[eportfolio]

Besides Stripers, what else can be fished around the Lynnhaven Bay and for how long?

I'm not ready to call it quits yet!

[Mega Bite]

Specks & Pups

[eportfolio]

How long are they around?

[Mega Bite]

Pretty much all year if you fish the milder days that we get here and there.

[eportfolio]

Can you recommend a fly and what tides to fish? I'm new to fly fishing and would like to give it a shot.

At the moment all I have is a 5 wt. rod with floating line, but I just ordered a 9 wt. and bought some sinking line from Crab Creek Outfitters.

[Tony S]

Check out this link .... http://www.vcfa.org/

[chefish]

Can you recommend a fly and what tides to fish? I'm new to fly fishing and would like to give it a shot.

At the moment all I have is a 5 wt. rod with floating line, but I just ordered a 9 wt. and bought some sinking line from Crab Creek Outfitters.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

A 9 weight is a great choice. Did you get a weight forward line? that will help when there is a little wind. The 5 weight is a little light as you never know when a cow is in closer to shore. I have caught stripers up to 41" on fly and bluefish to 12.5 pounds (they really fight like hell on a flyrod). 2 main flies for ALL fish types are clousers and decievers. Clousers have fake eyes that are actaully little hourglass shaped weights. Decievers are basic streamer patterens. If you want to get a good book for saltwater flyfishing try "Flyrodding the Coast", by Ed Mitchell. He fishes New England mostly and is from Ct. I have had the pleasure of learning from him first hand at 2 places in Rhode Island. He was incredibly helpful to me and a library full of info to boot! The hard part around here is finding the structure that will hold the fish near shore for people who are landbound without a boat. In new England its easy... look for your local rock pile, jetty or rip! I remember you said you lived in Essex. Cornfield Point in Saybrook was an amazing place to fish flies. There are also breachways in Rhody that are killer and a flyfishermans wet dream! I think down here the rock jetties at Rudee look REAL promising except that you will get a $200.00 fine if the cops catch you walking on them. Depending on how well you cast the pilings around the CBBT bridges also look like possibilities if you are in a boat. I am thinking of trying out Sandbridge beach one day with a flyrod. That will be a challenge and a half as it will mean really reading the beach and watching the waves and currents to find areas that may hold fish. I am also thinking of the Lesners bridge area. I saw a group of 4 yakers there the other week with flyrods and all but one got skunked. There in a yak or other boat the bridge should produce. A white deciever is a personal favorite. I also usually keep a larger eel pattern on hand for laughs, about 6" - 8". I wonder if the bloodworms down here have hatches like the sandworms up north? If that is the case in the spring, summer and fall on new moon nights would be the time to hit it in one of the bays like Little Creek, Lynhaven and Rudee. I hope this info helps.
Mike

[eportfolio]

Check out this link .... http://www.vcfa.org/

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks vbsfipb, I actually found that website last week and quickly decided that I would be attending the monthly meeting this Thursday night!

This post has been edited by eportfolio: 18 December 2007 - 07:07 PM

[eportfolio]

[quote=chefish,Dec 18 2007, 06:44 PM][quote=eportfolio,Dec 18 2007, 03:20 PM]Can you recommend a fly and what tides to fish? I'm new to fly fishing and would like to give it a shot.

At the moment all I have is a 5 wt. rod with floating line, but I just ordered a 9 wt. and bought some sinking line from Crab Creek Outfitters.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[/quote]

A 9 weight is a great choice. Did you get a weight forward line? that will help when there is a little wind. The 5 weight is a little light as you never know when a cow is in closer to shore. I have caught stripers up to 41" on fly and bluefish to 12.5 pounds (they really fight like hell on a flyrod). 2 main flies for ALL fish types are clousers and decievers. Clousers have fake eyes that are actaully little hourglass shaped weights. Decievers are basic streamer patterens. If you want to get a good book for saltwater flyfishing try "Flyrodding the Coast", by Ed Mitchell. He fishes New England mostly and is from Ct. I have had the pleasure of learning from him first hand at 2 places in Rhode Island. He was incredibly helpful to me and a library full of info to boot! The hard part around here is finding the structure that will hold the fish near shore for people who are landbound without a boat. In new England its easy... look for your local rock pile, jetty or rip! I remember you said you lived in Essex. Cornfield Point in Saybrook was an amazing place to fish flies. There are also breachways in Rhody that are killer and a flyfishermans wet dream! I think down here the rock jetties at Rudee look REAL promising except that you will get a $200.00 fine if the cops catch you walking on them. Depending on how well you cast the pilings around the CBBT bridges also look like possibilities if you are in a boat. I am thinking of trying out Sandbridge beach one day with a flyrod. That will be a challenge and a half as it will mean really reading the beach and watching the waves and currents to find areas that may hold fish. I am also thinking of the Lesners bridge area. I saw a group of 4 yakers there the other week with flyrods and all but one got skunked. There in a yak or other boat the bridge should produce. A white deciever is a personal favorite. I also usually keep a larger eel pattern on hand for laughs, about 6" - 8". I wonder if the bloodworms down here have hatches like the sandworms up north? If that is the case in the spring, summer and fall on new moon nights would be the time to hit it in one of the bays like Little Creek, Lynhaven and Rudee. I hope this info helps.
Mike

