With minds on stripers, speckled trout and tautog, anglers would be remiss to forget about flounder

With striper, speckled trout and tautog on the minds of most anglers, less emphasis is being put on flounder.

Although a few flatfish might still be found in deeper channels heading in and out of the Chesapeake Bay, most have left for offshore waters.

But a few diehards still target flounder at deepwater wrecks and rubble piles.

Several anglers wasted little time getting at such fish after last weekend’s nor’easter. And those that did met with some outstanding success.

Big flounder topping 7 pounds were caught by quite a few anglers on Sunday. The Triangle Wreck seemed to be the favorite location, but fish were caught at the Tower Wrecks and at several other locations.

The wonderful thing about working such locations is that anglers also can expect to find a few triggerfish, tautog, big bluefish, a few shark and large sea bass.

The bad thing about finding sea bass in these areas is that sea bass caught in federal waters outside three miles have to be released.

Many of these fish, because they are pulled from deep water, will not survive a release. Some anglers say that venting the swim bladder that sometimes is exposed in the fish’s mouth is a method that helps with mortality. Others say it is of little help.

On a side note, anglers working these wrecks for legal species should always keep a close eye this time of year for schools of bluefin tuna migrating south.

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The storm has passed. The sun is out and we can fish again. But be careful. There's stuff out there.

With the Lynnhaven Pier missing lots of planking, and with Lord knows what flowing out of the rivers and creeks that drain into the Chesapeake Bay, anglers should be extremely careful of lots of floating debris that is out there.

Most of thise stuff floats barely on the surface and very hard to see while running to your favorite striper hole or wreck.

All too often, anxious-to-get-out-on-the-water anglers are running hard and accidently run over a big piece of wood, lawn furniture or who-knows-what.

I understand how exciting it is to finally get out after such a miserable several days.

Just be safe.

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There is hope for the future of one pier. So now let's pray for another.

The Lynnhaven Fishing Pier on Shore Drive suffered a ton of damage yesterday during what many people have labeled the Veteran's Day Nor'easter. From television video, it looks like at least three sections and the end of the Lynnhaven are now gone.

Our hearts go out to the owners, who suffered after Isabell as well. But owner Barbara Duff said on TV just now that she has plans to make repairs that will make the pier better than ever.

Now we have to pray for the Little Island Fishing Pier located at the southernmost end of Sandbridge. A huge container barge broke free from its tugboat at Cape Henry during the storm and now sits less than 400 feet north of the pier.

Winds are still high along the coast and are blowing from the north. With high tide, the Coast Guard has reported at the barge is moving - moving to the south. If something can't be done by the early morning, there's a chance that the city-owned pier will be wiped out by the barge.

Fishing piers are an important part of the local fishing community. They offer those without boats access to some of the most outstanding fishing waters in the world.

So let's cheer on the Duffs while they rebuild the Lynnhaven, and let's pray for Little Island.

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Oh, the weather outside is frightful. No, it's not Christmas. But the weather is too frightful to fish.

Mother Nature is putting a big whammy on fishing for a couple of days, with the remnants of Hurricane Ida turning into a wicked northeaster.

Even after the system passes, it will take a few days for waters to clear and for fishing to turn back on.

The weather forced the postponement of Wednesday’s Veteran’s Day largemouth bass tournament at Bob’s Fishing Hole in Chesapeake. The event has been moved to Sunday.

And Friday’s opening round of the sixth annual IBEW Rockfish Tournament to benefit the United Way could be very interesting if forecasts for the storm system to continue through Saturday hold true. The event starts at 6 p.m. Friday at Cobb’s Marina in Little Creek Inlet and continues through 4 p.m. Saturday.

Rockfish like snotty weather, so tournament catches could be outstanding if it’s safe enough to fish.

As of noon Wednesday, radar showed that moisture from the system was moving to the northeast at a pretty good clip. But as with many of these systems, more moisture could be drawn in.

One thing seems definite – it’s going to be pretty windy through late Saturday.

But once the blow is over, typical fall patterns should prevail. That means good fishing for striper, tautog, puppy drum and speckled trout.

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Sea bassers wanted action against the feds. Well . . . they're getting it.

The Recreational Fishing Alliance has taken extraordinary steps to help puzzled sea bass anglers who recently had the rug pulled from underneath them by NOAA Fisheries - which recently closed the fishery in federal waters from the Outer Banks to Maine.

The RFA is filed a suit against NOAA and it looks like, from reading the press release and talking to experts, that the RFA has a pretty strong case.

We're all going to be waiting with (I can't help myself on this one) baited breath to see what happens.

I'll be interviewing RFA officials on Monday and will have a story in Tuesday or Wednesday's paper and online.

For now, here's the press release on the suit:

In a 40-page legal challenge submitted before the U.S. District Court of New Jersey, the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) and industry allies have officially brought legal action against the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke due to the recent recreational closure of the Atlantic recreational black sea bass fishery. The challenge contends that the recent closure is not only unprecedented for a fish whose stocks are considered rebuilt and not overfished, but that the action is also based upon “misapplication and misuse of a fatally flawed angler survey which NMFS itself has acknowledged is not to be used for this type of decision.”

