Date: 1/6/12

Chesapeake Bay:  The Chesapeake Bay Rockfish season is now closed. It is unlawful to possess Rockfish inside bay waters. However, big fish are still available for catch and release anglers. Bay temps are hovering around 45 degrees. Bay anglers can also target Tautog at the CBBT structures, although crabs, the preferred bait, may be hard to get. Many are still targeting Speckled Trout, especially inside the Elizabeth River. Trolling minnow plugs is a good method for locating active fish. Once found, Mirror lures, soft plastics, and live bait are all effective.

Ocean:  Many nice catches of Rockfish are taking place within the 3 mile limit of the ocean. Mojos and tandem rigs are taking a lot of fish right now. Reports of massive schools of baitfish are numerous. There’s an incredible amount of fish being caught right now, so expect heavy traffic. There’s also been quite a few Bluefin Tuna being caught by those targeting Rockfish. Offshore charters are reporting Yellowfin and Blackfin Tuna. Deep dropping continues to be option for Tilefish, Rosefish, and Grouper.

Freshwater Rivers:  The upper James is returning to normal levels, and there’s already been a 5lb smallmouth reported this week. Crank baits are working well right now. Water temps are averaging 43 degrees. The lower James continues to provide excellent action for Blue Catfish. The Chickahominy River is another good spot for catfish, but the Largemouth bite is the main attracting, and is doing quite well. Crappie are also biting well on the Chick. All the tidal rivers of VA offer many species to target through the winter.

Freshwater Lakes:  Water temps at Lake Anna vary from 42 degrees uplake to 54 degrees at Dike 3. Many presentations are working for both Stripers ad Bass. A jigging spoon or silver buddy is catching everything that swims right now. The better bite for Stripers seems to be mid to down lake. The Bass bite seems to be the same. 13+lbs win the first winter tournament of 2012. Jeff Jones and Eric Hovey were the winners. Other lakes that are fishing good right now are Swift Creek Reservoir, Sandy River Reservoir, and Germantown Lake, which recently gave up a 10lber.

Date: 12/23/11

Chesapeake Bay:  Anglers are enjoying a great season for Rockfish, scoring great fish are still coming from the bridge tunnel area and the Cape Charles area. Eeling is very productive in the Buoy 59 area and inside the rivers like the James and Rapp. Windmill point has been providing good action lately on a variety of trolled baits, such as umbrella rigs, tandem rigs and stretch baits. Shore anglers are still catching quality fish at the Lesner Bridge in Lynnhaven. The Elizabeth River is the place to be for trophy Speckled Trout. Trolling with jerkbaits is a good way to locate schools of Trout. Once found, soft plastics and Mirrorlures are good producers, Tautog are still available for those targeting them, and able to get crabs for bait.

Ocean:  Rudee Inlet is still giving up catches of Speckled Trout and Puppy Drum. Deep dropping for Tilefish, Seabass, and Rosefish is still popular and productive. Garry Oliver of Fishing Unlimited in Nags Head reports some nice Stripers from Oregon Inlet. A 50lber was caught, along with a 35 and a 20lber. Offshore boats are catching Blackfin, Yellowfin, Tuna, and some Wahoo.

Freshwater Rivers:  The upper James gave up  some impressive catches of smallmouth this week. Live minnows have been working best. For artificials, crankbaits are working well. Substantial rain on Thursday will probably mess the river up again. The lower James has been giving up quality Blue Cats, like an 83lber caught by Courtney Hardy this week.  Bass fishing has been better and more popular on the Chickahominy River.

Freshwater Lakes:  Silver buddies are working on Lake Anna for Bass and Striper seem to be more concentrated around the 208 bridge. Live bait, as usual, is working best. Sandy River and Chesterfield Reservoirs are also fishing good for Bass. Jerkbaits, rattle traps, and silver buddies are working here. Trolling small grubs is an excellent way to located schools of Crappie.

Date: 12/16/11

Chesapeake Bay:  Impressive catches of Rockfish are happening daily all over the bay. a 61lber was recently caught from the Cape Charles area, Kevin Smith weighed in a 40lber on Thursday the 15^th here at the store. He was eeling at the CBBT. Other notable catches have come from the buoy 42 and 59 areas. Stretch baits and 9” storm swim shads and currently red hot. Folks are also catching fish inside the Rappahannock and James Rivers. Anglers are also catching fish by locating birds and casting or trolling through them. These conditions can be encountered anywhere, but most reports of birds are coming from east and north of the Rappahannock. Speckled Trout anglers are enjoying a great bite inside the Elizabeth River. Mirror lures seem to be catching  bigger fish right now, but live Tautog catches are still being made for those who are able to get crabs.

