Fishing report

Cherokee

Full pool 1,073 feet. Lake level is at 1,064 1/4 feet, up almost 2 feet from last week. Water temperatures are in the upper 70's. Smallmouth Bass — Good.Night-time fishing is back. Fish can be found during the day with crank-baits, jigs and soft plastics are all catching fish. Carolina and Texas-rigs are having good success at night. Fish are mainly in the 15-30 feet range during the day and can be in 10-15 feet of water after dark. Largemouth Bass — Good. Fish are being caught against rocky banks in 3-10 feet of water. Texas-rigged, green pumpkin lizards have been popular. Rat-L-Traps, medium running shad-colored crank-baits, white spinner-baits, flukes and trick worms are also catching fish. Striped Bass — Good. Fish are 20-30 feet deep. Points and humps continue to attract fish. Breaking fish can be found late in the day and are hitting top-water lures, jigs and Rat-L-Traps cast to the breaks. Trolling umbrella rigs continues to be productive. Crappie — Good. Fish are being found 5-15 feet deep. Minnows under floats, jigs tipped with minnows and 1/16-1/8 ounce jigs with blue, green or white bodies are popular.

Douglas

Full pool 990 feet. Lake level is at 9921/2 feet, up almost 3 feet from last week. Water temperatures are in the upper 60's upstream and in the low to mid 70's near the dam. Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass — Good.Deep-diving crank-baits in dark green or shad colors are producing with medium to slow speed retrieves. 6-8 inch plastic worms in red and brush-hogs on either Carolina or Texas-rigs are also catching fish. Larger fish are from 35-50 feet deep. The area just above Swanns Marina has been good this week. Smallmouth have been active at the confluence of the Nolichucky and French Broad Rivers and up the Nolichucky River this week. Crappie — Good. Fish can be found from 2-15 feet deep depending on light conditions. Indian, Flat, McGuire, Muddy and Nina Creeks are all producing fish. Tube jigs, 1/32 ounce hair and feather jigs and minnows and bobbers are finding fish. Bluegill — Good. Fish are very active and can be found against most shorelines with cover. Boulders and fallen trees are good locations. Worms, small spinner flies and tiny hair jigs have been finding success. Catfish — Good. Fish are biting throughout the day. Mud banks that have underwater holes and humps that can block the current and rocky shorelines are holding fish. Chicken liver and bluegill have been favorite baits.

Ft. Loudoun/Tellico

Full pool 813 feet. Lake level is just over 812 3/4 feet, up several inches from last week. Water temperatures are in the low to mid 70's with mostly clear conditions. Smallmouth Bass — Good. Crank-baits in minnow imitating colors, chartreuse or white spinner-baits and black or blue hair or rubber jigs are accounting for most catches. Largemouth Bass — Good. Fish are being found in 3-10 feet of water. Bandit crank-baits in shad or chartreuse colors, spinner-baits, and jigs are all catching fish. Carolina and Texas-rigged brush-hogs are starting to catch fish near submerged brush piles. Striped Bass — Fair. Mornings and late evenings breaking fish can be found.The canal area always holds some fish. Live skip-jack in 8-12 inch range and swim-baits continue to be popular. Fish are being found 3-12 feet deep. Crappie — Good. Fish are being found 6-10 feet deep. Trolling crank-baits are catching lots of fish especially in the Turkey Creek area. Fish are being caught casting or trolling along the creek and river channels with 1/16-1/4 ounce jigs tipped with chartreuse, white or silver grubs.Minnows continue to catch fish either tight-lined or under a float. Catfish — Improving. Night-crawlers and chicken liver are still the top baits for smaller fish but cut-baits are getting the larger fish. Bluegill — Good. Lots of fish are being caught in the 2-8 feet range. Crickets, pieces of night-crawlers and small grubs and crank-baits are all producing catches. Areas near submerged timber are holding fish.

Norris

Full pool is 1,020 feet. Lake level is just over 1,017 3/4 feet, up over 1 foot from last week. Water temperatures are in the upper 70's. The main channel is clear with isolated spots of decent color up some creeks. Smallmouth Bass — Good. During the day most are being caught 10-20 feet deep. At night fish are moving up very shallow chasing shad. Points and rocky main lake banks have been holding fish. Jerk-baits and soft plastics like baby brush-hogs, lizards or worms either Carolina or Texas-rigged have been finding success. Largemouth Bass — Good. Fish are hitting a wide variety of baits from top-water to jigs. Flukes, swim-baits, Senko's, Carolina and Texas-rigs are all producing fish. Crank-baits and chartreuse and white spinner baits with willow blades are finding fish close to the banks and near lay-downs. Crappie — Fair. The bite is not as good as in past weeks. Fish are 5-15 feet deep in colored water and slightly deeper in clear. Minnows are catching the majority of fish but mini-tube jigs in red/white or blue/white have had success also. The upper ends of Cove, Davis, Lost and Sycamore Creeks are all producing catches in brush. Striped Bass — Good. Fish are 20-35 feet deep over schools of shad near points and humps. Cove, Lost and Sycamore Creeks, the main channel between Hickory Star and Hwy. 33 Bridge and the Straight Creek to Black Fox Creek area continue to produce. Umbrella rigs and tight-lined shad continue to be popular as have planer boards and shad under balloons. Walleye — Slow. Anglers trying for walleye are catching more bass than anything. A few fish are being found on points and in submerged brush in coves at night.RedFins and Thundersticks cast near flooded bushes that are showing shad activity are picking up fish at night.

