative

Virginia’s Eastern Shore Fishing Report
Chincoteague – According to Donna at Captain Bob’s, fishing has been slow out of Chincoteague. Windy conditions kept fishing at a minimum over the past few weeks. On the good nights, a few large striped bass were caught under the Queen’s Sound Bridge.

Wachapreague -At Captain Zed’s, anglers were looking for flounder, but found very few keepers. From the dock at Wachapreague, bluefish, spot, and croaker were landed. Offshore, there was little action. One citation black sea bass (5 pounds, 2 ounces) was reported from the wrecks.

Virginia’s Middle Bay Fishing Report
by Jerry Thrash From Patriot Charters and Queens Creek Outfitters
Jerry writes: “This was a speckled trout week.  We weighed three citation-sized fish and recorded one release citation through Saturday, one of the weight citations was not validated because the fisherman was using a NC license.   Water temps were about 70 degrees until the winds came.  2-3 days of the NE blow should finish the spot. There are still a lot of Blue fish in the creeks and rivers and along the bars in the bay. Keeper grey trout continue to be caught in the Piankatank with best numbers coming at the edge of dark. There are also a lot of small red drum in the shallows, especially in grassy areas and in areas with hard bottom. Flounder catches have improved in the Buoy 36A and 38 areas.  One of our employees had 2 keeper flounder near the Coleman Bridge Friday night along with a limit of grey trout, six speckled trout and two puppy drum. Mobjack Bay is producing good numbers of speckled trout and the Piankatank is becoming more productive as well. Striper anglers fishing for school-sized fish are better off fishing at first light and just before dark and sticking to the shallows and/or structure with small jigs and soft plastics or live bait.    Schooling activity won’t start until the water temps fall below 60 degrees.

CITATIONS:
SPECKLED TROUT
26″, 6 lbs, 8 oz caught  10/14 by Jim Ruliffson of Hudgins in the Piankatank on a jig and an artificial minnow.
24.5″, 5 lbs, 4 oz caught  10/18 by Craig Balderson of Aylett in the Mobjack on a Mirrolure.
Release, 26.25″, caught and released on 10/18 in the Ware River by Keith Nuttall of Gloucester on a Mirrolure.
CROAKER, 20.75″, 3 lbs, 8 oz, caught 10/15 at Cape Charles on squid by E.W. Inge of Moon.”

Virginia Fishing Report: Covering the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, Inshore and Virginia Offshore Fishing
Once the weather begins cooperating, anglers can experience a great introduction to the fall fishing season. The latest blow was the hallmark of dropping water temperatures, which means the summer favorites are lining up to exit the area, while the cool water species are taking up residence.

The fall red drum procession is gaining momentum, as good catches continue to come from lower bay and coastal waters. Big channel bass are tempting surf and pier anglers at the Little Island Fishing Pier when they can fish for them. But the oceanfront piers were recently closed due to unsafe weather. If you’re planning your day around drumming off the piers, be sure to call ahead if the weather looks questionable.

Puppy drum are the most reliable species lately, with pups providing good action within any inlet and along all the lower bay and ocean front shorelines. Several 30-inchers were landed by surf anglers fishing the Lesner Bridge in Lynnhaven Inlet this week using cut mullet.

Flounder will still be waiting for when the water clears. A few flatfish are taking drifted baits off Kiptopeke, where a 7-pound, 5-ounce fish fell for a squid and minnow combo this week. Anglers are working hard for the flatfish in the dirty water and wind, so the protected inlets are also a good choice for flatfish right now. Some fish to 4-pounds were landed off docks within Lynnhaven this week. Offshore and inshore wrecks will also produce keeper flounder along with big seabass.

The spot brigade is marching right along with lots of decent fish available.
Anglers are finding plenty of 12 to 14-ounce spot within the protected Rudee and Lynnhaven Inlets. Spot thrive in a Northerly wind, which pushes fish against the southernmost shorelines of the bay. The folks at the Lynnhaven Fishing Pier report that pier anglers are catching good numbers of big spot on bloodworms and Fishbites, with the best bites occurring on the incoming tide. Lots of Taylor and snapper bluefish are also hitting in these same areas.

