Big Rockfish for New Years

There’s a lot happening on the fishing scene, especially for this time of year. Although the weather is a constant annoyance, it looks like anglers will ring in the New Year while partaking in great fishing opportunities well within reach of shore.

The trolling scene is drawing the most attention right now. This is an effective method for targeting striped bass, and gets the job done without dealing with live eels. Schools of nice fish ranging from 38 to 49-inches are filling limits for boats working ocean waters, often in short order lately. Boats are finding nice fish from the Eastern Shore down to Rudee Inlet, with the best concentration off of Cape Henry recently. Big pods of bait and temperate weather will encourage the fish to stick around. Now, whether this is good or bad, boats are also encountering schools of bluefin tuna in these same areas. A few tuna ranging between 200 and 300-pounds are surprising anglers with screaming reels while trolling for rockfish along the ocean front. Several tuna were hooked on rockfish gear this week near the green can off Cape Henry. Most anglers are caught off guard and stare wide-eyed at instantly spooled reels. But for a few, two hour battles are bringing some of these big tuna boat side. Make sure you have a highly migratory species permit, and check the regulations before you set out to tangle with these brutes. Scattered catches of chopper bluefish are also still adding variety to the action along the shore lines.

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