A quick getaway to Ocean View

By Jim Brewer For the News & Messenger
Published: July 30, 2008

I’ve been having croaker withdrawals – the need to toss a bait in some saltwater and catch a fish. I missed the croaker run up the York River this April and didn’t get a chance to catch my usual share of grey trout on the Eastern Shore in June. And I haven’t been to the Outer Banks since March.
Last weekend, my wife Nancy and I had a chance to sneak out of town for a few days, but we were unsure where to go. I used to have a place for a quick saltwater getaway at the Days Inn Marina at Willoughby Spit beside the Hampton Roads Tunnel. It wasn’t much of a motel but the fishing was great and the views even better. Unfortunately, that place has been leveled and a private condominium will get underway as soon as the real estate market pulls out of low gear.
Undaunted, we headed towards the coast without reservations or any idea where we might end up. Crossing the Hampton Roads Tunnel, I pulled off I-64 and headed down Rt. 60 into Ocean View and we found the perfect spot – a Super 8 Motel, right on the water. Caught some fish, too.
Ocean View has a storied history. In the early 1900’s, the vintage beach on the shores of the Chesapeake was a destination site for wealthy tourists from the north. They came by rail from Baltimore, New Jersey and New York to spend summers and long vacations. In the mid-20th century the Ocean View Amusement Park drew tourists from all around.
The pre-Disney era roller coaster was a ride in high demand from young and old alike. But as the railroads died and places like Disney World and Busch Gardens popped up, Ocean View became a relic of the past, serving more as a low income housing district for the U.S. Navy than a place where tourists regularly gathered. In recent years, Ocean View – which is really a section of Norfolk – has experienced a comeback of sorts. Many old waterfront and water view properties have been torn down and replaced with modern homes.
Ocean View is roughly defined as that area from Hampton down to the East River. Then it becomes Virginia Beach – I think. In that neck of the woods it’s often hard to tell which part is Norfolk and which is Virginia Beach.
The fishing at Ocean View, however, has huge potential. Directly north of Ocean View is the mouth of the James River and the water along Ocean View drops off quickly. In fact, it was the Ocean View channel that Capt. John Smith used to navigate his way up the James into Jamestown a few hundred years back.
Behind the hotel we stayed was a series of rock outcroppings used to protect the beaches. The rock barriers are staggered about 100 feet off the beach.
Between the rocks are openings that create sloughs and pond-like areas - great fish habitat. As all saltwater buffs can attest, rocks are fish magnets, attracting species like stripers, speckled trout, puppy drum and tautogs. The game fish actually root around in and among the rocks searching for minnows and crustaceans. The sloughs that are formed between the rocks openings draw fish like flounder, spot, whiting, and croakers.
I didn’t fish it hard, but still caught croakers, spot and whiting. Next time I’ll bring some Crocs so I can wade out to the rocks and pitch jigs and grubs for puppy drum, trout and stripers. Because of the sloughs, lots of rocks have washed in along the shore – great for fish but tough for wading if you’re barefoot.
I settled for bait fishing from the beach and spent a great deal of time relaxing, soaking my toes in the refreshing salt water and watching huge ships out of Norfolk hauling coal and other goods on the way to Europe. It was a great and welcomed getaway.
The Super 8 Motel we stayed at was about what you’d expect, meaning it was not the kind of place where the maids leave chocolate mints on your pillow. But it was adequate and clean. I’ll definitely go back. For those who want a little classier accommodations, there is a beautiful Best Western Holiday Sands a couple miles south with a splendid private beach for fishing and sunbathing – but no rocks or distinguishable cover for fishing.
Nearby is Ocean View Pier, one of the most productive saltwater piers in Virginia. The pier jockeys at Ocean View catch cobia from 40 to 80 pounds as well as flounder, blues, trout and bottom fish on a regular basis. A short drive down to Lynnhaven in Virginia Beach will reveal numerous charter captains who make offshore trips as well as forays to the fish-rich waters of the Bay Bridge Tunnel. So the options for an angler are numerous.
If you fish from the shore as I did, the last hour before high tide and the first hour of an outgoing tide is best.
Use bloodworms for spot, fresh shrimp for croakers and Berkley Gulp grubs for drum, trout and flounder. Remember to bring wading shoes – your toes will thank you for it.
For reservations or more information about accommodations, call Super 8 Motel at 757-587-8761 or Best Western at 757-583-2621.
Jim Brewer writes about the outdoors for the Potomac News/Manassas Journal Messenger.