Virginia Offshore Report for November by Ric Burnley

While November may be the end of the season for most pelagic species, it’s not the end of the season for offshore anglers fishing out of Virginia. While tuna, dolphin, and billfish have cooled off, bottomfishing for sea bass, tog, tiles, and grouper will heat up. November is high time for sea bass on the offshore wrecks and reefs.

Any piece of structure from the Triangles to the 44 Fathom Wreck will be covered up with big knot-heads. These fish will take a wide variety of baits, but the best fun can be had using Lucanus or Butterfly Jigs.

Don’t be surprised to find flounder on these wrecks, too. Look for big flatties with a 3-way flounder rig baited with a strip of fishbelly or squid and weighted with a 6 to 10 ounce sinker. Drift over and around the wreck to find the holes where doormats lay in welcome. These same wrecks will also hold monster bluefish.

Troll big plugs or jig with Hopkins spoons to score on trophy choppers. Big blues may feed voraciously, but they are also a favorite food of bigger species. Be prepared for big bluefin tuna or thresher sharks where ever you find bluefish. Threshers will jump on a Rapala plug trolled at 6 knots.

Bluefin will also hit plugs – along with Drone spoons, Seawitches, Ilanders, jigs, or topwater poppers. Farther offshore, tilefish and grouper will be waiting in the deep. Look for the tiles along the 50 fathom curve. Find Grouper on the 100 fathom drop. Use a 2-hook bottomrig baited with fresh squid for the tiles.

A heavy-duty bottomrig built of 100 pound test and 9/0 hooks will stop gargantuan grouper from breaking off in the rocks. With so many species biting offshore, winter fishing may rival the summer bite.

Virginia Offshore Report for October 2011 by Ric Burnley

What a fall! Marlin, marlin, and more marlin, added to tuna, dolphin, and wahoo. Don't forget about sea bass, tiles, and grouper, and it's not over yet. October can be a great month to fish offshore. With any luck, the fabulous white marlin action will hold over through Halloween.

As long as warm water eddies continue to spin down the 100 fathom curve, anglers will continue to get a shot at whites, blues, and sails. If you can find water temps in the upper 70s, you can find whites and sails with dink baits on circle hooks and blues with Ilanders.

Look for big yellowfin tuna to hang in 68 to 72 degree water. For a mixed bag of meat fish, switch to dink baits or sea witches at the flat lines, Ilanders on the short riggers, and sea witches on the long riggers. This spread will attract dolphin and wahoo, too. Dolphin will often hide under floating debris such as Sargasso weed or boards, barrels, and pilings.

To load up on mahi, be sure to keep a quiver of 20 pound outfits ready to bail with a 5/0 hook and a 1-ounce egg sinker. A small chunk of cut fish or squid will be too hard for hungry dolphin to resist. Wahoo will wreak havoc on a spread, slicing through leader with their razor sharp teeth and scissor-like jaws.
Attach 15 feet of No. 9 wire ahead of the hook to ward off bite offs. Wahoo are particularly suceptable to a dark colored Ilander or seawitch fished behind a planer.

Look for the fish on the edge of temperature breaks or around structure such as wrecks or sharp drops. While the trolling season is winding down, bottomfishing will pick up.
Find sea bass and tiles over live bottom in 50 fathoms of water with a two-hook bottomrig and cut bait. Grouper and golden tiles like deeper water and craggy structure. They will also lurk on the 100 fathom curve, especially along the edge of the Norfolk Canyon. It takes a beefy bottomrig, built out of 100 pound mono and 10/0 hooks baited with a big chunk of cut bait to raise one of these leviathans. With favorable weather conditions, bluewater anglers can extend their season through autumn. Even as the leaves fall in October, offshore fishing continues to heat up.

Virginia Offshore Report - April 2011

By Ric Burnley
Finally, an offshore fishing report for Virginia anglers. The beginning of April will find the fish on the edge of the Continental Shelf and the Gulf Stream. By the end of the month, bluefin should be on hills from the Hot Dog to the Crotch.

Two tactics are effective for bluefin: trolling and jigging. To find the fish, start by trolling ballyhoo on Ilander and seawitch skirts. These fish can grow big, and if this spring's run in North Carolina is any indication, Virginia anglers are in for some serious pullage.

