Fishing report

JAMES RIVER

Castaway Sporting Goods (804 706-9100) reports the following catch: Thomas Hickman (Manassas) 33.2 blue cat.

Striper fishing seems to be picking up on freshwater side of the river with some keepers being caught. There is a lot of action on the saltwater side with spot running hot and heavy with some speckled trout, gray trout and flounder.

Fish Tales Bait and Tackle in Hopewell reports catfish have been weighed at 43.3, 46.6 and 49.8 pounds. Fish are being caught on live and cut eel. Stripers are being caught around Presquile, Stone Pier and on the flats around the city point area. Fish are taking cut bait on 4and 6-inch white or green grubs on quarter-ounce red heads. Spot are being caught in the Deltaville area on bloodworms.

Results for the Tri-City Tuesday end-of-year tournament Oct. 10: 1. Bo Boltz-Mickey Anderson 14.99 pounds; 2. Wayne Vaughan-Jacob Prowzick 13.1; 3. Skeeter Stanley-Larry Stanley 12.94; 4. Tim Bell-Ricky Faulkner 12.26; big fish: Kevin Best 5.49.

CHESAPEAKE BAY/OCEAN

Dr. Julie Ball reports speckled trout action is improving inshore each day. Although most of the fish are ranging between 12 to 18 inches, outliers pushing more than 7 pounds are becoming more common. Rudee and Lynnhaven inlets and most of the bayside flats and creeks are providing good speck action. Michael Story (Norfolk) hooked a 6-pounder while casting inside Lynnhaven recently.

Puppy drum are amuck in lower bay waters. Shallows, flats, inlets and rivers supply the best numbers of pups, but fish around 24 inches are being caught using cut bait, live bait and lures at lower bay surf lines, ocean front piers and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.

Decent sized spot are coming from near the mouth of Rudee Inlet. Lynnhaven Inlet, the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel and Ocean View are productive.

Surf anglers are seeing sporadic red drum action from the surf along Sandbridge and Dam Neck. Darrel Parker (Virginia Beach) and Mark Feltner (Chesapeake) released 48-inch bull reds they hooked on spot heads while surf fishing off Sandbridge Beach. Boats are finding schools of reds off the beach when the weather allows. Big bulls are surprising anglers around the 1st and 3rd islands of the CBB-T. Scattered cobia are near False Cape. Many boats trolling the oceanfront are finding good numbers of Taylor bluefish and some keeper Spanish mackerel. Small false albacore are showing from the shoreline to the Chesapeake Light Tower.

Striped bass are beginning to show promise. Most reports indicate that schoolies are taking lures under the light lines after dark and along the tubes and pilings of the lower bay bridge-tunnels. Some anglers are finding a few nice fish on live bait and casting around the 3rd island with top water lures.

Tautog action within bay waters is good, with limits of keepers coming from the CBB-T structure and lower bay wrecks. Crab and fiddlers are getting the job done. Amberjack are available at a few offshore wrecks and the South Tower.

Dr. Ken Neill reports spot are still biting in the lower . Speckled trout are being caught in the inlets and up on Poquoson Flats. Trollers have been successful in the Elizabeth River. Red drum fishing has been very good. Puppy drum are being caught in the inlets, around Goodwin Island in the Elizabeth River, and in the shallows.

Large red drum are being caught by anglers fishing for flounder at the Hump, 36A and York Spit. School-sized rockfish are on the flats, the Coleman Bridge, HRB-T, James River Bridge and Monitor-Merrimac Bridge-Tunnel. A few larger fish are being caught by chunkers and anglers live-baiting over the CBB-T tubes. Small bluefish are everywhere. Offshore, tuna fishing is excellent. The best bite has been from the Triple 0s on down to the point.

Yellowfin, blackfin and bigeye are all being caught, as is the occasional billfish. Good numbers of wahoo are around.

OUTER BANKS

Leonard Nuchols reports the surf fishing on the Outer Banks continues to produce a lot of fish with more big drum showing up each week. The Cape Point area reports big drum, blues, puppy drum yearling drum, sea mullet, pompano and spots. The Pamlico Sound is producing puppy drum, speckled trout and flounder.

The Hatteras Village Beaches report puppy drum, blues, gray trout, big drum, pompano and keeper flounder on Berkley's Gulp! Shrimp Alive Chartreuse Swimming Mullet. Ocracoke Island reports puppy drum, flounder, blues, sheepshead, black drum, big drum, sea mullet, spots, pompano, gray trout and a few Spanish mackerel.

The northern beaches report puppy drum, blues, sea mullet, spots and pompano. The southern beaches report blues, sea mullet, spots, flounder, pompano and blow toads.

The offshore boats out of Hatteras Inlet report wahoo, blackfin tuna, yellowfin tuna, sea bass, king mackerel, dolphin, amberjacks and tile fish, along with releases of sailfish and blue marlin. The inshore boats report plenty of puppy drum, along with flounder and blues.

The offshore boats out of Oregon Inlet report yellowfin tuna, blackfin tuna. wahoo, big eye tuna and dolphin, along with releases of white marlin and sailfish. The inshore boats report Spanish mackerel, blues, gray trout, croakers, puppy drum, flounder, black drum, speckled trout, false albacore and stripers. Nick Bartholomew (Monroe) caught a big eye tuna that weighed 176 pounds.

Surfside Bait and Tackle (804 730-2238) reports Herman Fleischman caught an 8½-pound, 23¼-inch sheepshead, at The Cell in Chesapeake Bay using clams and chum.