Fishing Report for April 8, 2021

Saltwater

The offshore boats are starting to see increased action from Yellowfin Tuna, Wahoo, and Dolphin.
The Outer Banks got hit with a strong cold front on Monday. So, things have been slow early in the week. The approaching warm weather should ignite better movement later this week.

Blow Toads, Puppy Drum, and Sea Mullet are being caught from the Hatteras area. Sunset has been better for the few big Red Drum that have been caught. Shrimp has been a great bait for the smaller fish, such as the mullet. Look for the Flounder catches to increase as the warm weather arrives.

The Wachapreague area of the Eastern Shore's seaside is always a great early spring season area. There is a vast amount of shallow water there, which warms quickly. Minnows are a good bet for the Flounder right now.

Freshwater

The Shad and White Perch action is wide open on the James and Rappahannock Rivers. The city limits of Richmond and Fredericksburg are hot spots. Be prepared for big crowds, as this annual event is quite popular. The Shad are responding better to darts, spoons, and small curly tail plastics.

The fly anglers are sometimes doing better than the conventional gear anglers. The guys at Green Top can reveal the hot color(s) for this season. But they sell quickly!

The White Perch seem to be responding better to bait such as worms, minnows, and cut bait.
The Crappie are biting quite well along the James, Chickahominy, and most of the tidal rivers. The James has many pits, which can make it easier to locate the Crappie.

Bass are shallow and biting well in the rivers also. 19 lbs was the winning weight over the weekend. Expect heavier weights as we get deeper into April and May.

There's no better place and time for exciting fishing than the James River in April. Everything is biting, it seems. The lakes have exploded also. The Crappie, Bass, and landlocked Stripers are feeding heavily. Another 3 lb Crappie was caught from Kerr Lake this week, which is a testament to the outstanding Crappie fishing we have in the area.

18 lbs was the winning weight during a weekend Bass tournament at Kerr Lake. 17 and 16 lbs were the 2nd and 3rd place weights. Smith Mountain continues to amaze many as the Bass fishing remains phenomenal right now. Bass are starting to move to the spawning beds at Smith and many of the other area lakes.

Lakes Anna and Chesdin are offering outstanding opportunities for the Bass and Crappie right now. The grass beds are often the key to success. This can also be the key at Lake Gaston this time of year.

The upper James is high again, but could possibly be fishable by the weekend. Traveling upstream to cleaner water may be a better option. April is a great month for the bigger Smallmouth. Moving baits, such as spinnerbaits, and crankbaits are generally the first lures thrown to judge the mood and strike zone of the fish.