Melton Hill

Full pool 793 feet. Lake level is just under 794 feet, and has been stable over the past week. Water temperatures are in the mid 70's and color is mostly clear. Largemouth Bass — Fair. Baby brush-hogs on either Carolina or Texas-rigs, pig-n-jigs and crank-baits with some chartreuse color are finding fish at times. Chartreuse and white spinner-baits with willow blades are catching fish also. The bite is definitely better when the dam is spilling. Smallmouth Bass — Fair. Fish are 8-12 feet deep. At night Carolina and Texas-rigged baby brush-hogs, jigs, spinner-baits and some top-water lures are finding fish. Striper-Fair.Fish are being found 2-12 feet deep. Live Skipjack either tight-lined or fished under balloons on 6/0 circle hooks are catching fish. Crappie — Improving. The Reactor Bend area is seeing some improvement. Minnows and 1/16 ounce flies in either brown or brown and white are good choices. Fish are from 6-17 feet deep and located near submerged timber. 1/16 ounce hair jigs in brown or brown and white have been popular.

Watts Bar

Full pool 741 feet. Lake level is just under 740 3/4 feet, up several inches from last week. Water temperatures are in the mid 70's. Largemouth Bass — Good. Crank-baits in shad, chartreuse or blue colors continue to catch fish. Black or blue jigs, tipped with pork-frogs, flukes, crank-baits, spinner-baits and Carolina-rigs are all producing catches. Main lake points and rocky banks near them have been holding fish. Smallmouth Bass — Fair. Fish are being caught on crank-baits, flukes and swim-baits. Bigger fish have been caught on rubber skirted jigs worked 15-20 feet deep along rocky main channel banks and points. Crappie — Fair. Creeks and slack water areas are producing but not in the numbers as a few weeks ago. Fish are being found from 5-15 feet deep. Minnows under floats or tight-lined and 1/16-1/8 ounce jigs fished near brush continue to produce. Chartreuse or silver grubs on red lead-head jigs continue to be popular. At night under lights, larger fish are being caught.

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Illegal fish dumping charges have been laid over the activities of another Korean Oyang fishing boat. The Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) says it has laid eight charges against the foreign charter vessel Oyang 77 over illegally dumping fish at sea. One of the charges relates to the dumping of a large basking shark, the second largest fish in the world.

Oyang 75 - also owned by Korea's largest fishing company Sajo Oyang - is before the courts facing 26 fisheries charges. It was brought to New Zealand last year to replace Oyang 70 which sank two years ago pulling in an overweight net, killing six men.

The Oyang boats are chartered from Sajo Oyang by its Christchurch based shell company, Southern Storm (2007) Ltd. MPI says eight charges were laid against the skipper and three charges against the factory manager at Christchurch District Court last week and these were served late yesterday.

"We take all allegations or evidence of breaches very seriously," says MPI Deputy Director-General Scott Gallacher. "We investigate thoroughly and methodically, and where there is sufficient evidence we will prosecute." A joint ministerial inquiry into foreign charter fishing boats earlier this year reported that Korean flagged vessels were damaging New Zealand's international reputation.

The New Zealand fishing industry has a good level of compliance with regulations, but breaches like those alleged against the Oyang boats occur from time to time, Gallacher said. "Commercial fishing relies largely on the honesty of fishers and their understanding that complying with regulations ensures the sustainability of the resource they depend on for their business."

Gallacher says while these types of investigations take time and require attention to detail and a significant amount of work, it is important that people do not feel that their information is unimportant or ignored. "We urge people to come to us if they have any evidence or suspicion of this type of breach. We will investigate."

In any instance where there proves to be evidence that wrong-doing has occurred, then a prosecution is likely, he said. The two men charged were due to appear in court in July. Korean boats have also been accused of systemic human rights and labour rights abuses toward their mainly Indonesian crews.

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COUPEVILLE Wash. -- A sunken fishing boat is leaking fuel and potentially endangering marine life off Whidbey Island, and the owner of the derelict boat could soon be facing criminal charges.

Mussel harvesting has been suspended until further notice in Whidbey Island's world-renowned Penn Cove after a 128-foot derelict fishing vessel anchored there burst into flames and later sank, officials said.

