Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, December 30 Update:
There are only a few days left until the new year which means rockfish season is coming to an end. The Potomac River and Virginia rockfish seasons will end this Saturday the 31st. The fishing in the lower Bay has been good for most of the fall and start of winter but the recent arctic blast has slowed down the bite. The Tackle Box reports that before the cold snap, trollers and jiggers were finding a great bite at the mouth of the Potomac during the early morning hours. The highest concentrations of fish were found between Ragged Point and Smith Point. They counted five ocean run rockfish that were 45 to 51 inches and weighing close to 50 pounds last week. The giant fish have been mixed with the 20- to 35-inch fish that are chasing around the schools of bait. One angler caught a tagged rockfish in the mouth of the Potomac, and another caught a 44-inch rockfish while trolling on Wednesday. Water temperatures below 40 degrees will have bait pushing farther south and many of the rockfish will follow. There are rockfish that stay in the lower Bay throughout the winter but will move to deeper water with more stable conditions in the winter. The ones that stay will be laying close to bottom and aggressive jigging won’t produce many bites. You should drift your baits close to bottom with subtle twitches. Troller should use heavy inline weights to get baits down deep.
The Rappahannock and surrounding areas have also been great for rockfish recently as some fish push south from up the Bay while more ocean run fish are also pushing north. A 50-inch rockfish was caught by an angler trolling live eels north of Buoy 59. Another angler caught a 38-inch rockfish and one boat reported catching around 20 rockfish up to 30 inches on a morning trip in the river.
It has been a great year of fishing with lots of cherished memories made along the way. As we enter the new year let’s hope 2023 brings plenty of catches, new PBs, and exciting adventures.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, December 23 Update:
Winter has officially started with the passing of the solstice this Wednesday, and it looks like old man winter isn’t wasting any time bringing on the season as our region is expected to get a blast of arctic air starting Friday and continuing into the weekend. Strong winds and bitter temperatures will make fishing difficult, but the good news is once conditions improve, there are still fish around to be caught. Rockfish season is open in the Potomac and Virginia waters until the end of the month. The bite in the Potomac from St. George Island to Point Lookout has been great this past week.
The Tackle Box reports that trollers and boats light tackle jigging are catching 20-to-27-inch rockfish in the Potomac while feeding birds show the location of the schools of bait and rocks. The morning bite has shown the most action, but anglers are still catching in the afternoon, it may just take some more searching. Trollers are using umbrella rigs and tandems. Smaller lures fit the mid-sized fish. Jiggers using shads, bucktails, and metal are all scoring. The schools of fish are moving around quickly, and it isn’t the best idea to run down every flurry of birds you see. Drifting while jigging will produce more bites as it is only a matter of time before the schools is under your boat. Ocean-run fish are starting to show up as far north as the Potomac as well. A huge 50-inch striper was caught on Captain Greg Buckner’s Miss Susie II in the lower Potomac. The Rappahannock is also producing a good bite for rockfish and some large stripers have been caught there as well. One angler trolling above the Greys Point Bridge in the Rapp this week reported only one bite all day, but it was a beautiful 45-inch rockfish caught on a large shad bait. Another angler fishing the Rapp reported catching two 23-inch rockfish and one 21-inch rockfish. The fish are here, so make sure to get on them before the season closes.
Santa is coming to town this weekend so let’s also hope for lots of new fishing gear under the tree to try out in the new year. Merry Christmas and happy holidays from all of us at FishTalk Magazine!
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, December 16 Update:
Rockfish season has closed in Maryland Waters, but the Potomac River and Virginia waters are open until the end of the month. The Potomac has been providing fantastic action for rockfish with large schools of quality sized fish willing to bite on most days. The bulk of the fish in the river are now located between the St. Mary’s River and Point Lookout in 30 to 50 feet of water. Birds are occasionally giving away the location of the fish as they feed on schools of menhaden and a few anglers have reported frenzies of birds popping up sporadically on both sides of the river. Large schools of fish are also pushing further south in the main stem of the Bay into Virginia and can be found along channel edges. Potomac regulations allow for two fish per day at a 20-inch minimum while Virginia regulations allow one fish per day that is between 20 and 36 inches.
