SUPER-SIZED 74-POUND STRIPER! One of the largest striped bass ever caught on rod and reel was hooked, battled and subdued in Virginia last week. The behemoth 74-pound rockfish is expected to establish a new Virginia state record for striped bass. Carey Wolfe caught the huge fish while aboard the Bada Bing with Captain Tim Cannon while fishing off Cape Henry. Congratulations to all those involved in that remarkable rockfish catch! You can read the fishing report and see fish pictures of the monster striped bass here. As for the rest of the fishing, it's still hot keep reading...
There are still striped bass in the ocean and in Chesapeake Bay (catch-and-release only in the bay), although the bite did slow. In addition to Wolfe’s once-in-a-lifetime striper, the big buzz has been bluefin tuna, which have still been available close to the beach along the Virginia oceanfront. Most of the bluefin have been 130 to 160 pounds, or 250 to 330 pounds.
(Photo: A Stretch is a tough, durable rockfish trolling lure, but even a Stretch will suffer significant damage when attacked by a powerful 200-pound plus bluefin tuna.
What’s going on.)
Fishing Shows, Fishing Seminars and other Fishing Happenings
Great Bridge Fisherman’s Association 3rd Annual Fishing Flea Market/Swap Meet
When: March 10
Where: Hickory Ruritan Club in Chesapeake
Details: For more information or to reserve tables, call Butch Pierce at (757) 287-0330.
Ken Neill reports in from tidal Virginia:
NEW POTENTIAL VIRGINIA RECORD 74-POUND STRIPER! While the incredible run of big bluefin tuna has been getting most of the attention, rockfish took back the limelight this week. A monster 74-pound rockfish was caught by an angler fishing with Capt. Tim Cannon on his charter boat, the Bada Bing. The fish was caught off Cape Henry by angler Cary Wolfe and is set to become Virginia’s new state record. In general, rockfish action slowed a lot this week. Fish caught were large but many boats did not catch any fish at all. The main body of fish seems to be to our north, up the coast. There are also plenty of fish in the bay where the season is closed. Those bay fish are available for catch-and-release action. There is still a lot of bait along the oceanfront so the expectation is the striped bass bite will turn back on soon and that a little colder weather will push more fish to us. The bluefin bite continues along the Virginia Beach oceanfront. These fish just refuse to leave. There seem to be two classes of fish: 130 to160 pounds, 250 to 330 pounds. They are hitting tuna baits but mostly are being hooked-up on striped bass lures. To protect their tackle from fish damage, many anglers are pulling striped bass lures on tuna-sized tackle. Most of these fish are being encountered right along the beach out to maybe 6 miles out. They can be found around birds, bait, and whales. It has been a tremendous whale-watching winter. Big bluefin tuna are also being caught out of Oregon Inlet so there are likely fish stretched out from the mouth of Chesapeake Bay down to Oregon Inlet. In addition to the rockfish and bluefin tuna that most are targeting, there are some other fish biting as well. Speckled trout continue to be caught in the Elizabeth River Hot Ditch area. Tautog are available on structure in the lower bay and on the coastal wrecks. The new regulations allow you to keep 3 tautog per person with a minimum size of 16 inches. Tilefish are available for offshore bottom fishermen that are willing to wade through the dogfish and sea bass (sea bass season is closed). Remember to get your 2012 Tilefish/Grouper permit before heading out to deep-drop.
The very popular Flounder Bowl will be held on June 30. It will be headquartered at Dare Marina again this year. More details soon in an upcoming report. It is a new year which means that is time to pay your dues for the year. Dues remain $30 for the year.
Save February 24 on your calendars. That is the date of the PSWSFA Awards Banquet. Cost again will only be $10 for adults and free for children 12 and under eating the child’s meal. The next regular club meeting will be in March. We will have board meetings in January and February. Over the past year, we have enjoyed Joe and Mimma’s for our board meetings. For 2012, the board meetings will be at Bill’s Seafood. Club members are welcome at the board meetings.
