GRL Home

Even though the barbeques of summer have switched to fall oyster roasts, the geese are flying south, and the stores are selling out of blaze orange vests, doesn’t mean all the fish are gone. The fishing grounds are still producing as we prepare to put October 2011 in the books.

The canyons provided some amazing catches this week. A few boats fished the Washington Canyon on overnight trips this past weekend and came home with Swords. Mike Avery and crew set up on the north wall and boated 3 of 5 Yellowfin right off the bat. A few hours before daylight another tuna rod goes off and to their pleasant surprise surfaces a 188 pound Broadbill. ‘Oblivion’ also fished the same grounds and went one for four on Swords. Their fish would scale out at 130 pounds. Dave Trax and crew also picked up two Yellowfin around 40 pounds.

The Norfolk Canyon was a hotbed for deep-droppers fishing on the Rudee Angler’s overnighter. The charters would be blessed with Grouper, Bluelines, Golden Tiles, Swords, and Sharks. There were 15 citations recorded for Blueline Tilefish. The fish ranged from 12 to 20 pounds. There was a 69 pound Golden Tilefish caught that would have outweighed the current IGFA world record by five and a half pounds, but it was caught on an electric reel. Jason Rayfield released a 40” Swordfish, while Aaron Rogers of Va Beach caught and released an 87 inch Hammerhead. Anthony Criscenti of Fairfax battled and scored a release on an 80 inch Tiger Shark…’A What?’(JAWS reference) The Rudee Angler will be doing more of these overnight trips. Just call the Virginia Beach Fishing center for details and dates.

Picture From VA Beach Fishing Center

Now that Route 12 is open on the Outer Banks, anglers are splitting their time between Oregon Inlet and Hatteras. Both launching points are reporting decent catches of Blackfin with the occasional Yellowfin. Pirates Cove Marina posted reports as recent as Wednesday of citation Blackfin hitting the docks along with Yellowfin to 35 pounds. Hatteras Harbor Marina has been tallying great numbers of Wahoo. Boats are returning with fish to 60 pounds. George Doumar of Falls Church weighed in a 57 pounder, while 10 year old River Jones scaled a 60 pound Hoo. Depending on the day, some boats have also been catching some ‘hoister’ Mahi.

Don’t let the cool temperatures fool you. There’s still a lot of fishing to be done this fall! Until next time, get out there and …

Catch ‘em Up!

Make Everyday a Blue Marlin Day!

Fall seems to be in full swing and the offshore grounds are transitioning into a virtual buffet of pelagic species. Crews are now heading out geared up with circle hooks, sea witches, spreader bars and dredges ready for whatever comes their way.

The beginning of last week saw boats returning with great numbers of Mahi. These fish were holding on large weed patches and around the lobster pot buoys on the edges of the Norfolk and Washington Canyons. Many fish averaged around 10 pounds, but several paper fish were hung on the bragging board at the Virginia Beach Fishing Center. ‘Waterman’ put four citation Dolphin on the scales. The crew caught fish weighing 28, 36, 39 and 51 pounds. The Mahi bite continued through the week. Reports came in that the fish were so thick that many saw dozens of bailers following their dredges.

Pic from Va Beach Fishing Center

Billfish are still around from north of the Washington down to the 400 line south of the Norfolk Canyon. Many returned with multiple flags releases to their credit…both White and Blue Marlin. As these Fall cold fronts continue to push into the area, this bite may come to a close soon. A lot of variable are in play, so we’ll have to see how it plays out. Best piece of advice; be ready for anything!

