Thank You Dr Julie Ball for this weeks Report! Hope you had a great Thanksgiving! Virginia Beach Sportfishing Rundown By Dr. Julie Ball IGFA Representative, Virginia Beach drjball igfa.org hamptonroads/blogs/hook-line-and-sinker 28 November 2014 As we transition into the Holiday season, anglers are thankful for big rockfish. And since the larger stripers arrived a little early this year, folks sneaking out during the brief weather breaks are lugging home some nice fish, with many pushing to around 40-pounds or more. With some temperate conditions expected this weekend, anticipate a fleet of boats off Cape Charles in search of big rockfish. Although reports form our North confirm that super-sized fish are still on the way, the well-timed influx of big stripers have anglers enthusiastic about this year’s winter season. The largest fish continue to hit along the channel edges and shoals off Plantation Light and the Bayside of Cape Charles on live eels. Nice rockfish are also coming from along the CBBT, north of the 4th island, where anglers are catching nicer fish on eels floated back to the bridge structure at night. Although the interest in smaller rockfish is fading some with the recent catches of larger fish, school-sized stripers are still responding to casters working the pilings and structure of any of the lower Bay crossings. The tubes of all four islands of the CBBT are giving up school-sized fish, mostly on a moving tide. Plenty of 36 to 40-inchers coming down from the James River are making a showing for casters using Storm and Calcutta lures around the Monitor-Merrimac Bridge-Tunnel lately. Some reports of working birds following fish feeding on pods of bait are providing catches of rockfish in open water, where trollers are hooking fish pushing to around 40-inches. Inshore anglers are also busy lately, with the speckled trout bite still going strong. Reports indicate an upswing in larger fish this week. Limits of quality trout, with many pushing to over five pounds, are hitting the docks from Rudee, Lynnhaven, and Little Creek Inlets. The Elizabeth River is also bustling with catches of big trout, where several trophy fish were reported this week using a variety of lures, with Mirrolures a favorite. Boats sitting in the Cove area of the Elizabeth River continue to experience consistent action, with many fish averaging above 23-inches this week. Minnows floated on bobbers is an effective technique in the Cove this time of year. Keep in mind that right now, you can keep up to five speckled trout over 14-inches, with one of those fish at 24-inches or larger. Puppy drum are also a still possibility in local shallows and backwater areas. Wreck fishing is good lately, when boats can get out. Tautog are still active within the lower Bay and on many coastal wrecks off Virginia. The best luck in Bay waters continues to come from the structure along the Bay Bridge-Tunnel, where limits of keepers are falling to fiddler crabs, blue crabs, green crabs, and clams. Tog efforts on more offshore wrecks will gain interest as the Bay water temperatures drop. A decent class of seabass averaging around 2 to 3-pounds are still providing good catches on many inshore and offshore locations, along with a decent smattering of flounder and triggerfish. Big chopper bluefish are also circling some of these wrecks, but the trick is finding them. Bluefin tuna could show up in these same areas, which will sporadically take a trolled ballyhoo. Deep droppers are still finding good numbers of decent blueline and golden tilefish, blackbellied rosefish, and some grouper along the edges of the Norfolk Canyon. For more information, go to drjball. OUR SPONSORS:
Posted on: Sun, 30 Nov 2014 13:27:35 +0000
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