Following are some specific reports concerning the recent rockfish and bluefin tuna action:
Jan. 23: Tricia Neill, Bernie Sparrer and I ran down to Sandbridge where we had left them two days prior. Foggy, could not see anything. We got one bite on a parachute in the short rigger but it did not come tight. Trolled up to the Dump Site and got one bite on the Stretch on the way. Just bent the rod over, did not stay tight. At the Dump Site, hooked up on the Stretch. Fish bugged out. Had to back through the rest of the lines hard to keep it from spooling us, and the cockpit was full of water. We got the other lines in and turned and chased the fish. Got most of the line back and it took it all back. Chased it again, caught up to it, it went under the boat, and broke off. Tricia was impressed. Weather permitting and if the tuna hang around, I'll be trolling the beach again this weekend. We did not get a rockfish bite.
Jan. 22: Hunter Southall and Wes Blow fished the Hot Ditch. Action was not red hot but they managed to catch a number of speckled trout to 26.5 inches long.
Jan. 21: This report provided by Charles Southall: Hunter had a basketball game today requiring us to be home early, Gabe Sava and his dad had the same time constraints and a mutual friend, Greg Scott, wanted to close a "bucket list” item by catching his boat's first tuna. So we hopped in his newly-restored 28 Carolina with a fresh HMS permit and headed to the oceanfront for a half-day Tuna "try". Put out rigged bluefish and the standard blue/white and pink/white Ilanders on some good bait marks d at the Dump Site straight off Rudee. A little later, Gabe gets bored and sends my green Stretch 30 (on 300-pound mono) down the middle. Fifteen minutes after the Stretch went out, we troll over a good bluefin mark and the Stretch rod bends over. Not a hard bite, just a lazy bend. I picked up the rod and thought it was a striper (made that bad assumption a couple of times this year). Gabe's 64 year-old dad (whose "bucket list" had an open line in the bluefin category) agrees to take the striper and save me for the first tuna. He gets the rod and this "striper" decides it’s really a tuna. No going back now, Mr. Sava hung onto that thing for a couple hours and handled the fight like a champ, landing his first bluefin tuna and Greg's first tuna on his new boat. Two "bucket list" items down at once! The fish came to the boat just in time for the Stretch to break in two as Hunter and I sunk the gaffs. The fish was 70 inches total length and 140 pounds - what a year to fish in Virginia!
The following report was provided by Dave Wineman: 1 tuna knockdown Wednesday at 7a.m. two miles off Cape Henry. Pink/White Ilander w/ large ballyhoo, left long WWB, lasted about 45 seconds, fish got the entire ballyhoo but not the hook (awesome knockdown out of the rigger, just did not stay tight). Twenty-four rockfish from 35 to 47 inches between Rudee Inlet and Sandbridge (2 to 2.5 miles out). A lot of doubles and triples. White was the color with large fish off the bottom on mojo's. Pulled the tuna / heavy rockfish gear all day, but no tuna.
From IGFA Virginia Beach Representative Julie Ball:
The big news is still big fish. Yes, big striped bass and big bluefin tuna continue to mesmerize the Mid Atlantic sportfishing community. Local tackle shops are selling out of 50 and 80-wide offshore reels and ballyhoo. The wintertime striper-tuna phenomenon is continuing to create a stir all along the coast, and the local marinas, charter boats, tackle shops, hotels, and restaurants are elated as business pours into the area. This extraordinary bite is drawing folks from all over to join in the hunt for big fish off the coast of Virginia. With water temperatures still hovering in the upper-40s, this remarkable fishery could continue into February.
Although the rockfish took a breather for a few days after the latest front, this week they rebounded back to where they left off. It is common for these fish to tip scales to 40 and 50 pounds. And while these fish are impressive to say the least, not a one can hold a candle the biggest of them all - the new pending Virginia state record striped bass. This spectacular 74-pound, 57.75-inch beast only added to the glory of the awesome fishing trend we are experiencing this winter. This once-in-a-lifetime fish took a parachute rig trolled about two miles off Cape Henry amongst hundreds of other boats this past weekend. The proud angler, Cary Wolfe (Manassas, Virginia), and his dad stared in awe as the giant fish was hoisted (and not easily, either) over the gunwales Friday, January 20. The duo was guided by Captain Tim Cannon aboard the Bada Bing out of Lynnhaven. Most of the ocean rockfish are schooling within about two miles off the beach, with the biggest concentration still between Cape Henry and Rudee Inlet. Large pods of bait and beehives of diving birds are still the hallmark all along the ocean front this week. The old standby, white or chartreuse parachute rigs and Mojos, are still the favored choice on the troll. Folks to our north out of Ocean City are still reporting striped bass activity.
