Fishing Spot

Fish News

The best news comes from the waters south of us. Boats running out of Oregon Inlet found good numbers of bluefin tuna this week. Most of the fish have been in the 200 to 400 pound range. There are blackfin tuna available out of Hatteras but now that the bluefin tuna have been located, everyone will be bluefin crazy for a while. Boats fishing for bluefin are also picking up some yellowfin tuna and the occasional wahoo.

 

Off of Virginia, it is pretty quiet. A 90 mile run south will put you in the tuna area. There is some warmer water east of the Cigar but so far, the tuna action has been down around the Point. Right now, we are pretty much limited to bottom fishing with blueline tilefish being the most consistent catch. Golden tilefish, wreckfish, snowy grouper, and blackbelly rosefish are among the other possibilities out there deep-dropping. Sea bass fishing would be excellent but that fishery is closed to recreational fishing. So, it is basically blueline tilefish for us.

 

Expect new blueline tilefish regulations soon…or not. Blueline tilefish have been unregulated in federal waters off of Virginia on north. Virginia and Maryland enacted state regulations to help sustain this fishery but the states further north did not follow suit allowing for unlimited landings of blueline tilefish. Bluelines have been regulated from North Carolina on south as a commercial and recreational fishery. In the area north of there, they have been mostly a recreational fish. Other bottom fish show this dichotomy in the regions. Wreckfish have been almost totally a recreational fish from Virginia on north. To the south, they have been managed as a commercial fish and until recently, 100% of the wreckfish quota was given to the commercial sector. Currently, recreational anglers are allowed 5% of the wreckfish quota in the southern waters. The increasing popularity in the recreational fishery (driven in large part to the lack of other fish to target), the beginnings of a directed commercial fishery, and a very poor stock assessment has caused the councils to take action. The South Atlantic Council has proposed new blueline tilefish regulations of 100 pound limit per commercial trip and a 1 fish per boat recreational fishery from May through August. The recreational fishery would be closed September through April. The South Atlantic Council is the lead council for blueline tilefish and there is a real possibility of their regulations being extended throughout the range of the species. The Mid-Atlantic Council has taken emergency action to propose blueline tilefish regulations in the federal waters from Virginia on North. These regulations mirror the current Virginia regulations: 300 pound commercial trip limit and a 7-fish per person recreational bag limit with the fishery being open year-round. The NMFS will take action soon. Virginia’s anglers may see no change in the regulations that they are used to or we could see our fishery shut down.

 

Tautog are available on the coastal wrecks when weathers conditions allow. The water is cold. It is really cold inside the bay. Until it warms up a bit, you will need to fish the ocean wrecks to find active tog. Speckled trout is a fish that should be available right now. Anglers fishing the Elizabeth River are not having much luck and are reporting significant fish kills. Some are saying that it is much worse than the kill last winter. One angler reported that while working the bottom in deeper water, he was snagging a dead trout on almost every cast.

 

The Peninsula Salt Water Sport Fisherman’s Association held their annual awards banquet to celebrate the 2014 fishing season. Many awards were handed out. Of these, some of the most important are the special youth awards. They are the future of our sport. Young anglers receiving awards for their 2014 catches include: Johnny Bingham, Gaston Shepard, Hayden Head, Spencer Elford, McKenna Head, Caleb Sava, Lexi Sava, Madison Hunt, Morgan Cooper, Ethan Moore, Michael Speas, Taylor Simmerman, and Alexa Robb. A number of special awards were presented. Deven Simmerman won the Critter of the Year Award with a barracuda. The Angler of the Year Award is won by catching a large variety of trophy-sized fish. This year’s winner of the top angling award is Wally Veal. The Fish of the Year Award was presented to Stan Simmerman for his 85-pound wahoo. This was the largest wahoo caught in Virginia in 2014. The Dr. Boatwright Rockfish Trophy is presented to the angler catching the largest striped bass for the year. Charles Southall won this trophy with his 50-inch rockfish. Two awards were presented for Outstanding Contribution. These awards are presented to individuals or businesses whose service to the PSWSFA is so outstanding that it has to be recognized. This year’s recipients are Amy Blow and Dawn Agee. Considered the most prestigious of all of the PSWSFA Awards is the George C. Robertson Memorial Fisherman of the Year Trophy. This award has nothing to do with catching fish but rather of service. This award is presented to the individual who has done the most for the sport fishing community. This year the George C. Robertson Trophy was presented to Rick Wineman. The PSWSFA Awards Banquet was supported by very generous donations from: Dr. Guy Harvey, George Poveromo, Sport Fishing Magazine, Multi-Print Inc., Yorktown Transmissions, 1st Advantage Credit Union, The Pizza Shop, Grafton Fishing Supply and Seafood, Reel Fast Tackle, Appomattox River Co., Olivia’s Restaurant, Juan’s Mexican Café, Rustic Eagle, Mountain Breeze Taxidermy, Bishop Bait and Tackle, Wilcox Bait and Tackle, West Marine, Dare Marina, Dave’s Sinkers, Yorktown Pub, Golden Creations Jewelers, Eggheads Diner, Beachcomber Restaurant, Simmerman Wildfowl Sculptures, Sea Tow Lower Chesapeake, Affordable Marine, Wallace’s Marina, Holland Inc., Andrea’s Italian Restaurant, Sal’s Sicillian Pizza, River Walk Restaurant.

