Fishing Reports News

Richmond Report on Fishing

FRESHWATER

Lower James River
Chris Eberwein of Eberwein’s Catfishing, (804) 449-6134, reported the following blue catfish catches: Jonathan Wade , 37 pounds; Terry Kiser , 35, 49; Bill Ritchie , 39; David Huguet , 32, 48; Jason Hodges , 30; Brian Liby , 26, 31, 32, 40; Jeremy Shifflett , 27, 27½, 30, 33, 35, 41. All fish were caught and released in the Dutch Gap area.

Little Creek Reservoir
Walter Elliott reported the following catches: Bill Brandon , New Kent, 40 shellcrackers up to 11½ inches; Christine Strong , 4, of Williamsburg, bluegill to 9 inches; Brittany Oliver , Chesterfield, shellcracker to 11½ inches; David Wiggle , Toano, striper to 6 pounds; Mike Fowler , Williamsburg, stripers to 8 pounds; Brooking Henshaw , 9, Sandston, shellcracker to 11½ inches; Michael McCarron , Toano, crappie to 2 pounds, 4 ounces, 16 inches; Josh Stevens , Toano, shellcrackers to 12¼ inches.

The full moon Saturday night brought the shellcrackers up to shallower water to spawn and a number of anglers took advantage of the situtation by catching some good-sized fish. Stripers are biting on live shad off points in depths from 5 to 25 feet.

James City Ruritans are holding an open bass tournament at Little Creek tomorrow. For more information, call (757) 570-6615.

On June 3, there will be a Kids Fishing Derby sponsored by James City County Parks and Recreation. For information, contact Angie Sims at (757) 259-5353.

Chickahominy Lake
Jill O’Brien-Jones of Eagles Landing, (804) 966-9094, reported water conditions are at 3 inches over normal pool with temperatures in the mid to upper 60s and slightly stained. Notable catches: John Forstner , Mechanicsville, bass to 5 pounds, 21 inches and ring perch to 11¾ inches.

Next tournaments at Eagles Landing will be team bass from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. tomorrow, and individual bass from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on May 25.

Captain Art Conway of Conway’s River Rat Guide Service, (804) 746-2475, reported water temperatures late last weekend ranged from the high 60s at the upper end of the lake to the mid 70s in side creeks. A mix of panfish with a few bass and pickerel were in the larger creeks at the upper end of the lake. Crappie, bluegill, shellcrackers, fliers, pickerel and a few bass in the main lake were in scattered small groups, primarily along shoreline weeds and wood cover. Panfish continued to turn off when the water temperature dropped after cold rains and then gradually turned back on over a series of sunny days, with fish in the lower part of the lake less severely affected.

Fishing with Capt. Conway, Jay Carlson , Avery Carlson , and Ryan Strum caught nine crappie to 12 inches, seven pickerel to 2 pounds, five yellow perch to 11 inches, three bluegill to 9 inches, and an 8-inch shellcracker.

Lake Anna
Guide Glenn Briggs reports bass are mostly post-spawn and still can be caught in shallow water along shorelines with deep drops nearby, and from boat docks with watermelon Stick-O baits with a Texas rig. Stripers are between Stubbs Bridge and Jetts Island where Slim Dogs, Red Fins and XPS Twin Tail bleeding jerkbaits are the favored lures.

Buggs Island Lake
(Kerr Reservoir)
The next tournament of the Virginia East Division of the Fishers of Men National Tournament Trail will be tomorrow at Kerr Lake. For more information, contact Keith Fricke, division director, at (804) 737-4031, or by e-mail: vaeastfom@hotmail.com.

Guide Tim Wilson reports near 70-degree water temperatures. Bass are in a post-spawn pattern with many fish being caught in 4 to 10 feet of water with Carolina-rigged lizards.

Elsewhere . . .
The next Region 3 Virginia Bass Chapter Federation tournament will be held tomorrow on the Pamunkey River from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Results for the Pamunkey River Mini Series tournament held Sunday: first: Calvin “Catfish” Hunter and Alan Jenkins , 12.74 pounds and big fish, 5.42 pounds; second: Kenny Hogge and Dennis Whittaker , 9.27 pounds; third: Bruce Clark and Liz Clark , 9.13 pounds; fourth: Clay Lewis , 8.96 pounds; fifth: Robert Brightwell and Wade Rook , 8.85 pounds. The next tournament will be held May 28 from 7 a.m. to noon on the Pamunkey River. For more information call Todd Long (804) 677-9451.

SALTWATER
Chesapeake Bay/Ocean
Captain Ken Neill reports the drum bite, both red and black, is going full force. Red drum seem to be showing up all over to the surprise of some flounder fishermen. Those targeting reds are having the most luck on 9-Foot Shoal and along the beaches of Fisherman’s and Smith islands. The best black drum bite has been in the area of Buoy 13. Sea bass are abundant around the near-shore wrecks.

Bill Fisher made a trip to the 50 fathom line and came back with tilefish to 14 pounds and sea bass to 5 pounds. Boats looking for bluefin off of Virginia have been finding chopper bluefish.

Captain Jerry Thrash of Queens Creek Outfitters, (804) 725-3889, reports flounder have migrated up to Buoy 42 and the Cell area and some keepers are being caught in the Gwynn’s Island area. Speckled trout continue to bite well in the Mobjack. Big gray trout are being caught at the Cell.

James Kevin Stewart of Mathews landed an 8-pound, 5-ounce, 28-inch flounder at Buoy 38. Wayne Smith of Gloucester caught a speckled trout of 6 pounds, 4 ounces, 27 inches in the North River. William Whitley III of Gloucester caught and released a 51-inch black drum at Cape Charles.

Outer Banks
Leonard Nuchols reports the water is gradually warming up and the big drum are still at Cape Point where 60 citation drum were landed last Thursday. The Point also is producing some big chopper blues where Andrew Fonda of King George landed a 14.7-pound, 35-inch blue on cut bait. The Point area is also producing sea mullet, puppy drum, small cobia and several tiger sharks up to almost nine feet long. Hatteras Inlet re ports gray trout, sea mullet, tailor blues and puppy drum. Ocracoke Island reports fishing has improved, and the first Spanish mackerel of the season was landed on Sunday. They also had good catches of tailor blues, puppy drum, sea mullet, gray trout, flounder and a few chopper blues up to 10 pounds. Gordon Holloway of Fredericksburg recently caught a 42-inch striper at Ocracoke.

The northern beaches report sea mullet, tailor blues, flounder, puppy drum and Spanish mackerel at Rodanthe pier. The southern beaches report tailor blues, blow toads, sea mullet, puppy drum, pompano and a few sand perch. The offshore boats out of Hatteras Inlet are landing yellowfin tuna, dolphin, king mackerel and wahoo while the inshore boats report tailor blues, gray trout, flounder, speckled trout and a few small cobia.
Compiled by Walt Amacker