VIRGINIA FISHING REPORTS Chesapeake Bay, Inshore, Offshore & Freshwater Virginia Fishing Report Updated April 8, 2012

Fishing shows, Fishing Seminars, and other Fishing Events

Anglers are getting in their last-minute tog fishing before the season closes, and fish to 15 pounds have been hoisted off ocean snags recently. Big red drum are prowling the barrier islands, where surfcasters and kayakers have tangled with massive fish to 55 inches. Flounder have been hooked by anglers at the Third Island of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, buoy 36A, off Ocean View Pier, and on the Eastern Shore at Wachapreague and Oyster. Croaker have also been caught in the bay, while offshore, big numbers of yellowfin, bluefin and mako sharks have been reported east of the Cigar. On the freshwater fishing scene, Lake Anna largemouth bass are ambushing spinnerbaits, crankbaits and topwaters. In Smith Mountain Lake, bass have been taken on jigs and plastic worms. Congratulations to Tidal Fish Virginia report provider Ken Neill, as his immense 24-pound, 3-ounce tautog has been certified as a new Virginia state record!Mom and Pops Restaurant, 7 p.m.Flounder fishing presentation by Mike FirestoneWater temperatures continue to rise ahead of schedule, with the spring fishing season heating up accordingly. But although the spring species are beginning to bite, most folks are trying to get in on the tog bite before it ends mid-month.Flounder action is on the upswing, and should only improve as the water continues to warm. Anglers are finding scattered keeper fish in the usual spots, with the best hauls still coming from the curve near the Third Island of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel (CBBT). Catches are also improving along the Baltimore Channel, buoy 36A, and Back River Reef. One boat loaded up with nice fish to 23 inches while drifting off of Ocean View in 10 to 15 feet of water recently. Rudee Inlet is also giving up a few flatties, and Lynnhaven Inlet is also faring very well with keeper fish, but action is still inconsistent. On the Eastern Shore, the seaside inlets near Oyster and Wachapreague continue to produce fish up to 4 pounds on bare hooks donned with strip bait. Tautog action is still going strong, especially within bay waters. Fiddler crabs and blue crabs are working well on lower bay structures and wrecks, with larger fish preferring crab. The rocks and tubes of the artificial islands and the pilings near the High Rise section of the CBBT are providing very good results. The Concrete Ships, Cape Henry wreck, and the Yancy wreck are also providing some good action. Most folks are catching limits of fish to 4 pounds, but several 7 to 10 pounders are also in the mix. Deeper water wrecks are also producing nice togs, with fish to 15 pounds taking offered crab in water ranging to around 70 to 100 feet.Speckled trout continue to hit in the Elizabeth River, but most anglers are losing interest. Oceans East 2 reports that fish are hanging on ledges and in water from 4 to 8 feet, where suspending twitchbaits are working well. One pair of anglers released over 30 specks during a trip to the river this week, with several over 24 inches. Decent trout action is also keeping inlet anglers happy this week, with a mix of keeper-sized trout and snapper bluefish hitting with good consistency in Rudee Inlet. Puppy drum are also providing some action in the lower bay shallows and inlets.Croaker are hitting near the CBBT, off Willoughby, Ocean View, and the near the Little Creek jetties. Bigger hardheads are still coming from the lower bay rivers, with peeler crabs and bloodworms the favorite offerings lately. The Ocean View Fishing Pier reports good numbers of nice roundhead to 12 and 14 inches, and plenty of small croaker.Big schools of huge red drum are settling in along the barrier islands of the Eastern Shore. Although not many have tried for them, those who have are finding mixed results. Surfcasters and kayakers are doing the best up close to the beaches and along the breakers, with big 45- to 55-inch reds giving them a run for their money. Small black drum, mostly around 15 to 20 pounds, are also responding in the surflines in the same areas. Larger blacks will also make an appearance any day now, with one black weighing in at 45 pounds already pulled from the surf this week.The deep water off the Virginia coast is still the place to be if you are in the mood to crank up tilefish, black-bellied rosefish and grouper from over 300 feet of water. Be aware that plenty of pesky dog fish are also ready to compete for your bait right now. Offshore anglers are hoping for a good year. A few recent trips encountered yellowfin, bluefin, and mako sharks, with one boat returning to Virginia with a box full of nice yellowfin. Deepwater trollers are hoping for a good year.A few large red drum have been caught in the surf of the Eastern Shore. Schools of large red drum have been encountered along the Virginia Beach oceanfront and some have been caught by sight-casting. Black drum have also been