Filed for a dozen specifically named plaintiffs, the official complaint for declaratory and injunctive relief requested expedited consideration in hopes of reversing the six-month sea bass closure as quickly as possible on behalf all saltwater anglers and fishery dependent businesses. According to Capt. Tony Bogan, plaintiff of the United Boatmen, the recent closure of sea bass is only a part of legal equation. “This goes way behind sea bass,” Bogan said of the legal argument, adding “it addresses the potential action by NMFS in the future to arbitrarily close fisheries on a whim or because of survey trends or ideology.’

By closing a recreational fishery based on the fatally flawed recreational survey (MRFSS), the suit contends that the government violated numerous provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the Regulatory Flexibility Act, the Administrative Procedure Act, and National Standard guidelines issued by NMFS. Additionally, it charges the defendants with ignoring countervailing information and for failure to consider less severe alternatives. “As a result of defendants’ actions, and failure to comply with the law, the Plaintiffs have suffered, and will continue to suffer, immediate, substantial and irreparable harm, for which there is no adequate remedy at law, and for which they seek expedited relief.”

Herb Moore, Jr., RFA co-counsel said the disregard for the spirit and intent of the Magnuson Stevens Act is one thing, but the clear disregard for the legal requirements of the federal fisheries law is something that leads him to be cautiously optimistic. “These cases are very hard to win, but I think we’ve got some very strong arguments,” Moore said, adding “NMFS was extremely arrogant with their sea bass decision and we’re calling them out on this one.” Moore charges that NMFS was very deliberate in their actions, explaining “they purposely chose an insular approach designed to block public scrutiny by claiming that they had good cause to waive prior notice and the opportunity for public comment.”

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Surf fishing at its finest.

The best surf fishing teams on the East Coast got into the breakers on Hatteras Island this morning to start the 52nd annual Cape Hatteras Angler's Club Invitational Surf Fishing Tournament.

With 120 teams, this is the premier surf fishing tournament in the United States, and arguably the world.

Action continues around Buxton through Friday afternoon. The individual angler Bob Bernard Individual Surf Fishing Tournament is Saturday.

Anglers compete for points based on catches of various species that meet minumum points requirements. Fish bigger than the mininums earn extra points.

Surf fishing on the island has been good in recent weeks, so teams could put up some pretty impressive numbers.

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Seeing spots? You're OK. It's just from all the speckled trout.

While there are plenty of species to be talking about this time of year, most conversations have something to do with speckled trout. Largely because it already is shaping up to be another outstanding fall for one of the area’s most popular inshore species.

Speckled trout are being caught at a variety of locations – around Poquoson and the Back River; along Eastern Shore Bay-side and Ocean-side creeks; in Lynnhaven, Rudee and Little Creek inlets; at many areas along the Elizabeth River, with the Hot Ditch vicinity being the most popular; and along some deep sloughs along the Oceanfront.

Whew!

Where you go and how you fish is up to you. But where ever that is, and whatever you use, the chances are good that you will hook up with a few of these toothy critters with all the spots on them.

And to think that things are just really starting to heat up. Waters currently are still a little warm for the vast migration that soon will come, bringing more and more big trout into area waters.

When things get really cold, most of the fish will be found in the Elizabeth River.

But for now and for the coming weeks, you stand a good chance of seeing some good speckled trout action just about anywhere.

Just so you know, the minimum keeper size in Virginia is 14 inches and the daily bag limit is 10 fish per person per day.

If you are trophy hunting, it takes a 5-pounder or a 24-inch release to earn a citation award from the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament.

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Bad gun safety practices. Picture causes a stir

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Tautog time. Those goofy-looking fish with the human-like lips and teeth and biting.

As temperatures cool and many fish migrate out of area waters, anglers are able to focus more of their attention on a lessening number of species.

Then the tautog bite turns on and complicates everything.

What a wonderful dilemma we have on our hands, as one of Virginia’s favorite species has shown up and turned on.

Togs – as most anglers call them – are those strange looking wreck dwellers with the human-like lips and teeth.

They also are one of the tastiest species swimming in area waters.

And local waters produce some of the biggest tog in the world.

Virginia produced the former world record of 24 pounds. The current leader is a 25-pounder caught not too far away off Ocean City. This year’s Saltwater Tournament leader – a 21-pound, 13-ounce tog caught earlier this year by Virginia Beach’s Skip Feller – is believed to be one of the top 10 biggest ever. 

Tautog of 15 pounds are almost commonplace in Virginia waters.

Action started kicking into gear about 2 weeks ago and tog masters are finding good numbers at a variety of locations along the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. Many inshore wrecks and artificial reefs also are holding cooperative togs.

Fiddler crabs have become the favorite bait, but pieces of cut crab and sometimes clam or squid will work.

Bring plenty, ‘cause these fish have a deserved reputation for stealing.

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Speckled trout. Largemouth Bass. Good Weather. Limited time.

It all adds up to a pretty serious problem.

I absolutely love fishing for both.

Bass are closer to home, but trout aren't around all year long like the bass are.

Mother Nature provided a remarkable mid-October week.

Tuesday I worked the waters of the North River in northeastern North Carolina. Beautiful place with excellent fishing.

Trout are tearing it up in Rudee Inlet, and that action also is going to get better in the coming weeks.

So what do you do?

Only one thing is for sure. I'd better do it quick. It's after 1 and there is that thing of high school football tonight - in less than 6 hours.

Bye!

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