If you like hanging up your “Gone Fishing” sign every now and then, Chesapeake and surrounding areas offer plenty of spots for both saltwater and freshwater fishing. Here are a few places where you can get your line wet and hopefully enjoy a good catch.
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Ocean View Fishing Pier
This super long pier, overlooking the Chesapeake Bay, is the perfect place for fishing. Although a minimal fee of $10 for adults and $8 for children is required in order to gain access to the pier, this fishing spot offers convenient facilities such a bait shop, fishing equipment rentals, and clean restrooms. The pier is also well-lit for those summer nights when you feel like casting a line in the water.
You can bring your own folding chairs if you wish, but there are benches and picnic tables available all along the pier. Fish that you could expect to catch here include sea bass, spot, croaker, and baby flounder, and you can also catch crabs.
After a long day of fishing, cool down with a refreshing craft beer at the restaurant. On the menu are delicious seafood dishes, such as salmon, served with broccoli, mashed potatoes, and lemon and garlic butter, Crab Cakes, served with coleslaw and fries, and a Seafood Alfredo.
The pier is located at 400 W. Ocean View Avenue in Norfolk, which is a short, seven-minute drive away from Chesapeake, and is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. until midnight.
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Elizabeth River Park
Another great spot for fishing is Elizabeth River Park. The park offers easy access for boaters onto the river, or you can fish from the 125-foot pier, which runs parallel to the Jordan bridge. Many convenient facilities are provided by the park, such as a shop where you can buy frozen bait, sinkers, fishing tackle, nets, and ice; clean restrooms; a fish-cleaning station; and ample lights on the dock for night fishing. If you get hungry, the Snack Shack offers food and refreshments.
Fish species that frequent these waters include spot, black sea bass, pigfish, sand perch, and swelling toads. The park also offers sheltered picnic areas and adequate parking. It is located at 1224 Progressive Drive in Chesapeake.
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Oak Grove Lake Park
This beautiful park features a hardwood forest consisting of pines, maples, and tulip poplars, as well as wetlands, which house a diverse wildlife including dragonflies, butterflies, and songbirds. It is also a great place for fishing, offering several piers around the park where you can cast a line into the waters of the big lake. Clean restrooms are provided, and picnic tables are scattered throughout the park. Fish that you can expect to catch here include trout, bluegill, and largemouth.
The park is located at 409 Bryon St in Chesapeake.
If you have had enough of the hustle and bustle, pack your fishing gear and visit one of these fishing spots. Even if you do not catch anything, some peace and quiet in beautiful, natural surroundings are bound to invigorate your spirit.
Image via jack_spellingbacon | Licensed under CC BY 2.0
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