 

March 1, when I got to the boat, Hunter Southall was using a snow shovel. The rest of the guys were beating on the deck with 5 gallon buckets, trying to break up the ice. We left Rudee Inlet in the direction of the Triangle Wrecks. It was too rough running in that direction so we turned south to an inshore wreck. We got anchored up, in the sleet, and proceeded to catch nothing until the anchor broke free. We re-anchored and did more of the same. By the third time the anchor came loose, the seas were settling down. Since we were not catching anything where we were, we headed to a wreck further offshore and re-found the rough seas. It was too rough to try and anchor so we made a few drops while I tried to hold the boat over the wreck with the engines. The guys did catch and release some nice sea bass but no tautog. We gave up on that and were going to head further out to catch some tilefish but the rain picked up and the water-in-the-fuel alarm went off. Enough was enough; we pointed the boat down sea, drained the water from the filters and headed home.

 

Feb 22, it thawed out enough to allow us to shovel out the remaining snow in the boat, break through the ice, and go fishing. We ran out in thick fog, big swells and when we anchored on the wreck, the current was ripping. We had to break out the heavy sinkers but even 20 ounces was not enough to hold bottom. We did not catch a single tautog. We did catch a few really nice sea bass that we had to let go. Stan Simmerman caught a big striped bass on a jig…also released.

 

Feb 8, it was too rough. We went fishing anyway. Tagged and released 6 tautog, getting DNA samples from each. Then we decided that we had had enough and went in for lunch.

 

Feb 7, Hunter Southall and myself went out for a short tog trip. We only caught 7 tautog up to 19 inches long. We collected DNA from each for VIMS.

 

Feb. 1, Capt. Rick Wineman ran to the Triangle Wrecks where they caught 3 tautog to 23 inches long. They ran through a lot of diving birds between the light tower and the Triangle Wrecks.

 

Feb. 1, we ran out for tautog before the Super Bowl. We caught 16 tog, up to 23 inches long, before running in early for the Super Bowl parties. We also caught sea bass and a nice hake. We got DNA samples from each tog and placed tags in those we did not keep. I dropped my camera down...only once, after I saw what was down there:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v...47337150059912

 

Jan 25, Wes and I went over and did some boat work. We also went and did some tog fishing close to the beach. We ended up catching 19 togs up to 18.5 inches long. Kept a couple, tagged and released the rest, got DNA samples from each. When we dropped the camera down, we did not see much but the fish were biting.               

www.facebook.com/video.php?v=864179683623580&l=243784847404677568 .

 

Jan 23, we went out after tautog. We had a slow bite, catching 5 tautog. We kept 4 between 18 and 20 inches long, tagged and released the 5th. We got DNA samples from each. We also kept a nice hake and we had to release some really nice sea bass. I did drop a camera down to see what was going on down there:                   

www.facebook.com/video.php?v=863490727025809&l=1449708948391212935 

 

Jan 20, Wes Blow fished for tautog on one of the ocean wrecks. He said that the bite was great and they caught about 25 fish keeping their 2-angler limit. The fish they kept included 4 that weighed over 9 pounds with the largest weighing in at 16 pounds.

 

Jan 17, we went out in rather blustery conditions for tautog. We stayed close to the beach because it was just too rough to run anywhere else. We managed to catch 15 tautog up to 23.25 inches long. That fish was tagged and released after a DNA sample was taken. We tagged and released all but 3 fish and got DNA samples from each for VIMS. The carcasses of the kept fish were donated to VMRC. We caught one fish that had been tagged previously.

 

Jan 16, Jody Linthicum fished the Elizabeth River with Wally Veal. They caught 15 speckled trout over 19 inches long. Their catch included fish of 25 inches, 27.5 inches and Jody caught a huge gator, 32 inches long! Hunter Southall was also on the river catching trout. Hunter said that he caught a dozen or so specks including one over 25 inches long. He also caught a nice puppy drum. Hunter's specks averaged in the 20-23 inch range. Both Jody and Hunter caught their fish casting jigs and those fish are still there as they released their fish...even that 32-inch monster!

 

Jan 11, Wes Blow fished for tautog on one of the ocean wrecks. They kept a 3-man limit of tog, all over 20 inches long, with the largest at 9 pounds. They caught a total of 25 tautog and they also caught some sea bass that were released.

 

Jan 11, Capt Rick Wineman fished the Norfolk Canyon area. They caught 15 blueline tilefish, with 7 weighing over 10 pounds, and a golden tilefish. They caught a few large sea bass while jigging for bluefish. They caught several bluefish and hooked up with a mako shark on a jig that they eventually broke off.

