Fishing forecast for week of April 24-30

IF THE LARGEMOUTH BASS is the king of freshwater fishing - and who would argue that? - then the crappie must sit at throne's side as its queen.

Crappie long have been a mainstay in the freshwater fishing community. The species' popularity with the shoreline and cane-pole crowd is unparalleled.

But in the past decade, competitive anglers have come to know the other side of crappie fishing.

Crappie are a hard-hitting, fierce-fighting species - especially when hooked on light spinning tackle.

Catching them has become so popular that there are magazines and Web sites dedicated to the species. There are also national and regional tournament trails.

Although the average crappie caught in the United States might weigh a half-pound or so, they do get big.

In Virginia, a 4-pound, 10-ounce fish caught from a private pond in 1994 is the state record. Virginia doesn't differentiate between black and white crappie.

In North Carolina, the white crappie record is a 3-4 fish caught from the Waverly Swim Club pond in Charlotte last month. The black crappie record is a 4-15 caught from Asheboro City Lake No. 4 in 1980.

The International Game Fish Association all-tackle records are a 5-0 black crappie caught from a Missouri private pond in 2006, and a 5-3 white crappie caught from Mississippi's Enid Dam in 1957.

Most local crappie already have spawned. But they will remain in relatively shallow water in most rivers and lakes until waters warm past 70 degrees. Afterward, they can be found in depths below 10 feet, schooled around underwater structure and around bridge pilings.

HAMPTON ROADS

The big news is the arrival of large red drum in the shoals around the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.

Several already have been caught at the Inner Middle Grounds, known to most as the 9-foot shoals, near the high-rise spans of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. Anglers using a whole female crab on fish-finder rigs can expect increasing action as the weather warms. Joe Lang caught and released a 33-incher while trolling Stretch 25 around the second island of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.

Also on the list of possibilities are tautog and flounder.

Togs - available along the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and at many inshore wrecks - will head to deeper water as temperatures rise.

Flatfish can be found along the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and around many rubble piles in the mouth of the Bay. Deeper channels leading into the Bay also will produce.

Croaker numbers are on the rise, and fish are starting to get a little bigger.

Gray trout still can be found, though in limited numbers, along the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel and inside Rudee Inlet.

Rudee, along with Lynnhaven, also is holding decent numbers of speckled trout and puppy drum.

Deep-water bottom-bouncers are finding lots of tilefish, grouper and wreckfish. Most big sea bass have started to move closer to the coast but are still around deep wrecks.

For anglers wanting to catch small- to medium-sized bluefish, things couldn't be better. Bluefish as heavy as 8 pounds have been showing in great numbers in the Bay and some inlets. Several trout anglers have reported seeing huge schools inside Rudee Inlet. Bluefish in this size range are great fun on light tackle. They also are good eating, especially when cooked on a smoker.

EASTERN SHORE

Flounder action is improving every day along the North Channel, northward past Latimer Shoal, and in the creeks and channels from Oyster to Chincoteague. Officials in the Capt. Zedd's annual flounder tournament out of Wachapreague report that several fish topping 5 pounds - including a couple of 7-pounders - have been caught.

Red drum are showing along the beaches of the barrier islands and are available to boaters anchoring along the outer sandbars. Fish also have been caught along the shoals between Fisherman's Island and the mainland.

Anglers working around Oyster also could happen on a few croaker, speckled trout and gray trout.

OUTER BANKS

Yellowfin tuna continue to dominate most offshore trips. Anglers also can expect to catch a few blackfin, wahoo and king mackerel. Bigger dolphin are starting to show, and billfish numbers are slowly on the rise.

Deep-drop bottom-bouncers continue to catch good numbers of grouper, snapper, tilefish, triggerfish and sea bass.

Bluefish are cooperating with inshore anglers. Schools of red drum will continue to migrate north from south of Ocracoke and will highlight inshore sight-casting trips.

PIERS AND SURF

Close-to-the-beach action is improving in Virginia and North Carolina.

In Virginia, big red drum along the beaches of the Eastern Shore barrier islands should highlight most catches.

Cary Jarvis at Ocean View Pier said that croaker are getting bigger and that anglers are seeing increasing numbers of bluefish, spot, sea mullet and small flounder. A few gray trout have cooperated, and anglers fishing at night are catching good numbers of striped bass. Stripers are out of season and must be released. Anglers working along Sandbridge beach and at the Virginia Beach Fishing Pier should start looking for red drum.

Along the Outer Banks, big drum catches have been made around Cape Point, mostly at night.

Bluefish numbers are good, and anglers are catching decent numbers of sea mullet, toadfish, puppy drum and a few trout.

FRESHWATER

Crappie and white perch catches are excellent around mouths of creeks leading into the Northwest and North Landing rivers. White perch catches are good in the Nottoway and Blackwater rivers.

Look for crappie around shoreline structure near deeper water.

Largemouth bass are working beds on most lakes and rivers, and aggressive fish defending their territory can be easy to catch. Top-water baits worked early and late in the day can provide exciting action. Plastics and spinnerbaits worked around shoreline structure, especially when located near points, can be effective all day long.

Bass anglers also can expect a few bowfin and chain pickerel.