Thank you Julie for this weeks Report! Virginia Beach Sportfishing Rundown By Dr. Julie Ball IGFA Representative, Virginia Beach drjball IGFA.org 26 December 2014 New Year’s Report Although the weather is a never-ending aggravation, anglers are hopeful for smooth sailing into the New Year, enjoying some good fishing opportunities. The heftiest rockfish continue to come from the Eastern Shore area for now. Drifting eels using large bobbers and planers in anywhere from 25 to 40 feet of water off of Plantation Light, near buoys 38 and 40, is where the best action is happening lately. True to form, this technique delivers slower action than most other methods, with many boats spending the day fishing with very few hits. But when the rod goes off these fish are typically big, with some stripers pushing to 40 and 50-pounds boated this week. Although schools of big fish continue to push in this direction from the North, the Bay season closes on the 31st, permitting anglers to only release rockfish in Bay waters. Folks will then turn more to trolling in ocean waters to find keeper fish. The good news is that rockfish averaging to around 25-pounds are responding off Cape Henry, near the “Green Can” this week. Remember to keep it legal, targeting striped bass outside the 3-mile demarcation is illegal, and local law enforcement will be more than happy to remind you. Also check the new coastal rockfish regulations for the New Year, which allows for one fish per person at 28-inches or longer. If light tackle is your speed, school-sized rockfish are available just off the bridges under working birds and all over the lower Bay. Top water plugs or jigs are perfect for casting into these schools. Jigging with most any 4-inch shad style lure along the pilings of the lower Bay crossings is an effective method for enticing fish up to around 27-inches. Tautog are still hitting on most lower Bay wrecks and along the structure of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, where anglers are catching fish ranging to around 3 to 6-pounds. Nice tog are also beginning to respond on more coastal and offshore wrecks when boats can venture out to reach them. A few boats are making the run to these deeper wrecks in order to get in on the seabass action before the season closes at the end of the year. Folks are finding plenty of takers, with many seabass averaging to over four pounds. Flounder, trigger fish, and chopper bluefish are also biting on or near some of these same structures. The speckled trout bite in the Elizabeth River is still going strong. Anglers are hooking dozens of respectable fish, with some trout pushing to over 27-inches released this week. Specks are responding to lures, live bait, and cut bait, with the popular Cove areas producing good numbers. Both trolling methods and casting Mirrolures are also working well in the main River. Rudee lnlet is still a possibility for some big specks if you work for them, while Lynnhaven is still quite slow. Puppy drum may still take your offering in any of these backwater areas. When anglers find a break in the weather, some boats are heading for the edge of the Norfolk Canyon in search of deep water species such as tilefish and grouper. Several nice blueline tiles pushing to over 10-pounds, and some golden tilefish pushing to over 40-pounds were boated from near the Norfolk Canyon this past week. Big bluefish and jumbo seabass are also a by-catch in these same deep areas, but dog fish will soon begin to overshadow most fishing efforts for deep droppers. For more information, go to drjball.
Posted on: Sat, 27 Dec 2014 11:26:16 +0000
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