Captain Larry Regula and his son Joshua joined me for a day of wreck fishing off the beautiful coast of Virginia Beach. We departed the fishing Center, Rudee Inlet, Virginia Beach a little late, but with engine concerns we steamed for the mouth of the inlet to catch a few live bait. We finally hit the water at about 11 a.m. with glassy seas and variable winds. Outdoor Life Online EditorWe had great luck on several wrecks up to 20 miles out, which gave up nice black seabass. We used both squid and cut bait on two-hook seabass rigs. Outdoor Life Online EditorEveryone caught seabass, and Joshua was especially proud of his catch. He'll be a great angler someday! Outdoor Life Online EditorOn the way in, Joshua spotted birds diving and working over a school of feeding fish. Good job Joshua! We swung over to check it out. Outdoor Life Online EditorI thought it was certainly a school of feeding jacks since we were within about 5 miles of the Chesapeake Light Tower- a well-known jack spot. We tossed out a live bait on a Shimano TLD 30, and let it free swim. It didn't swim but for a few seconds when the line began peeling off the reel. Sure enough, I could tell it was a nice fish as I fought it toe to toe for 15 minutes. Outdoor Life Online EditorAs I battled the fish closer to the surface, I expected to watch my jack crevelle to materialize. Instead, I was shocked to find myself face to face with a king-sized, 6-foot spinner shark! This was one peeved shark. It thrashed, splashed, and lunged as I tried to keep it alongside the boat for a measurement. We quickly decided this shark was not coming into the boat. Larry cut the line as we marveled at how the 10/0 circle hook intended for jacks managed to hold a 6-plus foot shark. It swam off to fight another day. Outdoor Life Online Editor
Black sea bass are chewing along the mid-Atlantic coast and Julie Ball and crew were there to catch them.