The fishing boat Deep Sea caught fire late Saturday and continued burning all night and next day, the Coast Guard reported. It sank at about 6 p.m. Sunday as the Coast Guard was preparing to inspect it and see if it could be towed out of Penn Cove, which is known around the world for the quality of its mussels and shellfish.

The Deep Sea, which was illegally anchored in the cove for months, is now leaking two gallons of diesel fuel every minute. Clean-up crews have already recovered upwards of 600 gallons of fuel, and they're now working to minimize the damage and make the boat's owner pay for the whole mess.

Ian Jefferds owns Penn Cove Shellfish, a multi-million dollar shellfish farm. He's been on edge since the fire, waiting to find out if the leaking diesel fuel will contaminate his mussel pens. "We're a pretty large employer here," Jefferds said. "Everybody makes a family living wage. These are year-round jobs."The sunken boat has already cost Jefferds $50,000 in sales, and some of the local restaurants that serve the renowned mussels are running short.

"If we get shut down some of those people aren't able to go to work," Jefferds said. The Department of Natural Resources is dealing with 220 reported derelict vessels throughout the state, and it has already spent nearly $400,000 to clean some of them up. "Many of them have sunk," said Richard Walker of the Washington Department of Ecology. "Others have been very expensive to take care of, and the taxpayers end up paying for these derelict vessels."

The Department of Natural Resources has been trying since the end of last year to force the Deep Sea's owner, Rory Westmoreland, to move his ship out of Penn Cove. On Monday, Westmoreland said he's broke and can't do much about the ship now. That explanation doesn't sit well with Jefferds. "I'm frustrated with the owner for not taking steps to move it when he was asked to," he said.

The state is considering charging Westmoreland with two misdemeanors for leaving a derelict boat and for trespassing. He could also face federal pollution charges. State ecology scientists should have their environmental damage report finished in the next several weeks.

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The big lakes are big, the smaller lakes are big and the streams are steaming. This is the time of year when an angle would like to be in about four, five or six places at once.

Erie's perch and early-season walleye run is on. Lake Ontario derby contestants and recreational anglers are seeing schooling rarely viewed. Inland lakes have warmed to temperatures that make things hot. Stream waders and shoreline casters can hook into bass virtually everywhere in Western New York.

With the walleye, northern pike and tiger musky season now open, catch and release fishing for bass in many areas of the state and most panfish species just coming off spawning and into hefty feeding sprees, the word "active" understates the status of area angling right now.LAKE ERIE

Night trollers do little talking, but the walleye bite has been good every chance boaters can get out and work the Buffalo-to-Hamburg shoreline after dark.

Since the May 1 opener, high winds and waves have washed out the after-dark walleye run at popular post-spawn sites in and close to Buffalo waters. What few trollers who have made the run have seen action well after dark. Most mentioned hours have been about 9 p.m. until well after midnight.

Stickbaits such as Rapalas, Thundersticks, and other long, thin minnow-type baits work best. First mention for successful color/finish so far has been the chartreuse and silver Rapala.

Perch seem to have finished their spawning cycle, but a few fish still show signs of eggs and milt presence. Depths have changed slightly in recent weeks, with depths of 45 feet getting more mention than the 55- to 65-foot depth calls of earlier. Rick Miller gets word of a few perch caught in Cattaraugus Creek waters, but the major schooling presence remains out in deeper waters.

Cattaraugus Creek remains the main access to perch populations. Pat Conrad, assistant manager at the Sturgeon Point Marina, is planning a May 15 opener for that facility. Barring gear failure, the access could be open for runs onto the Evans-Angola Bar and a closer shot at the Derby cliffs and Pinehurst perch grounds.

NIAGARA RIVER

"There are so many minnows in the river that they might be biting on worms just for a change," said Bill Van Camp at Big Catch Bait & Tackle about the bite along the upper Niagara River shoreline.

The white perch run continues, mainly at the foot of Ferry Street and around island edges. Fish hit throughout the day, but the morning bite has been better for panfish presence.

Lower river bass action is everywhere. Drifters have to use artificial baits for bass, and they work just about everywhere anglers can float a boat.

LAKE ONTARIO

The top 10 salmon on the LOC (Lake Ontario Counties) Derby Leaderboard all weighed in at and above 25 pounds through the first week of competition.

Some fish can be found at 50 to 150-foot depths along the entire Lake Ontario shoreline, but the heaviest concentration of boaters and bites has been around the Niagara Bar.

Trollers move in to 50-foot depths all day when skies are overcast. Successful lures range from spoons to flasher flies to Rapalas and other body baits. Most mentioned spoons have been the NK, Dreamweaver, and Stinger. The Kwikfish has taken the most leading lake trout in the LOC Derby. The Derby continues to Sunday and anglers can sign on daily to enter. For complete details, go to loc.org.