The Fall Tuna action started this week as well. Although scattered for now, the fish that are hitting the docks are nice. Many are ranging from 40-45 pounds but several ‘Buffalos’ have been caught. ‘Mimi’ put a nice 60 pounder on the cutting table and had another one that was even bigger but on a TLD 20 came un-buttoned right near the end of the game. ‘Oblivion’ had four on ice when they came back to the slip on Friday. Their largest scaled out at 81 pounds. Crews to our north out of Cape May and Ocean City, as well as the fleet out of Oregon Inlet and Pirates Cove Marina are reporting good numbers of Yellowfin as well. True Albacore are still hitting baits around our northern fishing grounds. It won’t be long before the Bluefin start their run south, so don’t forget to watch for signs around the nearshore wrecks and Hot Dog areas.

Wahoo and Swords are still being reported as well. The Rudee Headboats are scoring great catches of Tilefish, Grouper, and Triggers off the wrecks. There are still plans for more overnight headboat trips.

Until next week, get out there and…

Catch ‘em Up!

Make Everyday a Blue Marlin Day!

Pic from the Va Beach Fishing Center

I made a comment in my last offshore report….’Penguins are here!’…the Wahoo bite has been slow this year, but it could change for the better at any time. Well, it has changed!

Boats hunting White Marlin returned with 40 to 60 pound class Wahoo in the fish boxes. ‘Backlash’ boated one that scaled at 58 pounds. Another private boat brought two 30 pounders home for dinner. ‘Reelin N Dealin’ fished Friday and caught one that was close to 35 pounds.

Large weed lines have formed near the 400 line south of the Norfolk Canyon. These patches are holding great numbers of Mahi…bailers to 20 pound gaffers. Here is where you can find those toothy Wahoo. So when you’re out there bailing up Dolphin, drop a jig down and hold on!

The Fall cold fronts haven’t pushed the White Marlin away just yet. With bait holding around the Washington Canyon, the bills could be around for a while.

The fleets from Virginia and Ocean City have been working the Poor Mans to the Washington and scoring near double digit releases on White Marlin. ‘Canyon Express’ out of Rudee released 8 on Wednesday, while ‘Banyan Bay’ scratched 6, ‘Tippecanoe’ tallied 4, and ‘Juggernaut’ scored 3 Whites and a Blue Marlin. ‘Poor Girl’ had 3 White Marlin flags on her riggers and ‘BillableOurs’ completed its mission and put her one-man charter on his first White Marlin. On Thursday, ‘Backlash’ returned with four Whites and two Blues to her credit, while ‘Gamefisher’ scratched 6 Whites.

The Ocean City fleet had similar success this week. ‘Pumpin Hard 58’ released 8, the ‘Predator’ scored 15 releases, and ‘Reel Joy’ tallied 11. Several other boats had over a half dozen releases at the end of the day. ‘Billfisher’ did venture to the Norfolk Canyon Thursday and caught 4 Whites. A sign the fish may be moving south!

Mahi are also in abundance near the Washington and the Norfolk Canyons. Many boats are returning with near 60 count limits. Wahoo have been very quiet this year, but that could change very quickly.

Along with the billfish and Mahi, some boats are putting tuna in the fish boxes. Some medium size Yellowfin have been taken but the big news is the arrival of Longfin Tuna, a.k.a. Penguins. The true Albacore tuna range from 10 to 30 pounds, but can reach up to 60. These fish have delicious white meat, different from their Yellowfin cousins’ red steaks. Penguins are also easy to distinguish as their pectoral fins reach beyond their second dorsal fin. Longfin are great to catch as they put up a great fight for their size and usually hit the spread several at a time. Smaller baits, tuna feathers, or Conga Lines (daisy chains) are perfect baits to raise Longfin. There are no recreational limits, size or bag, for Longfin…but let’s not go crazy!

The headboats at Rudee Inlet are heading out for their first overnight offshore trip this weekend. This is a great way to get out there and hunt for Swords, Tuna and Sharks and let someone else drive the boat.
Pirates Cove Marina and the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center have been reporting good numbers of Yellowfin and Blackfin hitting the docks. Mahi are still very plentiful and billfish are scattered, but still around.

It’s Fall and the fish are here. Weather windows are getting smaller, so be ready to hit the grounds at a moment’s notice. Until next time…get out there and…

Catch ‘em Up!

