Inshore
Everything is here for the taking. Taylor blues have been thick along the beach and the first Spanish mackerel have shown.  Spanish fishing will get even better in the next few weeks.  A school of big Red Drum also has shown along the oceanfront.  A boat recently released 18 Reds out of that big school.  Big Black Drum are around the islands of the Chesapeake Bridge tunnel waiting for us to cast to them. Also, croakers and some flounder are biting around the bridge tunnel.  A few cobias have shown, and I have heard of lots of them on the way with some good catches off the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We have good schools of bait just off the beach; so any day now, the cobias should show in numbers.  Spadefish also should show up at any day now.

Reminder…
Don’t forget about our Extended half day trips. These are fun trips with trolling for blues and Spanish; then live bait fishing for sharks, cobias, and king mackerel. Good times are here!

The OCEAN STRIPERS (ROCKFISH) are here.  The great news is they are here and are very nice in size.  Rockfish in the 25 to 45 pound range have shown up.  Lots of 40 pounders were caught.  Don’t miss out on the hot bite.  Also, using eels around the CBBT (Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel) has been producing big rockfish in the 30 to 60 pound range.  Using live eels can be done at night or during the day.  It usually produces trophy size fish.  It is not too late to get out on the ocean and go rock fishing. We have dates available.

In the spring the waters off Hatteras and Virginia Beach will be heating up and so will the fishing.  I will charter in Virginia Beach as well as Hatteras.  Bluefin and Blackfin tuna will be here in March and then the yellowfin bite will be going strong in April.  As water temperatures increase, so does the size of the fish.  Blue Marlin usually show up in April.  Big Wahoo are available year round but peak in May.  King Mackerel are also abundant through May.

Give me a call at 757.404.4293 so we can talk about a possible trip.  I can book your charter a year in advance so don’t miss out on prime fishing times.  Deposits are due when you book your day; balance is due the day of the trip.

Tight lines and Happy New Year!

Captain Josh Anderson

Inshore Report

The Ocean Stripers (Rockfish) have arrived.  The great news is they are here and nice in size.  Rockfish in the 25-to 45-pound range have shown up.  Lots of 40 pounders were caught.  It’s just beginning but don’t miss out on the hot bite.  Also using eels around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel has been producing big rockfish in the 30-to 60-pound range.  Using live eels can be done at night or during the day.  It usually produces trophy size fish.

Offshore Report

With all focus on Rockfish these days, let’s not forget about the Bluefin Tunas.  Several have been caught in the 70-to 100-pound range.  We were able to get out and catch a 70-pounder recently; and we were  only 25 miles out from the inlet.  Lots of bluefish are in the same areas as the tunas.  The bluefish are in the 10-to 18-pound range.  Plenty of Seabass and some Flounder on the wrecks as well.  Their is still some good fishing offshore with plenty of action with bluefin tunas, bluefish, and seabass.  There is also still the chance at catching Swordfish.

Give us a call and don’t miss the bite. Time to stock the freezer for the winter!

Offshore
Still waiting for some yellowfin tunas to show.  Everything has been running later than usual for the fall season.  Still some dolphin caught the first week of November.  Did an overnight trip last month catching some nice dolphin, a few sharks, and 1 out of 2 swordfish.  Bluefin tuna should be showing any day and they usually are found closer to shore on their southern migration.  Mixed with the bluefin tunas are some nice big chopper bluefish.  The bluefish have already shown up and are ranging from 10 to 20 pounds.  The nearshore and offshore wrecks are holding nice size seabass, flounder, and of course bluefish.

Inshore
Striped Bass aka Rockfish or Striper have made a showing in the Chesapeake Bay.  They are around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel.  Trolling and casting has been the most action.  Sunrise and Sunset are the best times for casting around the rock islands of bridge.  Using light tackle rods and reels makes for some fun catching of rockfish.  Trolling the bridge pilings or over the tunnels of the bridge has been producing during the day.  Rockfish have been in the 18″ to 36″ range.  The bay season allows 2 fish per person.  With the weather finally cooling down we should see an explosoin of rockfish.  The bigger fish should show in December and a few have even been caught in commercial nets.

