Fresh Hopewell Fishing Reports

Jon and Adam joined forces to bring this 62lb blue catfish into the boat! We caught this fish deep and he put up one heck of a vertical fight! Truly a catch of a lifetime!

Today was a good day. The croaker bite was strong and consistent. The size is getting better but still a bunch of small guys. Bait of choice was squid, peeler crabs, and bloodworm fish bites. Tide was outgoing and blue skies

The bite is starting to pick up. The white perch have started to show up in large numbers in the Upper James River System. They are averaging 1 pound and are biting blood worms and nightcrawlers. The bite tends to pick up around tide changes and slacks off and slack tides. Croaker, Speckled Trout, and Red Fish are wreaking havoc in the tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay. Top baits are blood worms, mullet, and artificial plugs. The bite increases during tide changes. Soon the Whitting will show in large numbers and bloodworms and shrimp will be the bait of choice.

Catfish are still in large numbers and are hitting just about anything from the James River Bridge to the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnels. The tops baits were squid and shrimp. Bunker in the 2 pound range where schooling up in large numbers in deep channels and hitting Berkly Gulp Swimming Mullets.

Catfish and bunker were abundant around the James River Bridge. The top baits were shrimp and squid