 

Jan 2, we started late, to let the wind calm, and quit about 2 in the afternoon so I could make a family party. Despite the short day, we caught 19 tog to about 24 inches long at the Triangle Wrecks. We got fin clips from all of the fish, caught one with a tag, tagged and released others. The carcasses of the ones we kept were donated to VMRC. On the way out, we did see some bird activity and slicks about 6 miles east of the Chesapeake Light Tower.

 

Jan 2, Capt. Rick Wineman did some catch-and-release fishing inside of the bay. Drifting eels, they had 6 bites and caught 2 big rockfish, 47 and 49 inches long.

 

www.pswsfa.com

Chickahominy

Capt. Art Conway of Conway's River Rat Guide Service (804-746-2475) out of Ed Allen’s Boats and Bait reported that although a few areas had melted, most of lower Chickahominy Lake and the major creeks were still covered with ½ to 3 inches of ice on Wednesday (3/4/2015).  Mid-day water temperatures were in the low 30’s and the lake level was about six inches above the top of the dam.  The water was light brown and relatively clear at the margins of the lower lake.  The ice will probably remain through this weekend, but may break up if we get warmer temperatures and rain next week.  Most of the ice on the river below the dam was gone on 3/4/2015.

Prior to freeze-up, blue cats were scattered throughout the lake, with many in deep channel areas, and a few were hitting live minnows.  Most crappie were in the channels and winter holes in the main lake, and were frequently near schools of bait.  Bait and crappie schools moved frequently over the last few weeks before freeze-up, and the activity levels of crappie schools varied frequently, with most being inactive.  Baits usually had to be at the depth of the crappie and still or moving very slowly.  Active crappie were hitting live minnows, Wright Bait Co. curlytail jigs, small tubes, small swim baits, jigging spoons, and blade baits.  Some crappie should be in the major creeks by the time the ice clears out or very shortly thereafter.  Prior to freeze-up, some bass and pickerel were on outer edges of flats along drop-offs in the main lake and in channels and on lily pad flats in the creeks and were hitting suspending jerk baits and lipless crankbaits.  Other bass and pickerel were under bait schools in the main lake channels and hitting live minnows, swim baits, and blade baits.  A few striper were roaming the mid-depth and channel areas in the main lake and taking swim baits, blade baits, and jigs. 

Fish News

Fishing activity has pretty much shut down. Even the freshwater impoundments are frozen over, keeping anglers off of the water. The only one that I know that has been out over the past week was us. We managed to sneak out, in between snow storms, into a very lonely Atlantic Ocean. We did have a navy ship out there to keep us company. March is here and with it, we should start seeing more fishing windows in the weather. When we can get out, there should be some tuna available out of the inlets of North Carolina. Bluefin, blackfin, and yellowfin tuna should all be in the waters in reach of boats sailing from Oregon and Hatteras Inlets. Out of Virginia, we will still be pretty much limited to fishing for tautog on the coastal wrecks. Tautog inside the bay may not become active until April.

 

Boats heading offshore will be able to catch blueline tilefish and other creatures from the deep. There will likely be new blueline regulations coming soon that will have the potential of sustaining this fishery or could go far enough to pretty much shut the fishery down. The offshore waters south of Virginia have been managed by the South-Atlantic Council. From Virginia on north, there really have not been blueline tilefish (or grouper) regulations. Virginia enacted proactive regulations to sustain this recreational fishery and to allow for a commercial bycatch fishery. Maryland soon followed suit. States further north have not. A directed commercial fishery has developed on these fish in the area of the Norfolk and Washington Canyons. The fishery cannot handle this and overall, the stocks of blueline tilefish and especially snowy grouper are considered greatly depressed. The regulations, put in place by Virginia and Maryland, are being bypassed by landing the fish in states to the north where there are no regulations.  The Mid-Atlantic Council is working on establishing emergency regulations for all of the offshore waters from Virginia on north. They are looking at regulations similar to the ones we have in Virginia now. Of course, the commercial fishermen will think that would be too restrictive. The South-Atlantic Council is also considering taking the action of extending their regulations on up the coast. If that happens, we will see regulations that are very complex and restrictive.  There is a lot of discussion going on at the federal and council levels right now so stay tuned.

 

Despite the cold water, striped bass are moving back into the bay for their spawning runs. It will be possible to intercept some of these fish in open waters as they move in from offshore. Catch and release activity will also be possible inside the bay and up in the rivers over the next month. Anglers do have some choices to make on striped bass regulations. Inside the bay, the minimum size will be increasing from 18 to 20 inches during the spring and fall seasons. The spring trophy season will see the minimum increase from 32 inches to 36 inches. The decision concerns the coastal fishery. Currently, we are allowed to keep one striped bass at least 28 inches long. We can stay at that but there are some approved options that would allow a 2-fish bag limit:  2 fish at least 33 inches long, 1 fish 28-36 inches and 1 fish over 36 inches, 1 fish 28-38 inches and one fish over 38 inches. So, we have 4 options to choose from for out coastal fishery. The decision will be made at the March VMRC meeting so let your opinions be known now.

