Way South and VA Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, February 21, 2019 Update:
The southern waters of our Chesapeake haven’t been especially productive this week, and reports from the inlets are of slow pickings – instead, most anglers who report success are heading up the rivers to get in on the blue catfish which have been much more active than anything out on the Bay. Catfish are hitting gizzard shad and chicken breast fished on bottom, deep in the usual holes and channels. The upper Potomac from the Wilson bridge up has provided the most reports, but that’s likely because that’s where so many anglers are and the Rappahannock and James should also be great bets.
Running up the rivers is also producing excellent crappie catches. The Rappahannock is stealing the limelight here, with fish taking minnow and tubes retrieved slowly near structure especially in the Fredericksburg area. The recent precipitation could cloud the waters for the immediate future so remember that as a general rule as visibility goes down, the effectiveness of live bait tends to go up. Interestingly, we also caught wind of a snakehead being caught in the upper reaches of the Piankatank last week. It’s certainly not the first time, but it is February... so hearing about one now makes us wonder just how many are swimming around out there these days.
Meanwhile, anglers throughout the area have the perch run on their minds. While we’re not hearing "stellar" reports just yet people are catching yellows (mostly on minnow) in some of the deeper, pre-spawn holes and creek mouths. Some whites (on grass shrimp) have also been reported. That said, this bite will only get better from here on out. Don't forget that the new edition of FishTalk, just hitting the streets now, is our Perch Spectacular and has several how-to, where-to articles that will help you fill up that stringer.
Way South and VA Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, February 13, 2019 Update:
Fishing the southern waters of the Chesapeake has continued to be a struggle, at best. Although poor weather kept anglers off the water in previous weeks, those who did manage to escape dry land recently have been met with lack-luster fishing. Wreck fishing this season has been tough, with catching even a few taugtog or seabass requiring lots of effort. We had a few reports of seabass caught this week, however getting to them has been difficult. The one bright spot is the catfish fishery in the upper tributaries, which has held up for anglers using cut bait and chicken breast.
Way South and VA Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, February 6, 2019 Update:
Despite the short-lived warmup this week, reports from this area were in short supply this week. The southern waters of the Chesapeake have been mainly devoid of boats, and those that have been venturing out are often coming back disappointed. Tautog inside the Bay have been few and far between, and massive effort has yielded minuscule results, if any. The weather did allow a boat to get out for tog at the inshore wrecks, though; check the Coastal Report for more details. (Still, all in all, the bite is best described as slow). All the action remains up the tributaries, where a mix of freshwater species perch, pickerel, and catfish represent the best shot at bending a rod.
Way South and VA Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, February 1, 2019:
Sorry folks, but this will not be an extensive report due to the recent (and unacceptable!!) weather conditions. In fact, we have nothing for you on the main Bay itself. Zip, zero, nada. Prior to the unfishable temperatures there were some reports of large catfish, best targeted by using a live bluegill or cut mud shad, in the upper tributaries including the Potomac, the Rap, and the James. There were also perch sitting deep in pre-spawn holes occasionally hitting bull minnow, however, even this species has proved somewhat lethargic recently. We do want to let you folks know that late next week and over the weekend, we’ll be at the Mid-Atlantic Sports and Boat Show, in Virginia Beach, along with our sister publication PropTalk. If you get to the show, be sure to stop by the FishTalk/PropTalk booth and say “hi” to Angler in Chief Lenny Rudow (he'll be around all day Friday and on Saturday until 4:00) and the rest of the staff. Let us know what fishing topics you’d like to see us cover in the future, and we’ll be sure to oblige.
