Fishing Report

JAMES RIVER

Castaway Sporting Goods, (804) 706-9100, reports anglers are catching lots of fish. Crappie are hitting, and small/medium minnows are the best bait. Saltwater fishing has picked up. Spot are starting to show up, and flounder are producing well. A lot of 5and 6-pound fish are being caught. The river seems to be coming back big, and it should just get better. On July 11 at the Chickahominy River off Route 5, the third qualifier will be held.

Notable catches: Andrew Burke , largemouth bass, 23 inches; Thomas Hickman (Richmond) 2 bluecats, 71 pounds, 2 ounces, 39-8; Nathan Clendenin (West Point) croaker, 5, 3.

Tournament results: 1. Tom Leary-Ed Smiley , 17.85 pounds, big fish, 7.00; 2. Larry Lester-Barry Tucker , 17.55; 3. Charles Goodman III-Jefferson Hamilton , 15.45; 4. Bill Petzolg-William Chiao , 14.85; 5. Hector Martinez-Joseph Martinez , 15.30.

Captain Mike Hoke of Life's Revenge Guide Service (804-357-8158) reports the croaker are biting at West Point, with anglers catching them to 16.5 inches. Water is staring to clear, and the temperature is nearing 80 degrees. Bluecats are starting to bite, and the largemouth bass bite is picking up.

Notable catches: Trent Welstead (Hanover) bluecat, 39 pounds, 43.5 inches; Bill Welstead (Price George) bluecat, 16; Thomas Hoke (Richmond) flathead, 12.

OTHER

Fish Tales Bait & Tackle Hopewell (804-452-2220) reports catches of croaker are coming in, with some large ones being caught around the Tyler Beach area on squid and shrimp. Croaker and flounder are being caught around the Hampton and Newport News areas with some spot showing up. Spadefish and cobia are hitting, as well. Catfish continue to be the primary catch, with eels and cut bait the most productive.

Tuesday evening tournament results at Hopewell Marina: 1. Bo Boltz-Mickey Anderson , 10.59 pounds; 2. Bruce Clark-Liz Clark , 10.42, big fish, 5.82; 3. Kevin Chaplin-Jason Chaplin , 10.24. The next tournament will be July 14 from 5:30-8:30 at the Hopewell Marina.

CHESAPEAKE BAY/OCEAN

Dr. Julie Ball reports the weather forecast for Independence Day weekend is good, and the fish are biting. Cobia catches have been constant with fish more than 60 pounds boated. Many cobia are free-swimming on the surface, where sight casters are having good luck. Boats chumming on the shoals are faring well. The Inner Middle grounds and Latimer Shoal are providing good results on live croakers, eels and cut bait.

The flounder action is looking up this week, with limits of keeper fish becoming more common. Anglers are pounding the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and other lower bay structures, mostly with live bait and jigs. Live spot is working well near structures. Strip baits are producing some decent fish. Lynnhaven and Rudee inlets are giving up catches of keeper flatfish lately. Andrew Reid (Virginia Beach) caught an 8-pound, 10-ounce doormat near the CBB-T on a live spot.

Anglers trolling the Virginia Beach shorelines are finding good limits of Spanish mackerel and a smattering of Taylor bluefish. Small silver and gold spoons weighted with in-line sinkers will do the trick in anywhere from 18-30 feet of water. Anglers continue to report sightings of king mackerel skying and crashing on bait.

The Chesapeake Light Tower and the CBB-T are giving up good numbers of fish, with a few exceeding 9 pounds. The Cell area is the best for the largest fish. Tautog are back in the picture, with anglers beginning to show some interest. Tog are available along the structure of the CBB-T and on most inshore and nearshore wrecks. Ocean's East 2 reports the best tog bite is at the High Rise. Sheepshead anglers know that fish are hitting in select areas along the CBB-T, and lots of patience is the secret to a successful sheep trip. Clam and fiddler crabs work well for tog and sheepshead this time of the year. A good showing of triggerfish in the same areas are keeping things interesting.

Although red drum are becoming more elusive, a few big reds are taking baits intended for cobia on the Nine Foot Shoal area. Black drum continue to bite around the artificial islands of the CBB-T, where anglers are hooking an occasional fish while casting grubs and shads.

Puppy drum are active in the lower bay inlets and along the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel. The Fishing Center reports that spot showed up inside Rudee Inlet. Croaker are an easy target throughout the lower Bay, with some fish pushing 1.5 pounds near the Bay Bridge-Tunnel and the Cell. The flurry of anglers rushing into Oyster is an indication that the hardheads made their debut in their back waters, and tarpon sightings should come soon.

