The folks at the Virginia Beach Fishing Center reported that they have recently received reports of nice speckled trout and puppy drum in the inlet, and they have also seen some of the diving birds coming back up with flounder; that’s right, they said that they were getting flounder.
Further investigation discovered that they were small flounder that aren’t yet legal. Nonetheless, this is a good sign of the future, both for flounder fishing and conservation.
Boats that are fishing for striped bass are reporting decent catches, but they are now becoming more scattered and not traveling in the large schools, as they prepare to move into the bay to spawn.
During the main season, rockfish tend to travel in large schools. Now, they are still able to find them with a little bit extra effort and time. Those fishing for stripers will find five fish in one place, a few in another, and then a handful in a totally different place.
Striped bass are still biting once you find them. There are some nice sizes to the fish, so you should expect an excellent trophy season in the Chesapeake in a few weeks.
The Rockfish season in the ocean is drawing to a close, with only 11 more days remaining. As of March 31, the ocean will close and the Virginia waters of the Chesapeake will not open for them until May 16.
For those anglers who are ready for an awesome offshore season, they are reporting that the bluefin tuna are arriving shortly. They have received reports that they are getting closer and closer and hopefully will start booking trips for them here in the next week or two.
Yeah, we’re hoping for an excellent trophy season.