A few rockfish are still falling for live eels drifted off the Smith Island area, but most anglers are chasing the big fish off the ocean front instead. According to the folks at Long Bay Pointe Bait and Tackle, those opting for catch-and-release opportunities in the bay are finding “all they want” along the Bridge Tunnels. Kayakers are especially interested in this activity. One boat experienced unlimited action while casting shads along the tubes and the rocks of the 2nd and 3rd Islands of the CBBT.
Bluefin tuna are still stunning a few rockfish hunters, but for the most part anglers are prepared for the occasion. Most boats hooking up are specifically targeting tuna, and although some days are better than others, scattered fish ranging from 150 to close to 300 pounds are rewarding their efforts. One day last weekend hosted around two dozen tuna boatings for the count. And fisheries managers are keeping count. The option to sell these fish is no longer a choice as of last week. Be sure to check the regulations before you go out. The tuna are still hitting mostly trolled striper gear, but the hook-ups on traditional rigged ballyhoo is on the rise, with pink and white and blue and white the best colors for bluefin strikes. Tuna catches are occurring from the coast off the Eastern Shore, down to False Cape.
Tautog activity within the bay is still good, but most are still interested in the coastal fishing scene. Blue crabs are almost impossible to find, so plan for your bait well before you go. Inshore and offshore wrecks also offer good tog fishing opportunities, but remember you can keep only three fish at 16 inches this year.
The Elizabeth River is still the place for the best speckled trout action, where a few fish in the 9-pound range were recently boated near the Cove on lures. Anglers are also catching numerous fish between 5 and 6 pounds while casting Gulp Swimming Shads in the Hot Ditch. Mirrolures are also a top producer for specks lately. Puppy drum and rockfish are providing some good results in these same areas for those looking for something a little different.
When the weather permits, tilefish and grouper are a possibility for deep droppers. Sea bass are bound to be a by-catch, but they are off limits right now.
Virginia Freshwater Fishing Reports
POTOMAC RIVER - D.C. - The warm water discharge of the Alexandria Power Plant
is producing good catches of catfish, carp and white perch when the power plant is operating. Night crawlers, doughballs and live minnows are the ticket. Blue Plains Sewage Treatment Plant outflow is giving up lots of large gizzard shad to anglers jigging Silver Buddies, and bass to anglers fishing live minnows, jig 'n pig and plastic baits along the shoreline. Anglers fishing the Spoils are taking numbers of largemouth bass and crappie from drop-offs, on Silver Buddies, small dark-colored grubs, live minnows and crappie jigs.
POTOMAC RIVER - BELOW WOODROW WILSON BRIDGE - Bass are holding on the bottom
along steep-dropping banks. Yo-yoing a spinnerbait, tipped with a Big Daddy pork frog, will take some of the larger bass. Better numbers of fish will be taken on small plastic grubs, fished on 1/8-ounce jig heads. Cast the bait into shallow water and fish it back to the lip of the drop-off. Most hits will occur on the lip. When the bait falls off the lip, allow it to sink on a taut line. Should the line move at all during the fall, set the hook. Fish the bait very slowly and watch the line intently. Pickups will be very soft, and often the only indication of a fish will be a little heaviness on the line. Some of the better creeks are Mattawoman, Nanjemoy and Aquia, as well as Gunston Cove and the Occoquan River. Crappie are schooled up around submerged brush in the major creeks and coves.
POTOMAC RIVER - MORGANTOWN BRIDGE (ROUTE 301) - Anglers braving the cold and windy weather can catch small stripers off and on in the outflow from the Morgantown Power Plant. Tip a 1/2-ounce or ¾-ounce jighead with a 4- to 6-inch Sassy Shad, cast into the uptide, outside edge of the outflow, and allow the tide to carry the bait along the bottom. The stripers will do the rest. Just be ready for the line to start moving. Medium heavy bass tackle will do the job.
