Croaker are the first species to arrive in the tidewater area. April marks the beginning of the bottom fishing season for the Alma Lee. During this period, these Croakers swim up the rivers to shallow water in search of food along the bottom. The Alma Lee is right behind them, fishing the Rappahannock River near Tappahannock. As the water warms, they migrate out to deeper water and distribute themselves into large schools throughout the bay during summer. In the later part of May, the Alma Lee heads out to the middle and eastern side of the bay for the catch. Many remain in the area until the cool weather arrives in October. These hard fighting fish are fun to catch on light gear and make good table fare.
Spot, a cousin to the croaker, begin to show in decent numbers toward the end of July and continue through the hot summer months. Large specimines, also known as "number ones" are caught in the late summer and early fall. The Alma Lee usually does not have to go far to find the fish, as they are found in good numbers in the Rappahannock River east of the White Stone bridge to just offshore of Gwynn's Island. These easy to catch and tasty fish remain with the croakers until the arrival of cool weather in October.
Gray Trout are the last to show and the last to leave of the bottom fishing species. They are often mixed-in and caught along with croaker and spot. Keeper-sized (over 14 inches) fish become more abundant inshore during the months of September and October. Gray Trout can be caught well into November if conditions are right.
Flounder season peaks in July and can remain steady through the beginning of October depending on the summer's weather. These bottom-dwelling flatfish can be caught using a variety of techniques and baits. Some of the best fishing takes place along drop-offs and deep holes located in the midde-part of the bay. They can be challenging to catch and under certain circumstances, a large flounder will be on the line without the angler knowing it. To many, the flounder is the best-eating fish in the bay.

Spanish Mackerel: As the Bay water temperature begins to peak in late July, so does the fishing for Spanish Mackerel. These sleek and torpedo-like fish are the most colorful fish in the area. They travel in large schools in search of baitfish, so when they are located while trolling, many can be caught in a short period of time.
Bluefish: Late summer and early fall can yield nice sized Bluefish. Many times they are mixed in with schools of Spanish Mackeral, as they feed on the same baitfish. Often times during this time of year "blues" are caught while bottom fishing. It is not uncommon to reel in a spot that has been bitten in half by these ferocious eaters. Later in the fall, larger Bluefish are sometimes caught accidently while Rockfishing, as they are attracted to the same lures.
Striped Bass, a.k.a Rockfish: In the fall, schools of large ocean rockfish enter the bay to feed on menhaden and other species of baitfish. The bay-season opens in the beginning of October where we target the large resident species of the Rappahannock River. Nice-sized schools of migratory fish usually do not show up in the bay until November. In January, many of the Rockfish migrate out of the bay to their wintering grounds off of the Virginia and North Carolina coasts for Virginia's Coastal Rockfish season, however, many also stay behind allowing for some great "catch and release" action throughout the winter. In the spring, these fish will come back and migrate into the bay's estuaries to spawn. There is a six-week spring season beginning in May after the spawning period.