In February and March, crews fishing off Hatteras Island routinely found fish over 200 and 300 pounds and even set a new State Record with an 805 pounder. This kind of fishing requires the big guns, but not a big spread. Four or five of the heaviest rods (130s and 80s) will cover the bases. Run a sea witch on one flat line and an Ilander on another. Do the same for the short riggers. Long riggers should host a seawitch and an Ilander. A naked horse ballyhoo or another Ilander goes way back up to 200 yards on the shotgun.

As the fish move to the inshore humps and hills, try pulling cedar plugs and Green Machines, too. If the tuna are finicky, try dangling a dangling a rubber squid or flying fish under a kite or running a Drone spoon deep behind a planer. If you mark the fish deep, but can't get a bite, drop a vertical jig.

Use a heavy action jigging rod and two-speed high-speed jigging reel spooled with 65 pound test braided line. Spool the reel with braided line that changes color every 10 meters so you can drop the jig to the exact depth where the fish are holding. Tie a 10 foot length of 100 pound fluorocarbon to the braid and add a 250 gram jig.

For bluefin, the long, narrow jigs seem to work best. If the fish are feeding on the surface, but won't bite a trolled bait, throw a top water popper at them. Use a heavy spinning outfit and super duty popper to have a chance at stopping one of these freight trains. While bottomfish like grouper and tiles will sustain offshore anglers through the winter, the arrival of bluefin in April will kick off the bluewater season. Go get 'em!

Virginia Offshore Report- February 2011

By Ric Burnley

February is one of the most frustrating months for fishermen. Not because there are no fish to catch, but because there are too many fish that we aren't allowed to catch!

With sea bass season closed until spring, deep dropping beyond 40 fathoms closed south of North Carolina State Line, and striper fishing closed past 3 miles, there are plenty of options for the fish, but not for the fisherman.
Still, all is not lost.

Tog fishing will sustain winter weary anglers through spring. While the fish will shut down when the water temperature drops into the 30's, crews who cruise around the ocean looking for fish will find tog on the deepest wrecks.

Often the coldest tog will be the biggest tog. For big fish, use big rigs and big baits. First, beef up the single dropper bottom rig with 80-pound fluorocarbon and a 5/0 baitholder hook. Then, show these monster tog the beef with a big chunk of blue crab and a whole chowder clam.

The best bait for frostbite tog is a whole hermit crab - available at some tackle shops or straight from conch fishermen. To remove the hermit crab from its shell, freeze the crustacean and pull it from its home. Run the hook into the back of the body and out the head for best results.

Another option for bluewater anglers is chasing swordfish. When water temperatures at Norfolk Canyon hit the 50s it's time to go swordfighting.
These fish are available both day and night. Most anglers fish for swords at night by staging rigged squid at depths from 250 to 50 feet below the boat and drifting across the canyon.

Fishing for swordfish during the day is another matter. This requires anglers to find steep cliffs along the edge of the Continental Shelf and drop a rigged squid up to 1500 feet to the bottom. To do this, it takes big weights, big tackle, and big muscles.

Late winter can also be the best time to fish for grouper and tiles. That's because cold water drives away trash fish like dog sharks and chopper blues. Crews drifting the 50-fathom edge with 2 and 3 hook bottom rigs will catch blueline tilefish. Moving deeper, and bumping up to a heavier two-hook bottom rig will result in big grouper and golden tilefish.

While winter options may be few, there are enough fish offshore to keep anglers warm till spring.

For updated fishing reports through the winter, check out www.fishcrazy.info.

VA Offshore Reports By Ric Burnley

January 2011may be cold and bleak, but offshore fishing can still shine. Running out and targeting sea bass, tilefish, tog, grouper, and even swordfish is the perfect anecdote to cabin fever.

Sea bass fishing will likely get better as the water temperature drops. That’s because these prized food fish will congregate on the best pieces of structure in the deepest water. Look for them from the Triangle Wrecks to southern structures like the Barque. A chunk of squid or bunker on a three-hook bottomrig will quickly fill a limit of 25 sea bass per angler.

Start with an arm’s length of 50 pound monofilament and tie a surgeon’s loop in the end then make three dropper loops about two inches apart. Loop an 8 to 16 ounce sinker to the bottom loop then attach a 5/0 baitholder hook to each of the dropper loops. Tie the end of the leader to a 150 pound swivel on the 65 pound Power Pro coming off a medium heavy conventional outfit.

