The closing of striped bass season today somewhat slows the fishing a moment, until trophy striper season opens May 1, said Mary Norton from Virginia Beach Fishing Center. Trophy season, when one of the rockfish 32 inches or larger can be kept per person, lasts through May 15, both in the ocean and in Chesapeake Bay. The bite in the ocean started to taper off several weeks ago anyway, though the linesiders were now swimming the bay. A slot striper season opens only in the bay May 16 through June 15, when an angler can keep two fish 18 to 28 inches per day. But speckled seatrout and puppy drum were sometimes picked up from the inlet. Lots of flounder, plenty of keepers, were also boated along the nearby Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. Some captains reported running across schools of big bluefish 13 miles offshore, and that means that baitfish will school to the coast soon. New Jersey anglers take note: The blues are headed to the Garden State and are a sign of the beginning of the spring migration. Mackerel will pass by the Jersey Coast first, then blues will soon follow, then migrating stripers will swim through. The party boats from the marina were weathered out but are bottom fishing for sea bass and tautog. Virginia Beach Fishing Center features a marina, tackle shop, boat launching, slips, charter boats and party boats and is located near the ocean, beach, hotels and the mouth of Chesapeake Bay. Visit Web Site.