I hope everyone got to get out on the water in October! It was an incredible month of fishing, with lots of action, clearing water, significant events, and fantastic catches. It certainly didn’t hurt that this drought meant there weren’t too many rain-outs! The biggest saltwater fly tournament of the year, Legends of the Fly, was a big success again, raising money for Seal Kids, Project Healing Waters, and VB Schools Environmental Program. I am proud to say that Alex Howell and I took the non-veteran slam title for the second year in a row, but congrats to Robert Misiaszek and Larry Wesling, who didn’t just inch us out from the veteran’s side but quarter-inched us out with the incredibly narrow victory and largest overall slam. That wasn’t all with the big events, though; the 2024 Trout Pool got off to an impressive start, with October’s winning speck being a 30-inch gator caught by Dan Lonergan. Congrats to you, Dan, on both boating a “Dirty 30” and taking the October prize.
You know how good it has been if you're a redfish angler. It seems like they’re popping up everywhere and super happy to eat. The cooling water temperatures have the fish grouping into larger and larger schools, but singles and doubles of big fish are still being found shallow on warmer days. While many of the same summer lures are still working, the shallow water getting more transparent with every cool night means a more subtle presentation tends to be best. Lighter jig heads and more natural colors are leading to more bites, and as this month progresses, you may find that your favorite color paddle tail may be more productive if switched to a jerk shad. Our baitfish will continue to diminish as we move deeper into fall this month, but we still have an abundance of shrimp in our coastal estuaries, and they are very keyed in on anything that looks like a white shrimp in the 4” range. These are easy to pick out when picking up your favorite lures at Ocean’s East, but fly anglers can not only use their favorite shrimp patterns (EP Spawning Shrimp is a good one) but flies that simply act like a fleeing shrimp when retrieved. Local angler, Chris Viano finds that a “Boa Clouser” is particularly good at this – and whites, tans, and pinks are a great way to entice the strike.
While November is starting with some nice warm weather, the inevitable cooling will continue to bring in fall’s main attraction – speckled trout. We’ve already seen many large fish caught (the 30-incher mentioned above notwithstanding). Shallow grass flats and many of our beaches have been hosting gator trout, but inshore oyster bars and deeper marsh cuts continue to hold the most numbers. If looking to fill a cooler, approach these areas slowly and deliberately. The larger fish tend to be further outside and smarter - once you start catching the stacked-up 13” fish, it’s unlikely you’ll then get the bite from the 20” lurking in the same area. Fly anglers can approach these areas with sinking or intermediate lines, and swinging streamers through them, a la freshwater fly-fishing can be very productive. It is no secret that the Elizabeth is one of the best trout fisheries in the world, and the boat ramps are back to the congestion that comes with this time of year. If you plan on going, go early, and luckily, they tend to be emptier on “crummy” days – but those overcast, rainy, or windy days often make for the best fishing. According to Mark Lozier at Ocean’s East, anything with a chartreuse tail is hot, and ZMan PrawnstarZ cannot be kept in stock. As the water continues to cool, Paul Brown Fat Boy lures will become more popular (so get your favorite colors now), and until then, MirroLure MR17 and MR27’s or Yo-Zuri twitch baits are a great alternative.
The rockfish bite has been good in low light on the James but is still slow in some other areas we’re accustomed to seeing in November. Smaller fish are showing up in marsh creeks, and the morning is also showing some bigger-than-schoolie-sized stripers on flats further north up the bay and on the Eastern Shore. Bridges and bridge-tunnel tubes are consistently great areas to target, and we’re getting back to the time of year when chasing birds is more likely to mean linesiders rather than bull reds. If you’re seeing topwater action, almost anything will get eaten, but plugs, poppers, and skitter walk lures are more fun than should be legal. RonZ’s and Slug-go baits are an excellent choice for active stripers. That rat-tail style bait sized down for inshore and backcountry fishing is equally effective with MirroLure Lil’ John or the Saltwater Assassin Lit’l P&V. You can’t retrieve these lures erratically enough – and once this water is a little cooler, they’re incredibly productive. Fly anglers should work marsh areas with undercut banks using baitfish patterns that can be jigged, using more robust strips, as striped bass tend to eat as the fly drops. Large (2/0) popper flies can bring surprisingly large fish to hand in more open water conditions.
I would argue that fall is the best season to be on the water here in Virginia. I still have some open dates in November, so if you’re looking for experience building a foundation as an excellent fall-season angler or just having a beautiful day out on the water, call or reach out via the website. Thanks for your time, and no matter what you’re targeting here in Hampton Roads – get out there while the getting’s good! Happy Thanksgiving!
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