caught on the seaside of the Eastern Shore. The bite should turn on now. It is still early but drum are here! The flounder bite is not great but flatfish are being caught in all of the flounder spots. There have been some good catches in the seaside inlets of the Eastern Shore. Fish are also being found on the western side of the bay. Back River was the best area this past week. Croaker are in the bay and some are being caught by rod and reel. Speckled trout are being caught in the Elizabeth River and in Rudee and Lynnhaven inlets. Anglers are starting to look for them in the Mobjack Bay basin. Small bluefish have invaded Rudee Inlet and the oceanfront. Tautog will continue to be active on structures in the bay and in the ocean until the season closes. Limits of nice fish are being caught at the CBBT and the Cape Henry Wreck. It turns out that the ASMFC over-estimated how much we needed to reduce our tautog catch. Look for a change in the regulations but they probably will not come before the closure in a couple weeks. A couple of boats ran out to try the water east of the Cigar. They found it loaded with yellowfin and bluefin tuna and mako sharks. Offshore bottom fishing has been producing some good catches of blueline tilefish. Boats heading offshore out of Oregon Inlet are having good catches of bluefin, yellowfin, and even some bigeye tuna. Boats out of Hatteras are catching wahoo, dolphin, and blackfin tuna.Congratulations to Captain Ken Neill, as his recent remarkable tautog catch has been established a new Virginia state record! The huge 24-pound, 3-ounce tog has replaced Gregory Bells 24 pounder caught 25 years ago as the biggest tog in the Virginia record books!The following information is from a new release from Lewis Gillingham at the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament:Neill made the record-setting catch at the Morgan wreck, which is one of the vessels contained within the footprint of the popular Triangle Reef site and located slightly over 30 nautical miles off Cape Henry. Neill was fishing solo aboard his private boat the Healthy Grin. I fished the day before with my regular crew of Peninsula Angler Club members and caught my biggest tautog ever, a 15 pounder. Sunday I had several other friends set to meet at the boat at 6 a.m. and planned to return to the same wreck, said Neill. When the crew failed to materialize by 6 a.m., Neill realized neither party had the others cell phone number. After a long 15-minute wait, lines were cast off and the Healthy Grin slowly motored out of Rudee. The wreck site from the day before was a relatively small structure and located well south of Rudee Inlet. Without any help to deploy, set and retrieve the anchor on the heavy 305 Express Albemarle, plans changed. The Morgan is a large wreck and much easier to set anchor, noted Neill. One can only speculate what the day would have been had the crew arrived on time but Neill, being a active participant in Virginias Volunteer Angler Gamefish Tagging Program who specializes in catching, tagging and releasing tautog knows one thing for certain from all the tag returns he has received over the years, I never would have come close to that tog on Sunday.POTOMAC RIVER - D.C. - Herring, hickory shad, white perch and striped bass are in the waters above Key Bridge, although the water is still a little high and muddy. Anglers at Fletcher's Boathouse are catching shad, stripers and catfish, along with the herring and white perch, when they can get out. Smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, channel catfish and carp are also actively foraging throughout the area. Slow-rolled spinnerbaits, rattling crankbaits and plastics are taking good numbers of bass throughout the city. Most of the bass are located in weedbeds or on shallow rock or gravel points and banks, adjacent to deeper water. As the sun warms the water, the bass come into the shallows to feed. Better areas for bass are Columbia Island Lagoon, Blue Plains, Oxon Cove, Washington Channel and the Spoils. White perch may be taken on bloodworms or night crawlers. Cut herring is the bait of choice for catfish. Crappie are available around any shallow brush or boat docks.POTOMAC RIVER - BELOW WOODROW WILSON BRIDGE - Most of the bass are on points on the main river which contain rocks. Fish the shallow water during the high incoming tides and the drop-offs during outgoing tides. The creeks are holding their share of bass. Concentrate on shallow gravel banks dropping off into deeper water, and on lily pad fields on creek bends. Main river grass beds are also holding lots of bass. Small plastic baits and topwaters will take fish. Better fish are holding in deeper water on isolated clumps of grass off the main grass beds. Rattling crankbaits and spinnerbaits are the better choice here. Better areas are Wades Bay, Blue Banks, the mouths of Aquia and Potomac creeks, and Chickamuxen Creek.OCCOQUAN RIVER - This weekend should see spring fishing at its finest. Herring have invaded the river, bringing with them the white perch, hickory shad