I Just got back from the Eastern Shore and the Drum Bite is on. There where 66 Boats entered in the Black Drum World Championship Tournament out of Cape Charles Virginia and Bay Creek Marina and Resort. The Captain's meeting Friday evening was held outside in a Big tent.  A squall blew in off the Bay bringing heavy rain and high wind, but the big tent held and after a few minutes of going over the Rules and Regulations, also Information and directions from the VMRC Biologist, we were treated to a Barbeque dinner that was Impressive.  My compliments to the Staff at Aqua Restaurant and Resort at Bay Creek.  They also had live beach music and a great 08 Tournament tee shirt for sale.  The  Marina, shops, rooms, restaurant and showers are 1st class and they have plenty of dockage.  If you would like a nice weekend get away this is the new hip place on the Bay. I saw people wind surfing in front of Cape Charles, which is the first time I have seen this in Virginia.  If the wind doesn't stop blowing soon I may have to change hobbies, Not! The Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce again did a great job and I would like to Thank Amy with ESCC, Bay Creek Marine , Chris's Bait, Tackle and all the Sponsors and everyone involved in bringing the Drum Anglers a Tournament for a chance to Win 6000.00 in Cash prizes, meet new people and talk fishing.  I would like to extend that thanks from all the Anglers in this years Tournament. I believe that most would approve of me doing so as it seemed to me that everyone enjoyed themselves, I certainly did. The VMRC Biologist were there again to take samples from the Drum for aging and the ongoing research Project and was giving their VA. Recreational Assitment Project Tee Shirt to Anglers that brought a fish to them for their project. Anglers will also receive the information that is retrieved from their Drum. Last year's 3rd place fish 76 lbs. was the oldest and was 64 years old (1943). The biologist would clean your catch and anglers could collect the meat from their fish afterward or donate it to the Eastern Shore Food Bank. I think everyone invovled respects this fishery and agrees we shouldn't Harvest too many fish.  The Tournament did a good job of keeping anglers up to date on the fish being brought to the scales. Saturday we had 33 fished weighed and the largest was 79 lbs. Pete Britton and I brought  in his 58.10 Drum to finish 22nd for the day. There were more 70 lb fish caught this year than last year, but I left just before the scales closed on Sunday and the fishing had been slower the 2nd day and the largest fish for the day was 71 lbs, but a boat was pulling up to the scales as we headed out the creek and crossed the Bay back to Hampton.  80 lbs is the weight requirement for a citation and unless that last boat brought one in there were no weigh citations caught this year. We Fished Friday afternoon before the Captain's meeting and my Partner Pete Britton caught his first Black Drum, which put up a 30 minute fight. His next fish would push the scale to the low 60's and I landed a 64 lb fish also.  We managed to land a double first thing Saturday morning 58 and 43 lbs. and I boated a 37 lb fish around 11:30 and that would be the last fish we landed during the Tournament. Everyone was complaining about how bad the wind has been blowing, especially on the weekends and no one has been out to Gulf Stream because of it, but report from the Carolina's are giving us hope that when the opportunity comes we better be ready they have been slaying the Tuna when they can get out. We got up at 5:30 Saturday morning and the wind was still coming out of the North like a tropical storm with gust to 50MPH. The weather man said it would change to the SW 10-15MPH at 9 am and we decided to go for it at a little before 8 A.M. and I hooked up within 5 minutes of anchoring. I was about half way through the battle when Pete Britton rod got a bite and this would be the 58 lb fish we weighed. We were the 2nd boat to anchor at Buoy C-13 and the Grady White 30 Marlin conquered the sea on this sloppy morning, but it wasn't long after we anchored and hooked up that the condition improved considerably and the boats that had taken refuge behind the concrete ships at Kiptopeake State Park Landing where on their way and it look like the navy had launched an amphibious assault there were so many boats coming towards us. I made the mistake of staying in this spot all day thinking the fish would bite for us like they had the afternoon before. I believe what happened was we tied this 58lbs Drum off back cleat on a rope and we got to much attention and shortly after were  surrounded by doing so and the pressure pushed the fish out of this area, and a good bite was enjoyed that afternoon at C-16 with several boats catching multiple Drum between 4:30 and 6:00. I just went down to the James River. I couldn't believe that it had cleared up so fast. I think I will give the Shad and Stripers a try this evening. I had a client that wanted to fish for Bowfin and we gave the Eagles Landing on the Chickahominy Lake a try. We managed to get one small Bowfin, 3 pike to 20 inches and one small catfish, the wind was bad all day and my client unfortunately failed to capitalize on most of the bites.  The Bass,Shellcracker and Bream fishing has been excellent recently and I have never seen the chick that clear and clean before. It had been sometime since I visited this pristine Lake with its cypress lined shore line and I will soon visit again. It looks like the farmers not plowing the fields and practicing no-till crop management has really made a difference in water clarity and also the water's ability to clear and or not stain or take as long to clear after high water at least on the James, Pamunky and Chickahominy. Hope all is well with everyone and Good Fishing Capt. Mike Hoke.

