Happy New Year – here’s hoping it’s better than the last one. Regardless, we’ll have fishing.
High-lowlights from last year included more regulations to anglers – most of them very restrictive.
There was more paperwork and trip filings for charter captains, even more for recreational anglers.
And highlighting the year was the disgusting curveball the board of the Virginia Marine Fisheries Commission threw at anglers and conservationists when it comes to the control of the Canadian menhaden fishery known as Omega.
But casual hunting and fishing didn’t go all that bad. And currently, puppy drum and speckled trout continue to participate throughout the region. Tautog fishing is decent and some flounder are being found around wrecks that are producing lots of sea bass. Unfortunately, more regulation has that season closed until a special February open season begins in a few weeks.
Swordfish are available along the Norfolk Canyon to points deeper, and anglers fishing for them can expect a few bluefin tuna to come by. Fishing along the coast has been better out of the Outer Banks, where captains are finding good numbers of yellowfin and bluefin tuna. The season’s first commercially caught bluefin tuna have started to come into weigh stations in Wanchese, where buyers are gobbling them up.
Freshwater opportunities are plentiful in area tidal waters and reservoirs. Bottom-bouncing live and cut bait on the deepest portions of extended points is a great way to find fish. If it gets too cold, position your boat over the bottoms of creek channels.
As spring floats into the area, things will get better with more opportunities – when weather permits.
In 2023, Lynnhaven Marine blogs and videos will focus on the business and its staff, tips of fantastic boat trips, the state of the industry and many other things the region’s legion of boaters enjoy doing.
To read more of my material, go to leetolliveroutdoors.com