and stripers. These, combined with the resident channel catfish, crappie and largemouth bass, are providing good action for anglers in the river. White perch anglers are filling coolers on bloodworms and nightcrawlers. Bass are taking plastic worms, jigs and crankbaits and crappie are being caught on small minnows and jigs. Catfish still like cut herring.OCCOQUAN RESERVOIR - Bass are being caught on flats in the back ends of coves uplake. The most productive baits are spinnerbaits and crankbaits. Downlake, fish main lake points with spinnerbaits, crankbaits and plastic worms. Crappie are found suspended over points on the main lake and around the brushpiles under the fishing pier. The area around the mouth of Sandy Run is producing a few bass, and the few fish being caught are good size. Catfish are still biting well on cut baits fished on the bottom.BURKE LAKE - Big bass are being caught daily. Bass are located in shallow water, just off the grass beds, late in the afternoon. Topwater baits are the key, with Rapalas being very successful. Crappie, to 1-1/2 pounds, are suspended over the brushpiles and beaver lodges in 6 to15 feet of water. Shellcrackers are taking nightcrawlers.RAPPAHANNOCK RIVER - Shad and herring have arrived at the U.S. Route 1 bridge, with good concentrations of shad under the bridge and upstream in the rapids. Herring are also present in full force. Good smallmouth action in the city section of the river. Large blue catfish continue to be caught in good numbers, on cut bait. Stripers to over 20 pounds are also spawning around the bridge.LAKE ANNA - Bass fishing is great, with bass hitting crankbaits, spinnerbaits and plastic worms in the shallows. Topwater baits are taking some good fish throughout the lake. Lots of spawning fish are being found in the coves and creek arms throughout the lake. Stripers are hitting 4-inch pearl-colored Sassy Shads in the Dyke Three area and in the "S" turns in the Pamunkey. Crappie are hitting small minnows and jigs around boat docks and beaver lodges.JAMES RIVER - Catfish are the ticket in the tidal sections of the river. Lots of blue cats over 40 pounds are biting well on cut herring or shad. Largemouth bass action has been slow, but should improve with the warmer weather. White perch fishing is good around the I-95 Bridge. Above the city, fishing is excellent for smallmouth bass on topwater baits. Some smallmouth bass are being caught on jig 'n pig baits and live minnows in the deeper holes.CHICKAHOMINY RIVER - The river is clear. Crappie fishing is excellent, with live minnows, fished at high tide on the cypress knees, bringing in the larger fish. Topwater baits, fished in the lily pads, are taking good numbers of large bass, while white spinnerbaits fished in the grass are doing equally well. Catfishermen are scoring on cut eel. Flyrodders are taking good numbers of sunfish from shallow creek mouths.BACK BAY - A few bass are being caught around the duck blinds in the bay and on spinnerbaits in the creeks. Lots of 12- to 18-pound channel catfish are being caught throughout the bay, while anglers are taking smaller bass, white perch and crappie in the creeks at the northern end of the bay. Bass are beginning to spawn in West Neck Creek, as beds are reported in some of the coves.LAKE GASTON - Largemouth bass are biting well. Look for the warmest water and throw rattling lipless crankbaits or Zoom Flukes around boat docks, around cover on points and in the shallow coves. Retrieve the lures at medium or fast speeds and you should catch fish. Most of the lower lake is clear, so rattling crankbaits should work extremely well. Crappie fishing is good, with most of the better catches being made around brushpiles and bridge pilings. Striper fishing is off slightly, but fish are still being caught on live shad. Lots of catch-and-release striper fishing, along with the shad, in the Roanoke River, below the dam.BUGGS ISLAND LAKE - The water level is falling from 303 feet. The current has all the fish biting well. Stripers are biting on live shad from buoy 10 to Bluestone Creek. Fishing is good in the upper end of the lake, as the stripers continue their spawning run. Red Fins and small Shad Raps are the prime lures, while three-inch Sassy Shads are taking white bass from Bluestone Creek upriver. Largemouth bass are taking spinnerbaits, Speed Shads and plastic grubs in the willow bushes on main lake points. These fish are in the pre-spawn mode, while the fish in the backs of the creeks are fanning beds and taking jig 'n pigs and topwater lures.SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE - Largemouth bass fishing is excellent. Small jigs and pumpkin, blue-flash or smoke-colored four-inch plastic worms are the better choice for lures. Fourteen to 20-pound stripers are being taken between the islands at the lower end of the lake in shallow water. Stripers are also active on the points in Craddock and Witcher creeks. Fish bucktails in 2 to 8 feet of water feet of water and live shad at 15 feet. Crappie fishing is excellent, with lots of big fish.