Use a stiff rod and a high speed reel to quickly get the fish to the surface. While a heavy rod and big bottomrig may be fast and effective, Shimano’s new Lucanus system will make catching these fish a lot of fun. Even in 50 fathoms, a 3 ounce Lucanus jig will catch fish just as fast as a 14 ounce bottomrig – just drop the jig to the bottom and retrieve very, very, slowly.

Farther offshore, blueline tiles will hang on the 50 fathom curve. Drive around until the fish show up on the fishfinder then drop a heavy duty two hook bottomrig tied with three way swivels and 80 pound monofilament.

The same high speed rod and reel will beat these fish, too. However, if you move deeper to target monsters on the 100 fathom drop, bring a heavy outfit spooled with a mile of 80 pound braid. Use a rig tied out of 100 pound test that features heavy 10/0 hooks, glow beads, and even flashing strobe lights.

While you’re out there, might as well head deeper and look for a swordfish. Crews dropping rigged squid up to 1500 feet off the edge of the Continental Shelf get a shot at glory with a big swordfish.

Since winter days are short, stay the night and continue to fish for swords. Drift across the canyons while dangling rigged squid from 25 to 250 feet below the boat. After spending the day loading the boat with bottomfish, then spending the night fishing for swords, not only will you cure cabin fever, but you might not even miss summer.

Ric Burnley is an angler, teacher, and father based in Virginia Beach. His latest adventure, www.fishcrazy.info, features up-to-date fishing reports, how-to articles, news, and information on fishing the Mid Atlantic.

Offshore Fishing Forecast
for November 2010

By Ric Burnley

Got the blues? Then you must have been fishing off Virginia Beach in November. That's because November is a great time to head to the Triangle Wrecks in search of big bluefish.

Each fall, big, chopper bluefish school up on wrecks and reefs 30 to 40 miles off Virginia Beach. The best way to find the fish is by trolling Stretch or Rapala plugs. Rig the plug on 10 feet of 100-pound mono leader. Attach the leader to a swivel tied to the 65 pound braided line coming off a medium heavy boat rod.

Big spoons like a 3 ½ Drone or Cripple Alewife are also affective. These spoons should be attached to 20 feet of 100-pound leader. Between the leader and the mainline, use high-quality ball bearing snap swivels to clip in a 6 to 12 ounce trolling sinker.

Criss cross over the wreck or circle the area at 2 to 5 knots looking for these aggressive fish. Stretches and Cripple Alewives work best when trolled slowly while Rapalas and Drones favor a faster trolling speed.

Once the school is located, switch to lighter tackle. If the fish are feeding on the surface, a medium action spinning rod spooled with 50 pound braid and armed with a heavy-duty topwater popper will draw aggressive strikes. If the fish are deeper, drop a 2 to 6 ounce vertical jig and work it quickly back to the boat.

Big sharks also travel with these bluefish. Be ready to attack Jaws with a heavy action rod and a 5-foot leader of No. 9 wire or 7-strand cable crimped to a 12/0 circle hook on one end and a 30 foot section of 200 pound mono on the other. When bluefish start coming to the boat missing major body parts, take one of the victims, hook it on the meat rig, and drop it back to the hungry man-eater.

Another surprise guest to the bluefish grounds are bluefin tuna. These bombers can range from 30 to 300 pounds and show up anywhere at any time. The most likely time for schools of these fish to blast through the area is when the angler is unprepared. Don't let that happen. Keep a couple heavy rods rigged with a 3 ½ Drone spoon, sea witch, or Ilander skirt.

Sometimes the only way to get these speeding bluefin to stop and smell the roses is to use a big topwater popper. Rig the lure on a heavy action spinning rod that is spooled with hundreds of yards of 80 pound braid. Cast into a school of bluefin, work the popper, and hold on for dear life.

In November, while the bite cools offshore and the striper run heats up inshore, anglers will find big action on big fish at these nearshore wrecks.

About the Author: Ric Burnley is an avid angler, writer, and photographer from Virginia Beach. Check out his website: www.fishcrazy.info http://www.fishcrazy.info/ for up-to-date fishing reports, accurate how-to articles, professional guides, photos, videos, and more.

OCTOBER 2010

Virginia Offshore Forecast
By Ric Burnley
October is a great time to be offshore. At the beginning of the month, billfish are still available where ever warm water and the Gulf Stream intersect. Look for the fish to follow eddies of Gulf Stream water that spin down the 100 fathom curve. Bluemarlin will usually be the last billfish of the season as these behemoths go where they want and eat what they wish.