Shore casters have a choice of perch, northern pike and bass at Wilson Harbor, Olcott Harbor and Oak Orchard Creek.

INLAND LAKES
Silver/Honeoye: Honeoye leads for catch-and-release bass numbers and the bluegill bite. Silver Lake perch offer the best panfish prospects and night trollers are starting to see a few walleye with the light-weight worm harness worked at and after dark.

Chautauqua Lake: The crappie bite turned on late last week for shore and boaters afloat, said Brian Green at Happy Hooker Bait & Tackle in Ashville. Canals, bays and channels have been good and boaters can find "papermouths" from Mayville to Jamestown. A few have done well with plastics (Powerworms, Gulp, Mr. Twisters, etc.) but the live bait bite has been better. Green suggests either fathead or rosy red minnow.

A few walleye have been taken fasting minnow-type baits from shore at dusk and after dark, but the dayside bass bite bends far more rods each day out.

TROUT STOCKING
The Randolph Hatchery has stocked these sites in time for weekend anglers: Allegany County: Dyke Creek (Andover) 1,060 brown trout; Cryder Creek (Independence) 980 brown trout; Dodge Creek (Clarksville) 1,330 brown trout; and Allen Lake (Allen) 2,690 brook trout. Cattaraugus County: Case Lake (Franklinville) 1,600 brown trout.

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INDIAN RIVER COUNTY
The Sebastian Inlet District fishing reports increasing action around the Sebastian Inlet. Bait fish have moved into the area and other fish are following them. Bluefish have been very good on the outgoing tide, especially in the evenings, while ladyfish, redfish and big jacks and snook are all being caught in increasing numbers. Again, the evening hours have been best. The midday bite has included small, keeper sheepshead, spot porgies, bluefish, trout and even a few flounder.

ST. LUCIE COUNTY
Capt. Charlie Conner of Fish Tales Charters says redfish will be the main target as we move through May. Anglers are catching plenty of 18- to 30-inch fish that are sunning themselves on area flats. D.O.A. shrimp, CAL jerk baits, topwater lures and gold spoons will all work. Snook fishing is good early and late in the day, especially on the flats. Topwater lures, D.O.A. bait busters and shrimp are all good options for snook. Anglers are also doing well with Terror Eyz, big feather jigs and deep-diving plugs fished in the Fort Pierce Inlet and under area bridges.

MARTIN COUNTY
There has been a lot of bait moving up and down the shoreline and on any given day anglers can catch bluefish, jacks and sharks or whiting and pompano, but the bite has become hit or miss. According to reports from Southern Angler, there are plenty of snapper being caught off the St. Lucie Inlet between 110 and 140 feet. Many are throwing sardines for kingfish and the bite is really starting to heat up. There have been some dolphin caught between 180 and 220. In side there seems to be a steady sheepshead and black drum bite under area bridges, including both Roosevelt bridges as well as the Jensen and Stuart causeways.

LAKE OKEECHOBEE
Action on Lake Okeechobee is very good right now, according to Mike Krause at Okeechobee Fishing Headquarters. Bluegill and shell cracker are both being caught around Harney Pond and the spoil islands as well as along Observation Shoal. Both crickets and red worms are working. Overall bass numbers are just phenomenal, according to Krause. Buck Head Ridge and Third Point are both productive areas. Krause recommends watermelon red Zoom Super Flukes or ultra speed worms in June bug colors. Anglers are pitching ¾-ounce Ninja jigs rigged with Gambler Mega or Flappy Daddys along Observation Shoal. Krause also issued a warning for anglers to be cautious as alligator mating season is getting ready to start.

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Cherokee
Full pool 1,073 feet.Lake level is at 1,061 feet, up 2 feet from last week.Water temperatures are in the low 70's.Smallmouth Bass — Good.Crank-baits, jigs and soft plastics are all catching fish.Carolina and Texas-rigs continue to be popular.Fish are mainly in the 15-20 feet range.Largemouth Bass — Good.Fish are being caught against rocky banks in 3-10 feet of water.Texas-rigged, green pumpkin lizards have been hot.Rat-L-Traps, medium running shad-colored crank-baits, white spinner-baits, flukes and trick worms are also catching fish.Striped Bass — Good.Fish are 20-30 feet deep.Breaking fish can be found late in the day and are hitting top-water lures, jigs and Rat-L-Traps cast to the breaks. Trolling umbrella rigs continues to be productive.Crappie — Good.Fish are being found 5-15 feet deep.Minnows under floats, jigs tipped with minnows and 1/16-1/8 ounce jigs with blue or green bodies are popular.