Make Everyday a Blue Marlin Day!

The wake of Irene, Lee, Maria and the end of summer fronts, left the offshore waters poised for an explosive bite. And explode they did.

Crews have been waiting for the White Marlin bite of the last two years where boats returned with average releases approaching 20 per vessel. Last week didn’t see tallies near as high, but they were nothing to sneeze at. Marinas all along the coast from Ocean City to Virginia Beach and south to the Outer Banks saw crews return with release counts numbering from 9 to over a dozen per boat. Pirates Cove Marina reported back to back days with 100 to 150 releases for their fleet. Boats out of Fisherman’s Wharf and the Virginia Beach Fishing Center were right there in the hunt tallying over 100 scratches as well. The fish were stretched from the Washington Canyon south to the Triple Zeros in depths from the mud of 35 fathoms to the 500 fathom curve.

Weather conditions allowed for some to make overnight trips. Along with releasing numerous Whites, many were also rewarded with a great Swordfish bite. Several boats returned to the docks in Rudee Inlet with fish over 100 pounds. ‘Wave Runner’ hung two Swords on the scales. One weighed in at 102 pounds and the second balanced out at 126 pounds. On that same trip, ‘Wave Runner’ scratched eight Whites. The back side of the Cigar and the Norfolk Canyon were hot spots for these purple hazed billfish. Though a rarity for sure, be on the lookout for a Sword on the surface as a few have been spotted sunning themselves.

Pic from Virginia Beach Fishing Center

Mahi were also around in good numbers last week around the lobster pot buoys and some of the year’s first weed lines. Fish were ranging from flip-flop bailers to 30 pound gaffers.

With the waters on the cool-down, some were dragging j-hooks and sea witches in search of Mr. Tuna. ‘Still Think’n’ trolled to the NE corner of the Norfolk after having a not so productive day on the White Marlin. Their efforts were rewarded, however, when they hooked into two Big Eyes that would hold them hostage for two hours. After the dust settled, Jeff Fruci boated a 138 pound Eye and ‘Cobia Killer’ Brent, with moral support from Colt Blackford, put a 228 pounder in the coffin! Bob DuBell said they had no flags to fly at the end of the day like the rest of the fleet, but those tuna steaks are going to taste a lot better than a batch of blue and white flags.

Reports have surfaced lately of Yellowfin and Longfin tuna being caught north of the Washington with movement south. Oregon Inlet has been hanging a lot of Yellowfin and the first of the season’s Blackfin on the bragging boards. These fall cold fronts are going to change things up dramatically, so get those spreader bars ready for tuna action. Weather windows are opening over the next few days, so it will be interesting to see where the White Marlin are hiding.

Until next time, get out there and…

Catch ‘em Up!!

Make Everyday a Blue Marlin Day!

–Capt Don

This is not a fishing related blog post, but something that is near and dear to me as my Dad is a veteran of the Vietnam War. The Knights of Columbus Council 4632 in Virginia Beach are organizing a bus trip for Vietnam vets to their Memorial in Washington DC. The trip is an all expenses paid full day to Washington and the Vietnam Memorial Wall on October 11, 2011. Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner will be served.

The Knights are looking for both financial sponsors to help support the trip and for Vietnam War Vets to fill two buses. If you are interested in either, please contact John Byzewski at (757) 495-8853.

The K of C has done two of these trips, one for the World War II vets and last year’s trip for the Korean War vets. These trips are important to remind our vets that they are not forgotten and to express our thanks as a nation for their sacrifice and service to Country.

Photos by John Malkowski of Creative Zone Images

We’ve had fire; we’ve had earthquakes and yes, the first hurricane to come this close to Virginia Beach in a long time. After all the dust has settled, branches have been chain sawed and flood waters recede…it’s time to go fishing!

