Virginia Beach Rockfishing, Striped Bass Charter Fishing in Virginia Beach, Va

Each winter, thousands of anglers converge on Virginia's coast with one thing on their minds - Stripers. Without a doubt, Virginia Beach rockfish charters produce some of the best action and certainly the biggest rockfish a.k.a. striped bass on the east coast. The fishing for stripers in Virginia Beach is so good that Virginia Beach has taken on the moniker of "the striped bass capital of the world", and for good reason. Whatever you want to call them, striped bass, stripers, or rockfish, there are more large striped bass caught out of Rudee Inlet in Virginia Beach during the winter months than anywhere else in the world.

When you charter Matador for striped bass, you are getting more than the average striper fishing charter experience. The captain and crew of Matador are extremely experienced in striper fishing and they get results. Over the last two rockfish seasons, the Matador has recorded over 100 stripers eligible for a Virginia citation of 44 inches in length of 40 pounds. In 2009, we caught 7 rockfish over 50 pounds, 62 fish over 40 pounds, and placed in the top five in every tournament we entered, including a fourth place finish in the largest striper tournament in Virginia, the Mid-Atlantic Rockfish Shootout.

There is no other charter service in Virginia Beach that puts up those kinds of numbers. This is because rather than put 20 people on a boat and troll like most charter boats, Matador spends a great deal of time targetting larger rockfish using live bait. The most effective method to catch cow stripers is live baiting. Most boats in Virginia Beach do not even offer live bait trips. We still offer trolling, casting, and jigging trips, but if you want to catch the trophy striper of a lifetime, you need to be using eels!

Striped Bass Fishing Virginia Beach

Matador is perfectly outfitted for a day of striped bass fishing. Her heavy Carolina built hull provides excellent stability and allows us to get out on days when most boats can't go. She is equipped with twin 450 horsepower Cummins diesel motors that get her to the bite fast. She has the latest in electronics from Furuno to make it easy to find stripers, and her air conditioning system makes it warm and cozy inside for her crew on the coldest of days. She has livewells to keep live bait and top-of-the-line tackle. Most importantly, she is rigged with the best of the best as crew, and your charter will have the best opportunities possible to catch the trophy striper of a lifetime!

Each October, cooling temperatures trigger a mass migration of stripers from as far north as Nova Scotia to head towards their wintering and breeding grounds in the Chesapeake Bay. Every october sees fantastic fishing for smaller "schoolie" striped bass around the Chesapeake Bay bridge tunnel. Until the bigger fish arrive from the north, large numbers of the 3-10# stripers can be caught on light tackle using plugs and jigs. Although the fish aren't as big as the cows coming from the north, October striper fishing is very fun. Using gear scaled down to the fish, these schoolie stripers put on a great show with great fights, incredible strikes, and 10 fish an hour being the norm. Fishing for schoolie stripers has the feel of fishing for largemouth bass, but many more bites, and a much tastier result.

By November, most rockfish in the northeast and New England have left the bays and creeks where they spend their summers and are schooled up and heading south. Around Thanksgiving, the big stripers will arrive in Virginia Beach. Large schools of hungry stripers can be found all along the Virginia and North Carolina coastline as they feed heavily, fattenning up, waiting to enter the Chesapeake Bay to spawn. The larger cow stripers will break away from their schools and hunt for food on the shoals at the Chesapeake Bay entrance near Cape Charles. These rockfish are feeding heavily on eels and Matador is there to catch them. From Thanksgiving until the beginning of February is the BEST time to catch a trophy striper in Virginia. Matador Charters has a proven track record of catching these big stripers and you will not find a better charter service to fill the box up with the big ones.

In late February the rockfish will begin moving into the bay to spawn. When nature calls, the stripers will have one thing on their mind and it aint eating. The bite will slow down and striper fishing will come to an end until spring. After they finish spawning, the stripers will start to move out of the bay and move north in large schools. Often times, these schools will stop and hang out around the CBB-T to feed for a couple weeks before migrating. Late April, May, and early June can be a great time to fish for stripers in Virginia. This fishing can be fast and furious and most of the bites come from 35-50'' long fish on topwater plugs or large live baits.

As you can see, we have several different types of striper fishing charters to offer and we know how to catch 'em. Whether you are an amateur who has never caught a striper, a regular who wants to fill the freezer, or an expert who wants to catch a tournament winning trophy striped bass of a lifetime, we have a trip for you. Give Captain Jake a call at 757-749-6008 to get your striper trip booked!