Fishing Forecast - June 2

As if on cue, The Man in the Brown suit showed up in Carolina waters just in time for the start of the season. On Monday, cobia once again were available and willing to cooperate with anglers largeting them in Virginia.

The arrival of these beefy battlers is one of the most highly anticipated things in local fishing.

These fish can be as easy to catch as simply casting at one or as frustrating an experience as you will ever have. They’ll charge a jig or live bait, only to stop inches away and stare at it.

They can drive you nuts.

But it’s worth it when you find a few on the prowl and looking for a meal.

The fight is outstanding and the steaks or filets on the grill even better.

SOUTHEASTERN VIRGINIA

The action is starting to really heat up, with good numbers of red drum, some black drum, sheepshead and even reports of cooperating spadefish.

Reds are roaming the coast, the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, outside the breakers of the Eastern Shore barrier islands and along the shoals along the northern portion of the CBBT.

Black drum are still being taken around Eastern Shore inlets but should soon be heading to the islands of the CBBT.

Anglers using fresh bait on the bottom for both species have hooked into some sheepshead, but anglers largeting that species should head to the CBBT.

Flounder are cooperating on a lot of fronts, including the Back Reef, Eastern Shore barrier island sloughs, along the CBBT, at various wrecks and artificial reefs and inside all three southside inlets.

Commercial netters are reporting some croaker, so that bite should be cranking up along Ocean View and around the James River Bridge.

Speckled trout action has been outstanding for this time of year, with fish being found on the Poquoson Flats, Eastern Shore bay-side inlets, all three southside inlets and along the beach. Surf casters also can expect some sea mullet.

Oceanfront trollers will find bluefish and, if they aren’t there yet they soon will be, Spanish mackerel.

Sharks also have shown up in big numbers.

Offshore, bluewater trollers can expect increasing numbers of yellowfin tuna, with dolphin, wahoo and billfish soon following.

Coastal and offshore wreck bottom-bouncers can expect lots of big sea bass now that the season has reopened.

Deep-droppers can expect tilefish, grouper, red-bellied rosefish and other species.

NORTHEASTERN NORTH CAROLINA

Fishing along the Outer Banks has been nothing shy of fantastic.

Let’s start offshore, where many boats have been returning with loads of yellowfin by lunchtime. They’d probably be back even sooner if it wasn’t for the toothy ones out there. Several captains have been reporting on social media that half of the fish hooked are getting attacked by shark.

Dolphin numbers are getting a little better and a few billfish have been hooked and released.

Wreck anglers are seeing lots of action from a wide variety of species.

Closer to the beach, cobia and red drum have dominated the scene, although bluefish and Spanish mackerel have been plentiful.

Speckled trout catches along the beach and in the sounds have been fantastic, with quite a few larger fish topping 5 pounds being landed.

Puppy drum and striped bass also have been available.

Surfcasters largely are targeting big reds but there has been plenty of small stuff taken as well - sea mullet, croaker, bluefish, blow toads and some flounder.

FRESHWATER

Bass, crappie, bluegill, shell cracker, catfish, white perch, yellow perch … what do you wanna catch? All have been biting pretty good, despite up-and-down pressure systems.

Expect the last bass and bream spawners to go on Friday’s full moon.

Bass catches have been steady on tidal systems in Carolina and Virginia, and on water supply lakes and private ponds throughout the region.

Big shell cracker have been cooperating on water supply lakes, especially Prince, Western Branch and Burnt Mills in Suffolk.

Crappie likely have moved from the shallows and are holding around structure in 10 to 15 feet — except on shallower bodies of water.

Big blue catfish can be found in deeper holes on most tidal systems.