There are no size or bag limits on croaker. Citation minimums are 3 pounds for creeled fish and 20 inches for releases.

FLOUNDER
From mid-May into June, flounder can be found along dropoffs in most of the waters around Hampton. As waters warm in June, most of the larger fish will seek deeper water.

Hampton Bar will usually hold flounder, especially along the ledge on the channel side of the river. A few in the 8-pound class are caught here each year. Most anglers drift the ledge with a minnow and squid trailer on a fluke rig.

At the HRBT, anglers casting jigs around the bridge pilings during the beginning of a tide change score well on fish up to 26 inches. The sloughs on the Norfolk side of the HRBT can also be productive.

Many of the region's bigger flounder last year came from Back River Reef, with a number of them topping 7 pounds. Captain Hogg was one of those who enjoyed success at the reef, where he live-lined spot and finger mullet, letting the bait drift into the structure. He also employed cut bait, preferring strips of bluefish.

"Fishing was also good just outside the mouth of the James," said Hogg. "Flounder held off the Officer's Club at Fort Monroe, and between buoy 18 and Thimble Shoals Light. There's a drop from 17 to 30 feet, then another drop from 30 to 56 feet."

Other bay hotspots this time of year include Bluefish Rock and dropoffs in front of Buckroe Beach. In the York River, the Gloucester Point Bridge area remained productive through June last year. Under extremely windy conditions, this was the go-to spot for anglers unable to get out on bigger water.

Tackle needed for flounder fishing depends on where you are fishing and the size of the fish being targeted. Light tackle will suffice in calmer, protected waters for smaller fish, but doormats in the open bay call for heavier gear. A rod with fairly heavy action may be necessary to handle the weight required to reach bottom and to battle a large, angry flounder on the other end of the line. Use a fast-taper rod that supplies the needed backbone, but still has enough sensitivity in the tip to detect a light-biting fish.

A good basic rig consists of a 12- to 24-inch length of shock leader made of 20- to 30-pound-test line attached to a three-way swivel. Tie on one or two wide-gap hooks and an egg or bank sinker attached by dropper loops. Smaller fish are taken on 1/0 or 2/0 hooks, but 3/0 to 5/0 should be used when targeting trophies.

Anglers are permitted six flounder per day measuring a minimum of 17 inches. Citation minimums are 7 pounds for creeled fish and 26 inches for releases.

GRAY TROUT
Gray trout can be found all summer throughout the Chesapeake Bay, its inlets and tributaries. Smaller pan trout will frequent many of the same areas as croaker and can be caught on the same gear and baits. Bottom-fishermen specifically targeting trout should add a little more action to their bait, moving it along the bottom with a slight jigging motion.

Numbers of larger trout, in the 7- to 10-pound range, were down throughout the state in 2004, with best catches coming from the CBBT and HRBT. The larger fish are often taken by jigging artificials such as bucktails, spoons and plastics. Chartreuse, yellow, green and white are all productive colors. Most strikes come on the drop, so it's important to keep control of your lure on the way down.