Douglas
Full pool 990 feet.Lake level is at 9881/4 feet, up over 2 feet from last week.Water temperatures are in the low 70's.Good color can be found over most of the lake.Largemouth Bass — Good.Rapidly rising water levels have made the bite inconsistent.The hot bait appears to be 6-8 inch plastic worms in some shad of red.Carolina-rigs and Texas-rigs are popular.Medium to deep-running crank-baits continue to have success and dark colored buzz-baits are finding fish in the backs of pockets early and late in the day.Smallmouth Bass — Good.The area between Leadvale and Walters Bridge has been producing nice fish.Small, plastic worms have been hot.Crank-baits and spinner-baits are also catching fish. Quite water areas behind bridge piers and structure have been holding fish.Crappie — Good.Fish can be found from 2-15 feet deep depending on light conditions.Indian, Flat, McGuire, Muddy and Nina Creeks are all producing fish.Tube jigs, 1/32 ounce hair and feather jigs and minnows and bobbers are finding fish.Walleye — Slowing.This may have been the best year ever for catching walleye.The areas near Point 18, Walters Bridge, Pointe 20 and above Swann's Marina are still producing nice catches.Fish are holding close to the bottom and are being found in deeper holes along the river channels and near the mouths of creeks where structure on the bottom such as rocks or stumps are present.Green or red lead-heads with feather tails and plastic grubs or minnows have been popular.Bluegill — Good.Fish are very active and can be found against most shorelines with cover.Boulders and fallen trees are good locations.Worms, small spinner flies, hair flies and tiny hair jigs have been finding success.Catfish — Good.Fish have been biting throughout the day.Mud banks that have underwater holes and humps that can block the current and rocky shorelines are holding fish.Chicken liver and bluegill have been favorite baits.

Ft. Loudoun/Tellico
Full pool 813 feet. Lake level is just over 8113/4 feet, up several inches from last week.Water temperatures are in the low 70's with mostly clear conditions.Smallmouth Bass — Good.Crank-baits in minnow imitating colors, chartreuse or white spinner-baits and black or blue hair or rubber jigs are accounting for most catches.Largemouth Bass — Good.Fish are being found in 3-10 feet of water.Bandit crank-baits in shad or chartreuse colors, spinner-baits, and jigs are all catching fish.Carolina and Texas-rigged brush-hogs are starting to catch fish near submerged brush piles.Striped Bass — Improving.The canal area continues to hold fish which are being caught either from the bank or by boat.Live skip-jack in 8-12 inch range and swim-baits continue to be popular.Fish are being found 3-12 feet deep.Crappie — Good.Fish are being found 6-10 feet deep.Fish are schooling again and are moving onto flats and around submerged brush and are biting over the entire reservoir. Fish are being caught casting or trolling along the creek and river channels with 1/16-1/4 ounce jigs with either red or pink heads tipped with chartreuse, white or silver grubs.Minnows continue to catch fish either tight-lined or under a float.Catfish — Improving.Night-crawlers and chicken liver are still the top baits for smaller fish but cut-baits are getting the larger fish.Fish are even being caught on plastic grubs and worms.Channel swings, mouths of creeks and bluff banks are popular locations.

Norris
Full pool is 1,020 feet.Lake level is just under 1,0161/2 feet, up 1½ feet from last week.Water temperatures are in the low to mid 70's.The main channel is clear with isolated spots of decent color upstream.Caution is advised above 33 Bridge with lots of trash and logs floating above Cedar Grove.Smallmouth Bass — Good.Where wave action has colored the water fish are being found shallow otherwise many are being caught 10-20 feet deep.Points either sandy or gravel or chunk rock have been holding fish.Top-water baits are improving.Soft plastics like baby brush-hogs or worms either Carolina or Texas-rigged have been finding success.Largemouth Bass — Good.Fish are being found from 2-10 feet deep.Flukes, swim-baits, Senko's, jigs and Carolina-rigs are all producing fish.Crank-baits and chartreuse and white spinner baits are finding fish close to the banks and near lay-downs.Crappie — Good.The bite is not as good as in past weeks. Fish are 8-15 feet deep in colored water and slightly deeper in clear.Best spots are near brush.Minnows are catching the majority of fish.Striped Bass — Good.Fish are 20-35 feet deep but can be found around 15 feet deep on points. Locating schools of shad is the key to finding the fish.Cove Creek, Lost Creek and Sycamore Creek continue to produce catches.Umbrella rigs and tight-lined shad continue to be popular as have planer boards and shad under balloons.Walleye — Fair.On the mid to lower end of the lake RedFins and Thundersticks cast near flooded bushes that are showing shad activity are picking up fish at night.