Many have been trying to repair and clean up their homes while others have been stuck in the ICW waiting for bridges and canals to open. However, several boats sought sanctuary in Delaware and fished their way home. Crews reported decent fishing south of the Washington Canyon. Multiple White Marlin were released along with a few Blues. Yellowfin tuna averaging 50-60 pounds were also around as the water temps have dropped to the low 70’s. These fish were caught out to 500 fathoms.

The waters are still very confused and much cooler than they were just a week ago. The weather buoy has been reporting temps that are hovering aroun68 degrees. These cool waters are stretched up 100 fathom curve. The warmest waters are southeast of the Cigar. These cooler temps may have squashed the White Marlin bite, but could usher in an early Fall tuna bite. Only time will tell.

One thing to remember when you do venture back out to the bluewater is debris. Irene left in her wake plenty of floating wood, chairs, refrigerators, etc. Whether you have radar our not, you won’t see the debris when running in the pitch black, so wait for the skies to pink up and play it safe. Hitting a board at 25 plus knots would end a day really quick.

The Rudee Headboats will be getting back to the wrecks and deep-drop holes shortly. Sea Bass, grouper, and Tilefish will be filling the coolers. As Fall approaches, so will the Swordfish. This could be a great time to hit the drop-offs east of the Cigar or the deeps of the Norfolk Canyon to play tug-of-war with a broad-billed beast!
Have a safe Labor day and get out there and…

Catch ‘em Up!

Make everyday a Blue Marlin Day!

The White Marlin action of late has caused many crews to put the big gold reels away and break out the TLD’s, squid teasers, circle hooks, and dredges. With plenty of bait and an east wind over the grounds, the fish were snapping’ this week.

The fish have been stretched from the Triple Zeros to the Norfolk Canyon with concentrations from 30 to 50 fathoms. ‘Juggernaut’ tallied 9 of 11 Whites along the 100 line on Sunday. That same day, ‘Freedom’ went 2 for 5 while ‘Wired Up’, ‘Reel Release’, and ‘Reelin N Dealin’ scratched 2 out of 4 fish in their spreads. ‘Odd Lot’ hung 3 White Marlin flags on their outriggers, right under their Blue Marlin flag. ‘Canyon Express’ fished on Tuesday and had a laundry line of 6 flags. ‘Backlash’ released 5 Whites and a Sailfish on Wednesday. ‘Mimi’ scratched 2 on two trips. Bob DuBell and the crew of ‘Still Think’n’ put Bob’s niece Nani on her very first White Marlin. Now she’s hooked for life! Many of the bites have been aggressive, suicide hits, but as boat pressure increases be prepared to drop back on the fish. These are great numbers for the middle of July. We can only hope they stick around!

‘BillableOurs’ got back out on the bluewater and had a banner day with a meat fish slam, paper Tilefish and Sea Bass, and a release on a 80” Hammerhead Shark. Their slam was a Tuna, Mahi and a 78 pound Wahoo. Congrats to Capt Dave and crew! Tuna are still hanging around the south wall of the Norfolk Canyon. On Sunday the waters were as slick as ‘cow-snot’ so spotting the tinker mackerel that were being pushed to the surface by 50 pound class Yellowfin was a breeze. The fish proved hard to full with dead baits. Many returned with 3 or 4 to their credit. ‘Poor Girl’ got covered up and boated 5.

Deep-droppers and the Rudee Offshore Headboats are scoring big numbers of Sea Bass, Tilefish, and Grouper along the offshore and nearshore wrecks.

Oregon Inlet and Hatteras have been invaded by ‘Spindle Beaks’ over the last few days. Some boats are returning with nearly a half dozen Sailfish releases. Tuna catches have improved. Fifty to sixty pound fish are hitting the docks. ‘Bi-Op-Sea’ put a Big Eye on the scales that tipped the weights at 231 pounds. The Mahi have finally showed in great numbers off Oregon Inlet and Hatteras. Crews are getting limits of hoister dolphin. Some larger fish are hitting the dock like Andrew Griffith’s 40 pound bull. Wahoo and Blackfin tuna are also there for the taking.

