# Poquoson River



## Captquin

Morning! 

Any of you fish the Poquoson river? I've finished restoring a boat and have been launching out of the Rogers A Smith landing at Tide Mill Road. I'd like to move beyond just dodging sandbars and start catching some fish. Does it make sense to fish here or should I drive to Messick point on Back River and learn that area? 

Thanks as always!


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## rwh

There can be good fishing in Poq. River. Those sandbars at the mouth have nice drop offs.









East of there, the Northern tip of Plum Tree Island along the marsh and all the grass beds of the flats can be very productive. You can launch at Messick to fish the Southern end of Plum Tree or at Rens Road to fish the Northern end. Not sure what type of boat you have, but 4 miles straight out from the mouth of Poq. River is an artificial reef. Should be doable as long as you watch the weather.


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## Captquin

Hey rwh, this is great info. I have an 18' CC with a decent V on it. Messick is 20 mins from the house and Tide Mill is less than 10, so either is perfectly fine.

I've tried in what looks to be Bennett creek around the rip rap on what Google says is Owens Marina. Got bit off by some blue fish, but that was about it. Also, good to know where the Poq Flats are. I was thinking it was in Back River. I have Navionics on both my boat and iphone, so this really helps. 

I've been using various soft plastics looking for redfish, trout, and stripers. Sound about right?


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## ASK4Fish

Sounds like you're in the right direction, maybe just early for major action on those species...live baiters on the mid. Penn. live chum peanut bunker this time of year and have decent results over grass flats, but even that doesn't really get rolling until sept. I've fished in the many creeks and guts around Owens marina from mid Sept. Through early nov. And done well with both of your target species on most days. Stop by Owens for a late breakfast after a pre dawn-10am fishing trip and have the garbage eggs. Back river reef is straight off messick point and has flounder, drum, cobia and most other bottom species available as well. Go to vmrc site and manually enter the soundings numbers into your chart plotter. Gives you a much better idea of where the actual structure is in relation to the site boundary and buoy. Last time I was out there, seemed like the artificial reef buoy had moved, was at least 1/2 mile from where the bulk of the structure is...


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## rwh

I think when most people refer to Poquoson Flats, they are referring to the area labeled as such on the charts, but also the whole area along Plum Tree Island (Big Salt Marsh on some charts) from the mouth of Back River to Bennett Creek. Some charts label it as Drum Island Flats. Ask4Fish is correct that the fishing will be better in the fall but, when the 30" reds were thick in 2014, I caught them the end of July, schoolie stripers are there in the spring too, so if you put in the time, you never know what you will run across. I like to fish the banks of the marsh starting across from Owens. Now I fish from a kayak, so it's easy for me to get in the skinny water even toward low tide, but if you can get up close during high tide, fish the baits you mentioned right up against the cut banks. On the falling tide, move out over the grass. Fishing tight to the banks, I have had the best luck with is Redfish Magic spinner baits with a chartreuse body. If reds or stripers are around, they will not pass it up. Speckled trout are not my forte, so I can't give advise there, but I'm sure they are there in the fall. Out in the open over the grass, Redfish Magics work, but topwater walk the dog type baits are great too. When I am tossing lures, I also like to have a line out with a float and 2 ft under that, either peeler crab,live gudgeons or finger mullet. Peelers are great in the spring. If the reds and stripers aren't playing, anchor down in 6 to 8 ft just off the marsh and catch all the smallish croaker you want. It's a beautiful area to fish....one of my favorite areas even when the bite is slow.


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## Captquin

Guys, this is really great information. Didn't know Owens had food or the deal with the VMRC site. I certainly didn't know this was early in the season. I'm from south Louisiana and they seem to be more plentiful. I was fishing the hell out of piers and rip rap, but it was totally blind. I didn't see fish rolling or anything. Funny you mention Redfish Magic, I was about to pick up some of those or the H&H version. Might pick up a couple Super Spooks Jr as well. Not sure it matters at this exact moment if they're not there. 

Let me know if you want to take a break from paddling, and we can take my boat. I always appreciate good company and education about the area.


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## Fishman

Intresting info. Never fished that side of the bridge.


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## ASK4Fish

Captquin said:


> Guys, this is really great information. Didn't know Owens had food or the deal with the VMRC site. I certainly didn't know this was early in the season. I'm from south Louisiana and they seem to be more plentiful. I was fishing the hell out of piers and rip rap, but it was totally blind. I didn't see fish rolling or anything. Funny you mention Redfish Magic, I was about to pick up some of those or the H&H version. Might pick up a couple Super Spooks Jr as well. Not sure it matters at this exact moment if they're not there.
> 
> Let me know if you want to take a break from paddling, and we can take my boat. I always appreciate good company and education about the area.


