Fishing report

JAMES RIVER

Castaway Sporting Goods (804 706-9100) reports the following: Eddie Moore caught a 22¼-inch largemouth bass at Pocahontas State Park; Thomas Capps (Manassas) 51-pound, 10-ounce bluecat.

A lot of people are starting to catch stripers in the river. Catfish should pick up soon, too, since one usually follows the other. In the past week, a number of anglers are starting to buy 5-8 dozen minnows as crappie begin to turn on the river, and they're beginning to school up. Fishermen are catching a lot of good eating-sized crappie (three-fourths to 1 pound), but not the real big ones.

CHESAPEAKE BAY/OCEAN

Dr. Julie Ball reports sheltered waters are providing remarkable speckled trout action. Plenty of fish averaging 3 pounds are keeping casters content, while the numbers of citation fish are on the rise. The most consistent speck action is happening in Rudee Inlet, Little Creek, Lynnhaven River, Back River, the Eastern Shore shallows, the Poquoson flats and the Elizabeth River. Jason Darca (Virginia Beach) scored with a 9-pound, 3-ounce whopper he hooked while jigging in Little Creek Inlet. The best lures are chartreuse or red and white Mirrolures, with smoke-colored grubs and Gulp grubs also producing. Trolling with lures and grubs in the Elizabeth River also is effective.

Puppy drum are generating a lot of interest within backwater areas, where anglers are scoring nice pups to 30 inches long in both Lynnhaven and Rudee inlets. Surf anglers are experiencing good puppy drum encounters on cut bait from Fort Story to Sandbridge.

The inshore and bay tautog bite is generating a stir, with limits of keeper fish ranging from 5 to 7 pounds becoming the norm. Several nice keepers were boated around the artificial islands of the CBBT on fiddlers and blue crab. Kaleb Hanna (Chesapeake) enjoyed his first tog catch, a 9-pound citation he enticed from the 3rd island tube. Wreck action is taking off nicely with ample numbers of respectable trigger fish available in the same areas.

As water temperatures begin to cool, striped bass are becoming more active. Casters are scoring schoolie-sized rockfish between 18 and 22 inches along the Monitor Merrimack, the James River Bridge, the HRBT and the CBBT. The bite is especially good during night hours along the light lines. Wire liners are boating fish ranging from 22 to 24 inches from the tubes of the CBBT. Lots of bluefish up to around 5 pounds are rounding out most catches.

Spot reports are scarce within the lower bay, but surf and pier anglers are catching good numbers off of Sandbridge as the fish make their way south. Scattered pompano and speckled trout are showing in the Sandbridge surf.

Even though anglers are finding a few cooperative fish, the flounder bite is sluggish because of muddy water. Drifting strip baits along the Baltimore Channel, near buoy 36A and along the small boat channel are good places to try when the wind breaks. Working bait and jigs around the CBBT structure can prove effective for big flatties. These fish are plump as they fatten up in preparation for their migration offshore.

Richard Haley (Rockville) caught and released a 52-inch red drum, approximately 90 pounds, on the Eastern Shore.

OUTER BANKS

Leonard Nuchols reports the October Noreaster cooled things off and slowed fishing but the ocean has settled down and fish are being caught. The Cape Point area continues to produce good numbers of red drum of various sizes along with catches of blues and flounder.

The Hatteras Village Beaches report puppy drum, black drum, pompano, blues and flounder. Ocracoke Island reports big drum, flounder, puppy drum, sea mullet, blues, black drum, yearling drum, spots and pompano. Puppy drum and speckled trout still are being caught in the Pamlico Sound with Berkley's Gulp! Shrimp Alive Pearl White Shrimp.

The northern beaches report puppy drum, yearling drum, flounder, speckled trout and blues and the southern beaches report puppy drum, sea mullet, spots, blues, blow toads, pompano, flounder, croakers, black drum and speckled trout on Berkley's Gulp! Shrimp Alive Pearl White Pogy.

The offshore boats out of Hatteras Inlet report black fin tuna, wahoo, dolphin, king mackerel, tile fish, trigger fish and yellow fin tuna and the inshore boats report puppy drum, blues, sheepshead and a few Spanish mackerel. David Dunivan (Mechanicsville) caught a 23.5-pound citation blackfin tuna. Capt. Douglas Martin caught a 10-pound, 4-ounce citation sheepshead.

The offshore boats out of Oregon Inlet report yellowfin tuna, blackfin tuna, dolphin and wahoo and the inshore boats report speckled trout, flounder, sheepshead, puppy drum, blues and stripers.

ELSEWHERE

J.W. Condrey reports Mickey Galderise (Petersburg) caught a 27-inch, 7-pound, 5-ounce speckled trout at New Point on cut bait in rainy, windy conditions from shoreline.