March 15, 2024
The warm weather has brought out more anglers, and the Redfish catches have increased as well. Folks are finding them shallow, especially in the late afternoons. All sizes are being caught, with quite a few being over the slot limit. Speckled Trout catches are on the rise also, but for now, the Redfish catches are outnumbering them. The Elizabeth River may have the hottest bite for the Trout right now, many are having the best luck on both species, with paddle tailed swim baits, in the 3-4 inch sizes. Crabs are showing up now, so getting the better bait for Tautog is upon us. March is a very good month for Togs inside the bay. Black and Red Drum have showed up in the Hatteras surf, but action is still slow. More warm weather is forecast, and we are in a great moon phase. The offshore reports are few at this time.
March 11, 2024
Things are heating up, but there hasn't been a lot of reports from the saltwater side still. A few Puppy Drum are being reported from the shallows in some of the inlets and rivers, such as the Elizabeth. We should see an increase in reports of Speckled Trout here soon, with the warming temps. There’s already been some good sized Trout caught this week from within lower bay inlets. Those venturing out into the ocean, and chasing Tautogs are having good luck. The Sea Bass season went out with February. March is an excellent time to target Togs inside the bay, particularly on the lower bay reefs that are present.
February 28, 2024
There's been a sudden increase in the Puppy Drum action inside some of the inlets. The increasing daylight hours, and warmer temps are moving more fish shallower. Many of the catches are coming from depths less than 10 ft. There will be increased catches of Trout in these same places soon. Good catches of Trout are still occurring inside the James River. Tautog catches will also increase as the water temps climb toward the 50 degree mark. The Sea Bass bite remains excellent, but the season ends with the month of February. There has not been many reports from the offshore charters, but this will change, especially in March.
The warm weather has brought out more anglers, and the Redfish catches have increased as well. Folks are finding them shallow, especially in the late afternoons. All sizes are being caught, with quite a few being over the slot limit. Speckled Trout catches are on the rise also, but for now, the Redfish catches are outnumbering them. The Elizabeth River may have the hottest bite for the Trout right now, many are having the best luck on both species, with paddle tailed swim baits, in the 3-4 inch sizes. Crabs are showing up now, so getting the better bait for Tautog is upon us. March is a very good month for Togs inside the bay. Black and Red Drum have showed up in the Hatteras surf, but action is still slow. More warm weather is forecast, and we are in a great moon phase. The offshore reports are few at this time.
March 11, 2024
Things are heating up, but there hasn't been a lot of reports from the saltwater side still. A few Puppy Drum are being reported from the shallows in some of the inlets and rivers, such as the Elizabeth. We should see an increase in reports of Speckled Trout here soon, with the warming temps. There’s already been some good sized Trout caught this week from within lower bay inlets. Those venturing out into the ocean, and chasing Tautogs are having good luck. The Sea Bass season went out with February. March is an excellent time to target Togs inside the bay, particularly on the lower bay reefs that are present.
February 28, 2024
There's been a sudden increase in the Puppy Drum action inside some of the inlets. The increasing daylight hours, and warmer temps are moving more fish shallower. Many of the catches are coming from depths less than 10 ft. There will be increased catches of Trout in these same places soon. Good catches of Trout are still occurring inside the James River. Tautog catches will also increase as the water temps climb toward the 50 degree mark. The Sea Bass bite remains excellent, but the season ends with the month of February. There has not been many reports from the offshore charters, but this will change, especially in March.