Horse croaker are still hanging on the Hampton Bar and the Monitor-Merrimack Memorial Bridge Tunnel, where shrimp is the favored bait. The lower bay inlets are also holding some nice hardheads, where fish raging to over two-pounds were hooked near the Lesner Bridge this week on shrimp. Rudee Inlet has also given up scattered big croaker lately.

Speckled trout catches are still on the rise within the Eastern Shore bayside creeks, with Hungar’s Creek and Nassawadox Creek giving up the larger fish. Tracy Outten of Machipongo used a Mirrolure to trick her 7-pound speck this week while casting in Nassawadox Creek. The action in Lynnhaven Inlet is also improving with scattered fish averaging to 22-inches biting lately.

Although cobia are cruising out of the bay, anglers have a shot at intercepting their journey as these fish pause on buoys and form small pods along the ocean front on their way south. Sight casting with jigs and live bait will do the trick. Chummers are also still finding good luck with keeper-sized cobia on the lower bay shoals lately.

King mackerel are not cooperating right now, but they will still be a possibility trolling around the Chesapeake Light tower and down to False Cape in clean water. A few nice Spanish are still lingering in the same areas, and false albacore are available closer to shore and around the tower. Big barracuda are also circling the Tower right now, along with Jack Crevelle.

The next fall species will debut next week as the bay striped bass season opens on the 4th of October. Be sure to check the new regulations carefully.

Fall offshore action can be good once boats can get out. Chances for releases of white and blue marlin will materialize after the blow. Swordfish action will be on the upswing, and will continue to improve through the winter months. Catches of decent yellowfin tuna should continue to improve through October along with wahoo. Dolphin action should continue after the blow with plenty of hopeful weed lines to promote the catches.(The above photo is of TidalFish member Healthy Grin, see his full report here.)

Until next week, good luck fishing!

Julie
Dr. Julie Ball
IGFA Representative,

Wachapreague – According to staff at the Wachapreague Marina, numerous dolphin were found at the Norfolk Canyon along with a whopping 272-pound blue marlin. The dolphin ranged from 5 to 20 pounds. Most offshore fishing has been better past 40 fathoms. Inshore, staff reports that flounder fishing is fair.

At Captain Zed’s, anglers continued to catch flounder and croaker near Paramour and Cedar islands, which were hot spots for the season. A few spot and grey trout were landed, and there were reports of small red drum sightings. Offshore action in the canyons has been productive with dolphin and wahoo, and wreck fishing was doing really well with black sea bass.

Virginia’s Middle Bay Fishing Report
by Jerry Thrash From Patriot Charters and Queens Creek Outfitters
Jerry writes: “Winds kept the fishing effort minimal except for river and creek fishing this week.  We did not register any citations. Spot are being caught in the Rappahannock up near the Norris Bridge.  Schools are started down the river and action can be hot and heavy then die out between schools.  Pan-sized grey trout have started biting in the Piankatank with some fish reaching 16″.  This week’s windy weather and dropping temps should start the fall runs.  Bluefish are everywhere and are often hitting spot as they are retrieved. Speckled trout are becoming more active as the fall run appears near.  Mobjack Bay had good action through the weekend. Light tackle fishermen fish shore structure are releasing good numbers of what will be keeper stripers when the season starts on October 4th.”

I received the below from Captain Chris Newsome today and thought I would pass it on to all anglers interested in saltwater fishing in Virginia this fall . Capt. Chris is a great guy and excellent guide. You can check him out here if interested

———–

Today marks the official start of the fall fishing season – my favorite time of year to be on the water!

I’m a little sad to see this summer go because we had some fantastic fishing.  Lots of pretty speckled trout were caught including 7 citation size fish of which 3 where over 28 inches.  We also had some big number days on puppy drum.  Our best morning produced nearly 50 redfish.  The stripers this summer where particularly fat and healthy which I attribute to the large year class of peanut bunker, the primary prey for all gamefish in the bay.  It has been many years since I’ve seen this much bait – a very encouraging sign as we head into fall!

