6/30/2017 Update:
The Lower Bay is holding some rockfish around HS Buoy south to Buoy 72, and around Cove Point. The lower Potomac has also been holding a good number of fish, with chummers doing well near the channel edges around Tall Timbers, Piney Point, St. George's Island, and Calvert Bay. Some anglers have also been catching these fish jigging and trolling. In addition to catching rockfish in these areas, many anglers have also reported catching bluefish. The Tackle Box notes that there are now cobia within range of lower Bay anglers in Maryland, with a few fish showing up in the lower Tangier and Pocomoke Sound. Chummers have been finding these fish, right as the tide shifts.
Speaking of the Tangier: there are a lot of fish on the eastern side right now, so Lower Bay anglers should check the Tangier Report and consider making a run if they want to get in on some various species.
Croaker are a steady part of the bottom fishing catch these days, with bloodworms producing the most fish, though their numbers haven't been spectacular. Some spot are mixed in, too, though white perch remain the most numerous bottom fish. Inside the Patuxent and near Hawk's Nest have been mentioned as hotspots.
Anglers fishing the Potomac and its creeks north of the 301 Bridge up to DC are enjoying steady blue catfish action. Cut fish set on bottom in channels and holes at the bends of creeks accounts for most of the catch. The creeks and fresher areas are also full of willing snakeheads.
6/23/2017 Update:
The Patuxent has been full of life this week, with anglers catching everything from rockfish to croaker. According to Ken at the Tackle Box, bluefish, croaker, spot, and rockfish have been biting on tide changes. Bluefish and striped bass are hitting topwater lures and bucktails, mostly in chartreuse and white, around Hooper’s Island Light. Although most of the fish have been small in size, casting around the shallows has produced the occasional 30 plus inch fish. Spot have showed up around Hawk's Nest in the Patuxent and are typically being caught on double bottom rigs with blood worms.
Out in the main-stem bay chummers are doing best. Ledges and shelves in the Middle Grounds have been the best bet for a mix of stripers and blues.
The Potomac still has good striper fishing in the Tall Timbers area. The river and it's tributary creeks are holding large numbers of blue catfish from the 301 bridge clear up to DC, and they’ve been biting whatever bait you drop in front of them. But blues aren't the only cool cats in town - June 1 angler Jacob Vosburgh hooked a new record white catfish!
6/16/2017 Update:
Keeper rockfish have been few and far between, with small fish providing most of the action. Fortunately there's now a good number of bluefish mixed in with the stripers, especially for chummers setting up from the Middle Grounds up to the Hooper's Island Light area along drop-offs from 25 to 35 feet of water. Anglers working the shallows early and late in the day in the lower Patuxent and Potomac have encountered a few speckled trout, along with (mostly small) stripers. Some croaker are also being caught, especially around Point Lookout, but this fishery hasn't developed into the cooler-filling experience we used to enjoy when targeting croaker.
Up inside the Potomac there have been some reports of keeper-sized fish. Chummers working the north side of the river between Tall Timbers and Huggins Point have been scoring lately.
Lots of crabs are in the southern part of the bay, and most people catching them are using bunker. Chicken necks have not worked as well this year as they have in past seasons.
On the eastern side, fishing has been consistent in the shallows for stripers (still mostly small) plus some speckled trout. Far up the tributaries, especially in and around Blackwater, anglers are targeting snakeheads with a good deal of success.
Farther south the lower reaches of the bay is experiencing a massive cobia run. Tons of large cobia have moved into the lower bay, and are eating up live eels when dropped down to them. Bishop’s suggested that anglers looking to catch cobia head to Grandview or the Baltimore Channel, where most of the cobia reported to them have been caught. Fishermen have also had some red drum mixed in with their catch, although anglers targeting them have been fishing off shoals in slightly shallower water. See the Way South & VA reports for more info from the mouth of the Bay.
6/9/2017 Update:
While rockfishing has been steady, most fish being caught between the Potomac and Patuxent have been on the smaller side. Enough of them to keep things interesting, however, have between 20 and 26 inches, according to Ken at the Tackle Box. Most anglers who have been catching them are vertical jigging with white and chartreuse BKDs in 20 to 32 feet of water, or have been chumming at anchor with bunker.
White perch and catfish have been plentiful as always, and are in most of the rivers and tributaries. Perch are biting blood worms and shad darts, as well as grass shrimp. The catfish are eating cut bait. After something of a false start the past couple of weeks croaker fishing has not really taken off yet. Some are being caught, but not the numbers or sizes one would hope for by this point in the spring; warming waters should help bring more of them up the bay.
On the eastern side, speckled trout are in the Honga river, as well as in the bay along the shallows. Anglers fishing for rockfish can hope to catch the occasional speckled trout, as several people have reported them being mixed in with the rockfish catch this past week. To target the speckled trout fish the shallows, with twister-tails, bucktails, and soft plastics. Chartreuse, black, pink, and white have all been effective colors.
Crabbing in the lower bay has been good this season so far, both for watermen dropping pots and trot-liners using net-bags of razor clams.
6/2/2017 Update:
The Tackle Box reports that the rockfish action slowed a bit recently, although fishing for bluefish has picked up and these fish should start to be around in large numbers, soon. Most of the striper action seems to be in the Cedar Point to Cove Point area. Trolling along the 35 foot channel edge with bucktails and spoons has been doing the trick. There is also some good trolling action in the lower Potomac River, especially near Piney point. Chummers, meanwhile, have been getting into both species near buoys 70, 72A, and at the Middle Grounds.
The first of the red drum have appeared, too, caught on shrimp fished on the bottom. We also had an unverified report of reds on shrimp near the target ships.
In the rivers and creeks, bottom rigs baited with blood worms or shrimp have been working well for perch and croaker. Croaker are also being reported in the Potomac near the mouth of the Wicomico, in good numbers. Some big blue catfish have turned up inside the Wicomico, and from farther up the rivers we also keep hearing reports of snakeheads—more and more every day—from both western (Potomac and upper Patuxent) and eastern (Blackwater, upper Nanticoke, and creeks feeding Fishing Bay) sides. Rubber frogs and topwater lures sound like the best bet for the Frankenfish.
