Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, September 27, 2019 Update:
Spanish Mackerel fishing remains stellar throughout the Lower Chesapeake, with trollers enjoying easily limiting out early in the day. The Tackle Box reported that the vast majority of trollers have been pulling small Clark spoons, small Drones, and Hard Head Custom Baits in bright colors behind number-one planers. Many boats have been keeping to the channel edges, but mackerel are pretty much everywhere throughout the Lower Bay. Area hasn’t mattered so much as just being out and covering water. In the main-stem from Reedville to the mouth of the Rap trollers found that there were plenty of mackerel this week, but also ever-increasing numbers of bluefish in the two to five pound range. In addition to trolling, Spanish mackerel and blues can be caught by casting a metal lure through baitfish under working birds and reeling as quickly as possible. Angler in Chief Lenny Rudow said that fishing under birds near the Target Ship this week they encountered some hefty Spanish specimens up to five pounds or so while ripping spoons. Bluefish can be caught this way as well - just as many blues as mackerel at the moment, in fact - and they’re showing up in increasing numbers and size (up to three pounds or so). Jigging under the mele with two ounce spoons and 10-inch plastics has been producing a monster red here and there too, for lucky anglers.
Rudow also said they spotted some cobia pushing water on the Middle Grounds, and though those fish didn’t eat, there were a number of trollers working red and orange hoses in the area who said they had caught some fish; most are undersized, but keepers are in the mix. Though the Cape Charles zone still tops the list for this species, the area around the Targets and the Middle Grounds in general have been hotspots for anglers going after cobia recently. The Tackle Box reported that they’re primarily being caught by sight caster or trollers. Sight casters are tossing live eels at spotted cobia on the surface, and trollers have been pulling those hoses. An interesting phenomenon of the cobia season is the number of creative ways we see determined anglers sketchily attach ladders to their boats. Bungee cords, duct tape, and the free-standing ladder have all been spotted recently. While we applaud their determination, we also encourage them to cruise slowly and make sure the insurance is paid up.
In the tribs and creeks, perch fishing has been excellent for anglers casting small spinnerbaits. Tipping these lures with bits of bloodworm or squid will bring eager strikes. Perch are still in summertime mode where they want to bite in the early morning and at sunset, making for a great start to the day and a relaxing way to unwind after work.
Crabbing report: Crabbing is excellent in the Lower Bay tribs right now.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, September 19, 2019 Update:
Spanish mackerel fishing in the Lower Bay remains stellar, and the waters are packed. The Tackle Box let us know that the shipping channels and the mouths of all the Western Shore rivers are doing especially well, and most guys throughout the area are pulling small Clarks spoons or small Drones behind number-one and number-two planers to target the mackerel. These same areas have also been home to a healthy population of stripers and bluefish, which can easily be located mixed in under diving birds. Lure casters are doing fantastic tossing spoons, bucktails, or jigging under them with heavy metal. Be sure to reel fast (as fast as possible) if you’re going after the mackerel. The Tackle Box also reported that bull reds have been hanging underneath these schools, and can be caught on soft plastics.
The folks from Machodoc Creek Marina checked in to let us know that fishing for white perch in the VA creeks on the Potomac has been producing some of the biggest perch they’ve ever seen, with the best bite around grass and on shrimp-flavored Fishbites. They also mentioned that catfish are “everywhere,” and there’s a good trolling bite for stripers in the 22- to 25-inch range around Swan Point.
Anglers interested in catching cobia should head to the Target Ship and below, where trollers, chummers, and sight casters are hard at work. Reports are mixed – very mixed. We heard from a couple captains probing the area who skunked out, and from some others who had between four and seven including a couple-few keepers. Most of those who reported catching ID’d red and orange hoses on troll as the best bet. Those who also want a shot at the big drum are adding a big, flashy spoon or two to the spread. Still, however, the better bite for cobia lays to the south near Cape Charles where sight anglers tossing eels are doing well (though many of he fish are throwbacks) when the conditions are decent. The biggest impediment lately has been wind and/or cloud cover, not a lack of fish.