Jigging is a way to fish for the schools of rockfish in deeper water and it often takes a one and a half ounce jighead or larger to get your bait down to the fish accurately. Six-to-eight-inch soft plastics in white and chartreuse are popular colors to use since the water is usually very clear this time of year. One angler reported a tough morning bite last weekend with no birds working to give away the location of the fish. As the morning went on, he eventually started checking ledges and structure and found fish stacked up in about 70 feet of water. The bite was hot for around a half hour, hooking up almost every cast before the school disappeared. Another angler reported that he found large schools of fish between Cowles Point and St. George Island with plenty of breaking birds. The fish were between 40 and 60 feet of water stacked from the bottom to halfway up the water column. A few larger fish are starting to show up and one angler reported catching a 40-plus inch rockfish while trolling in the Potomac this past week, though he didn’t specify his exact whereabouts. More of these big fish will continue to show up in schools so if you catch one, there are likely others close by.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, December 9 Update:
The lower Bay appears to be holding the largest concentration of rockfish at this late point in the season. Colder temperatures are pushing fish to deeper water and further south and it usually takes some searching on the meter before throwing lines over. The Tackle Box reports that the rockfish bite continues to be excellent in the Potomac. Both sides of the river from Cobbs Island down to the mouth have had schools of fish with bird action popping up sporadically each day. The two fish per day with a 20-inch minimum is a big draw for anglers in this region.
The Tackle Box also reported that a 40 inch rockfish was caught this week, which is just the second confirmed report we have heard of sea-run fish coming up the Bay. More arrivals of pre-spawn rockfish should be here soon. The local fish are moving around with no definite pattern but jiggers and trollers can load up on fish in just a few minutes when they find the right bite. Fishin Impossible Charters reported a great trip out on the Potomac this week. They caught 30 fish in the 22- to 27-inch range while jigging five inch plastics and metal jigs. The fish they found were deep on the bottom in 45 to 55 foot of water with lots of birds and other boats in the area.
A reader reported that braving the cold to fish in the waters near Smith Point was worth bundling up this week, as birds were diving and stripers were biting. He enjoyed constant action using Lil Bunker jigging spoons on fish up to 31-inches and said that at times there were birds as far as they eye could see. Trollers in the Rappahannock have also been catching their fair share of rockfish too, with most in the low to mid 20-inch range. Rockfish season on the main-stem of the Potomac and in Virginia waters is open until December 31st, so with a great bite going on, now is the time to get out for those last few fish of the season.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, December 1 Update:
Water temperatures in the lower Bay dropping quickly as we enter December and most areas have water dropping into the 40s, which is pushing striped bass out to deeper water. The Tackle Box says there are almost always schools of rockfish at the mouth of the Potomac this time of year. The mouth is a large area so it is always a good idea to bring binoculars. Sometimes there will be bird action but often times it requires cruising around to locate them on the depth finder. Concentrations of boats can indicate the location of fish but don’t be afraid to work away from other boats in search of bait and other schools. Often times avoiding the fleet can lead to finding bigger fish. A boat fishing near colonial beach in the Potomac this past week reported catching a three-man limit of rockfish. They were trolling and found their fish holding close to bottom in 35 feet of water or more along steep drop offs. Sixteen to 20 ounces of weight was required to get their baits down to where the fish were located and the biggest fish of their day was 30 inches.
A reader let us know there were still speckled trout in the Fleets Bay area, hitting around shallow drop-offs when the sun warmed the water late in the day. Pearl, off-whites, and scented baits fished along the bottom do the trick.
Blue cats are very active in the Rappahannock right now and we have had a few reports of steady bites this week. It appears there are plenty of small blue cats up to five pounds biting on cut bait. These fish are a great opportunity for anglers to take advantage of while other bites are slowing down for the winter. Any fresh cut bait will work but menhaden and chicken liver seem to be the favorite. Blue cats will remain active through the winter and you can catch some real big ones in the deeper holes and channels. Don’t overlook this great fishery as they are fun to catch, great to eat, and removing them helps native species!