 

Speckled trout are another fish we are used to catching through the winter and spring. Last winter, large cold-water kills of speckled trout in both North Carolina and Virginia led to closures of the recreational fisheries to allow for a recovery. In Virginia, bag limits were reduced from 10 fish to 5 fish with only one fish 24 inches or greater. Changes were also made in the commercial fishery to make sure that their quota would not be exceeded. There were requests to the VMRC to increase the commercial quota and the recreational bag limit. At the February Commission Meeting, these requests were denied by the Commission. Currently, there are additional cold-water kills taking place in both Virginia and North Carolina. So far, they do not seem to be as severe as what happened last winter and at this time, there are no plans for closures of the fisheries in either North Carolina or Virginia.

 

Feb 22, it thawed out enough to allow us to shovel out the remaining snow in the boat, break through the ice, and go fishing. We ran out in thick fog, big swells and when we anchored on the wreck, the current was ripping. We had to break out the heavy sinkers but even 20 ounces was not enough to hold bottom. We did not catch a single tautog. We did catch a few really nice sea bass that we had to let go. Stan Simmerman caught a big striped bass on a jig…also released.

 

Feb 8, it was too rough. We went fishing anyway. Tagged and released 6 tautog, getting DNA samples from each. Then we decided that we had had enough and went in for lunch.

 

Feb 7, Hunter Southall and myself went out for a short tog trip. We only caught 7 tautog up to 19 inches long. We collected DNA from each for VIMS.

 

Feb. 1, Capt. Rick Wineman ran to the Triangle Wrecks where they caught 3 tautog to 23 inches long. They ran through a lot of diving birds between the light tower and the Triangle Wrecks.

 

Feb. 1, we ran out for tautog before the Super Bowl. We caught 16 tog, up to 23 inches long, before running in early for the Super Bowl parties. We also caught sea bass and a nice hake. We got DNA samples from each tog and placed tags in those we did not keep. I dropped my camera down...only once, after I saw what was down there:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v...47337150059912

 

Jan 25, Wes and I went over and did some boat work. We also went and did some tog fishing close to the beach. We ended up catching 19 togs up to 18.5 inches long. Kept a couple, tagged and released the rest, got DNA samples from each. When we dropped the camera down, we did not see much but the fish were biting.               

www.facebook.com/video.php?v=864179683623580&l=243784847404677568 .

 

Jan 23, we went out after tautog. We had a slow bite, catching 5 tautog. We kept 4 between 18 and 20 inches long, tagged and released the 5th. We got DNA samples from each. We also kept a nice hake and we had to release some really nice sea bass. I did drop a camera down to see what was going on down there:                   

www.facebook.com/video.php?v=863490727025809&l=1449708948391212935 

 

Jan 20, Wes Blow fished for tautog on one of the ocean wrecks. He said that the bite was great and they caught about 25 fish keeping their 2-angler limit. The fish they kept included 4 that weighed over 9 pounds with the largest weighing in at 16 pounds.

 

Jan 17, we went out in rather blustery conditions for tautog. We stayed close to the beach because it was just too rough to run anywhere else. We managed to catch 15 tautog up to 23.25 inches long. That fish was tagged and released after a DNA sample was taken. We tagged and released all but 3 fish and got DNA samples from each for VIMS. The carcasses of the kept fish were donated to VMRC. We caught one fish that had been tagged previously.

 

Jan 16, Jody Linthicum fished the Elizabeth River with Wally Veal. They caught 15 speckled trout over 19 inches long. Their catch included fish of 25 inches, 27.5 inches and Jody caught a huge gator, 32 inches long! Hunter Southall was also on the river catching trout. Hunter said that he caught a dozen or so specks including one over 25 inches long. He also caught a nice puppy drum. Hunter's specks averaged in the 20-23 inch range. Both Jody and Hunter caught their fish casting jigs and those fish are still there as they released their fish...even that 32-inch monster!

 

Jan 11, Wes Blow fished for tautog on one of the ocean wrecks. They kept a 3-man limit of tog, all over 20 inches long, with the largest at 9 pounds. They caught a total of 25 tautog and they also caught some sea bass that were released.

 

Jan 11, Capt Rick Wineman fished the Norfolk Canyon area. They caught 15 blueline tilefish, with 7 weighing over 10 pounds, and a golden tilefish. They caught a few large sea bass while jigging for bluefish. They caught several bluefish and hooked up with a mako shark on a jig that they eventually broke off.

 

Jan 2, we started late, to let the wind calm, and quit about 2 in the afternoon so I could make a family party. Despite the short day, we caught 19 tog to about 24 inches long at the Triangle Wrecks. We got fin clips from all of the fish, caught one with a tag, tagged and released others. The carcasses of the ones we kept were donated to VMRC. On the way out, we did see some bird activity and slicks about 6 miles east of the Chesapeake Light Tower.

 

Jan 2, Capt. Rick Wineman did some catch-and-release fishing inside of the bay. Drifting eels, they had 6 bites and caught 2 big rockfish, 47 and 49 inches long.

