Fishing Report for Oct 28, 2020

Saltwater

The Speckled Trout bite is in full swing. Folks are getting out and catching quite a few—and some big ones at that. Anglers are reporting that Mirr-o-lures are working already. Usually the colder the water temps, the better the Mirr-o-lures work. However, the water is not cold. Other lures working well are the paddle tailed swim baits and popping corks with Gulp! Shrimp, suspending jerkbaits, and sometimes topwater baits still. Many of these are working for keeper Puppy Drum also.

Reports inside the Rappahannock River have plenty of folks catching plenty of keeper Rockfish. Trolling 2 oz bucktails with 6 inch twister tails are popular. Weighted swim baits in the 4-6 inch sizes are also popular. Most of the Rockfish catches are coming from within the rivers and smaller tributaries of the bay. Some anglers are reporting catching many different species while targeting the Specks or Rockfish.

There's been a good Sheepshead bite lately with the majority of larger fish being caught on cut crab. Look for the Tautog bite to increase soon as some catches are already being made, also on cut crab.

The pier fishing along the Outer Banks has been very good the last couple days. There's been lots of good sized Sea Mullet caught. Sporadic runs of good sized Spot some Puppy Drum and even the blow toads are showing up in good numbers. It's been rough conditions for surf fishing, but that should change soon. Some of the offshore boaters went out this week and returned with some quality Yellowfin Tuna. The Blackfin Tuna are biting well when the boaters are able to get to them as are the Wahoo. There's been a few Mahi caught also.

Freshwater

The upper James is cooling down and is at a great level for fall Smallmouth. The level at this time is 5.39' at the Westham gauge. Crankbaits in crawfish patterns typically work well along with small spinnerbaits. Hair jigs and larger Bass jigs are also a great option when the fish are not in a chasing mood.

The Chickahominy River continues to produce good fish as 29 lbs was the total weight of a 2-day event this past weekend. Another tournament on Sunday had a winning weight of 20 lbs. A tournament on Chick Lake was won with a 19 lb bag. A wide variety of baits continue to produce strikes—chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, swim baits, and jigs are all working.

17 lbs was the winning weight on the Potomac River over the weekend. So, it looks like the Potomac is starting to come back a little.

Tournaments on the local lakes are taking 16-20 lbs to win daily events. Kerr, Gaston, and Anna are producing these weights regularly now. Many of the fish are and have moved shallow. However there's good fish still being caught from deeper brush and rocks, some of which are in the 15-30' depths.

The deeper sections of Gaston are producing good numbers of Spotted Bass. Shaky heads and drop shots are a good way to catch the Spots. The Stripers seem to be scattered in these lakes also. Catching limits is a little harder at this time. Topwater baits and smaller swim baits are excellent search baits. Shallow to mid depth flats are good places to start.

The Crappie fishing continues to improve in these lakes as well as local ponds. The Crappie have been grouping up on brush and the bridge pilings. Quality electronics will show the depths where the fish are holding. Side imaging has become invaluable in many cases for locating fish.