Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, April 29 Update:
Plenty of anglers within reach of Maryland waters plan to partake in the rockfish opener on Sunday, but since there has been zero pre-fishing, we have zero intel on any hot zones to head for. We have, however, been hearing about rather excellent shad fishing in the Potomac in the Fletchers/Overlook area. Contributor Eric Packard hit that zone with two friends early this week prior to the rain moving in, and noted catching well north of 100 fish between the three of them. Reports from the Rap were also good, though we did hear from one reader who “only got a dozen.” It does seem like the shad action is now slower the farther south you get and since those runs start up and wind down a bit earlier than in the northern tribs, we may be in the final days for that action.
Catfish reports are… well, let’s just say there does not seem to have suddenly become any shortage of catfish. Readers checking in from the James and Potomac had catches measured by the dozens this week, with most in the five- to 15-pound range and a 45-pounder (not photo verified but certainly not doubted) topping the charts. As usual we heard about an assortment of baits including multiple species of cut fish, with mud shad topping the list.
Redfish reports are steadily creeping northward up the Bay, and are no longer limited to the Way South zone. We’ve now had multiple reader reports of success at Poquoson (for two weeks running) and the York and Mobjack can’t be far behind — in fact, we’d bet dollars to doughnuts that these areas have produced fish this week and that we just haven’t received any hard intel on it as of yet.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, April 22 Update:
Great catfishing is the hallmark of the Lower Bay right now. Multiple reports of cats over 30-inches, with a few exceptional catches breaking the 50-pound mark from the James and Rapp, have come in during the past week. This weekend provided some especially great catfishing, with better water conditions in southern tribs as opposed to those farther north, for anglers going after them from the shore and by boat. The Tackle Box reported that cut baits such as menhaden and chicken liver are getting them to bite and good catches were also reported throughout the Potomac. One thing to note is that you should pull up to check and refresh your baits every 20 minutes to half-hour of so, depending on what kind of bait you’re using. Fresher baits are definitely bringing in fish steadier. Contributor Eric Packard hit the Potomac near Fort Washington with bunker baits and reported 27 fish up to 28.5-inches with the best bite on a dropping tide and a slow pick on the slack tide.
Although the cool weather mid-week slowed them down a bit, the hickory shad bite held up throughout this week. Hopefully the incoming warmth will spike the action back up. Same goes for the snakeheads, for which we haven’t been hearing about a ton of success since it became chilly and breezy. Only a few were reported this week, though those we did hear about were some very big ones!
White perch are still biting in the mid-to-lower reaches of the tribs. The Tackle Box suggested using bloodworms or grasshrimp on a bottom rig for them. Some anglers are also opting to cast jigs and other small lures, but baits are the favorite option. One angler who checked in this week reported catching a dozen of them in 12-to-15 feet of water.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, April 15 Update:
Anglers fishing the Lower Bay are focusing much of their attention in the rivers on the great blue catfish bite, which continues to produce some monsters, including one estimated in the 80-pound range in the Potomac this week. Reports from the Rapp, Potomac, and James from anglers fishing for blue catfish were really solid by both numbers and size. Catching a cat north of the 30-inch tic is quite common and anglers aren’t having much trouble locating the cats, which’ll sit in and around holes on mucky bottoms. Shoreline anglers have just as good a chance as getting in on this bite as their water-cruising counterparts.
The hickory shad run has also inspired many anglers to take a trip to them and get in on this short-lived, seasonal bite in the James, Rap, and Potomac. Targeting them with brightly colored shad darts and spoons is common. High water and cool temps had put a bit of a damper on this bite early in the week but the weather had less of an effect south of the Potomac, and even there by late in the week things had begun to settle out.
White perch are also biting up the rivers, taking bloodworm or grass shrimp tipped bottom rigs or shad darts, though they’re mostly done spawning and the better bite has shifted to salt ponds and the more tidal areas. The Tackle Box also mentioned that the Courtney’s Seafood Restaurant pound net had a speckled trout in it this week, the furthest up the Bay we’ve heard of so far – a speck bite can’t be too far off!
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, April 7 Update:
Throughout the Lower Bay, the blue catfish craze is taking over. When we checked in with the Tackle Box this week, they let us know that while the stripers are out, there are plenty of big catfish in the Potomac, Rappahannock, and generally all over the place which anglers have been targeting. The bite has been ferocious at times with multiple 30-plus inch catfish reported throughout the week, sometimes by the dozens, from shore and from boat. Most fish are biting cut mud shad, alewife, or even squid soaked on the bottom. BLUE CAT ANGLER ALERT: Don’t forget to sign up for the FREE CCA Invasives Species Count. Just take a pic of the blue cats you catch, upload them on iAngler, and you’ll be entered to win uber-cool angling prizes!! (Plus, fisheries scientists will then get access to the population data you help to accumulate). Otherwise, white perch are a primary target, generally caught on small lures tipped with grass shrimp or blood worms. Overall the run seems a bit disappointing this year, however.
The hickory shad are keeping anglers on their toes, giving a great run in upriver areas that normally get one on both Eastern and Western Shores. We had been hearing of peak action in the James near Richmond, the Rap near Fredericksburg, and the Potomac in DC, from readers and multiple tackle shops, up until the mid-week rain. Multiple angler reports were coming in of catches (well) over a dozen in a matter of a couple of hours. However, we did hear from one reader on Wednesday that the water at Fletcher’s had grown high and muddy and he only caught a single fish; hopefully the effects of the heavy recent rains won’t last long. As usual, tandem rigs tied with a spoon on the bottom and a shad dart up top are the hot offering. In the past week we heard from various sources and readers of multiple dart colors proving effective, and gold, chartreuse, and silver spoons doing the trick. Remember, these fish can change their color preference from day to day so go armed with several choices and swap ‘em out until you find the hot choice of the moment.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, April 1 Update:
The shad are in, though their numbers haven’t yet peaked and the bite on some rivers was actually down a bit mid-week as compared to last week, possibly the result of the recent cold snap. Readers visiting the Potomac reported catches of a half-dozen or so fish, with gold spoons and darts on tandems proving effective. We also had a reader check in from the James in the Richmond area, with similar results. The improving weather should usher in a stronger run of fish in the coming days, hopefully in time for weekend fishing.
Meanwhile, white perch are still available for post-spawn perch in holes and pockets throughout the tidal rivers. Anglers casting small jigs or fishing shad darts tipped with minnow and grass shrimp are doing well. Putting bloodworms on a bottom rig down is another good way to fish for them.
Several readers also let us know that the blue cats were hitting hard in the rivers, with cut gizzard shad the top bait. The James, Rappahannock, Potomac, and tributary creeks to all of these rivers are all top prospects. When we checked in with the Tackle Box today they echoed this, noting that the catfish bite regionally is especially strong. They emphasized that fresh bait is a good way to boost the bite, and that there are tons of local shoreline access points for anglers up and down the rivers.
The Tackle Box also mentioned that snakehead are biting locally, and this action should ramp up quite a bit as the weather warms up. At the moment, the farther south you are and the warmer the (still marginal) water temps are, the better the chances of finding active snakes.