Amberjack are a good bet at the southern towers and some offshore wrecks, such as the Triangles, and the Ricks and Hanks wrecks. Live bait is working well, and jigs are a good alternative bait. Most reports indicate the jacks are on the smallish size, with a smattering of larger fish around. Deep droppers are finding plenty of tilefish, wreckfish and blackbelly rosefish. A pending state record 20-pound, 10-ounce blueline tilefish was caught by Kenny Bowe while deep dropping near the Canyon edge. Plenty of nice seabass are available on the nearshore wrecks, as well as structures to around 30 miles out.

The offshore season is offering some good options. Billfish are starting to show, but the yellowfin tuna action is claiming the most attention. Plenty of yellowfin up to 65 pounds are making a good presentation near the 300-line along the 100 fathom curve. Bluefin tuna are adding to the menu, with fish of more than 100 pounds biting near the south east lumps and the Fingers. A few big eye tuna, gaffer dolphin, wahoo and mako sharks are in the mix.

Captain Percy Blackburn of the Virginia Charter Boat Association (http://www.fishva.com) reports unexpected winds this past weekend kept a lot of boats off the water or struggling to catch fish. Fishing at the Cell/Buoy No.42 area has been productive but slow. The activity appears to be better in the Rappahannock, but there are fewer keeper fish. There are good numbers of flounder being caught at Mosquito Point, the Pickle Factory and off Towles Point. Anglers stopping by Fish On Bait and Tackle in Deltaville indicate jerk shad gulp baits (nuclear chicken color) have been productive, either attached to a flounder rig or jigged on a bucktail.

The numbers of Spanish mackerel being caught off Virginia Beach has increased significantly, but large schools have not yet arrived in the middle bay. The schools should arrive in the next 2-3 weeks. Trolling small spoons at 6-7 knots will produce the best results.

Bluefish in the 1to 3-pound range are being caught at the Target Ships. They can be caught by trolling spoons and bucktails. Good size croaker are in the rivers. There have been reports of mixed croaker and spot caught at Sturgeon Bar. Farther up the Rappahannock, fishing off the red barns above Lagrange Creek in 20-25 feet of water has been very productive. These fish are being caught using a combination of squid, shrimp and bloodworms.

Notable catches: Edward Lawrance (Gloucester) 2 speckled trout, 27.5 inches, 25, jerkbait; Richard A. Daniels (Moon) red drum, 47, squid.

OUTER BANKS

Leonard Nuchols reports fish are being caught, with the best times being early in the morning and evenings, when it has cooled down. Ramps 23 and 27 have been closed by the National Park Service because of vandalism. Commercial fishermen report good numbers of Spanish mackerel are in the Pamlico Sound.

The Ramp 43 area reports puppy drum, sea mullet, blues, pompano, spots and Spanish mackerel. Steve Groves (Buxton, N.C.) caught a 2.5-pound Spanish mackerel with the 1-ounce yellow/pink/green Glass Minnow lure. Speckled trout, flounder and puppy drum are being caught in the Pamlico Sound, and the Buxton jetties report trigger fish and sheepshead.

The Hatteras Village Beaches report puppy drum, flounder, blues, Spanish mackerel and pompano. Ocracoke Island reports sea mullet, blues, flounder, pompano, sheepshead, croakers, black drum, gray trout, speckled trout, Spanish mackerel and puppy drum on Berkley's Gulp! Shrimp Alive Pearl White Shrimp. John Kattenburg (Ocracoke, N.C.) caught a 3-pound, 14-ounce flounder.

The northern beaches report croakers, sea mullet, puppy drum, spots, blues, speckled trout and flounder. The southern beaches report sea mullet, pompano, blues, gray trout, spots, puppy drum, croakers and flounder.

The offshore boats out of Hatteras Inlet report dolphin, wahoo, blackfin tuna, albacore, yellowfin tuna, sea bass, amberjacks and king mackerel, along with releases of sailfish, blue marlin and white marlin. The inshore boats report blues, flounder, Spanish mackerel, cobia speckled trout, gray trout and puppy drum. Kelly Stearman (Richmond) received a release citation for a white marlin.

The Oregon Inlet offshore boats report yellowfin tuna, big eye tuna, dolphin, wahoo and amberjacks, along with releases of white marlin and sailfish. The inshore boats report Spanish mackerel, triggerfish, blues, amberjacks, flounder, croakers, sea mullet, speckled trout, flounder and cobia.