Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, August 30 Update:
Fishing was great this week with light winds and calm seas allowing ample opportunity for anglers to get on the water. The heat did return this week, and the fishing action was hot too. The Tackle Box reports an uptick in the cobia action, with trollers having success pulling hoses and chummers catching on live eels. They also said the mackerel bite dropped off with the cooler weather last week, but bluefish continued striking spoons and puppy and slot drum are hitting “just about everywhere” in the rivers and creeks. Light tackle guide Steve Griffin of Griffins Guide Service reports that the bull red bite has been on the slow side as of late with their boats only finding small schools from time to time. Despite this, Captain Steve says the cobia are making a big push north and they have been seeing a lot of fish in open water. They are also coming across a lot of bluefish and this week they saw some of the best light tackle action on blues this summer. The red drum bite should pick back up, but the cobia are arriving in good numbers just in time to take advantage of them before the season closes on September 15th.
Striped bass fishing on the Potomac River is picking up with anglers from the mouth of the river up to the 301 Bridge reporting good success. Monroe Bay was noted as productive by a few boats this week with multiple rods going down at once when a school is located. Slot red drum are still in the shallows and their numbers are impressive right now. The St. Mary’s River has been a hotspot with notable catches coming from the Piney Point area and St. Inigoes. The reds have been found prowling around the shallow grass beds and holding near docks. Three-inch paddletails or Gulp! minnows on one quarter ounce jigheads have done the trick. Anglers should note that small bluefish have also been a common bycatch, so if your lures aren’t bite-proof, make sure to bring extra. Down on the Rappahannock, the bite has been steady for all of our inshore gamefish species. An angler fishing this week reported that the Corrotoman, Carters Creek, Whitestone, and the Piankatank have all produced. The Piankatank produced the best results with speckled trout up to 14 inches, striped bass up to 28 inches, and puppy drum up to 24 inches. Most fish were feeding on pods of peanut bunker in less than five feet of water. This bite should only get better as we move into fall with the arrival of September.
Editor’s note: missing from this week’s reports are the invaluable contributions of FishTalk team member Eric Packard. He took a bad fall on a boat this week and is recovering but will be landlocked for the next week or two; our thoughts are with you Eric—we’re all pulling for a quick recovery!
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, August 22 Update:
The Tacklebox reports solid action on multiple species in the Lower Bay, with the biggest number catches going to those targeting the mackerel and blues. Schools are scattered throughout this zone, often near the mouths of major tributaries and on the move chasing bait, so covering ground until getting hits or spotting birds is the norm. Some boats were catching them by the dozens while pulling spoons behind planers, and those putting out medium-size red or pink hoses in the mix are also getting hits from occasional bull redfish and cobia. Just below the Target Ship was noted as producing both cobia and reds but there’s better action increasing the more you head south.
Contributor Eric Packard fished the St. Mary’s River this week and reported that the bite was a bit slower than weeks past for red drum. He mentioned that snapper blues were constantly harassing his lures, and he did also catch a few speckled trout. Over on the Patuxent at Mill Creek, shoreline casting produced a handful of under-slot puppy drum. A few anglers fishing on the lower Rappahannock River had success in the shallows catching five puppy drum with three in the slot each over 21 inches. They also boxed a half dozen white perch to round out a successful day on the water. The shallows are teeming with life and any structure with moving current cold be holding a variety of fish. It is a great time of year to hit the water and cast a line.
Although a bit less headline-grabbing, bottom fishing has also been on quite an uptick recently with more and more keeper croaker up to 14” showing up along with plenty of spot, including some that are eating sized. Kingfish (sea mullet, roundhead) have made their way into the Bay, too, and are showing up for those dropping bottom rigs baited with bloodworms, Fishbites, and similar baits. An angler bottom fishing around the Target Ship reported catching spot, croaker, and an abundance of small sea bass, though a few were close to legal size. There should be sea bass hanging out at most deeper water reefs or wrecks in the 20-to-30-foot range. As we progress into fall, more keepers should start to show up which was the pattern we saw last year.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, August 15 Update:
The cooler weather has been a nice change of pace after the dog days of summer got an early start. Temperatures in the low to mid 80s and light winds have made for excellent days on the water this week. The Tackle Box says mackerel have around in full force, with some boats catching them by the dozens. Bluefish are in the mix, and in some areas are the dominant catch, but it varies from school to school. Former FishTalk intern Adam Greenberg reported awesome Lower Bay action on white and pink spoons, filling a limit of bluefish and stacking 20 Spanish mackerel in the box. He noted that spoons trailing number-one planers were most productive.
