The Dogwoods are blooming, the water temp is hitting 60, it’s time for a little drumming. Black Drum are being caught along the shallow channel ledge running from Fisherman’s Island to north of Cape Charles. Good spots are Kiptopeake, the Cabbage Patch, the Concrete Ships, as well as the Highrise and 2nd & 3rd Islands of CBBT. Running tides, late afternoons and evenings and full moons are considered the best time to fish for them. Whole clam, peeler crab, whelk or a combination is the best bait.
Red Drum, averaging 25-50 lbs. are starting to arrive on the shoals at the mouth of the Bay. Latimer Shoal and the shallow water near the northern section of the CBBT are good spots. Their numbers will continue increasing into May and action will peak in early June.
Flounder numbers are on the rise in seaside inlets. Some nice catches are coming from Wachapreague and Chincoteague on the Eastern Shore. Drift fishing with live minnows, or fresh strip baits fished behind bucktails is a good method. Live spot or small mullet are best for big fish in deep water around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel.
OBX, NC
The waters around Nags Head and Hatteras Island are seeing a lot of activity as anglers report successful catches. In the sound, Trout are biting well, while the surf in Nags Head is seeing a few Trout along with Bluefish and Drum. Over on Hatteras Island, particularly in Rodanthe and Avon, there’s an abundance of sea mullet and blow toads, with red drum and bluefish also making a strong showing.
Lake Orange: Water temperatures are in the low 60s and clear with bass and crappie heading to the spawning grounds. Bass can be caught on a variety of soft plastics and topwater baits. Crappie can be caught on live minnows and small jigs. Catfishing has picked up throughout the lake for anglers using chicken livers and nightcrawlers.