OCCOQUAN RIVER - Fish are available throughout the river. Yellow perch are staging at the mouth for their spawning run. Medium minnows, Silver Buddies, yellow grubs and 1/8-ounce yellow horsehead jigs are taking these plump prizes. Fish these very slowly along the bottom, watching the line carefully. Most of the fish are taking the baits aggressively, but some of the larger fish will just mouth the bait and not move. Largemouth bass may be taken by anglers concentrating on the drop-offs around the Route One bridge and along the rock wall. Most of the successful anglers will be using plastic grubs, Silver Buddies, jig 'n pig and live bait. Any structure in the river will be holding crappie. Channel catfish like night crawlers, minnows and cut bait, and extremely large blue cats are cruising this river.
OCCOQUAN RESERVOIR - Fountainhead Regional Park boat ramp is closed for the season, but personal boats may be launched at Lake Ridge Marina on the Prince William County side of the lake. Bass are being caught on the down-lake points, in submerged standing timber and on rocky sun-drenched shorelines. Best baits are small wide-wobbling crankbaits, jig 'n pig and small plastic grubs.
BURKE LAKE - With the warmer weather this week, bass should be holding in deeper water, but feeding up in the shallows. Try fishing drop-offs along the northern side of the lake and around "Hump" near the dam. The rip-rap along the dam should be giving up some bass during the late afternoon when the sun has warmed the water.
LAKE ANNA - Better bass fishing is available on down-lake points on jig 'n pigs, plastic grubs, live minnows, jerkbaits and crankbaits. Crappie are available throughout the lake, on small minnows and tiny jigs. Walleye fishermen are not having a lot of success, but if the weather improves, look for good stringers of these tasty fish in the next few weeks. Jigs tipped with minnows or night crawlers, fished across points will take the toothy predators. Another favorite spawning area is just below the old VDGIF ramp at Route 522 on the North Anna River. Stripers to 17 pounds are being caught on Sassy Shads fished under the roving schools of shad. Better fishing is coming from the area from Sturgeon Creek to the dam. The cooling ponds are giving up lots of small to medium bass and good-sized crappie to anglers with access to the waters.
JAMES RIVER - Monster blue catfish are once again in the news. The big fish are taking cut bait in the area around the Dutch Gap Power Plant. Walleye have started their spawning run, and a number have been taken between Dutch Gap and the Route 95 Bridge. Crappie are still biting well in the barge pits around Dutch Gap. Smallmouth and largemouth bass fishing is slow, but some are being taken on live minnows and jig 'n pig baits, fished on the river side of the islands around Dutch Gap and in the barge pits. Above Columbia, on the upper James, smallmouth bass are taking skirted Yamomoto grubs fished in the holes and below riffles.
LAKE GASTON - When the wind allows access to the lake, largemouth bass are hitting crankbaits in 4 to 6 feet of water just inside the feeder creeks. Good-sized largemouth bass are also being caught on slow-rolled spinnerbaits, fished along steep dropping points in the Poplar Creek area. Crappie fishing is excellent. Striper activity is best below the Gaston Dam, in Roanoke Rapids Lake, on live shad, Sassy Shads and Redfins.
BUGGS ISLAND LAKE - Striper fishing is good, with live bait and 3/8-ounce bucktails producing the better catches. Largemouth bass are favoring the main lake gravel points and may be caught on 10+ crankbaits in shad colors. Crappie are holding above brushpiles in 10 to15 feet of water.
SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE - Fishing for stripers is iffy, depending on the weather. When winds are up, anglers stay home, but when the winds lay down, some catches are reported. Most anglers are jigging with Hopkins Spoons and bucktails or fishing live shad, in Betty's and Becky's creeks. Crappie fishing is exceptional on small minnows in 6 to 8 feet of water. A few largemouth bass are being taken on bucktails by anglers targeting stripers.
That is all the Virginia fishing reports for this week. If you get out and catch some fish this week snap a few fishing pictures and post a report on Virginia Fishing Forum or the Northern Neck Virginia Fishing Forum. Until next week, tight lines!
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