Contributor Eric Packard reports an on-again off-again bite for reds in the lower Potomac, with some days producing plenty of slot fish and others just one or two. However, on the days the redfish aren’t biting it seems like the striper bite fills in the gap. Weedbeds in two to eight feet of water continue to be productive and he mentioned that bladed swimbaits with five-inch pink plastic shad did the trick. He also found a great mix of species in the PLO area this week, including flounder, sea bass, trout, blues, and rockfish, and reported that some anglers who hit the water earlier than he had found some puppy drum in Lake Conoy. Reports editor Dillon Waters took a kayak trip down to Piney Point last weekend in search of reds. Despite only catching one 15-inch pup, he did find a half dozen slot sized rockfish while jigging around the bridge next to Piney Point Landing. A white BKD soft plastic on a quarter ounce jighead was the hot bait for the stripers. The slower bite was likely attributed to the remnants of Hurricane Debbie bringing heavy rains and flood tides the day before, but things should have settled back down by now.
Inside the Virginia tributaries anglers are reporting a solid action for a variety of gamefish. An angler fishing the Whitestone area of the Rappahannock reported a great red drum bite with fish ranging from 20 to 36 inches. They also mentioned that the speckled trout bite seems to be turning back on. A fly fisherman on the Great Wicomico also had a great trip this week landing nine slot puppy drum between 18 and 22 inches along with plenty of under-slot fish. And an angler fishing a tributary off the James River reported a productive day catching 15 white perch, 15 puppy drum (only one slot), a dozen striped bass, one speckled trout, eight croaker, and one white catfish.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, August 9 Update:
The Lower Bay has been very productive lately with a multitude of species offering fun angling opportunities. Slot redfish continue to dominate in the shallows, with the Tackle Box reporting that the lower Potomac and Smith Creek are hot on the edges of oyster bars in three to five feet of water. Contributor Eric Packard reports they’re also on grass beds in two to eight feet, and last weekend he and FishTalk Production Manager Zach Ditmars and buddy Brad caught nine in a morning of fishing plus two nice specks and a rockfish. Casting 3/8th ounce jigs with four-inch Electric Chicken paddletails worked well, as did a popping cork rig. Then early this week rockfish were present in larger numbers, out-biting the reds seven to six (plus one nice speck) with four-inch pink paddletails doing best. Also noted by the Tackle Box, live-lining spot is producing some big gator trout for anglers fishing the lower Potomac at daybreak. A fly fisherman casting around the Piankatank reported catching seven reds up to 21 inches, four white perch, one spot, one croaker, and one rockfish. Their bite slowed down once the sun got up.
The Tackle Box also says a mix of Spanish mackerel and Bluefish continue to provide action for trollers in the Lower Bay, mostly from The Targets south, which jibes with readers reports of more action on these speedy species off the mouth of the Rappahannock, Windmill Point, and Smith Point. On the bluefish front we heard of fewer chopper blues this week but with more small fish in the 15-inch range making up most of the catch, and blues seem to outnumber the mackerel three or four to one. Small spoons run behind number-one planers are still getting the job done.
Bull redfish continue to pop up sporadically throughout the Lower Bay with no one spot producing fish consistently. The best way to locate them is to run the main shipping channel ledge using side scan. Some days require covering over 100 miles and even that isn’t a guarantee to find them. On calmer days, the reds have been busting bait on the surface, so keep those binoculars handy.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, August 2 Update:
Just like that another summer month has come and gone. August is here and it is bringing with it some of the best fishing of the year. Reports of bluefish continue to flow in and this week we heard about more and more Spanish mackerel in the mix, including in large numbers with some anglers topping the dozen mark. Small trolled spoons accounted for most of the catches with the hottest zone running from the mouth of the Rappahannock to the mouth of the Potomac. Many anglers have been eagerly awaiting the big push of mackerel into the Lower Bay and it didn’t take long for boats to start chasing them now that they are here. A boat at the mouth of the Potomac has had success trolling for mackerel the past two weekends catching over 15 fish on both trips along with a handful of bluefish. Another trolling Clark spoons behind number-one and number-two planers caught lots of small blues and mackerel up to 20”, and noted the color didn’t seem to matter much.
Cobia have been another major target for Lower Bay anglers and reports of successful catches came from all the summer hotspots including the Target Ship, Smith Point, and Windmill Point. Sight fishing, trolling, and chumming have all been effective techniques, but reports of success have been spotty. The Tackle Box says that fishing for red drum in the Lower Bay is off to a great start for the season. Big schools of bull reds have been popping up on the surface in open water when the winds are light. The zone from Point Lookout to the Target Ship and south has seen a lot of action. Thomason Tradition Sportfishing has found the reds multiple days this week and when there aren’t a lot of boats around, their clients are catching multiple fish. One day their crew put over 30 bull reds in the boat. The name of the game for chasing these fish is to cover as much water as possible as there is not one location that these fish will be around from day to day. The boats that have the most success chasing these fish typically run the main shipping channel using side scan to look for the schools below the surface. Scanning the horizon is also important as birds have given away their location at times too. There are also plenty of puppy drum in the shallows of the rivers and creeks. Anglers are using paddletails and other swimbaits to catch them near docks, rock piles, and rip-rap shoreline.
Crazy Fish Alert: Rumors are flying about tarpon - yes, tarpon - being spotted all the way up above the MD/VA line. We haven't recieved photo verification from anyone who's caught one yet but wow, can ya imagine?!