 

Jan 1, Wes and Amy Blow fished the Elizabeth River. The bite was slow but they did manage to catch a couple of nice speckled trout.

 

www.pswsfa.com

Chickahominy

Capt. Art Conway of Conway's River Rat Guide Service (804-746-2475) out of Ed Allen’s Boats and Bait reported that lower Chickahominy Lake and the major creeks were still covered with 1 ½ to 2 inches of ice on Wednesday (2/25/2015).  Mid-day water temperatures were in the low 30’s and the lake level was about six inches above the top of the dam.  The water was light brown and relatively clear at the margins of the lower lake.  The ice will probably remain through this weekend, but may break up if we get warmer temperatures and rain next week.  Most of the ice on the river below the dam was gone by 2/25/2015.

Prior to freeze-up, blue cats were scattered throughout the lake, with many in deep channel areas, and a few were hitting live minnows.  Most crappie were in the channels and winter holes in the main lake, and were frequently near schools of bait.  Bait and crappie schools moved frequently over the last few weeks before freeze-up, and the activity levels of crappie schools varied frequently, with most being inactive.  Baits usually had to be at the depth of the crappie and still or moving very slowly.  Active crappie were hitting live minnows, Wright Bait Co. curlytail jigs, small tubes, small swim baits, jigging spoons, and blade baits.  Some crappie should be in the major creeks by the time the ice clears out or very shortly thereafter.  Prior to freeze-up, some bass and pickerel were on outer edges of flats along drop-offs in the main lake and in channels and on lily pad flats in the creeks and were hitting suspending jerk baits and lipless crankbaits.  Other bass and pickerel were under bait schools in the main lake channels and hitting live minnows, swim baits, and blade baits.  A few striper were roaming the mid-depth and channel areas in the main lake and taking swim baits, blade baits, and jigs. 

Chickahominy

Capt. Art Conway of Conway's River Rat Guide Service (804-746-2475) out of Ed Allen’s Boats and Bait reported that lower Chickahominy Lake and the major creeks were frozen over on Wednesday (2/18/2015).  Mid-day water temperatures were in the low 30’s and the lake level was about six inches above the top of the dam.  The water was light brown and relatively clear at the margins of the lower lake.  If the coming weekend weather forecast is accurate, there is a good chance the ice will melt by early next week.

Prior to freeze-up, blue cats were scattered throughout the lake, with many in deep channel areas, and a few were hitting live minnows.  Most crappie were in the channels and winter holes in the main lake, and were frequently near schools of bait.  Bait and crappie schools have moved frequently over the last few weeks, and the activity levels of crappie schools have varied frequently, with most being inactive.  Baits usually had to be at the depth of the crappie and still or moving very slowly.  Active crappie were hitting live minnows, Wright Bait Co. curlytail jigs, small tubes, small swim baits, jigging spoons, and blade baits.  Some bass and pickerel were on outer edges of flats along drop-offs in the main lake and in channels and on lily pad flats in the creeks and were hitting suspending jerk baits and lipless crankbaits.  Other bass and pickerel were under bait schools in the main lake channels and hitting live minnows, swim baits, and blade baits.  A few striper were roaming the mid-depth and channel areas in the main lake and taking swim baits, blade baits, and jigs. 

Chickahominy

Capt. Art Conway of Conway's River Rat Guide Service (804-746-2475) out of Ed Allen’s Boats and Bait reported that Chickahominy Lake mid-day water temperatures were in the high 30’s to low 40’s in the main lake and low 40’s in some creeks on Wednesday (2/11/2015).  The lake level was about six inches above the top of the dam.  The water was medium brown and moderately cloudy in the central lower lake. 

Blue cats were scattered throughout the lake, with many in deep channel areas.  Most crappie were in the channels and winter holes in the main lake, and were frequently near schools of bait.  Bait and crappie schools have moved frequently and the activity levels of crappie schools have varied frequently, with most being inactive.  Baits usually had to be at the depth of the crappie and still or moving very slowly.  Active crappie were hitting live minnows, Wright Bait Co. curlytail jigs, small tubes, small swim baits, jigging spoons, and blade baits.  Some bass and pickerel were on outer edges of flats along drop-offs in the main lake and in channels and on lily pad flats in the creeks and were hitting suspending jerk baits and lipless crankbaits.  Other bass and pickerel were under bait schools in the main lake channels and hitting live minnows, swim baits, and blade baits.  A few striper were roaming the mid-depth and channel areas in the main lake and taking swim baits, blade baits, and jigs. 

Fishing with Capt. Conway, Tom Porter had 1 crappie and 2 blue cats.

Fish News

PSWSFA members need to register for the Awards Banquet ASAP. The banquet will be held Friday, Feb. 27 and the caterer will need to know our meal selections prior to the event. Adult meals will be $15 while the children’s meal will be free. Look for details and menu selection in the Chum Line:  www.pswsfa.com/chum.pdf

 

Persistently windy weather has really put a damper on fishing activity. When it is fishable, our options are limited. Tautog are biting on the coastal wrecks. Deep-dropping will produce good catches of blueline tilefish and other critters of the deep. All of the sea bass that you catch while targeting tautog and blueline tilefish must be thrown back overboard. Striped bass and bluefin tuna have been a complete no-show so far. There are still some speckled trout being caught in the Elizabeth River. When boats can get out of Hatteras, blackfin tuna jigging is good. Your best bet for some local fishing action may be to leave the salt and head up the James River for some big blue catfish.

