eastern shore flounder fishing

well its been 15 years since i have fished out of smith inlet. i launched at 6 a.m. sunday and started to head to my fav fishing hole. only problem was my brain does not remember how to get to the creek to get to the ocean inlet. i looked at the water using bing maps but on the way there you have to cross a shallow bay for about a mile. my friend went there a couple of weeks ago and he ran a ground. told me not to aim for the light house but i never went that way before. when i left the ramp and saw the open shallow bay i aimed further to the left and was thinking with my 25 hp motor i would be across in the flat in about 5 minutes. wrong!!!!! ran a ground about half way there. i jumped overboard and started pushing towards the creek. Wrong!!!!! as i got closer i knew this was not the way. i started pushing back till i had enough water to get on plane. and headed back. i did catch some at the smith island bridge but no keepers. only good thing is my boat now has no leaks. i gave it a good test and it seems to be back in sea worthy condition. i'll post a picture of the blue bomber here soon. it turned out pretty good. tite lines JIM.B

My favorite place over there was Oyster but you best know how to read the marker buoys or like you said you will run aground. It always amazed me how much the landscape can change between low and high tide.

I hear they're catching the flounder in Lynnhaven River/creek. But I dont wanna go by myself for that reason. I looked at bing maps and see alot of flats and surely it would look different from boat than it does on a computer screen. I did catcha keeper flounder at MMBT last Sunday. My dad lives on the ES and he swears the flounder are on the ocean side OR the western side of the bay and NOT on the eastern side of the bay [yet]

Ya know with a limit of 4 fish it hardly makes it worthwhile to go to the eastern shore, We fished Rudee Saturday and caught 70, most at 16 exactly, but did limit. Sunday we caught 4. ????? Its all about the wind, and tide and water clarity. One was 20.5" Sunday they sure were not where they were Sat. but it is like that. Even on the same day. There is a way to target the bigger fish, bigger baits. Saw a guy catch a monster sheeps head there also.

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Originally Posted by Flatwater

Ya know with a limit of 4 fish it hardly makes it worthwhile to go to the eastern shore, We fished Rudee Saturday and caught 70, most at 16 exactly, but did limit. Sunday we caught 4. ????? Its all about the wind, and tide and water clarity. One was 20.5" Sunday they sure were not where they were Sat. but it is like that. Even on the same day. There is a way to target the bigger fish, bigger baits. Saw a guy catch a monster sheeps head there also.

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Wow you all caught 70!?? that must've been fun! Is Rudee a place where its tucked away enough to get by with a jon boat???

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Originally Posted by undertheradar

Wow you all caught 70!?? that must've been fun! Is Rudee a place where its tucked away enough to get by with a jon boat???

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Hey Russell,

For small boats, Rudee is not a problem. Rudee is very sheltered. By the jetties can get dicey, on a rough day. On a rough day, just stay in the inlet. Rudee can get crowded on weekends, but you can catch flounder all over the place in there. I have picked them up in the least likely places while fishing for specks in there. Drag bull-gudgeons on the bottom and toss Gulps and drag them slowly on the bottom. Look out for super-tankers, and big wakes, when close to jetties.

Same story for Lynnhaven inlet.

Rudee-put in at Owl's Creek (free).

Lynnhaven- put in at Crab Creek at Lesner Bridge ($?) on Shore Drive or the end of 64th street at VA Beach (1st. landing State Park, $4).

When/If I make up my mind to get back in the SW, I'll send you an invite.

Dean (Idunno)