Back in the early to mid 80s we drove down from Pa. and fished Back Bay below Norfolk. First year I throught I died and went to bass fishing heaven then each year it got much worst till we stopped going. Did it ever come back? Used to fish mostly in Va. but launched in N.C. ( if I remember right)
I hear it is back. Check the virginia forums. Youll have to google it. I dont recall where I saw the posts about it.
YJHAMMER 11
Hollywood MD
2019 Skeeter FX21LE
There is a weekly fishing report from an old timer named Charlie Taylor that includes Back Bay. It does seem that it has come back.
http://www.charlietaylorfishing.com/fishing_report.htm
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Its coming back but its nothing like it was. The Va. Wildlife magazine has a good article this month about it. Find the grass and you'll find some bass. The North end has the most grass. As always a South wind raises the water level and a North wind makes it shallow. Ill say that its better now than it has been for the last 25 years so come on down and give it a go
I've never fished Back Bay but I did try Currituck Sound a few times in the late 80's/early 90's and it was very hit or miss. I have no idea whatever happened to that fishery.
People kept a lot of fish back then.
Originally Posted by tcesni
A large water pump failed and wasn't fixed which changed the salinity of the Sound.
Wayne Purdum
Charlottesville, Va.
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The last 2 tournaments I fished, it took 20+ to win. There's some nice fish there. Problem now is other area tournaments are coming in and taking the fish out to weigh-in areas outside Back Bay. Fish and Game is considering putting a slot and creel limit to help protect the resource.
puma, what tourney you fishing? Bob's?
Where'd you hear this?
I hope they do soon. The Bobs tournaments are a joke at this point. Everyone runs to Back bay or the North river. Northwest River has to be stocked by now.
Blazer 625/300xs
Actually the salt water pumping station that failed had raised the salinity in Back Bay too high for bass eggs to hatch. Lucky that it did fail I believe. It didn't kill the adult fish but eliminated future generations of fish. That along with the die off of the milfoil turned Back bay into a fishless mudhole for a decade or two. We wondered why we were only catching big bass in the mid 80s and never the 1 and 2 pounders that were so plentiful in the 70s.The grass is making a comeback and the DNR is stocking bass every year so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will make a comeback to the glory days of the 70s.
Please bring on the slot limit.
Currituck was the best bass fishery that there has ever been. As others stated the pump failed and the salinity level raised in both currituck and back bay killing all that thick grass turning both into dead seas. Same thing happened at mattamuskeet. Salinity up, grass dead, bass dead. Unreal what those 3 bodies of water were like back in the 70s-80s. Makes me sick to think about it. I would give anything to have one day back on either of those bodies of water. They can try whatever they want to on back bay, it’ll never be like it was. There wasn’t nearly as much pressure then. These days as soon as something new is discovered it is ruined shortly thereafter.
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