Melton Hill
Full pool 793 feet.Lake level is just under 794 feet.Water temperatures are in the upper 60's and low 70's.Largemouth Bass — Great.The size may be small but good numbers of fish are being caught.Many anglers are catching more than 20 fish in an evening and early night of fishing.Baby brush-hogs on either Carolina or Texas-rigs are catching fish.The bite is better when the dam is spilling. Smallmouth Bass — Good.Fish are 6-12 feet deep.At night Carolina and Texas-rigged baby brush-hogs continue to be hot.Striper-Good.Fish are being found 2-12 feet deep.Live Skipjack either tight-lined or fished under balloons on 6/0 circle hooks are catching fish.Crappie — Improving.The Reactor Bend area is seeing some improvement.Minnows and 1/16 ounce flies in either brown or brown and white are good choices.Fish are from 8-10 feet deep and located near submerged timber.Musky — Improving.Fish are being found 3-12 feet deep and tight to cover.The area around and just down-stream from the steam plant always seems to produce.Large chartreuse spinner-baits and large jerk-baits or swim-baits fished near lay downs are producing occasional fish.

Watts Bar
Full pool 741 feet.Lake level is at 7393/4 feet, up almost 1 foot from last week.Water temperatures are around 70 degrees.Largemouth Bass — Good.Shallow running flat-sided crank-baits continue to catch good numbers of fish.Blue and chartreuse are still favorite colors.Black or blue jigs, tipped with pork-frogs, flukes, crank-baits, spinner-baits and Carolina-rigs are all producing catches.Main lake points and rocky banks near them have been holding fish.Smallmouth Bass — Fair.Fish are being caught on crank-baits, flukes and swim-baits.Bigger fish have been caught on rubber skirted jigs worked 15-20 feet deep along rocky main channel banks and points.Crappie — Good.Creeks and slack water areas are producing good numbers of fish.Fish are being found from 5-15 feet deep.Minnows under floats or tight-lined and 1/16-1/8 ounce jigs fished near brush continue to produce.Chartreuse or silver grubs on red lead-head jigs continue to be popular.

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BLACK BAYOU: The bream are bedded and hitting worms and crickets. Crappie and bass are fair along the edge of the grass.

CANEY LAKE: Bass fishing has been fair to good from shallow water to the deep piers. This week's lunker was caught on a Rat-L-Trap in 2 feet of water; the fish tipped the scales at 11.15 pounds. A good many have been caught around the piers on Shaky Heads. Bream fishing is good on worms and crickets fished around the beds while the crappie have moved to deep brush and are hitting shiners and jigs.

CHENIERE LAKE: Bream fishing has been good on beetle spins, popping bugs and crickets. Crappie are scattered around the trees with a few caught on beetle spins. Bass are best on spinners and topwater lures.

LAKE CLAIBORNE: Bream fishing is good with quite a few caught around shallow beds on crickets and worms. Bass to 5 pounds have been caught on a variety of lures. Stripers are schooling with a good many caught on shad imitation lures. Crappie are around the deeper tops and hitting shiners and jigs. Catfish have been biting on trotlines baited with chicken livers and blood and cheese bait. For latest information, call Tim Lofton at Kel's Cove at 927-2264.

LAKE D'ARBONNE: Lots of really big bream are being caught on worms and crickets around the lake. Bass are up the creeks and hitting Shaky Heads. Crappie are scattered with some shallow and some deep with shiners and Bobby Garland jigs picking up some fish. Some good fishing is reported below the spillway with bream, crappie and catfish biting. For latest information, call Anderson's Sport Center at (318) 368-9669.

OUACHITA RIVER: Crappie fishing has been fair to good fishing around the cypress roots with shiners or jigs. Bass are at the mouth of sloughs with some caught on Rat-L-Traps, spinner baits and plastic worms. Bream are bedded in the river lakes and hitting worms and crickets.

LAKE POVERTY POINT: Catfishing is good on cut shad. Bream fishing is improving on worms and crickets. Crappie and bass are rather slow. For latest reports, call Poverty Point Marina at (318) 878-0101.

LAKE ST. JOHN: Bream fishing is good on crickets and worms. Catfish are biting cold worms. Stripers are hitting Rat-L-Traps and crank baits. Bass are fair. Call Doug Miller or Ken Mahoney at Lake St. John Grocery (318) 757-0013) for latest reports and fishing conditions.

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From all indications, opening weekend of the lowland lake trout season was a success. There were plenty of limits caught, and the general consensus from fish biologists doing checks is there were “a lot of happy people.”

LAKES
Clear (Pierce): Anglers had a very good opening day, catching 5.88 fish per person, according to a state report. Anglers took home 3.41 fish per person.

Clear (Thurston): It was a similar story to the south, with anglers catching 5.18 fish per person, and taking home 3.81 fish a person. Some of the fish measured 18-19 inches, a state report said.
Crescent: Fishing at this Gig Harbor-area lake was a bit slow over the weekend. People are trolling with Wedding Rings tipped with maggots.

Harts: The fishing was on the slow side over the weekend, said a staffer at Harts Lake Resort. Anglers are catching some rainbow trout, as well as bullhead and channel catfish. Catfish anglers were using chicken livers or worms for bait.

