VIRGINIA

Chincoteague

Striped bass held 7 miles off Chincoteague last Tuesday on the most recent trip for the fish with Topless Fishing Charters, Capt. Perry Romig said. Bagging stripers is prohibited beyond 3 miles from the coast, so the anglers caught and released loads, solid double-headers on two-lure rigs that were trolled, and big bluefish 10 pounds that were mixed in. Apparently lots of stripers remained north, and should migrate south to the local coast, including within 3 miles from shore. The season was probably early for them to arrive, and was mostly warm. The weather was colder the past couple of days, and skim ice formed on ponds and lakes Monday morning. But the days are supposed to reach 70 degrees later this week. If the season remains warm, that should mean the migration of big, mature, migrating stripers should remain in the local area a longer time rather than a shorter one. Topless, like very year, is poised to intercept them. Call: 757-824-5580. Visit Web Site.

Virginia Beach

Small striped bass were boated on Chesapeake Bay, and anglers waited for the migration of large striped bass to arrive in the ocean, a report on Virginia Beach Fishing Center’s Web site said. But big stripers in the 40-pound class were sometimes checked in from the ocean. The fish seemed to begin trickling in. Striper season will end on the bay on January 1. Then all striper fishing will turn to the ocean. Visit Web Site.

NORTH CAROLINA

Hatteras

Blackfin tuna were belted, including on vertical jigs, an online report from Teach’s Lair Marina said. Anglers on one boat “whacked and stacked” them, including a few blackfins that weighed more than 20 pounds. Scattered yellowfin tuna were around, and fishing for them should only improve. Anglers waited for bluefin tuna to arrive. Wahoo fishing was good since March “and has not stopped all season long,” the report said. Surf fishing was slow, and sharpies managed a few keeper speckled trout from the beach. Big specks were socked to the south at Cape Lookout and to the north in the back waters at Virginia Beach. Surf temps seemed too warm for the trout at 57 to 62 degrees, “and it don’t look good for the stripers either,” the report said. Visit Web Site.

Islamorada

Trips aboard will begin to pick up for the season with vacationers arriving for the holidays, said Capt. Bruce Anderson from Captain Easy Charters. One trip sailed since the last report, landing a few sailfish, mutton snappers and king mackerel offshore of the reef in 130 feet. Sailfishing’s been good, and is often most consistent this month and in January, though the catches always continue into spring. The usual array of fish from snappers to groupers probably bit, and grouper season is open through December, closing on January 1. Black and gag groupers were crunched lately.  Call: 305-451-9578 or 305-360-2120. Visit Web Site.

Probably 40 good-sized yellowtail snappers  were plucked on Wednesday’s trip on the party boat Miss Islamorada, Capt. Ben Loy said. Two king mackerel and two sizeable mutton snappers, including a 15-pounder, were boated. The yellowtails were taken in a chum slick on pieces of bait meant to imitate the chum. One of the kings was clocked on a livelined blue runner fished from a kite, and the other was beaten on a dead ballyhoo in the chum slick. Only a few big schools of kings were around, but a big push of them should arrive within a few weeks, always showing up in winter. One of the muttons was mauled on a live bait, and the other was mugged on a dead bait. All the fish were landed at the coral reef 4 miles from the dock in 60 to 100 feet. The weather was in the low 80s during daytimes and the high 60s at night. Visit Web Site.

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