 

The VSWFT Awards for 2014 were given out. Two of the species awards were caught on the Healthy Grin. Stan Simmerman caught the largest wahoo in Virginia in 2014. Dr. Hamish Small caught the largest gray triggerfish in the state. These make a total of 14 annual species awards won on the Healthy Grin.

 

Feb 8, it was too rough. We went fishing anyway. Tagged and released 6 tautog, getting DNA samples from each. Then we decided that we had had enough and went in for lunch.

 

Feb 7, Hunter Southall and myself went out for a short tog trip. We only caught 7 tautog up to 19 inches long. We collected DNA from each for VIMS.

 

Feb. 1, Capt. Rick Wineman ran to the Triangle Wrecks where they caught 3 tautog to 23 inches long. They ran through a lot of diving birds between the light tower and the Triangle Wrecks.

 

Feb. 1, we ran out for tautog before the Super Bowl. We caught 16 tog, up to 23 inches long, before running in early for the Super Bowl parties. We also caught sea bass and a nice hake. We got DNA samples from each tog and placed tags in those we did not keep. I dropped my camera down...only once, after I saw what was down there:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v...47337150059912

 

Jan 25, Wes and I went over and did some boat work. We also went and did some tog fishing close to the beach. We ended up catching 19 togs up to 18.5 inches long. Kept a couple, tagged and released the rest, got DNA samples from each. When we dropped the camera down, we did not see much but the fish were biting.               

www.facebook.com/video.php?v=864179683623580&l=243784847404677568 .

 

Jan 23, we went out after tautog. We had a slow bite, catching 5 tautog. We kept 4 between 18 and 20 inches long, tagged and released the 5th. We got DNA samples from each. We also kept a nice hake and we had to release some really nice sea bass. I did drop a camera down to see what was going on down there:                   

www.facebook.com/video.php?v=863490727025809&l=1449708948391212935 

 

Jan 20, Wes Blow fished for tautog on one of the ocean wrecks. He said that the bite was great and they caught about 25 fish keeping their 2-angler limit. The fish they kept included 4 that weighed over 9 pounds with the largest weighing in at 16 pounds.

 

Jan 17, we went out in rather blustery conditions for tautog. We stayed close to the beach because it was just too rough to run anywhere else. We managed to catch 15 tautog up to 23.25 inches long. That fish was tagged and released after a DNA sample was taken. We tagged and released all but 3 fish and got DNA samples from each for VIMS. The carcasses of the kept fish were donated to VMRC. We caught one fish that had been tagged previously.

 

Jan 16, Jody Linthicum fished the Elizabeth River with Wally Veal. They caught 15 speckled trout over 19 inches long. Their catch included fish of 25 inches, 27.5 inches and Jody caught a huge gator, 32 inches long! Hunter Southall was also on the river catching trout. Hunter said that he caught a dozen or so specks including one over 25 inches long. He also caught a nice puppy drum. Hunter's specks averaged in the 20-23 inch range. Both Jody and Hunter caught their fish casting jigs and those fish are still there as they released their fish...even that 32-inch monster!

 

Jan 11, Wes Blow fished for tautog on one of the ocean wrecks. They kept a 3-man limit of tog, all over 20 inches long, with the largest at 9 pounds. They caught a total of 25 tautog and they also caught some sea bass that were released.

 

Jan 11, Capt Rick Wineman fished the Norfolk Canyon area. They caught 15 blueline tilefish, with 7 weighing over 10 pounds, and a golden tilefish. They caught a few large sea bass while jigging for bluefish. They caught several bluefish and hooked up with a mako shark on a jig that they eventually broke off.

 

Jan 2, we started late, to let the wind calm, and quit about 2 in the afternoon so I could make a family party. Despite the short day, we caught 19 tog to about 24 inches long at the Triangle Wrecks. We got fin clips from all of the fish, caught one with a tag, tagged and released others. The carcasses of the ones we kept were donated to VMRC. On the way out, we did see some bird activity and slicks about 6 miles east of the Chesapeake Light Tower.

 

Jan 2, Capt. Rick Wineman did some catch-and-release fishing inside of the bay. Drifting eels, they had 6 bites and caught 2 big rockfish, 47 and 49 inches long.

 

Jan 1, Wes and Amy Blow fished the Elizabeth River. The bite was slow but they did manage to catch a couple of nice speckled trout.

