Fishing forecast for the week of Oct. 16 - Oct. 23

Once abundant inside the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, larger bluefish have become almost an offshore species for most anglers. Inshore wrecks and navigational structures also hold big choppers most of the year.

But closer to shore, bluefish averaging a couple of pounds have become the norm.

Bigger fish occasionally come inshore, but it's rare.

For most, these tailor bluefish are a nagging problem while fishing for trout, puppy drum or school-sized stripers.

Some anglers try to catch small bluefish to use their oily meat to make strip bait for flounder.

But for others, doing light-tackle battle with these feisty, toothy critters provides exciting action.

Short, thin, wire leaders are a must for most of this action. Spoons and hard baits with treble hooks also help with hook-ups. Jig heads with plastic trailers will catch small blues, but most of the time anglers crank in half a bait after a strike.

Many anglers also enjoy eating bluefish, though most find the dark meat not to their liking.

Those who do usually soak fillets in brine, then cook them on a smoker.

When anglers find big bluefish, it takes a 16-pounder to earn a Virginia award and a 15-pounder in North Carolina. Virginians also can earn release awards for fish measuring 36 or more inches.

Anglers in Virginia can keep 10 blues a day of any length. In North Carolina, 15 fish of any length are allowed, but only five can measure longer than 24 inches.

Virginia's record bluefish is a 25-pound, 4-ouncer caught in 1986 near Bluefish Rock.

North Carolina's standard weighed 31-12 and was caught at Cape Hatteras in 1972 - back in the days when bluefish blitzes on the beach were common. North Carolina's fish also is the International Game Fish Association world record for the species.

HAMPTON ROADS

Winds have hampered most angling ventures. That likely will be the case Friday and Saturday while a cold front pushes more seasonable weather into the area.

Fall patterns already are developing quickly.

At the forefront of most angler attention are speckled trout and puppy drum.

Juvenile red drum are being caught in outstanding numbers inside Lynnhaven Inlet. Little Creek and Rudee inlets also are holding fish.

Speckled trout action is picking up in all three inlets and at many other haunts.

Lots of specks are showing around the Hampton area, and many anglers are trying to keep their Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel catches as hush-hush as possible.

Fish also are starting to show in the Elizabeth River near the I-64 high-rise bridge - an area known as the Hot Ditch.

Striper fishing throughout the area is good for school-sized fish. Bigger fish will move in as soon as waters cool.

Flounder also are on the list of possibilities, with fish starting to migrate out of the Bay. Look for flatties along the edges of deep channels, and from around the edges of inshore wrecks and structures.

Spot and croaker remain available, with big croaker biting around the islands of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and from jetties around the Bay and Rudee Inlet. Bigger spot continue to be caught at the York and Rappahannock rivers - meaning their arrival in Hampton Roads is still to come.

Offshore anglers are finding wahoo and swordfish. Deep-droppers will continue to find grouper and tilefish throughout the winter.

EASTERN SHORE

Speckled trout dominate the Eastern Shore scene. Specks are available in nearly every Bay-side creek, with fish also showing on shoals just off the shoreline.

Anglers also are catching trout from Wachapreague and Oyster backwater creeks and inlet mouths.

Big red drum should continue to be available around the outside portions of barrier islands and for sight-casters working just off the beaches.

Stripers are just about everywhere, especially around bridges and pier structures that have lights.

OUTER BANKS

Yellowfin tuna highlight most catches, with a few blackfin mixed in.

Billfish are still available, but numbers are down.

Wahoo, dolphin and king mackerel play into the mix.

Closer to the beach, anglers can expect king mackerel, cobia and big red drum.

Inshore, speckled trout, puppy drum and school-sized striper dominate the scene.

PIERS AND SURF

This is surf-fishing time along the beaches of Virginia and North Carolina.

Anglers competing in the 58th annual Nags Head Surf Fishing Club tournament enjoyed outstanding catches last weekend.

Mostly small stuff - spot, croaker, flounder, bluefish, trout, puppy drum, pompano, sea mullet and striper - is dominating the scene.

But anglers working ocean piers can expect good runs of red drum in the coming weeks.

FRESHWATER

Fall can be both a tremendous and frustrating time for largemouth bass anglers.

Fronts typically bringing in some form of easterly winds can mess up what is trying to be a good bite.

But when things settle slightly after frontal systems, bass fishing in rivers and water-supply reservoirs can be outstanding, with bass feeding heavily in preparation for the winter.

River systems are starting to hold more and more school-sized striped bass.

Panfish are mostly moving deeper, with the exception of crappie that should be holding around structure in 15 feet or less of water.

White perch likely are schooling around many creek mouths. Look for stripers where you find the perch.