THERE IS AN INCREDIBLE amount of fishing energy spent on the outstanding red drum action that takes place this time of year in Virginia and North Carolina.

But anglers would be remiss if they did not take the opportunity to tackle the redfish's cousin - the black drum.

The good thing about late spring drum fishing is that there is a good chance of catching one species or the other, or both, on the same trip - especially when efforts are concentrated around the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.

The two work basically the same areas of the Bay, roaming the shallow bottoms of shoals and flats in search of eels, clams, crabs and baitfish.

Big black drum roam the inner middle grounds near the high-rise spans of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and channel edges heading to the northwest.

Buoys 16 and 13 - located about a mile off Kiptopeke and Cape Charles, respectively - are some of the best locations. Latimer Shoal, the Cabbage Patch, the Old Plantation Flats and the Cape Charles Reef are nearby areas that also have been known to produce big black drum.

And big is the key word.

Just like with red drum, the Chesapeake Bay area is a mecca for the species.

The Virginia record of 111 pounds is 2 pounds, 1 ounce shy of the world record. The IGFA world mark was caught in 1975 near Lewes, Del. Betty Hall set the Virginia standard near Cape Charles in 1973. North Carolina's record is a 100-1 fish caught from the Cape Fear River by Charles Dycus in 1998.

Smaller black drum, especially along the Outer Banks, are a standard for anglers wanting to take home a few fish. Smaller black drum sometimes are confused with sheepshead, and they are equally good to eat.

While some anglers continue to take bigger fish home, they sometimes have worms in the meat.

Unlike the red drum, the black drum record is still up for grabs -

because keeping large fish is allowed.

In Virginia, it takes a 46-incher for a release award and an 80-pounder for a weight award. In North Carolina, those numbers are 40 inches or 35 pounds.

HAMPTON ROADS

Drum fishing for blacks and reds is heating up around the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, and will heat up more if Mother Nature will calm down a bit.

School-sized striped bass and a few trophies exceeding 32 inches are available all along the Chesapeake Bay and Hampton Roads bridge-tunnels. Early evenings and mornings are great times to enjoy good topwater action. Dropping live spot and croaker over the tunnel tubes will produce the biggest fish.

Bluefish from 1 to 10 pounds seem to be everywhere. They are more than willing to provide some of the best light- to medium-tackle action going.

Puppy drum and speckled trout join the blues inside Lynnhaven and Rudee inlets.

Croaker are becoming larger and more abundant around both bridge-tunnel spans and along Ocean View.

Flounder action should improve greatly when the weather stabilizes and waters clear. Areas along the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and around inshore wrecks likely will be the top flatfish producers.

Early reports from divers indicate that spadefish are starting to move into near-coast structures such as the Chesapeake Light Tower. Waters need to warm, though, before a bite will turn on.

Anglers venturing to the edge of the Norfolk Canyon and to deep-water structures will find a good mix of tilefish, grouper, wreckfish and other species. Sea bass have started to migrate to structures closer to the coast.

 

EASTERN SHORE

Drum take the lead role for anglers working the barrier islands around the tip of the Shore and up past Cape Charles.

Reds and blacks alike are abundant and willing. Clams and crabs are the top producers, but eels and cut bait on fish-finder rigs also will produce.

The action should make for an outstanding turnout for the Black Drum World Championship Fishing Tournament, Friday through Sunday out of Bay Creek Resort and Club in Cape Charles.

Flounder catches continue to be outstanding around Chincoteague, Wachapreague and Oyster on the Shore's sea side.

Croaker are starting to show, but numbers and size are not what they will be in a few weeks.

A few speckled trout could be caught around Oyster.

 

OUTER BANKS

Tuna again are providing excellent catches in the offshore scene when seas are calm enough to venture out.

Yellowfin have been the top catch, but bigeye showed up in great numbers before last weekend's big blow. Blackfin also remain a possibility.

More billfish, dolphin, wahoo and king mackerel have shown.

Action should be good for the 14th annual Hatteras Village Offshore Open that started Wednesday and runs through Saturday.

Deep-water wreck anglers can expect continued good numbers of tilefish, grouper, snapper, triggerfish and sea bass.

Closer to shore, big bluefish are the best possibility. More red drum and cobia have started to show, though numbers of the species are not up to previous years' standards.

Trout and puppy drum should be available in the sounds and inlets.

PIERS AND SURF

Action continues to improve along Virginia's beaches, especially around the southernmost barrier islands where a fantastic red drum bite is taking place.

Along the southern Bay shore and the Atlantic coastline, anglers can expect a mixed bag of small croaker and spot, undersized flounder, lots of bluefish and some striped bass.

Action is good around the few Outer Banks areas that remain open to beach driving. Access to many areas near Buxton and Cape Point has been cut off because of shore bird protection closures.

Where anglers can fish, they can expect to find trout, sea mullet, croaker, spot, small flounder and lots of bluefish. Big red drum and cobia are always a possibility.

FRESHWATER

Largemouth bass will continue to be the most targeted species for the next few weeks. Good action is available on nearly every pond, lake and river in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina.

Action will remain good all day, but early and late are starting to be the best times because of continually warming waters.

Shoreline structure remains the best, and easiest, location to find largemouths.

Shellcracker catches from lakes in the Suffolk area should be on the rise. Big fish topping a pound have started to move out of the depths and closer to shorelines. They can be taken on worms under corks, on bottom rigs and by casting small jigs. Prince and Western Branch historically produce the most big fish.

Bluegill also should be making a move to the shallows. Crappie likely are starting to head to structure in water 10 feet and deeper. Bridge pilings are a good place to look for early summer slabs.

White perch also should be available since the tasty panfish are schooling around the mouths of deep creeks.