Haven: This lake had the best catch rate in Mason County and across the South Sound region on opening day. According to a state sampling, anglers caught an average of 13.7 fish per person.

Mineral: Opening day was good, with anglers catching an average of 8.07 fish per person, said a state report. Among the fish caught were 10 larger broodstock fish that had been planted.

Riffe: People continue to bring home good catches of silver salmon. They are fishing near the dam and Fishing Bridge, using cocktail shrimp, worms and corn 6-10 feet under a bobber (change your depth if you don’t get bite), said Marshall Borsom of Fish Country.

Silver: The fishing was good and attracted a lot of people, said Bill Kenney at Henley’s Silver Lake Resort. A 5-year-old landed a 24-inch, 6-pound rainbow trout. A lot of rainbows were holdovers from last year, topping 12 inches in length. The bullhead catfish action has been very good. Kenney said they released 30,000 trout and the state has planted some larger fish for the season.

Summit: The catch rate Saturday was the best in Thurston County, with anglers hooking 5.55 fish a person. Some fish topped 20 inches, said a state report.

RIVERS
Cowlitz: Overall, the fishing for spring chinook has been good, Borsom said. The issue has been the consistency of the catch from day to day. Boaters were catching some fish back-bouncing eggs with sand shrimp, pulling divers with bait or plugs. Big gobs of eggs with sand shrimp seems to be working for the bank anglers who put their time in. The steelhead action has been slow.
Yakima: Flows have been holding steady around 8,000 cfs, and water clarity has been iffy at best.

SALT WATER
Beaches: The last razor clam dig of the season will be Saturday-Monday at Twin Harbors. No digging will be allowed after noon. The morning low tide times are Saturday, 6:32 a.m., -1.5 feet; Sunday, 7:19 a.m., -2.1 feet; and Monday, 8:07 a.m., -2.3 feet.

Puget Sound: The recreational spot shrimp fishery opens Saturday. Marine Areas 11 (Tacoma), and 10 will be open Saturday and May 11 from 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Marine Area 13 will be open daily beginning Saturday at 7 a.m. The season closes May 31.

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FISHING FOR black backed flounder, also known as winter flounder, starts to provide some action around the end of April and first of May. These early flounder are looking for some warmer waters so the outlets of shallow bays and harbors are a good place to start looking as well as up into some of the tributaries of the bays, such as you might find in Hampton /Seabrook Harbor in the Granite State. Another good choice is in the bays and inlet/outlets in Boston Harbor.

Overfishing seems to have decimated the great flounder resource once found along the local Maine coastline. But it's true that you'd have to really be lucky or fish very hard to find any decent flounder fishing in most of Maine's local waters, except the possibility of finding a small resource in Brave Boat Harbor. The one exception is the Piscataqua River off Kittery and Kittery Point and the back channel of the Piscataqua that runs behind Seavey Island (where the Portsmouth Navy Yard is located). The area called Pepperell Cover (off of Kittery Point) for many years has produced some pretty good fishing, but is now quite chancy.

If you don't mind a six or seven mile jaunt out to the Isles of Shoals, there are a few spots that will often provide some wonderful flounder fishing, one of them being Gossport Harbor.

For the last few years, it's apparent that a big rebound in the flounder population is occuring at New Hampshire's Rye Harbor and the area just outside the harbor off the jetties and the Merrimack River outlet and adjoining shallow water at Salisbury and Newburyport, Mass. Often this school of flounder is spread northward all the way to the mouth of the Hampton Harbor.

If you fish from the shoreline there are a few select spots that will provide action. One is the jetties at Rye Harbor. The other is the shoreline and jetties at the outlet of Hampton Harbor.

There are also multiple good spots in the Merrimack River estuary, one of the most popular being off the Salisbury (Mass.) State Park and the other great spot on the shoreline at Plum Island (Mass.) in the U.S. Wildlife Preserve.

If you choose to fish the ocean and even the bay areas, most good fishing will take place in fairly shallow water from 15 to 40 foot depths. Gear can be as simple as a handline with sinker and hooks baited with seaworms or clams. But for some reason the people fishing with more modern equipment. Spinning or level wind reels spooled up with braided line and fairly light mono of fluro leaders will out-fish the hand lines by a fair margin.

While boat fishing for flounder, a proven tactic is to chum the fish into your area. This should be done while at anchor and a good technique used by many is to attach your chum bag or chum cage onto your anchor line, making sure that it makes contact with bottom as black backed flounder are just about entirely bottom feeders.

Ground fish of just about any kind along with ground clam or other seafood shells mixed with canned whole kernel corn seems to be the best chum recipe. Fish such as mackerel, herring or bluefish, because of their oil content work well. Many flounder anglers save their remains of these fish after filleting and ground them up for their chum bag.