I will be focusing my guiding out of the Middle Peninsula until late November when I will move down to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel to take advantage of the winter striper fishery.  We will be fishing out of my new Andros Permit 22 which I picked up two weeks ago from the factory in Sarasota, FL.  The boat is a fantastic fly and light tackle fishing platform with the versatility to go from the shallows to the open water of the lower Chesapeake.

The next five weeks will produce a mixed bag of stripers, specks and reds in the shallows.  If the summer is any indication, we are in for a banner fall for all three species.  Fishing the shallows of the Middle Peninsula is probably my favorite form of fishing that our region offers.  Calm water, beautiful scenery, little boat traffic and quality fishing make for a great day on the water.  By early November, the majority of puppy drum and speckled trout will have moved south but large numbers of striped bass will be traveling through the shallows eating everything that crosses their path.  We will also see stripers blitzing in open water of the bay along the Middle Peninsula during the month of November.

By the start of December, I will be focusing my efforts out of Taylor’s Landing in Little Creek which is only a 4 mile boat ride to the CBBT.  The mass of striped bass along the bridge tunnel from Thanksgiving through late winter is unbelievable.  Fish by the million under acres of feeding gulls and gannets will flood the lower bay and ocean and we’ll be there to tangle with them on fly and light tackle.  January is my favorite month to fish the CBBT because the crowds are gone and fishing is at its best.  We had many days last January where we caught over 100 stripers per trip.  There were times when we surpassed the century mark in number of fish in under 2 hours.  Late fall and winter is also the time for trophy striped bass.  We catch numerous FAT stripers over 40” during this time.  With a warm winter we will see spectacular fishing into February.

With every newsletter, I try to provide a tip on tackle or technique.  This time I will cover how I like to replace the treble hooks on my hard plastic plugs with single J-style hooks.  J-hooks have several advantages for the light tackle fisherman over trebles.  First, J-hooks cause less damage to the fish than the numerous prongs of a treble hook lure.  Not only are J-hooks safer for the fish but also for the angler during those unflattering times when you accidentally catch yourself!  Another advantage comes when it is time to untangle a lure from the net.  Less time removing hooks from fish, nets and yourself means more time fishing.  Lastly, I find very little change in hook up ratio by switching to single hooks.

By using stainless steel J-hooks, your tackle box will not get covered in rust and you’ll replace hooks less frequently.  You will want to use short shank J-hooks.  My favorite for this purpose is the Tiemco 800S.  These hooks have a large eyelet which is important to allow the hook to swing on the split ring (try extra small stainless split rigs).  The problem with these hooks is that they are only made up to size 2 (they are big for size 2 – comparable to sz 1 or 1/0 in other brands).  For larger plugs where big hooks are required, I use Mustad C68S SS.  These hooks have smaller eyes but work fine in sizes 1/0 and up.  You will find that changing to single hooks will affect the sink rate of suspending plugs like Mirrolures.  If I need a plug to sink faster, I add strips of lead tape to the bottom of the lure to adjust the sink rate.

Contact me ASAP if you are interested in booking a charter because fall dates are going fast. You can email me at: chris@bayflyfishing.com

I hope everyone has a terrific season!

Take care,
Chris

Although Hanna and the recent cold front stirred the waters into a muddy mess, the tremendous early fall fishing action should resume as the waters clear. The cobia continue to track out of the bay with eager casters in hot pursuit, while flounder action slowed a little with the blow. Look for cobia in schools on the surface in open water near the mouth of the bay and along the ocean front, where fish over 70-pounds were boated lately. Big fish are also cruising bridge pilings and circling inshore buoys. Flounder are still lining lower bay structures, drop-offs, and inlets. Respectable flatfish are also awaiting offerings of strip baits drifted over inshore and offshore structures. These same wrecks are also starting to old larger seabass, along with hoards of triggerfish.

The yellowbelly spot have debuted, with high hopes of citation fish any day now. Todd at Bayside Bait and Tackle reports that big spot are biting well on the Hampton Bar and off Ocean View on blood worms. Yellowbellies are also available within Lynnhaven River under the twin bridges and within Rudee Inlet just off the jetties. Some horse croaker are schooling near the CBBT, off Willoughby, and within Mobjack Bay.