One more fishery of interest: the speckled trout bite continued to improve this week. More and more are coming from the shallows, mostly from the Sounds and along the lower Eastern Shore. We’ll leave the details on that to the Tangier and Lower Shore report, but they’re also making a decent showing on the Western side of the Bay, with the best numbers mostly from the Piankatank down but multiple-fish catches all the way up to the MD line and beyond.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, September 13, 2019 Update:
Most trollers have continued to take advantage of the killer Spanish mackerel bite, and landing them has been no struggle with so many in the area. The Tackle Box suggested pulling small Clarks spoons, small Drones, or Hard Head Custom Baits. They also reminded us that a good rule of thumb for trolling speed when you’re going after Spanish mackerel is about double striper-speed. Typically this has meant cruising between eight and 10 mph, although some boats prefer going a bit faster or slower. The bulk of the catch is centered around the channel edges, which have been incredibly productive. With that being said, Spanish mackerel seem to be literally everywhere, so trolling your way home can’t hurt. Mornings have been highly active, but the fishery is sustained throughout the day.
If you tire of catching macks, the Target Ship has been a point of interest recently; it puts you in a good position to reel in some large red drum when you can find birds under breaking fish. Jigging large spoons or large soft plastics, typically 10 inches, has been effective. Both species plus blues and (mostly small) stripers are also being caught under those birds. We also had a reader report running-and-gunning from the mouth of the Rappahannock up to the Middle Grounds produced multiple drum of 40-plus inches.
Stripers have been plentiful throughout the Potomac/Point Lookout zone, but currently, aren’t the focus of most anglers. A large portion of the ones being caught have been sub-legal and the fishery isn’t as steady as the mackerel. For those who are determined to land them, the J&W mentioned that livelining spot around Point Lookout has been a good bet.
From the Middle Grounds south, cobia lazing atop the water have been a common sight this week but most of them have been shy of the limit. Sight-casters, trollers, and anglers drifting live eels are all finding success. Trollers pulling red or green hoses (red and off-reds like orange or pink have been particularly effective the past week) seem to have been out-catching anglers using other methods recently.
Crabbing report: crabbing is good in the Lower Bay – get in on it while you still can!
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, September 6, 2019 Update:
Some anglers fishing the Lower Bay have found themselves returning to the docks with empty fish boxes this week – not because the fishing isn’t good, but because it’s been so fantastic in recent weeks that their freezers and fridges at home are already packed. The neighbors and extended family’s fresh-fish needs have been appeased, the kids greeted their new teachers with a soft cooler bag full of mackerel. Boats headed to channel edges throughout the tribs and Bay have been pulling Drones, Clarks, and fluorescent green and pink Hard Head Custom Baits at a pace of a leisurely eight to 10 knots. Their cruises have frequently been interrupted by a bent rod, followed by another rod going down before a can of beverage can be cracked. Oftentimes, the Spanish mackerel snagging their spoons have been of monstrous proportion and the water is still riddled with this species ranging from the Lower Potomac to the Middle Grounds to Windmill Point to mouth of the Bay and beyond. The occasional bluefish hasn’t been an uncommon occurrence, either.
The Tackle Box mentioned that if pursuing rockfish in Maryland waters or the Potomac is in the plans, the fish don’t seem to be concentrated in one area, but are rather taking spot all throughout the area. If livelining isn’t your deal, they suggested heading to Cornfield Harbor, where jiggers have had great success this week. The area has also been home to breaking fish and diving birds, which often hold a mix of schoolie stripers and Spanish mackerel underneath for some fast action.
Many Virginia anglers tired of eating mackerel and waiting for the rockfish to come into season in their waters have been trolling for cobia. The cobia bite has been wonderful, especially for anglers trolling surgical eels (orange and red have been hot), at the Target Ship, Middle Grounds, the Cabbage Patch, and the Targets. Trolling spoons in the same areas, especially at the Target Ship, is producing a few large bull reds. Chummers are also getting some fish on live eels. Although most of the cobia have been on the smaller size and only one in five or one in seven has been a keeper recently, it’s still crazy fun to watch a cobia hit your eel on the surface. Lure casters using large, bright orange and pink bucktail/jig combos are having success, as well.
Bottom fishermen continue to catch plenty of spot of all sizes, ranging from bait to dinner, on bloodworms and bottom rigs. A few keeper croaker are mixed in on hard bottom between eight and 18 feet of water, but most are smalls. In rivers and creeks, perch are highly active during morning and evening. The bite has been dependent upon moving tides, when they’ll take bloodworm on a bottom rig or spinners and small lures cast to rip-rap and structure.