Both bag limits and size limits vary from state to state.

Check the various state's web sites for the right information.

My favorite flounder spot?

Off Deer Island in Boston Harbor. Try drifts with sea worm or clam bait until you find a drift that will produce fish. We find the incoming tide is best and at high tide the bite usually stops or moves. On the other side of Deer Island, just to the south of the North Channel Buoys, we've also made some great catches.

And once while fishing with Pete Santini, his friend's motor broke down so we threw out an anchor and just started to fish. We got a limit of nice flounders right there, which was about a quarter mile off Long Island, kind of between Long and Spectacle islands.

There is good launching and parking at Winthrop Town Landing and easy access to the flounder grounds. Don't stand too tall in your boat. Those jets coming off the runway at Logan look awful low.

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Captain B.J. Meyer of the Silent Hunter Fleet and his crew out of 7 Mile Marina in Marathon took sixth place in the 2012 World Sailfish Championship held in Key West and decided to do a fun fishing trip with his crew offshore of Sombrero Light in 130 feet of water. The boat left the marina at 12:45p.m. and returned to the dock at 4:30 p.m. By the end of the day, the group had released 50 sailfish using live silver mullet for bait on 20-pound tackle.

MIAMI-DADE/BROWARD
Captain Paul Roydhouse from Fishing Headquarters and Catch My Drift party boats out of Fort Lauderdale reported nighttime bottom fishing trips are producing plenty of yellowtail, mangrove and large mutton snappers and bluefish. Captain Jimbo Thomas from the charter boat Thomas Flyer out of Bayside Marina reported offshore action has been very good with a lot of sailfish feeding in the 100- to 180-foot depths. Blackfin tuna and kingfish to 50 pounds are being caught as well.

KEYS
Captain Rick Rodriguez of Sea Horse Deep Sea Sportfishing reported offshore fishing for Mahi has been outstanding. The dolphins are of all sizes and can be found along the blue water color change. Blackfin tuna, wahoo and sailfish are also being caught in the same areas. Amberjacks are being caught over the wrecks and humps offshore. Captain Bill Hauck from the party boat Sea King out of Marathon reported there are a lot of yellowtail snappers to be caught in 40 feet of water. Starting Tuesday  1st through May 6, the Sea King will be offering 6 a.m.-6 p.m. grouper fishing trips. Troy Pruitt of Naples fished the Jim Bokor All-Tackle Bonefish Tourney held out of Islamorada with guide Brian Helms of Homestead and took first-place honors with 12 bonefish releases and four weight fish.

TREASURE COAST
Tom Turowski from the Sebastian Inlet Bait and Tackle reported schools of silver mullet are moving in and out of the inlet attracting attention from jack crevalles in the 5- to 20-pound range. Also feeding in and around the inlet have been bluefish in the 4- to 10-pound range, snook and large redfish. Large flounder and decent-sized sea trout are eating live finger mullet fished on the bottom on the inside of the inlet. Henry Caimotto from the Snook Nook Bait and Tackle in Jensen Beach reported gaffer-sized dolphins and sailfish are being caught offshore in 200 to 300 feet of water. Pompano have been active along the Hobe Sound and County Line beaches.

FLORIDA BAY
Chris Vasallo and Richard Hew, both from Pinecrest, fished Florida Bay out of Flamingo with Hookup lures tipped with live pinfish, soft plastics and Rapala Skitter Walks. They fished under a Cajun Thunder float and released seven snook to 14 pounds, landed a limit of redfish to 6 pounds releasing four others and had over two dozen sea trout to 24 inches. They fished with captain Alan Sherman of Get Em Sportfishing Charters. Captain Nester Alvisa of Hooked on Flamingo Charters reported phenomenal redfish action east of the Park. Alvisa also reported a good bite from snook, trout, jacks and sharks around Cape Sable.

SOUTHWEST COAST
Captain Roan zumFlede of Rz’s Fishing Extremes Charters out of Naples reported large tarpon have been in the areas of the Rookery and Johnson bays and in the creeks. Snook have been scattered from the outside beaches to the inside creeks. At night, the snook can be found in the passes and redfish have been holding on the flats on the low rising tides. Some of the redfish have reached 35 inches.

FRESHWATER
Rick Soverns from Sawgrass Recreation Park reported water levels are dropping with less than eight inches left up on the flats and the fish are being pushed into the east and north canals. Anglers are having no trouble catching up to 30 largemouth bass in fours of fishing casting live shiners and soft plastic lizards. Plenty of panfish are bedding and feeding in both canals. Captain Pat Stevens out of Slim’s Fishing Camp in Belle Glade on Lake Okeechobee reported bluegills are bedding, specks are still being caught and largemouth bass fishing is excellent. The panfish are eating live worms and minnows, and the bass are eating live shiners and soft plastic swim baits in the outside grassy areas.

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