5/26/2017 Update:
According to the guys at the Tackle Box, Point Lookout is the place to be this spring. In addition to catching rockfish, anglers fishing the point can look forward to a good croaker catch and Point Lookout has produced many limit-out days for local anglers. Croaker are biting bloodworms, squid, and shrimp. Keeper rockfish have been striking on peeler crabs, blood worms, and cut bunker, with plenty of keepers but also large numbers of fish between 16 and 19 inches. Some local anglers have had success light tackle jigging. Saint Clements Bay, Solomons Island, and inside the Potomac have been producing large numbers of fish, as well as Point Lookout. Back in the creeks, perch are hitting nightcrawlers and bloodworm.
If you’ve been looking forward to the start of crabbing season, we have good news—it`s here! Many watermen have been filling up their bushel baskets in the early hours of the morning, using chicken necks and razor clams in the shallows of the lower bay.
The lower Bay also provided a few rather unusual reports this week, with a handful of large blues in the eight to 10 pound range surprising a few anglers. An even bigger surprise was the appearance of a few big redfish out in the main bay, caught by jiggers probing the depths beneath schools of breaking fish and also in the area of the Target Ships. But the most unusual report of all comes to us by way of Dan Wilson, who discovered that the snakeheads have spread all the way into creeks in the Toddville area. After filling his plate with snakeheads, crabs, and oysters, he claims he’s discovered the “Toddville Trifeca”. Dan will get no argument from us.
5/19/2017 Update:
Although waters have been muddy due to the past week of rain, the Tackle Box let us know it isn`t stopping the fish from biting. Twenty to 30 inch rockfish have been hitting crankbaits and soft plastics in chartreuse, and are also being caught chumming, since the season opened for school-sized fish. Many fish are being caught in the warm waters around the power plant, which are being reported to hold a few larger fish, caught with patience after picking through large numbers of smaller fish.
In addition to the good start to regular rockfish season, perch and croaker are now spreading all through the local rivers. They're being found especially heavy in the St. Mary’s River, and the lower Potomac. Perch are hitting bloodworms in open water and over hard bottom and small spinners, up near the shorelines and around structure. The croaker are primarily going after bloodworm baits fished on hard bottom. A few bluefish are also being caught here and there by anglers jigging for stripers, with some very large fish in the 10-pound-plus range being reported. As the water warms up and debris settle, the bluefish fishing should pick up, too, as more of them head further up the bay. Considering the incredible run of large blues the coast has been seeing the past few weeks, hopes are high for a serious influx of these choppers.
We also heard some reports that crabbing is slow right now, with many of the jimmies being caught falling short of the minimum size. As the crabs migrate further up the bay crabbing should pick up, however.
5/16/2017 Update:
If you're considering a run to the north, check out the Middle Bay report.
5/15/2017 Update:
Those in the southern reaches of the Maryland portion of the Bay may want to consider running a hair to the north, as school-size stripers become legal. Multiple reports are flowing in of mass schools of fish in the mid 20's to the mid 30's on the western side of the Bay, from Deal down to Calvert Cliffs. Most of these schools are roaming along the area of the 30 foot contour, though you'll find them anywhere from 28 or 30 feet down to 35 or 40 feet. They're often given away by the birds, but not always - they've been coming up and abruptly going back down rapidly. If you spot large numbers of birds sitting on the water or up in the air looking, DO NOT leave the area!! Search with your fishfinder, and spend some time looking around because there's a good chance one of these schools is near by.
Top lures have ranged from metal jigging spoons like blue/silver Stingsilvers and Crippled Herrings (used vertically when fish are spotted on the meter fairly deep beneath the boat) to soft plastics (five and also 10 inch baits have been effective, with white, chartreuse, and pink all producing big numbers of fish) used for suspended fish and those breaking water. BKDs on three-quarter ounce heads have reportedly been hot. Catches of dozens of fish at a time and the use of words like "epic" have been used to describe this bite!
5/12/2017 Update:
The guys at the Tackle Box told us that most fish being caught right now are hitting tandem rigs, and some are very large fish, but overall the trophy bite remains sub-par. There have been a few fish reported from the lower Potomac but still no "rush" of fish moving out from up-river, so with a little luck, this bite will pick up and give us a spurt of action before trophy season ends. At the Power Plant there's also a good bite, with 10" soft plastics in white, chartreuse, and pink, but the majority of the fish are under-sized. When the limit drops down to 20", however, this should be an excellent option.
While the rockfishing for trophies out in open water has still been fairly slow, anglers now have another option as there are now good numbers of croaker biting around Point Lookout and Solomons, from just off shore out into the main-stem bay. Bloodworms and peeler crab are the best baits. Anglers looking for a meal can also focus on the white perch, which continue to offer good action on bottom rigs baited with bloodworm.
We also caught wind of an UNCONFIRMED report of large numbers of speckled trout coming in on a boat leaving from the Solomon's Island area. This report comes to us second-hand and we were not able to confirm this with anyone who's laid eyes on the fish first-hand. At this time of year it's entirely believable, though, especially since a boat in this area can easily hit the eastern shore marsh islands as well as the western shore hotspots.
5/5/2017
The Tackle Box let us know that the perch bite is in full swing. Anglers have been finding success using bottom rigs with grass shrimp and blood worms. Perch are being found all around the Solomons area and near Point Lookout, and a few (but very few) croaker have also popped up.
Fishing for trophies has continued to be slow, however, with a few migratory trophies still being caught on chartreuse and white umbrellas and tandem rigs in 35 feet of water and up. The fish that were upriver in the Potomac spawning in the past few weeks still haven't appeared down-river and historically there's a wave of trophies that hits in early May. So hopefully, before the trophy season ends these fish will provide a last blast of action for the trollers.
If you’re fishing in the MSSA Championship on the Chesapeake this weekend in lower bay waters, please remember to be careful. This is one of the widest areas of the Chesapeake and the waves can be a good bit larger than other parts of the bay. Considering the weather report, lots of caution is in order.