Ocean:  Offshore boats are scoring Yellowfin Tuna, Blackfin Tuna, and King Mackerel. Speckled Trout catches are prevalent at Nags Head and Hatteras. Rudee Inlet is also harboring specks, along with Puppy Drum. Deep droppers are enjoying steady catches of Tilefish, Rosefish, and Seabass.

Freshwater Rivers:  The upper James is still a little high,  but returning to normal levels and conditions. If the rain stays away, this weekend should be productive.  The lower James and Chick have been producing steady catches of Blue Catfish.  Steve Colgin of New Kent recently caught a 61lb Bass from the Chick River. Chick River Bass stay active throughout the winter. A silver buddy is always a good bait in winter.

Freshwater Lakes:  Lake Anna Stripers will also remain active throughout the winter. Dike 3 is already providing good action for both Stripers and Bass. The Splits area of the lake is also good right now. 16lbs won a recent winter Bass Tx out of Sturgeon Creek Marina. Thomas Harris of Beaverdam everywhere are responding to the Alabama rig. We have them in stock and will be receiving more.

Freshwater Ponds:  Pond Bass are still responding to Spinner Baits and rattletraps. A S and W jig is also a local favorite.

Date: 12/2/11

Chesapeake Bay:  Anglers are enjoying great Rockfish catches all over the bay and inside its tributaries. Just about any presentation is working right now. Some folks prefer to cast with light tackle at the CBBT. Others are scoring with eels at the CBBT. Many are catching fish by trolling tandem rigs, Stretch baits, umbrella rigs and various baits behind planers. Good areas also include the mouth of the Rappahannock, Gwynn’s Island, Tangier Sound, and the HRBT. The number of 35-45inch fish is increasing daily. The colder temps that are due this weekend should improve the big bite even more. Speckled Trout action is still very good inside the Elizabeth River. Lynnhaven Inlet and Little Creek are still producing good fish. Mirrorlures continue to be the preferred bait. Tautog action also remains good on lower bay structures.

Ocean:  Flounder and Seabass are still available on offshore wrecks. Sizable catches are being made of both species. Catches of Wahoo and Yellowfin Tuna are being made from charter boats out of Hatteras. Catches of Specked Trout are still happening inside Rudee Inlet. Tilefish, Rosefish, Seabass, and Grouper are available to deep droppers.

Freshwater Rivers:  The upper James Smallmouth bite has been very good lately, however, river levels may not be conducive for fishing this weekend, as the Westham gauge is currently at 10.33’. The lower James has been a great place for Catfish, Stripers and Crappie, but again, the high water may reduce catches of Stripers and Crappie this weekend. Keep an eye on river levels. The Chickahominy River is fishing excellent and should be a good choice this weekend. Rattletraps and jigs are working good for Bass.

Freshwater Lakes:  Lake Anna Stripers are increasingly active as water temps range from 50-56 degrees from mid-lake to up-lake. Live bait presentations are very effective, but if you prefer to cast, swim baits and silver buddys are taking quality fish also. 13.31lbs(5-fish) won the Winter Series Tx out of Sturgeon Creek this past weekend, and 12.89lbs was second.

Smaller lakes like Sandy River and Swift Creek Reservoirs have been a good option for both Bass and Crappie. Some remarkable catches of bass have come from Sandy lately.

Freshwater Ponds:  Local ponds have been fishing better for Crappie than Bass lately, for whatever reason. Chartreuse pepper grubs have been outstanding.

Date: 11/11/11

Chesapeake Bay:  Rockfish catches are increasing in size and numbers. Folks are enjoying action in the rivers and in the bay itself. The Rappahannock has been good at Urbanna and at Windmill Pt. Other good areas are Fleets Bays, The James River, at the ghost fleet, and the islands of the CBBT. First light is good at the CBBT. The HRBT and the MMBT have been good also. 5 and 6 inch swim shads are working well all over. Good catches of speckled trout are still taking place in places other than the Elizabeth River. Lynnhaven Inlet, and the Piankatank River are still productive, however, strong catches are increasing in the Elizabeth. Mirror lures and jerk baits, like Lucky Craft and Smithwick, are working well. Many folks troll to locate fish. The Tautog bite is good and getting better at the CBBT, where crab is the bait of choice. Crabs are getting hard to get through.

