Inshore fishing on Virginia Beach charter boats may include trips for striped bass, sea bass, and both red and black drum while offshore fishing charters target tuna, sharks, dolphin, billfish and other species. The area is world famous for its saltwater fishing.
One well known fisherman is Captain Keith Harlan who fishes the Mega Bite out of Virginia Beach. He has fished local waters from the Eastern Shore, Chesapeake Bay, and Virginia Beach to Cape Hatteras for over 30 years. Captain Keith’s vast fishing experience also includes the waters of Barbados, Turks and Caicos, Bahamas, Bermuda, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and Key West.
In the summer months, offshore fishing from Virginia Beach is excellent. Captain Keith described Virginia offshore fishing saying, “Nothing is etched in stone with fishing around here but chasing yellowfin tuna thru much of the summer is our main activity”. These tuna like deeper water for the most part, often being caught in water from 30 to 100 fathoms. “We watch the satellite shots to get a general idea of how far north or south the tuna are” explained the Captain. Fishing spots include the Norfolk Canyon, Cigar, Weather Buoy, Wayne’s World and others. These hotspots range up to 75 miles out of Rudee Inlet. In addition to yellowfin tuna, anglers catch bluefin, bigeye, skipjack and longfin albacore tuna, dolphin fish, wahoo, billfish and sharks.
Of interest to many anglers are the trips that reach the Norfolk Canyon. Just before reaching the canyon walls are slopes that are often very productive areas. Near the canyon walls, the bottom becomes steeper and rockier. Fish congregate along the drop offs to catch food that is caught in the hard running current. Along the edges are lobster traps which are marked by orange buoys or “lobster balls”. The buoys attract dolphin fish which in turn attract the larger marlin, swordfish and sharks which feed on them heavily. A trip by a buoy can be uneventful, or one or more lines might be attacked by mahi mahi, tuna, marlin or other fish.
Late August and September often feature the best fishing with anglers seeing larger numbers of tuna as well as an influx of wahoo and bull dolphin. Offshore fishing continues into October, when windy weather and falling water temperatures make fishing less productive.
After the offshore season winds down, Virginia anglers enjoy excellent striped bass fishing. Known locally as rockfish, these delicious fish migrate down the East Coast and congregate in the lower Chesapeake Bay and coastal waters from November thru March. Anglers sometimes catch monster rockfish, exceeding 50 lbs. The Virginia state record rockfish has been broken many times recently, with some of the biggest fish being caught out of Virginia Beach Virginia.
These beautiful gamefish love cold and windy weather and feed in immense schools along the coast. Local charter boat captains such as Captain Keith of the Mega Bite keep watch on local fishing and are usually able to find the fish reliably when a winter weather window of opportunity becomes available.
By: J.C. Banks
Posts Tagged ‘Yellowfin Tuna’
Virginia Beach – Virginia Saltwater Fishing Charters
February 7th, 2010Hawaii Sport Fishing
November 21st, 2009
If you’re coming to experience Hawaii sport fishing, you
have one heck of an adventure awaiting you! Anglers from all
over the world journey to these deep blues waters teeming
with trophy fish. This is where you come to get the big
ones. In fact the biggest fish ever caught on rod and reel
was a blue marlin caught just off Oahu, weighing in at a
hefty 1805 lbs.! Hawaii is so legendary among sport fishing
enthusiasts that several “big-game” tournaments are held
here every year, including the granddaddy of them all, the
Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament, luring fishermen
from all over the globe.
Hawaii sport fishing is the home of big-game fish. Some of
the species you’ll encounter here are three types of marlin;
blue, black and striped. It’s entirely possible to hook
yourself a “grander”, meaning a monster fish weighing at
least 1000 lbs.! Other top game fish include Ahi (Yellowfin
Tuna), Ono (Wahoo), Mahimahi (Dolphin fish), and Skipjack
Tuna. All of these babies can give you a reel-spinning run
for your money, and an experience you’ll not soon forget! In
fact the tuna are among the fiercest, most tireless fighters
of the bunch! Only the striped marlin is a sometimes
resident, showing up only in winter. All of the others can
be found year-round. Some of the best fishing spots you’ll
want to try would include Kona; long regarded as the best
big-game fishing in the world. Oahu’s North Shore is more
famous for it’s surfing, but it’s just under the surface
here where the real action begins! Actually, there’s pretty
much not a bad place for Hawaii sport fishing: some are just
more excellent than others!
Booking your Hawaii sport fishing adventure is easy. There
are literally hundreds of charter fishing boats operating
here, offering you a ton of choices. Some things to keep in
mind would be to consider how long you’ll want to be out.
Most offer half or full day trips, but also know that of you
want the best chance at hooking a big-game fish, a longer
trip may be called for to give yourself time to get to the
best fishing grounds and keep your line in the water awhile.
No experience or fishing license is required, and should you
hook a trophy fish, taxidermy can be arranged. Come and
experience Hawaii sport fishing and come home with a little
something for that bare wall!
By: Keith Thompson
The Annual Sport Fishing Cabo Event
October 20th, 2009
Sport Fishing Cabo, that is what it is called now. People who go to Cabo, experience the best sport fishing anybody has ever had. That is the reason why it has been coined as such. Aside from being the capital of sport fishing, Los Cabos is a tourist attraction what with all the great hotels and golf courses. It is truly is a luxurious place to go to.
Los Cabos is well known for it’s abundant sea life. Attributing to the fact that there are high nutritional content that streams from the Pacific, so much so, that there is a glorious life chain in Los Cabos, starting from fish life to marine mammals. There are a wide array of fish such as Mahi Mahi, Yellowfin Tuna, Wahoo and Snapper. These are just the more popular choices of anglers.
There is one even to watch out for and that happens yearly. People have been watching out for the annual fishing tournament normally held during October and November. This is the most watched for event, Sport Fishing Cabo. It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner, upon renting a boat instructions will be given out to you.
Although it has been highly recommended for beginners to start out with a light tackle, as suggested in fishing-tackle-tips.com. Although there are always tourists all-year round because of what Los Cabos can offer. It has been noted that people have been going to Los Cabos all year round because of the fishing. Los Cabos has always been hospitable in terms of tourist and new people trying out their fishing skills.
Los Cabos has always been the favorite spot of families because of unforgettable experiences and lasting memories created there. Families have always gone back for cruising as they get the chance to to see and witness whales and dolphins. Your vacation does not have to be expensive as there are local pangas or what they call surf fishing. There, you will always have a trophy.
By: Russel Clark
