Fishing report

JAMES RIVER

Castaway Sporting Goods (804 706-9100) reports Keith Pearson (Manassas) caught a 41-pound bluecat.

Striper season starts Oct. 4. Crappie are starting to pick up on the freshwater side. More minnows being bought, which indicates crappie fishing is on the rise.

Results from the Castaway Classic last weekend at Osbourne Landing, 89 boats. Total of 332 fish caught and released with no dead fish recorded: 1. Ray Hogge-Johnny Ronky 5 fish, 15.85 pounds; 2. Adam La tham-Robert Latham ; 3. Jerry Taylor 14.02; 4. Bo Boltz- Mitchell Anderson 13.80; 5. James Ashton-Burley Lan gford Jr. 13.50; big fish: John Guzik-Michael Guzik 5.45. The top 50 in points will compete in the last tournament of the year Oct. 3 at Osbourne Landing.

Fish Tales Bait and Tackle (804 452-2220) reports last weekend was good for blue catfish in the Hopewell area. All were caught on live eel and cut bait. Most of the fish weighed in the 30-pound range with some more than 40 pounds. The saltwater action still is going good for spot. Bloodworms seem to be the choice of bait.

Results from the Tuesday night tournament out of Hopewell Marina: 1. Jeff Hamilton- Gerard Lipchak 8.09 pounds; 2. John Temple 6.11, big fish 3.18; 3. Donnie Bell Jr. - Donnie Bell Sr. 4.87. The final tournament at the Hopewell Marina is Oct.10 from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. The tournament is open to everyone. For information on the tournament, call Fish Tales.

CHESAPEAKE BAY/OCEAN

Dr. Julie Ball reports the red drum procession is gaining momentum as good catches continue to come from the lower bay and coastal waters. Surf and pier anglers are camping along the Virginia Beach shorelines with heavers and cut bait, anticipating the first run of big channel bass off Sandbridge. Boaters are getting in on great bull red action as these fish scavenge the breakers and white water along the Eastern Shore barrier islands and inlets. Peeler crabs, bunker and crabs work well.

Anglers are intercepting cobia as they pause on buoys and form small pods along the oceanfront on their way south. Sight-casting jigs and live bait will do the trick.

The spot brigade is marching along with decent fish in the southern and western sections of the lower bay. Anglers are filling coolers with 12to 14-ounce spot from the lower bay rivers, Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, off Sewell's Point and within Rudee Inlet.

Puppy drum are a sure bet in the shallows and inlets using cut mullet or casting jigs. Juvenile red drum offer great action on light tackle. Speckled trout are beginning to make a showing in the Eastern Shore creeks, Elizabeth River and Poquoson flats. Rudee Inlet action is improving with scattered fish, but most are on the smallish size now. A few keeper specks are livening up inside Lynnhaven River, but the size should improve as the water cools.

Horse croaker are hanging on the Hampton Bar, the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel and the Monitor-Merrimack Memorial Bridge-Tunnel, where shrimp is the favored bait. Lower bay inlets are holding some nice hardheads, where fish ranging to 3 pounds were hooked near the Lesner Bridge this week. Jimmy Robin son (Virginia Beach) caught dozens of huge croaker while presenting shrimp within the Lynnhaven Basin recently. His largest fish was 18 inches and weighed 3 pounds, earning a state citation.

Flounder are gathering at the mouth of the bay. Drifters are scoring well along deeper channels and along the CBB-T. Several keepers came from the Thimble Shoals Channel and the Baltimore Channel on strip baits this week. Flat fish and seabass are collecting on inshore and offshore wrecks. The Triangle Wrecks gave up decent seabass and triggerfish this week.

Sheepshead are lingering along the structure of the Bridge-Tunnel. Triggerfish and spadefish are in the same areas. Tautog action is rekindling for the fall season. The folks at Ocean's East 2 report that anglers are catching limits of keeper tog along the pilings of the CBB-T on fiddlers and clams.

King mackerel and Spanish mackerel are a possibility trolling around the Chesapeake Light tower down to False Cape. False albacore are closer to shore and around the Tower.

The white marlin action is open. Billfish are providing off-the-chart numbers, with some boats returning to Virginia with more than 30 billfish flags flying. Captain Steve Richardson took his crew aboard the Backlash out of The Fishing Center to a record level with an amazing 42 billfish releases this week. A few decent yellowfin tuna are making bluewater anglers hopeful for a good fall showing, and gaffer dolphin are plentiful. A few nice wahoo are around, and the trend should improve into October.

OUTER BANKS

Leonard Nuchols reports the fishing on the Outer Banks continues to improve with good fishing conditions. The Cape Point area reports puppy drum, blues, Spanish mackerel, yearling drum, sea mullet, spots, croakers, pompano, gray trout and big drum.

The Hatteras Village Beaches report puppy drum, big drum, gray trout, spots, blues, Spanish mackerel on various Glass Minnow lures, albacore, sea mullet, croakers and flounder on Berkley's Gulp! Shrimp Alive Pearl White Pogy.

Ocracoke Island reports blues, Spanish mackerel, puppy drum, flounder, croakers, sea mullet and yearling drum.

The northern beaches report puppy drum, sea mullet, blues, Spanish mackerel, pompano, spots and croakers. The southern beaches report spots, blues, sea mullet and black drum.

The offshore boats out of Hatteras Inlet report wahoo, dolphin, amberjacks, blackfin tuna, yellowfin tuna, sea bass, trigger fish and tile fish and the inshore boats report blues, gray trout, puppy drum, speckled trout, flounder and Spanish mackerel. Allan Miles (Richmond) caught a 55-pound citation amberjack.

The offshore boats out of Oregon Inlet report yellowfin tuna, blackfin tuna, wahoo, dolphin, groupers and tile fish. The inshore boats report blues, Spanish mackerel, sea mullet, flounder, puppy drum, speckled trout and gray trout.

LAKE GASTON

Mike Poskey of the Lake Gaston Bass Club reports the following tournament results for September. 1. Mack Strickland-Tony God bolt 11.73 pounds; big fish Strickland, 4.43; 2. Mike Di acont-Jim Lewis 8.0; 3. Rick Smith-Scott Whittle 7.25.

Lake Gaston will host The National Guard FLW College Fishing event tomorrow at 7 a.m. Weigh-in will be at 1:30 p.m.

The event is the country's largest tournament fishing competition for college bass clubs. The college clubs compete for lucrative scholarships and prizes and for a chance to compete in the Forrest Wood Cup in 2010.

Teams registered include Carnegie Mellon University, Chestnut Hill College, Christopher Newport, Concord University, Cornell University, East Carolina University, Geneseo, Glenville State College, Fairmont State University, Hamden-Sydney College, JCHS, Longwood University, Lynchburg College, Mansfield University, Messiah College, N.C. State University, Penn State, Plattsburgh State, Radford University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, RIT, Shepherd University, Slippery Rock University, North Carolina, Charlotte, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, VMI, Virginia Commonwealth, Virginia Tech, West Point and West Virginia University.