Alongside the causeway immediately south of the island on the east side is a charted obstruction. As at location “C,” the channel ends of each island where the tunnels rise back to the surface are heavily riprapped. Rock protecting the tunnel connecting the islands at the southern channel opening, location “D,” is below the mudline. Screenshots from NOAA Bathymetric Data Viewer Right: Side-scan sonar image of debris field from USS Yancey collision with the bridge causeway. Chart of southern main channel opening over side-scan sonar image. All are worth checking out when fishing around the southern island. The other two obstructions are single objects. The southeast obstruction is a large group of small objects. None of these objects are described in AWOIS. A cluster of obstructions lay off the southwest corner of the southern island. The channel ends of each island where the tunnels rise back to the surface are heavily riprapped. The BDV image shows what is probably a large scour area on each side of the protective rock. In particular, rock protection above the tunnel connecting the islands at “C” is exposed on the bottom, which is very rugged. The island at the northern and southern ship channel openings, locations “C” and “D,” are very similar structures but bottom conditions in the channels vary substantially. All are small in size and potential objects on which end tackle could hang up. The Virginia Inside Passage channel runs under a fixed bridge at location “B.” There are several nearby uncharted bottom anomalies and an obstruction. NOAA’s Automated Wreck and Obstruction Information System (AWOIS) records that landing craft used to hang up on an object in this general area. A charted obstruction is south of the channel, just west of the bridge. Outside the channel east of the span is very shallow. Water depths and an access channel on the bridge’s west side allows approach by small boats. Although not very big, it’s a spot worth checking. It’s located right in the middle of the Virginia Inside Passage east of Latimer Shoal. The frame of a small charted wreck northwest of the bridge, however, is visible in the image. If it’s still there, it is likely covered with sediment. The wreck of a 55-foot boat recorded in AWOIS and charted as a wreck at the southwest end of the spoil area is not visible in the BDV image. A small area of coverage under the bridge on its south side is unremarkable. BDV side-scan sonar coverage extends around much of the island, though. The northern approach bridge is mostly outside NOAA side-scan sonar coverage.
Screenshot from NOAA Bathymetric Data Viewer. Color-enhanced chartlet for northern approach bridge to Fishermans Island, side-scan sonar coverage, and small wreck. The oyster restoration project was successful and the bed is still there growing oysters today. Analysis of the product showed that constituents in the fly ash were locked into the structure and did not pose an environmental risk. The fly ash was mixed with cement to create pellets that became substrate for oyster beds. So, this early use of stabilized fly ash for oyster restoration was intriguing. During my dredged material management days for the Port of Baltimore, we looked into recycling dredge material and combining it with fly ash and cement to create solidified material for various uses including mine reclamation. A small inlet at the island near the bridge was the location for an experiment using fly ash from a coal-fired power generating plant as a resource for oyster bed restoration. Starting from north to south, the bridge across Fisherman Inlet at location “A” connects the highway to the causeway on Fisherman Island. The CBBT is the largest artificial reef structure on the Chesapeake Bay. Although NOAA’s Bathymetric Data Viewer (BDV) only partially covers the complex, both of the main channel openings (locations “C” and “D”) are included. However, gleaning a few details derived from National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s ( NOAA) side-scan sonar images can be instructive. Plenty has been written about how, where, and when to fish the legendary Bridge-Tunnel structure (see more how-to/where-to fishing articles on the CBBT, to get your fill). Fishing this structure isn’t for the inexperienced or the faint at heart, and you must be prepared for strong currents interacting with ocean swells. Environmental and physical conditions vary widely from one end to the other, and can change very quickly. The entire structure is fishable, though some spots more so than others. At 17.6 miles long, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, known as the CBBT, is the largest artificial reef structure in our region.
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