To target either species, employ a spread that includes circle hook rigged dink baits for whites, sails, and spears, while including larger ballyhoo behind an Ilander skirt to entice big blues along with tuna, wahoo, and gaffer dolphin. Run the smaller baits on the flat lines with 20 to 30 pound tackle.

Use heavier 50 or 80 pound gear to handle an Ilander Hawaiian Eye on each short rigger. The flat line should run next to the teasers while the larger baits on the short riggers follow outside and behind the teasers. Run another circle hook rigged small ballyhoo from each long rigger.

Always keep an extra small bait on a 30 pound outfit and a rigged Spanish mackerel on a heavier rod and reel combo that is ready to deploy as a pitch baits when a white or blue comes into the spread.

Later in the month, wahoo, dolphin, and tuna will take over an offshore angler's attention. When these fish are in the neighborhood, crews switch up the spread. Tuna and dolphin will attack a Seawitch, Ilander Tracker or a naked ballyhoo. Always be on the lookout for dolphin schooled up under floating flotsam and always keep a quiver of bailing rods each rigged with a 5/0 hook and 1/2 to 1 ounce eggsinker and baited with a chunk of squid or cut fish.

A wahoo will destroy any bait that crosses its path. To destroy wahoo, either use wire leaders on an Ilander/ballyhoo combo or rig a high speed plug like a Marauder on heavy cable. These fish will often feed deeper in the water column, so fish the Ilander behind a planer or use a heavy inline sinker to keep the high speed plug well below the surface.

These meat species will also patrol the 100 fathom curve, but they are most often found around structure like humps, hills, or canyons.

As bluewater pelagic species head south for the winter, Virginia anglers are set up to intercept them. With the season coming to a close, get on these fish while the getting is good.

About the Author: Ric Burnley is an avid angler, writer, and photographer from Virginia Beach. Check out his website: www.fishcrazy.info for up-to-date fishing reports, accurate how-to articles, professional guides, photos, videos, and more.

Virginia Offshore Fishing Report
September 2010

By Ric Burnley

Believe it or not, early fall is prime time for offshore fishing out of Virginia ports. As masses of fish migrate south, they pause to feed on the abundance of bait that is corralled in Washington and Baltimore Canyons and along the 100-fathom curve.

Look for white marlin to put on a big show in the last part of September and into the beginning of October. These fish will travel in warm water eddies that break off the Gulf Stream. The fish will most often be found in the cooler water that occurs in the center or on edges of the swirling eddy. White marlin and sailfish cannot turn down a small ballyhoo rigged with a circle hook.

Troll these baits at 6 to 7 knots in the flat line and long rigger positions. Use a medium heavy rod and reel combo (such as a TLD 25) spooled with 30-pound monofilament. Leave the reel in free spool with the clicker on so you can drop the bait back to the billfish when it hits. Squid teasers and a natural or artificial dredge will draw these fish into the boat.

Stay on the lookout for roving blue marlin. Pull an Ilander with a large ballyhoo from each short rigger to entice one of these monsters. Most popular colors are blue and white and pink and white. These brutes require heavy tackle such as a Tiagra 80 spooled with 50-pound test. Unlike their white cousins, blue marlin most often strike with reckless abandon, so set the drag on strike and wait for the explosion.

Next to arrive will be yellowfin tuna. With any luck, these fish will make a pit stop as they zoom past Virginia. For these tasty speed demons, anglers use 50-pound class tackle and medium ballyhoo dressed in a Sea Witch skirt or Ilander Tracker. Again blue and white is a go-to color, but variations of pink, purple, red, and even neon green are popular with the fish.

Dolphin should be an easy mark in late fall. From small bailers to big gaffers, mahi-mahi are always popular dinner guests. While these fish will hit anything that trolls past them, anglers will find the most success by pulling small ballyhoo dink baits.

When a large school of dolphin is located, especially under floating flotsam, switch to bailing rigs. Use a medium action rod to host a 3-foot section of 50-pound leader that is attached to a 5/0 hook and baited with a chunk of squid or fish. Loop a 1-ounce egg sinker on the leader a couple feet above the hook to carry the bait below the surface of the water.

While the weather cools, offshore fishing will heat up, giving Virginia anglers their best chance at some hot action.