Puppy drum are a hit within the shallows, inlets and creeks, as well as in the surf off Chick’s Beach. Big pups up to 30-inches are taking cut mullet, shrimp, and Gulp swimming shads within Lynnhaven, with the biggest fish coming from as far back as the Thalia area.

Bull reds are still a good bet on the lower bay shoals, such as the 9-foot and Nautilus shoals. Pier anglers are still awaiting the big red drum run off the Little Island fishing pier, which may kick off after this recent North Easterly blow. Surf anglers are also having good luck with big reds and over-sized pups on peeler crabs and cut mullet in the surf off the Seaside of the Eastern Shore barrier islands. Chris at Chris’ Bait and Tackle predicts that the tarpon run is basically over, as is the croaker bite out of Oyster on the Eastern Shore.

Speckled trout are showing all over, especially in the surf. Look for specks packed within the inlets, creeks, the Eastern Shore backwaters, and the Poquoson flats. Billy Dunn of Virginia Beach scored with a 7lb speck he hooked with a Mirrolure while casting in Plantation Creek this week.

Anglers are loading up with decent bluefish and schoolie-sized striped bass while casting and jigging around the HRBT and the CBBT, especially at night.
Spadefish are becoming less common, but nice triggerfish are making their mark along the entire span of the Bridge Tunnel. Although hit and miss, a few decent sheepshead and tautog are available in the same areas.

Spanish are still the staple for inshore trollers, with keeper fish taking small spoons from Sandbridge to False Cape. Spanish mackerel are also blitzing the tide rips around all four artificial islands of the Bridge Tunnel, along with lots of bluefish up to3 pounds. King action has slowed to a halt with the dirty water, but is expected to pick up again soon. Before the blow, scattered king mackerel were caught slow trolling live bait off False Cape and over inshore wrecks and structures.

Amberjack are still roaming around local wrecks and navigational towers, along with some jack crevelle. Several schools of big spinner sharks mixed with jacks are busting bait balls just off the Chesapeake Light Tower, where several large sharks were released this week.

Recently, the offshore the marlin bite is decent with several whites sighted and boated. Tuna action is on the rise, with big yellowfin and some bigeye tuna available. Nice wahoo are busting spreads and thrilling anglers with some fish topping 50 pounds in the mix. Bailer and gaffer dolphin continue to have a good season when boats can get out.
Until next week, good luck fishing!

Julie
Dr. Julie Ball
IGFA Representative,

Luckily we have some reports from the Virginia Saltwater Review covering this region.
Chincoteague -  Donna at Captain Bob’s is bored! All this rain, with wind gusts up to 20 miles per hour, have kept things slow in Chincoteague. The few waterman venturing out, have caught flounder too small to keep. On the west side of the island, there is some shelter from the wind, and a few croaker, trout, and baby bluefish have been found. Hopefully the weather will improve for the weekend.

Wachapreague – The staff at Wachapreague Marina is waiting for the weather to clear up to allow for some better fishing. With the recent tropical storm, followed by the front moving through, things have been slow. However, a few croaker and flounder have been caught. Earlier in the week, good dolphin fishing could be found in the Norfolk Canyon.

At Captain Zeds, flounder and croaker were the prime fish found on hooks. Charter boats were returning with great catches of croaker, and even a keeper flounder. Rental boats are also out for croaker. Offshore, the anglers are on the hunt for dolphin and having great success.

Virginia’s Middle Bay Fishing Report
by Jerry Thrash From Patriot Charters and Queens Creek Outfitters
Jerry writes: “Sorry.  Am having computer problems.  Not much to report this week with the effects of the storm and the lack of fishing effort.  Cobia were all over York Spit last Wed and Thurs with as may as 100 seen on the surface by fishermen.  Several boats had multiple fish although none that we saw were of citation size. We did have one citation 18″ croaker, weighing exactly 3 lbs caught 9/3 in the Dragon Run on peeler crab by Thomas W. Buchanan of Hallieford. Spot, medium croaker and small puppy drum are still the mainstay.”