 

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Beaverdam Reservoir

Beaverdam Reservoir Fishing Report

February 11, 2015

 

Submitted by:  Park Ranger Michelle

Water Temp: 42-45 degrees on the surface

Water Level: Full Pool

Water Clarity:  Stained

Grass Level: Low

 

The fishing is good this week in the lake. Big bass have been caught in the deep water as well as the shallow edges. The tiger perch have been have been off the hook, biting like crazy, and keeping fishermen busy pulling up fish from the shoreline. Look for these fish in the shallows and close to the timbers. They are easily enticed with grubs and the yellow twirl tails.  Crappie are making a comeback in the deeper waters. They are not everywhere but when you find them they are schooled thickly. Look for bait fish in these areas, if you do not see bait move on to the next spot. The fish are on the move and looking for something to eat. A Chattahoochee jig, spoons, shaky head worms and drop shots are all fair and have remained consistent for producing fish for most fishermen. Put your focus on the timber edges and work your bait slowly as the fish still have no desire for a fast chase. With the days getting longer and the water temps stabilizing over the next ten days you can expect to see the fish on the move in the shallow staging areas and the mouths of the creeks. This weekend we were honored to host fishing legend Don Lancaster at our lake who gave his cast a practice, to hear more about Dons fishing adventures at Beaverdam you can find him on Facebook at Fishing Tidewater.

Our Annual Big Bass tournament series is about to kick off in March, Get your name on the list soon as space is limited. Come on out to the park and tell us your fishing adventures at Beaverdam. We sell artificial and live bait at the Ranger station, we also sell fishing License and rent Jon boats. We can provide everything you need for a day on the lake.

Challenge of the Week: Our Giant 43 pound catfish Waldo is still swimming around the lake, if you can catch this big guy and snap a selfie with him before you release him back into the water, I will treat you to dinner at Las Tunas in Gloucester. Enjoy and fish responsibly- Michelle

Our annual boat launch pass is on sale for $60, and our annual kayak pass is $30. For more information about the lake or our upcoming events you can email us at [email protected] or call the Ranger station at (804) 693-2107

Little Creek Reservoir

Sent: Mon, Feb 9, 2015 9:20 pm Subject: LCR. Fishing Report

Sorry about not sending a report last week but we had no fishermen to report about. But this week we have news! The water temp. is 43 degrees with a visibility of 13 ft. fish are still holding in 20 to 30 ft of water, but now seam to be more aggressive. We caught fish in water as shallow as 10 ft this weekend.With a 60 degree temp., and lots of sun the dark wood  and shore line warmed up, and Bass moved onto it for a short time. And we caught fish Bass the largest 5.6 LB., one 3 fish bag was 7.6 LB, another 3 fish bag was 5.1 LB. a couple nice Stripers,Yellow Perch up to 13.5 in., A 25.5 in. 5 LB. 14 OZ. Wall Eye which was donated to Bass Pro Shop for there tank ( Thanks Rodney Syubs). This fish will come back to Richmond in about a month. We all; need to go see this magnificent fish. The majority of the Bass were caught on blade baits, and jerk baits on or along points near

deep water. Mid day we are seeing Crappie, and gills in shallow water but if it cools off they leave quickly. 

Fish News

The saltwater scene is about as slow as it gets right now. Persistently windy weather has kept boats at the dock most days. When boats could get out, the lack of striped bass in the open, coastal, zone has discouraged many from heading out. There have been some nice rockfish caught by boats looking for bluefin tuna out past the Chesapeake Light Tower. The tuna have been a no-show this winter. Most of the boats that are getting out are targeting tautog on the coastal wrecks. Sea bass are abundant on the offshore wrecks but that fishery is closed. Flounder are a possibility around some of the wrecks like those at the Triangle Reef but the abundant spiny dogfish population makes drifting for flounder problematic. You can pick up the occasional flounder on your tautog rig. Further offshore, fishing for blueline tilefish is pretty good around the 50 fathom curve. Speckled trout are still being caught in the Elizabeth River. The action is slow but occasional gator trout keeps anglers going back. When boats get out of Hatteras, jigging for blackfin tuna is very good. They expect that bluefin tuna are out there somewhere but there have not been enough boats getting out to find them.

 

While we were fishing for tautog on Super Bowl Sunday, Johnny Boyd caught a hake. There are numerous species of hake and I cannot tell them apart. Typically, we clean the fish at the dock when we get in. Being in a hurry to get home for the Super Bowl, we just took the fish home to clean later. Doug Olander, Sport Fishing Magazine, saw a photo of the hake and said that he thought it was a Carolina hake and if so, it would be a new world record. Jason Schratwieser, IGFA, agreed that it was a Carolina hake. It was probably going to be too late but we contacted Johnny to see if he had cleaned his fish yet. It was still in the cooler and he was going to clean it after work for his dinner. Well, don't do that. We took the fish to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission where the fish was weighed by Tournament Director Lewis Gillingham and witnessed by the VMRC Commissioner, John Bull, and the Fisheries Chief, Rob O'Reilly. We then took the fish to the Virginia Institute of Marine Science where the species was confirmed as Urophycis earlii , the Carolina hake. The application has been filled out and if approved, Johnny's 5.68 pound hake will be the new, IGFA All-Tackle World Record Carolina hake and it will be the 11th All-Tackle World Record caught on the Healthy Grin. VIMS really wanted to keep the fish to add to their collection. Johnny said that he could eat something else for dinner and he donated his fish.