Fish up here are migratory for the most part, unlike resident fish you'd get in LA an TX and elsewhere on the gulf coast...they're here, but will usually stage significantly deeper this time of the year and hit the marshes and beaches hard following bait (usually mullet) as it heads south for the winter typically starting their run in September. Like I said, live baiters targeting the ledges of these shallower waters in 8-15' of water typically will do better than someone marsh beating...that said, it's not unlikely to come across marauding reds in the shallow flats of the area, as rwh alluded to. His technique seems about the same as mine, swapping between a top water (usually a black head, chartreuse body super spook jr.) And a soft plastic jerkbait ( usually a saltwater assassin) for casting, and another rod drifting behind with peeler, live mullet, or live shrimp(theyre around, just have to know where to cast net them) I've never had outstanding luck with a redfish magic, but I do throw chatterbaits a lot and I suppose the profile/action is about the same...the vmrc site with the soundings reports of the local artificial reefs has significantly improved how and where I fish these structures.


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## rwh

Ask4Fish, I threw some chatterbaits in my box last year but always forget about them. They are the skirted type meant for bass & I thought I would take the skirts off and put on a redfish magic body or a Z-Man plastic. Is that how you like to use them?


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## ASK4Fish

I usually fish them skirted, with a spinner bait trailer or soft plastic jerkbait as a trailer. The skirt just improves the profile. I'm sure the other chatterbaits without skirts, or skirts removed would work as well, great vibration and action, usually slow rolled right along the top of the grass. When the fish are tight to the edge of the cut marsh bank, I'll normally cast right to he mud, and if I do t get a hit within the first 3-4 hops, I'll just burn the bait back to the boat for another cast. At lower tides I look for sand pot holes over the grass, where I'll throw top waters to prospect for roaming fish over the flats...once a school is located I'll switch out for a soft plastic and pick the school apart from the edges working in, if the bite fades, I'll go back to search baiting with the top water. Redfish magic, standard gold Johnson spoon and chatter bait are all also good search baits, but nothing beats the crash of a fish on a top water...sight casts over the flats are also done with a soft plastic, I've even had good luck with a senko bass lure rigged reverse with a small finish nail in the tail( makes the senko dive backwards like a shrimp into the grass when hopped up and allowed to settle), so lure choice for reds and specks seems to be only limited by your imagination and creativity, imho...


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## Captquin

ASK4Fish said:


> lure choice for reds and specks seems to be only limited by your imagination and creativity, imho...


I agree. When they are feeding, they'll nail about anything. Trouble for me is finding them. I need to try some of those search techniques.


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## Captquin

Where do y'all buy your spooks? I looked at Bass Pro, Wal-Mart, and a couple spots online. No one carries everything in one spot except Amazon who is over priced.


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## ASK4Fish

Bought over 50 of my favorite color in a blow out for $1.50 each, so I haven't had to look for a number of years. I would say OE2 in VB probably has the best selection in the tidewater area...


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## rwh

I buy Spook Jr.'s at Walmart but they usually only have one color.....the silver with black head. I do well with that one. Sometimes Dick's has the full size Spooks and I'm pretty sure I have bought them at Grafton Fishing Supply on route 17. Try one of the Badonk-a-donk saltwater grade top water lures. Walmart usually has them....chartreuse back with pink head. I have had lots of good luck with those.


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## ASK4Fish

rwh said:


> I buy Spook Jr.'s at Walmart but they usually only have one color.....the silver with black head. I do well with that one. Sometimes Dick's has the full size Spooks and I'm pretty sure I have bought them at Grafton Fishing Supply on route 17. Try one of the Badonk-a-donk saltwater grade top water lures. Walmart usually has them....chartreuse back with pink head. I have had lots of good luck with those.


Walmart is where the big buy out deal was(about 2 years ago), they had all kinds of bomber and rebel lures for $1.50 each and I hunted every Walmart in the 757 to get every one(that I wanted) they had. Went to bass pro yesterday for the first time in a long time and they had a few good looking super spook jr's. But at $7.99 a piece I had to pass, I'll keep chucking the one's I've got...


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## WalkingFumble

ASK4Fish said:


> Walmart is where the big buy out deal was(about 2 years ago), they had all kinds of bomber and rebel lures for $1.50 each and I hunted every Walmart in the 757 to get every one(that I wanted) they had. Went to bass pro yesterday for the first time in a long time and they had a few good looking super spook jr's. But at $7.99 a piece I had to pass, I'll keep chucking the one's I've got...


I did the same thing, pretty sure it was spring 2014.


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