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[/quote]

Thanks Mike,

That does help. I did buy a weight forward line with intermediate sinking action. $60! ouch! Anyhow, I've tried clousers and deceivers in Lynnhaven inlet before, but haven't had any luck. I attribute it to being a beginner and not knowing how to read the water and fishing the wrong spots at the wrong time. I hope that will improve with time. I'm hooked though, so I hope to practice more. I'm hoping to continue through winter. I have a 17' Montauk that I use to get to the grasses when I have time to put the boat in the water.

As exciting as Striper fishing is, I'd really like to learn to target specks and pups in the Lynnhaven since they don't have a "season".

I'm also hoping to meet some more fly fisherman at the VCFA meeting and participate in some outings.

Hopefully Cabela's will get my 9 wt. to me before striper season ends! I'd like to try it from the boat around Lesner bridge one night...

This post has been edited by eportfolio: 18 December 2007 - 07:13 PM

[eportfolio]

We've been talking mostly about saltwater fly fishing... Is it too cold for freshwater fishing?

I was driving back from NC today and almost stopped around Courtland to try the Nottoway river, but thought that most freshwater fish would not be very active in the cold weather.

Is there a season for freshwater fishing?

[eportfolio]

Mike,

Thanks for the book recommendation...just added it to my amazon wishlist. Also saw a bunch of other good one's including one on fishing estuaries that it looks like you did a review for.

[BJS]

We've been talking mostly about saltwater fly fishing... Is it too cold for freshwater fishing?

I was driving back from NC today and almost stopped around Courtland to try the Nottoway river, but thought that most freshwater fish would not be very active in the cold weather.

Is there a season for freshwater fishing?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

For freshwater, it's more the lure of choice that changes than the species of fish like saltwater. I had luck 3 weeks ago up in the Shenandoah Valley on my inaugural nymph fishing trip - landed about 20 creek chubs and 3 trout, one of which was the largest trout of my life - a 19" rainbow that was probably in the 2-3 lb range. Missed two more that were similar size to the big one as they threw the nymph tail walking across the stream. Total rush, but had to quit when the hands numbed to the point of me risking hukking my rod out in the river.

Nymphs let you get the bait down in front of the fish and require the fish to expend minimal amounts of energy - important when the water is cold and they're sluggish.

Take care man - I'll pop you a note when I'm next Va Beach bound, I'm pretty new to the saltwater scene and happy to explore Rudee, Lynnhaven, etc.

-Brad

[eportfolio]

[quote=BJS,Dec 19 2007, 01:35 AM][quote=eportfolio,Dec 18 2007, 07:06 PM]We've been talking mostly about saltwater fly fishing... Is it too cold for freshwater fishing?

I was driving back from NC today and almost stopped around Courtland to try the Nottoway river, but thought that most freshwater fish would not be very active in the cold weather.

Is there a season for freshwater fishing?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[/quote]

For freshwater, it's more the lure of choice that changes than the species of fish like saltwater. I had luck 3 weeks ago up in the Shenandoah Valley on my inaugural nymph fishing trip - landed about 20 creek chubs and 3 trout, one of which was the largest trout of my life - a 19" rainbow that was probably in the 2-3 lb range. Missed two more that were similar size to the big one as they threw the nymph tail walking across the stream. Total rush, but had to quit when the hands numbed to the point of me risking hukking my rod out in the river.

Nymphs let you get the bait down in front of the fish and require the fish to expend minimal amounts of energy - important when the water is cold and they're sluggish.

Take care man - I'll pop you a note when I'm next Va Beach bound, I'm pretty new to the saltwater scene and happy to explore Rudee, Lynnhaven, etc.

-Brad

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[/quote]

That's awesome BJS! I tried some fly fishing in the SNF last year with some friends. It was beautiful. Got there early and fished up one of the rivers. About noontime, it began really snowing hard which made it even better! Only caught one small 6 inch brook, but it was my first trout and it was a beautiful day so it was definately worth it. I'm hoping to get back up there sometime in January to try it again. I'm reading "A Fly Fisherman's Blue Ridge" and it's really making me anxious to get back up there.