 

PSWSFA members need to mark Feb. 27 on their calendars. That is the evening of our Awards Banquet. Adult meals will be $15 while the children’s meal will be free. Look for details and menu selection in the Chum Line.

 

Feb. 1, Capt. Rick Wineman ran to the Triangle Wrecks where they caught 3 tautog to 23 inches long. They ran through a lot of diving birds between the light tower and the Triangle Wrecks.

 

Feb. 1, we ran out for tautog before the Super Bowl. We caught 16 tog, up to 23 inches long, before running in early for the Super Bowl parties. We also caught sea bass and a nice hake. We got DNA samples from each tog and placed tags in those we did not keep. I dropped my camera down...only once, after I saw what was down there:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v...47337150059912

 

Jan 25, Wes and I went over and did some boat work. We also went and did some tog fishing close to the beach. We ended up catching 19 togs up to 18.5 inches long. Kept a couple, tagged and released the rest, got DNA samples from each. When we dropped the camera down, we did not see much but the fish were biting.               

www.facebook.com/video.php?v=864179683623580&l=243784847404677568 .

 

Jan 23, we went out after tautog. We had a slow bite, catching 5 tautog. We kept 4 between 18 and 20 inches long, tagged and released the 5th. We got DNA samples from each. We also kept a nice hake and we had to release some really nice sea bass. I did drop a camera down to see what was going on down there:                   

www.facebook.com/video.php?v=863490727025809&l=1449708948391212935 

 

Jan 20, Wes Blow fished for tautog on one of the ocean wrecks. He said that the bite was great and they caught about 25 fish keeping their 2-angler limit. The fish they kept included 4 that weighed over 9 pounds with the largest weighing in at 16 pounds.

 

Jan 17, we went out in rather blustery conditions for tautog. We stayed close to the beach because it was just too rough to run anywhere else. We managed to catch 15 tautog up to 23.25 inches long. That fish was tagged and released after a DNA sample was taken. We tagged and released all but 3 fish and got DNA samples from each for VIMS. The carcasses of the kept fish were donated to VMRC. We caught one fish that had been tagged previously.

 

Jan 16, Jody Linthicum fished the Elizabeth River with Wally Veal. They caught 15 speckled trout over 19 inches long. Their catch included fish of 25 inches, 27.5 inches and Jody caught a huge gator, 32 inches long! Hunter Southall was also on the river catching trout. Hunter said that he caught a dozen or so specks including one over 25 inches long. He also caught a nice puppy drum. Hunter's specks averaged in the 20-23 inch range. Both Jody and Hunter caught their fish casting jigs and those fish are still there as they released their fish...even that 32-inch monster!

 

Jan 11, Wes Blow fished for tautog on one of the ocean wrecks. They kept a 3-man limit of tog, all over 20 inches long, with the largest at 9 pounds. They caught a total of 25 tautog and they also caught some sea bass that were released.

 

Jan 11, Capt Rick Wineman fished the Norfolk Canyon area. They caught 15 blueline tilefish, with 7 weighing over 10 pounds, and a golden tilefish. They caught a few large sea bass while jigging for bluefish. They caught several bluefish and hooked up with a mako shark on a jig that they eventually broke off.

 

Jan 2, we started late, to let the wind calm, and quit about 2 in the afternoon so I could make a family party. Despite the short day, we caught 19 tog to about 24 inches long at the Triangle Wrecks. We got fin clips from all of the fish, caught one with a tag, tagged and released others. The carcasses of the ones we kept were donated to VMRC. On the way out, we did see some bird activity and slicks about 6 miles east of the Chesapeake Light Tower.

 

Jan 2, Capt. Rick Wineman did some catch-and-release fishing inside of the bay. Drifting eels, they had 6 bites and caught 2 big rockfish, 47 and 49 inches long.

 

Jan 1, Wes and Amy Blow fished the Elizabeth River. The bite was slow but they did manage to catch a couple of nice speckled trout.

 

Dec 31, Capt. Rick Wineman eeled for rockfish. They caught a nice 46.5 inch fish early in the morning that turned out to be their only fish of the day.

 

Dec 31, Hamish Small fished a wreck inside of the bay. They caught a few tautog and some schoolie stripers.

 

Dec 27, Richie and Dylan Moore went after rockfish and caught a pair of big ones. Their fish weighed in at 40 and 42 pounds.

 

Dec 27, Capt. Rick Wineman eeled for rockfish. Right at the end of the day, Wally Veal caught their on fish of the day and it was a nice one. The 48-inch striper weighed in at 48.1 pounds.

 

Dec 27, Stan Simmerman went striper fishing, caught one, and then had to come in with engine trouble.

 

Dec 27, Martin Freed and Ruta Vaskys fished a coastal wreck. They stopped counting at 50 tautog. They said that the wreck was loaded with small tog.

 

 

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