Season is heating up, just like our temperatures! Don’t be left sweating at the docks…get out there and …

Catch ‘em Up!!

Make Everyday a Blue Marlin Day!

Despite forecasts calling for 25-30 knot winds, seas exceeding 8 feet and thunder storms that would produce gusts to 40 plus miles per hour and lightning bolts the size of sequoias, fifty nine teams signed up to fish the 7th Annual Virginia Beach Tuna Tournament. With the boats in place, the only other question would be if the tuna were still around.

Day One of the event seemed to be the best weather window. Twenty-seven boats hit the grounds and worked hard to get their catch. When the scales closed, ‘Backlash’ held a commanding lead with one 58.5 inch Bluefin and two Yellowfin in their bag for a total weight of 213 pounds. The Bluefin scaled at 116 pounds and was caught by Harry Barr. ‘Bay Custom’ sat in second place with 167.9 pounds followed by ‘Burley’ with 149.1 pounds. ‘Matador’ would hold the largest Mahi at 22.4 pounds. These standings would hold through Day Two as winds pushed 20 knots and more.

The final day provided better conditions and more action for the anglers. The leader board would change after ‘Special D’ departed the weigh station. The team put their one fish on the scales that would bring them first place for the tournament and a check for $35,560.00!! Their lone tuna was a 227 pound Big Eye caught by Anthony DeRose, Jr. ‘Backlash’ took home $26,600.00 for second place and ‘Bay Custom’ cashed a check in the amount of $15,520.00 for their third place finish. ‘Juggernaut’ would bring three Yellowfin to the scales and capture the Level 5 Calcutta and $4000.00. The Small Boat Level was awarded to ‘Le Grande Slam’.

Another great event put in the books by Sinclair Communications. We’re already looking forward to next year’s Tuna Tournament!! Congrats to all!!

'Special D' 227 pound Big Eye!!

Reports from the Norfolk Canyon are reading as if it were late August! White Marlin, Blue Marlin and Mahi are drawing crews to the grounds for this unusually early bite.

For the last several weeks, Billfish have been spread from the Triple Zeros to north of the Norfolk Canyon, and in decent numbers for this time of year. This week saw double digit encounters with boats returning with up to 5 releases to their credit. ‘Oblivion’ headed out on Tuesday and had five in the spread the moment they set down to fish. Despite having some engine trouble, they would scratch 5 of 12 Whites and nearly get the release on a Blue Marlin. ‘C-Level’ also fished the Canyon and returned to Rudee with 5 Whites and a 110 pound Mako. Both crews also had a box full of gaffers to 20 pounds. ‘Backlash’ scored two whites as did ‘Waterman’. ‘Top Notch’ released a 500 pound Man in the Blue Suit along with a couple of Whites. We can only hope that this is a sign of great things to come. The last two years have seen record setting numbers of White Marlin. Records could fall once again!

Bluefin are on the scene from the 26 Mile Hill out to the Fingers. Schools of 100+ pound fish are giving anglers a run for their money. Boats are returning with their keeper fish and double digit releases. Remember to check the NMFS for size and bag regulations. Now’s the time to get on these fish as they won’t be here long.

The Oregon Inlet and Pirates Cove fleets have been returning with limits of Mahi. Several fish have topped out at over 30 pounds. Tuna are scattered and there are some Marlin and Sailfish to the taking.

The Hatteras Marlin club has 46 boats competing in their 50th annual tournament. At this writing, ‘Eye Catcher’ sits atop the leader board with 500 points for three White marlin and two Sailfish releases. ‘Retriever’ sits in second place due to time. They tallied releases on a Blue and a White Marlin. The weather will be playing a part in the fishing activity as winds are pushing 30 knots today and in to tonight.

Get out there and Catch ‘em up!

Make Everyday a Blue Marlin Day!