Fishing forecast for the week of Sept. 11-17

Witjh cooler temperatures and decreasing daylight, cobia know that it is about time to start heading south. The good news for anglers is that during the species' staging period, cobia become increasingly easier targets.

Anglers are finding cobia schooling at places such as the York Spit, Bluefish Rock, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, and at many of the buoys that mark the entrance channels into the Chesapeake Bay.

Anglers drifting open water at the mouth of the Bay and along the Virginia Beach Oceanfront also are finding decent numbers of fish. And don't hesitate to stop and eyeball a school of passing rays since cobia often are found underneath.

Many times these fish are extremely aggressive, feeding heavily for the trip south. Other times, however, they seemingly want only to use a boat as a place to get out of the sun.

Cobia will strike fiercely at an eel, spot or croaker tossed to them. They'll smash into big bucktails with plastic trailers. Other times they will charge a bait or lure, only to stop short and swim away - leaving the angler with sweaty palms and a pounding heart.

But as frustrating as cobia sometimes can be, once hooked they are one of the Bay's toughest brutes.

They aren't too bad on the grill, either.

Cobia will be charging out of Virginia waters soon, so now is the time to take advantage of their eagerness.

HAMPTON ROADS

This is rapidly becoming the time of year when fishing becomes as much a guessing game as anything.

Will the approaching cold front turn fish on or off?

Nowhere does that hold more true than offshore. For the past few weeks, the white marlin bite has been off the charts. And typically this time of year, a passing storm has been responsible for balling up bait and marlin - resulting in some of the best catches of the year.

But passing storms and fronts also can drive fish south. Anglers on Capt. Greg Span's boat caught 10 white marlin on Friday, the day before Tropical Storm Hanna arrived. The bite wasn't so hot on Sunday after Hanna had passed.

Things have picked up since, with good catches of marlin for most anglers. Another good thing that has happened is a return of bigeye and yellowfin tuna in the offshore grounds.

Offshore anglers also can take advantage of good bottom-bouncing for tilefish, grouper, sea bass and wreckfish if the marlin aren't cooperating.

Closer to shore, cobia, red drum and king mackerel should be a possibility - especially along the coast and buoy lines.

Big jacks - crevalle and amberjack - are being found around the Chesapeake Light Tower and at several coastal wrecks.

Inside the Bay, cobia, red drum, sheepshead and spadefish numbers all will start to wane in the coming weeks as fall patterns take hold.

Flounder also are on the move and have been hitting well around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and at many inshore wrecks.

As fall patterns get started, croaker, spot, speckled trout, puppy drum, flounder, stripers and bluefish will jump to the forefront. Areas around the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, Ocean View, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, and Little Creek, Lynnhaven and Rudee inlets are the places to look for these species.

EASTERN SHORE

This is the time of year when anglers start working western shore creeks for speckled trout.

Those in the know also work many of the backwater creeks and ditches around Oyster. It's still a tad early, but a few fish are showing.

Croaker have been keeping anglers busy from Oyster to Kiptopeke, and north toward Cape Charles.

Boaters working the extreme outside edges of the barrier islands should find good numbers of big red drum.

Flounder likely are staging along creek channel edges and the edges of the major channels running in and out of the Bay.

Offshore sites should provide plenty of tuna and white marlin, with dolphin and wahoo in the mix.

OUTER BANKS

Like most other places, Hanna kept anglers in port for several days. But reports are trickling in that action offshore is back on, with white marlin, tuna, dolphin and wahoo providing consistent catches - especially for boats out of Oregon Inlet that can head north. Catches off Hatteras also are good and will get better as fish to the north migrate south.

Inshore, cobia will start to show along the coast as they move south. Red drum catches also will increase with every passing cold front.

Inside the sounds, catches of puppy drum and speckled trout should pick up as waters cool. Look for lots of small bluefish as well.

PIERS AND SURF

Things are picking up along Virginia and Carolina beaches and piers.

Spot, puppy drum and speckled trout have started to show in better numbers around Ocean View. Cary Jarvis at the OV pier said most of the spot are about a half-pound, but numbers are increasing. Croaker catches are fairly consistent just about everywhere. Anglers working around the old Duck Inn at Lynnhaven should be finding speckled trout and good numbers of puppy drum.

Anglers at the Virginia Beach and Little Island piers should start looking for cobia and red drum - two species that annually make impressive fall runs.

Catches along Outer Banks beaches and on piers should be promising for lots of small stuff such as spot, croaker, puppy drum, trout, flounder, skates and sea mullet.

Anglers also should expect big sharks, as well as cobia, king mackerel and red drum.

FRESHWATER

All the rain from Hanna and Wednesday's passing cold front should have refreshed ponds and lakes, turning on the feeding switch for largemouth bass. When waters clear in rivers and streams, bass action should be outstanding.

It's about time for crappie to start moving from deep-water haunts to shoreline structure. Don't hesitate to try bridge pilings as well.

Bluegill are going the opposite direction but still should be available in water less than 10 feet deep.

Chain pickerel and bowfin will be hard-charging baits and plastics in more brackish creeks.

Look for schooling white perch over creek channels and at the mouths of creeks.

Lee Tolliver, (757) 222-5844, lee.tolliver@pilotonline.com