Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, 4/27/2018 Update:
Reports from the Tackle Box indicate that fishing has been just as slow in the Lower Bay as everywhere else. However, there are plenty of fish up the Potomac, and when they finally spawn and then head south the fishing should pick up considerably. The most interesting thing we heard, however, came from readers fishing in and near Hopper Straits where apparently several big fish were caught on deep lines. This jibes with the Upper Bay report, which indicated that most fish are being caught on boat rods set to troll deep, not planer board lines up near the top. Expect this to change as more sunny days arrive but for now, probing the depths with some extra lines would seem to be a good move.
The other action we've heard about came from up the Potomac, where anglers soaking cut fish on bottom continue to catch big blue catfish in holes and channel edges. This has probably been the most consistent fishery we've heard about all spring. Those willing to travel all the way up above DC have also found some shad willing to bite, though this bite hasn't exactly been prime, either. Things should pick up with some warmer weather here, too.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, 4/20/2018 Update:
As rockfish season has come upon us, fishing is still much slower than hoped for. The Tackle Box reported that very few anglers have been coming in with reports of fish, and those who have managed to bend a rod are catching fish below the trophy season size limit. Trolling the shipping channel edges has proved largely unsuccessful, however there have been a few scattered reports of large fish along the edges coming in to J&W. on a brighter note, the creeks off the Potomac have continued to have a stellar white perch bite, for anglers using grass shrimp and bloodworm on bottom rigs or shad darts. (Which just goes to show you how delayed the spring patterns are). And the past few weeks has brought the blue cats into full swing in the area, which can primarily be caught on cut fish placed on bottom.
Some anglers targeting catfish with bait in the middle section of the river have (accidentally) encountered pre-spawn stripers, including some trophy-sized fish. Give these girls a week or two of warm weather so they can drop their eggs and migrate back down river, and trophy fishing in the Lower Bay should improve quite a bit. Until then, however, we're not sure the fishing will be incredibly good. Shad fishing is another option right now, and is just beginning to get really good in the Potomac.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, 4/13/2018 Update:
With rockfish season opening in little over a week, catch and release action this week has been worryingly slow. The Tackle Box did not have any confirmed reports of trophy fish so far, and the vast majority of anglers who trolled channel ledges and fished the target ships came home without catching. Running north to the warm water discharge at Calvert Cliffs is by far an anglers best bet.
Rather than be worrying, the apparent lack of fish willing to bite in the Lower Bay may actually be good tidings for the spring season. Many of the females appear to be ready to spawn as soon as the water temps rise a bit, and unlike last year, we should get a good shot at large numbers of fish as they move back out of the Bay. Opening weekend may not yet be the best time, but projections for the season overall are excellent.
Anglers have also been heading up the Potomac, to enjoy both blue catfish action and more recently also shad, all the way up near DC. We had readers send in photo-documented reports of each (there's more detail in the Freshwater Report). And while we didn't receive any reports of white perch in the creeks off the Potomac this week, we'd bet money they're available and willing to bite. Reports from the Eastern and Western Shores, and just about everywhere that normally sees a perch run, were good the past week. Grass shrimp and bloodworms fished on bottom in deep holes were the ticket, though with the incoming warm weather these fish will likely hit the spawning areas then head back down-river rapidly.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, 4/6/2018:
Although water temperatures have stayed in the upper 40s, as they begin to venture up towards the 50-degree mark in upcoming weeks, we should see more consistent fishing and larger fish becoming active. This week did bring some warmer weather and a break between gusts, which tempted many anglers who have been suffering from cabin fever this winter out onto the water. The obvious hotspot this week was the Calvert Cliffs warm water discharge, which The Tackle Box reported produced a great number of fish over the 30 inch mark, and a few in the upper 30s to low 40s. Those who didn't venture to the Power Plant cruised out to the target ships, where few large fish were caught, but schoolies were in abundance.
The Potomac has produced some great blue catfish fishing, particularly up near DC, with anglers soaking cut fish in holes and channels catching five to 15 pound fish by the dozens. Bigger fish in the 30-plus-pound range have been mixed in with the "schoolies" now and again. White perch are also biting in the area, mostly in the headwaters of Potomac tributaries, as they reach their spawning grounds.