As seasons shift, Norfolk spot, speckled trout, white marlin, cobia, flounder and rockfish all make Virginia Beach anglers smile. Want spot? Wild about trout? Missing the white bite? Care to rock? Then you need to fish Virginia Beach!
Spot have been attacking bloodworm and Fishbite baits in Little Creek, Lynnhaven, and Rudee inlets as well as along oceanfront beaches. Most spot have been solid eating size, averaging 13 to 14 inches, with many even bigger spot known as yellow bellies by the locals.
Speckled trout are in the same inlets and are starting their fall feed. Early on, quite a few trout have exceeded the 14-inch keeper size with the occasional Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament citation of 5 pounds or more mixed in. More and bigger trout will arrive in the next weeks. Try casting artificials on jigs.
Cobia are schooling and providing top action at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay and at bay entrance marker buoys. Toss cobia live baits, eels, and artificials and be ready for a knock-down drag-out fight! For some real excitement, try sight casting to these bruisers.
Further out in the Atlantic, the white bite, marlin that is, on the heels of Hurricanes Irene and Katia, has been nothing short of spectacular. One boat out of Rudee Inlet reported releasing 31 white marlin IN ONE DAY! For true sportsmen, this is a perfect time of year to seek a marlin with a saltwater fly rod. Although white marlin are receiving most of the blue water attention, blue marlin, sailfish, dolphin, yellowfin and blackfin tuna, wahoo, and swordfish round out the offshore fall offerings.
Blueline tilefish, large sea bass, barrelfish, yellow bellied rosefish, and grouper are also enticing anglers to the deep at the continental shelf. While not the “glamour” fish of the canyons, these fish all provide quality meals on top of great battles and fishing memories.
Closer inshore, Spanish mackerel and false albacore have rewarded trollers just south of Virginia Beach in the Sandbridge and Dam Neck areas. The mackerel provide great table fare while both species provide drag-screaming runs. One nice late season surprise has been the presence of pompano in the Sandbridge surf.
Flounder are also schooling prior to migrating. Fish the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, High Rise Bridge, and area inlets. Recent from-the-beach catches include a 6-pound flatfish from the Lynnhaven area while this blogger pulled two keeper flatfish of 18 ½” and19 ½” inches from the surf edge on the same day. For long-casters, croaker to 2 pounds have succumbed to squid and shrimp while blowfish, sea mullet, speckled trout and puppy drum round out inshore catch possibilities.
As if all that good fishing news was not enough, long-awaited striped bass season opens October 4! Anglers dunking live spot at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel tubes have already been releasing plenty of fat, healthy stripers ahead of the start of the season. In the early going, try casting artificial swim lures along the light lines of the CBBT and around bridge tunnel pilings to trick the rockfish.
Last year, the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournamenthad 552 stripers registered for citation awards with 333 captured and 219 released fish with the largest rock weighing 64 pounds.The current Virginia state record rockfish is a 73-pound striped bass caught in 2008 by Frederick Barnes. Looking beyond that fish and at a pending world record 81 lb., 14-oz. bass that promises to eclipse the current world record 78-lb., 8-oz. bass, VSWFT director Lewis Gillingham is confident Virginia waters will provide the next shot at a new world record striped bass. Virginia Beach is simply the best place to fish for the next four months to enjoy maximum-action world-class striped bass fishing!
Red drum have provided another fall angling target as they roam area shoals prior to leaving the Chesapeake Bay. Some of these fish will top 50 pounds or more. Also along the CBBT, triggerfish, tautog, and sheepshead remain available for anglers who can pull themselves away from the other major bites. Additionally, bluefish continue to please on clear water days.
Captain’s Tip: Let the current do your work for you. Two fall favorites, speckled trout and flounder, are predatory ambush feeders who look for a helpless meal as it tumbles past in the current.
Use this to advantage: Fish in the swiftest current you can find.
After the cast, let the current sweep your lure or jig downstream while maintaining tension on the line. Many anglers overwork by continually lifting and dropping their jig to impart action.
Most hook ups actually occur when the rod is “dipped” allowing the jig to drift in the current.That free-fall action mimics an out-of-control baitfish tending to trigger strikes. When you feel the first “tap” or “pull”, just pull back steadily sideways until you feel the fish on. With trout, strike at first tap. For flounder, drop back two to three times.
To further boost your hook-up ratio, consider using braided line, fluorocarbon leader and a loop knot.
Wishing you tight lines and good fishing. See you on the beach!
Fish illustrations courtesy of Duane Raver