On this exciting episode of Fishing the DMV I have o Captain Nate Myers of Catch N Memories for a deep dive into Chesapeake Bay cobia fishing and the unique sight-fishing culture that has developed across the Lower Bay and Virginia Beach region. With more than 15 years of experience chasing cobia from the Outer Banks to the Chesapeake Bay, Nate breaks down what anglers need to know about locating, presenting baits to and landing one of the Mid-Atlantic’s most unpredictable gamefish.
This Chesapeake Bay fishing report covers a season that started with a strong spring migration but transitioned into a more challenging summer sight bite. At the time of the conversation, Lower Chesapeake Bay water temperatures were running in the upper 70s, while some cobia had already been caught in water close to 60 degrees earlier in the migration. Nate explains why more fish may be holding deeper in the water column, why chumming can remain productive when cobia refuse to surface and how increasing boat traffic, shifting menhaden concentrations, warmer water and offshore structure could be changing traditional migration patterns. We also break down the two primary approaches to Virginia cobia fishing: sight-casting from a tower boat and chumming along cuts, sloughs and depth changes. Nate explains how to locate cobia around stingrays, sea turtles, sharks, buoys, wrecks and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, along with the importance of polarized glasses, boat positioning and placing a bait several feet ahead of a moving fish. The tackle discussion includes longer casting rods, Penn Slammer spinning reels, 40-pound braid, 50-pound leaders, circle hooks, live eels, finfish, cobia jigs and soft-plastic swimbaits.
July can bring tougher fishing while cobia are focused on spawning, but Nate expects the action to improve as fish begin grouping and feeding more aggressively during August and September. He also shares the story of a rare 47.5-inch piebald cobia that was tagged and released, the challenge of netting big fish under Virginia’s no-gaff regulations and how the offshore Virginia wind turbines are developing into habitat for cobia, flounder, sea bass, triggerfish, mahi and other species.
website should be up soon and will setup to book trios and order rods: www.catchnmemories.com
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