Book your trip now.

Offshore:  We have been having a great season on white marlin. We’ve had several days of catching three or four and certainly seeing much more than that; but we’re still waiting for that big push of marlins as we move into early fall.  Should happen anytime, these fish will get together to feed in big groups before their big migration south.  We can get a dozen or even two dozen shots at catching them before they head out for the year.  Last September, we saw some boats coming in with catches between 25 and 30 marlins in a day – and one crew broke a single-day record with 41.

The blue marlin has been showing up as well along with the white marlins and even a few sailfish.  Dolphin (mahi-mahi) fishing has been great with some nice sized fish and great to take home to throw on the grill after a great day of fishing. A few yellowfin tunas have been around, but the bite has been very scattered.  Although they have been scattered, we have caught several in the 50-to 70-pound range, so it’s worth the patience when we do find them. Also, a few wahoo have been around, and we should see a good run of them in September through October.

Its Marlin time!  If you have ever wanted to catch a marlin now is the time to do it!

Inshore: We have been loading up on tailor bluefish and some nice Spanish mackerel; plenty of action and good for the grill. After catching blues and Spanish, we take some live bait out for some slow trolling. We have had great action doing this recently with sharks (blacktips, spinners, hammerheads, and a few others) going berserk on the bait. It’s a lot of fun to fight these fish and to watch our charter parties hook up with one of these big boys.  We also have caught some nice cobias doing the same technique; which are very tasty and a great fighting fish.  The action has been getting better with cobias, with many boats coming in with 4 to 6 per day.

The next few weeks should get even better when they start leaving the bay in big packs.  We also caught a nice king mackerel that weighted 38 pounds. We also should be seeing some more Kings heading into September and October.

Great inshore fishing with lots of action and some nice sized fish!

Inshore
Almost all the inshore fish have made a showing. We have been catching spadefish, spanish mackerel, and bluefish.  Some sharks have begun to show up.  We recently caught a few blacktip sharks.  Red drum, black drum, and cobia also have made a good showing in the bay.  Give us a call.

Offshore
The warm water has arrived and the tunas are here – both Yellowfin and Bluefin.  The Yellowfins are 30 to 50 pounds, and the Bluefins are ranging between 50 and 100 pounds.  And, there’s always the possibility of finding some bigger Bluefins in the 200-to 300-pound range.  Deep-drop fishing for Grouper, Tilefish, and Seabass also is outstanding right now. Seabass fishing opens on May 22, and the fishing should be excellent.  Book now. Prime dates are starting to fill up fast!

Inshore
We have been catching big Rockfish ( striped bass) along the Chesapeake bay bridge tunnel.  They have been 30-to 45-inch rockfish.  We have been sight casting using topwater poppers.  There’s nothing like seeing a 20-to 30-pound rockfish blowing up on a popper; it makes for some great action.  Spring striper season runs until June 15.  Bluefish in the 1-to 2-pound range also have been making a good showing.  The arrival of Spadefish should happen in the next few weeks as well as Cobia.  I have heard of a good amount of cobias heading are way to the south (some boats are seeing 200 in a day!). We’ll be ready for them. Book now!

Please note the following adjustments:

• Offshore - $1775
• All Day Inshore - $1200
• Overnight - call for pricing
• Nearshore 7-12 or 1-6 - $850
• Inshore 8-12 or 1-5 - $650

I am looking forward to another great season on the Frogpile. Book your trip now.

Captain Josh.

Inshore
The big news is Red Drum and Stripers.  Red Drum (aka redfish or puppy drum) have arrived early, and they are nice sized too (40 to 60 pounders).  Late afternoon and evenings are the best times to catch these fish.  Some stripers have begun to show up around the rock islands of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel.  These fish are 10-to 25-pounds and I heard of a 35-pounder caught the other day.  Casting around the islands with various lures are producing bites from the stripers.  Last year we saw them in big schools on top.  We caught them on poppers and live bait, making for some great light-tackle action.  Bluefish have made a showing in the inlet and along the beach as well.  They have been nice 2-to 5-pounders.  Croakers and Flounder are beginning to bite also.

Book Your Trip Today!