It May Be Chilly, but the Fish Are Still Hungry
By Lee Tolliver, The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, Va.
Jan. 28–Though winter finally appears to have taken hold, fishing around South Hampton Roads continues to be productive.
Topping the list are striped bass catches.
Anglers practicing catch-and-release continue to catch large rockfish around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and the Concrete Ships. Drifting with live eels has been the top producer.
Ocean stripers are available from Chincoteague south to the North Carolina border. Anglers have enjoyed success around Oyster and Fisherman’s Island on the southeast corner of the Eastern Shore when drifting live eels.
Mojo s, Stretch es and umbrella rigs have been producing for ocean trollers. Casting jigs and bucktails is a good method once schools of fish are found.
Anglers slow-trolling Mojo s also have been picking up quite a few large flounder, especially around Cape Henry.
Mike Dunham of Chesapeake landed his first citation rockfish at 51 pounds off Cape Henry. His 13-year-old stepson, Curt Gibbs, caught his first striper at 32 pounds.
Tautog can be found around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and at inshore wrecks.
The Hot Ditch area of the Elizabeth River continues to produce good numbers of large speckled trout. Darryl Barnes of Norfolk recently caught a 7-pound, 4-ounce speck there. Anglers working around Willoughby and the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel also have been catching a few speckled trout. But that action will chill rapidly with the recent cold spell.
Deep-drop bottom fishing off the Virginia coast has been rewarding to those willing to make the approximately 60-mile trips that are producing sea bass, tilefish and grouper.
Steve Wray of Virginia Beach had sea bass of 5-14 and 5-10 on a recent trip with Capt. Jim Brincefield. The trip produced nearly 170 large sea bass, including a 5-8 for Steve Czarny of Chesapeake and a 5-2 for Dennis Walczak of Virginia Beach.
Freshwater anglers also have been seeing some success.
Bass can be caught at lakes by anglers willing to float live bait or work artificials extremely slowly. Sean O’Brien of Virginia Beach caught a 7-6 largemouth using a crankbait in Hell’s Point Creek.
Lakes Prince and Western Branch in Suffolk should start producing landlocked striped bass and a few musky for anglers drifting large live minnows or slow-trolling diving plugs.
— Reach Lee Tolliver at (757) 222-5844 or Lee.Tolliver@pilotonline.com
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Copyright (c) 2007, The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, Va.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.
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