Ocean:  The ocean wrecks are producing very nice catches of Sea bass and Flounder. A reliable source reported a 10lb Flounder and a 5 ½ Sea bass. Nice Bluefish are available also. November is a great month for Red Drum surf action at Sandbridge and Nags Head. There’s been a good run of nice Speckled Trout at Outer Banks Pier. A few stripers are being caught also. Offshore fishing has been limited due to rough seas, but there are fish to be caught, like Yellowfin Tuna, Wahoo, and Blackfin Tuna. The deep drop bite will remain good throughout the cold weather. Tilefish, Rosefish, and Grouper are all available.

Freshwater Rivers:  Many are taking stripers from the lower James around Hopewell. Bass fishing has remained tough on the James, but the Chickahominy has been good for Bass. Crappie has been biting well on both the James and Chick. So have the Blue Catfish. Fresh cut Eels and Shad are tops. The upper James Smallmouth fishing is coming on strong. Live bait is working very well and lures like Jigs, Spinner baits , and Super Flukes are good also. Hard cover is the ticket on the Potomac River. The spoils is a consistent area.

Freshwater Lakes:  Lake Anna stripers are coming on strong also. Both live bait anglers and casters are catching nice fish. The upper lake areas are out- producing mid and down-lake areas.  The key spots are on flats right now. Bass fishing was good for John Doyle and Eugene Carter, who won the Lake Anna Cup with 7.62 lbs. All their fish were caught on S and W spinner baits- a Green Top exclusive. John is a Green Top regular. Kerr lake elevation is 297.26 currently. Fishing for Bass is unstable, good one day, poor the next. Nutbush Creek has been producing the more consistent catches. Crappie fishing has been good in both Kerr and Anna. Sandy River is a good option for Bass and Crappie.

Freshwater Ponds:  Pond crappie has been turned on quite well recently. Small jigs and small to medium minnows are both success makers. Spinner baits and Rattletraps have been responsible for quality Bass this week. Soft and hard jerk baits are working also.

Date: 11/4/11

Chesapeake Bay:  Cooler temps and shorter daylight hours have Rockfish anglers more excited about the season in the bay. Most of the better action is coming from the rivers. Urbanna on the Rapp is a traditional area this time of year. Some decent fish have come from the ghost fleet area of the James also. The Lesner Bridge has been producing keepers for anglers fishing from shores. Casting to the light lines of various bridges at night has also been yielding keeper Rockfish. The Speckled Trout action is still strong, but we’re seeing the bigger fish coming from the Eliz River. Mirro lures are becoming more popular than sea shads lately, and live bait is always a good choice. Lynnhaven Inlet is still providing lots of action for Specks, but they’re mostly just above keeper size.  The Tautog bite is pretty good at the structures of the CBBT. This bite will likely increase as the season progresses. Flounder catches are scarce mostly due to the lack of anglers targeting them in the bay; however, good catches are coming from ocean wrecks, along with catches of Seabass. Seabass are excellent table fare and are biting well right now. Drum catches have greatly declined in the bay.

Ocean:  Surf anglers are looking forward to the fall bite in areas like Sandbridge and the N.C beaches, as many Red Drum are heading south. As mentioned earlier, Seabass and Flounder are available on many ocean wrecks. Deep dropping for Tilefish and Rockfish is becoming more popular. Rough conditions have kept many offshore boats docked, so not many reports are coming in. There’s been lots of Bluefish caught at Nags Head, from both the piers and the surf. A few Speckled Trout are also being caught.

Freshwater Rivers:  Check conditions before going, but November is an excellent time for big Smallmouth on the upper James and New Rivers. Drifting live bait is good, as are a variety of lures like flukes, crank baits, and jigs. The lower James has been tough the last few days for Bass, but the Blue Cats and Stripers are readily available. The Hopewell area is usually a good place to fish for both species, especially at night. Crappie fishing on the lower James and Chickahominy is often overlooked in November, but this is an outstanding time to target them on these tidal rivers. The Bass on the Chick are responding well to lipless cranks and jigs.

Freshwater Lakes:  Lake Anna Stripers are beginning to bite regularly and they seem to be more predictable as fall patterns emerge. The splits area is still good, as are the areas of Christopher Run and Plentiful Creek. Casting swim baits is becoming more productive. Rattle baits are good for Bass on the flats and rocky points, but docks are holding good fish, also Kerr Lake elevation is 296.12, chartreuse crank baits on rocky areas has been working for keeper Bass Top water baits are still taking fish also. Crappie fishing has been good at these lakes and smaller bodies of water also.

Freshwater Ponds:  Chartreuse pepper grubs have been good in local ponds. Pond Bass have been unstable, great one day and poor the next.  Swim baits and jigs have been taking the largest fish lately. A buzz bait and other top water lures should still be employed as a Lunker producer right now. Jumbo minnows are always a good bet.