The catfish bite had been a little off the past week or so due to weather fronts, winds, tides and fishing pressure. The bite was best on outgoing tides in the upper tidal james due to the non existence of current on the incoming tide. The river was above 5 ft. and unless you were close to richmond the incoming tide and river water flow seemed to cancel each other out. Also the wind has been consistently out of the SSW 15 to 20 which doesn't help. I had Jerry and his 6 yr. old son Jack Burch of hanover fish on Wednesday 3/26. We headed down river from Osborne landing at 8:30 and with a overcast morning fished casting for striped bass till lunch time with bucktails I make myself and also caught fish on a deepcreek lures 4in.swim shad blue metal flake. We caught a number of 21 to 23 inch fish and had 1 fish around 10 lbs. Big stripers are being caught throughout the entire river system and Doug Evans of Richmond boated a 25 lb. striper fishing a roadrunner lure around the dock street area this past weekend. We proceeded up river to the Downtown dock street area to shad fish and had a great time catching poor man's tarpon (Hickory shad). We caught the last of the out going tide and the fish really turned on as the afternoon progressed and the tide started in. I would estimate we boated around 50 hickory but no american shad. American shad should show more this week and really gain momentum the following week. I did catch a 22 inch american shad the evening before fishing out of the 14' starcraft. We still had a couple of hours of daylight left and jack wanted to catch a big fish so we headed down to a couple holes and with the sun setting on a already awesome day of weather and fishing he and his father boated a 38 in. 21lb and while taking pictures with this fish a  39 3/4 inch citation Blue catfish decided he wanted to join the photo shoot. Jack then proceeded to tell me about his and dad's goal to catch 1 citation fish this week. Jack is only 6 years old and he will inspire patience and a positive attitude to anyone young or old from what he showed me this entire day.  He is an outstanding outdoorsman and young man. Floyd Booth of Richmond had asked about shad fishing at the January richmond fishing expo.  We had a outstanding day and he boated around 50 hickory shad in a 1/2 day fishing. I got a report of 4 catfish caught sunday night up to the mid 50s. Good luck to everyone fishing the bass pro shop Big Cat Quest out of hopewell yacht club this saturday 4/5/08.  Registration is friday evening with over 20,000.00 in prizes and a field of almost 200 boats. A 74 lb blue catfish won 1st place last year caught by a women and even if you not fishing or not a fisherman it is still exciting to watch all the big catfish being weighed. There are also other activities going on all day in conjunction with the Jack Randolph river feast. The saltwater fishing is about the same as last report with tautog and flounder being caught around the 2nd and 4th Islands of the cbbt when the conditions allow. The puppy drum are starting to show to this should be a outstanding year for them and I will be making offering to them very soon. I hope to venture offshore in the very near future permitting the wind god stops blowing his horn,believe me you have been hear enough is enough. The tuna are their if you can get out. Get out there and get a line wet and or give me a call to schedule a day on the water.

We will continue a progressive catfish bite thru this month and April.  On 3/18 Johnny Pappis had 3 fish boated and released - 50/30/34 lb blue cats in 2 hours fishing. We had the same results on Saturday.  We caught a 43 20 19 18 12 10 and lost a few to some rookies.  They got it together at the end though.  All in all it was the best weather day this year to date to be on the water and the fish thought so too.  We had a great time.  We had 6 rods out and all were active at one point in the day and the fish cooperated in every spot we fished. The stripers are showing up on the flat below the power line and herring creek. Evening fishing seems most productive using cut bait or blood worms on a double bottom rig.  This is a catch and release fishery only and the fish you usually catch this way are sow stripers ranging from 20 to 60 lbs.  We also catch Stripers to 10 lbs casting rattle traps, sassy shad and buck tails on the flats, with usually multiple hook ups multiple times. Again a catch and release fishery but what a blast! We landed 125 fish between 3 anglers in 3 hour one evening in 94.  The American and hickory shad are starting to show. This will only continue to improve thru April into the beginning of May.  I will start fishing for them the beginning of next week. Saltwater is also starting to happen. Black sea bass and tautog continue to be caught and this will also improve thru April.  Tautog is closed for part of April. Flounder can be caught behind the barrier island on the eastern shore and the deep channels around the CBBT. I prefer the eastern shore and the trout fishing is awesome too. This all depends on the wind and weather. I offer guided trips for the fish mentioned as well as others and custom trips. Yellow perch are be caught in good numbers - 7 year old Thomas Hoke caught 6 weight citations and we had 10 altogether 3/2/08. We caught 25 fish ring perch/yellow perch in 4 hours fishing.  I went back the next day with his uncle and we caught 16 with 4 length and 2 weight citation. Glenn Dunaway fished with us a few hours and landed a 19 inch smallmouth bass. Also we caught a few eating size catfish and a 2 largemouth bass.  The perch should be spawned out in the next few days.  We will continue to fish for them thru this month. I guarantee citations for perch. will be caught.