The calendar is about to flip into October and that means the fishing season is heating up!
That may sound counter-intuitive, but longtime anglers in the Lynnhaven/Rudee inlet will tell you that the fall fishing season is excellent. Some of the summer species have migrated away, but others are coming in and they are hungry!
We spoke recently with Davis Sarret, a longtime fishing guide in the lower Chesapeake region, and he said that action in the creeks, inlets and around the bridge structures has been excellent this fall.
Davis said that speckled trout are biting everywhere this year, along with the usual suspects: puppy drum, red drum and rockfish. He’s heard that there are still bluefish underneath the bridges and the flounder bite is growing as the days get colder.
Rockfish can be found lurking under docks and piers, he said, while puppy drum are everywhere in good numbers. “I threw out my cast net and got a bunch of keepers,” he told us. “Fishing in the creeks has been really good for the last month.”
What’s working best? “Shrimp, shrimp and shrimp,” Davis said. But for those using artificial lures, he recommends the twintail Gulp minnows, or a crank bait from MirrOlures. Those come in all kinds of colors and shapes, but as Davis said “I’ve been fishing since I was five years old. Red and white baits always work.”
So don’t let the shorter days or cooler temperatures keep you from a great afternoon of fishing. This is a great time of year to get out on the water, and there are lots of hungry mouths underneath the surface just waiting for you to come after them!
