Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, July 28 Update:
Red Alert: It's come to our attention that anglers fishing around pound nets in Maryland waters are being cited by Natural Resources Police. We have reached out to the DNR to attempt to get clarification on why (no laws have changed), and will report back to you asap. Meanwhile, we suggest giving the nets a wide berth to avoid any unfortunate situations.
While the summer rockfish closure marches on in Maryland and Potomac waters and Virginia remains closed for the entire summer, there are a lot of other great bites happening in this region of the Bay. By all reports the lower Potomac has a very healthy speck bite right now, along with some reds. Two readers plus contributor Eric Packard reported catches of five to 11 speckled trout while fishing the area creeks, and another angler had several specks plus five reds including several fish in the slot. A couple of stripers were in the mix as well. Most of the trout action has been happening near grass beds, points, and other structure. Packard caught his fish on a Hard Head Custom Baits jighead paired with a four-inch white and chartreuse paddletail. Another angler fishing down on the Corrotoman found the puppy drum biting good. They caught five pups ranging from 19 to 22 inches while throwing jigs with soft plastics. They also caught an undersized black drum and a small sea bass.
The Tackle Box let us know that bull redfish are consistently cruising around through the lower Bay. They are most commonly found on side scan imaging but have occasionally come up breaking on the surface, which makes them a lot easier to find. A few boats even reported that breaking bluefish lured in some big reds to join in on the feeding frenzy this week. These schools of reds often number into the hundreds but move very fast. Jigging is the most common tactic to catch them. Our other friends of the toothier variety have now moved into the lower Bay in force. Blues and Spanish mackerel have moved in thick near Windmill Point, and a reader trolling spoons behind planers in the area checked in this week with a stack of macks plus a half-dozen bluefish. One boat fishing the Potomac a few miles down river from Ragged Point caught a mix of macks and blues trolling HHCB drone and clark spoons. The fish were schooled up in 40 feet of water and the biggest mackerel was 22 inches. Another angler fishing near Ingram Bay caught several mackerel and two bluefish during a short two-hour trip this week. Your best bet for finding these fish will be to head out to the shipping channel ledge and start trolling. Look for bait and schools of fish on the fish finder, but also keep an eye out for jumping mackerel.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, July 20 Update:
The lower Bay has plenty of exciting gamefish to target this time of year. While cobia reports in the lower Bay have been mediocre at best, there was a giant fish caught this week near the Rappahannock. A 74 ½ pound cobia was caught aboard the Southern Rock of South Bay Charters. The fish was caught while chumming and put up a 50-minute fight before being pulled over the gunwales. The higher concentrations of fish have been near Windmill Point and Smith Point but a few have made it to the target ship and mouth of the Potomac. The Tackle Box reported that several big cobia were caught near Smith Point last weekend.
Spanish mackerel have been slow to move north this summer but there are enough schools around that it is worth targeting them. Boats have been trolling small Drone spoons behind number one and two planers along channel edges from the Potomac south. One boat trolling near buoy three in the Potomac found some keeper mackerel and bluefish during a trip this week. The larger bluefish in the lower Bay have been more concentrated near wrecks and reefs while smaller one-to-three-pound fish are more frequent in open water.
The Piankatank is producing a nice mixed bag, and after running down with another kayak angler this week, Contributor Eric Packard reports that some beautiful slot puppy drum, bluefish, and small stripers pounded their paddletails. Lime green and white were productive colors. Schools of bull reds are marauding around the lower Bay but finding them is always a challenge. It takes some skill and lots of luck but hooking up to one is a thrill like no other. The few boats that have stumble across them this week are landing fish between 40 and 50 inches.
Reminder: The summer rockfish closure in Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay prohibits anglers from targeting rockfish until August 1st and the Potomac rockfish closure will continue through August 20th. Targeting rockfish is still allowed in Virginia waters of the Bay, but anglers cannot keep them until the fall season opens on October 4th.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, July 14 Update:
Fishing was good in many areas of the lower Bay this week. While rockfish have been a top target for many anglers, regulations encourage giving them a break during the middle of summer; the Potomac River rockfish closure is still in effect until August 20th, so there is no direct targeting allowed below the 301 Bridge. The summer rockfish closure for Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay will start on July 16th and end on July 31st. In Virginia waters, catch and release fishing is still permitted but the fall season will not open until October 4th. Luckily, there are plenty of other fishing opportunities readily available to anglers in this region.
Specks are officially happening on the west side and it looks to be a solid season for them. They are now being caught in the shallows of all of the lower Bay tidal rivers consistently. We had a reader check in after catching four beautiful fish including a whopping 25-incher near Smith Point this week. Another caught seven during a morning of fishing in the Piankatank, ranging from 12 to 22 inches, casting five-inch paddletails in glitter pearl. Another fish providing good fishing for anglers are red drum. One angler fishing an unspecified area of the lower Bay reported catching eight puppy drum all between 19 and 26 inches. He noted that seven of the fish were over the 20-inch mark. Paddletails paired with jigs casted into the shallows got the pups biting. On the Piankatank, a kayak angler reported catching two keeper pups with the larger of the two being 21 inches.
Cobia are a top target for many anglers but the reports so far this season have been lackluster. There are some nice fish being caught, but there seems to be a lot more boats striking out rather than hooking up when targeting them. The traditional locations like the Target Ship, Windmill Point, and Smith Point have all seen some action but it has still been slow overall. One angler fishing near the Rappahannock reported catching a 48-incher. There have been a few caught at the mouth of the Potomac and at the humps near the target ship. Most keepers seem to be between 40 to 45 inches with just as many throwbacks being caught.
The Tackle Box let us know that larger schools of bluefish are plentiful and more Spanish mackerel are showing up with them. They recommend trolling small Drone or Clark spoons behind planers at anywhere between five to nine knots. Trolling towards the top end of that range should produce more mackerel and going on the slower side bluefish take over. There are a lot of options out there, all you need to do is wet a line to get in on the action.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, July 7 Update:
The summer fishery is starting to shape up in the lower Bay with many species willing to put a bend in our rods. The open water rockfish bite hasn’t been great but anglers are finding luck with them In the shallows. Potomac River anglers cannot target rockfish from July 7th through August 20th below the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. Virginia anglers can still target C&R rockfish but cannot keep them until the fall season opens on October 4th. While this fishery is on pause, there are a lot of other species to target. The Tackel Box is reporting that bottom fish fishing is wide-open for spot and white perch, just about everywhere these fish are normally found. They note that "if you are in the presence of water there are spot around."
The bluefish have been around for a few weeks now but the Spanish mackerel are showing up with more regularity in the lower Bay. Boats have started catching them at the mouth of the Potomac this week but the larger numbers seem to be hanging around Windmill Point. A boat trolling in the area of Windmill reported catching nine keeper mackerel during an outing this week. Another boat fishing the mouth of the Potomac this week caught six bluefish and eight mackerel while trolling. July is when these fish really start to move into our area so we can expect schools of blues and mackerel to be marauding around feeding on baitfish. Look for schools of breaking fish where casting Gotcha plugs, metal jigs, and Rain Minnows is effective. Trolling spoons behind number one or two planers is also a good option.
Cobia season has been off to a slow start but more fish are starting to show up. In the popular locations like Windmill Point and Smith Point, you will likely be battling a lot of other boats to find a fish. Most anglers have been chumming or drifting live eels. An angler fishing at the mouth of the Potomac last weekend caught a 46.5 inch cobia. Reports of some nice keeper fish came in from a few different anglers fishing near the Rappahannock but the best fishing has been occurring further south towards the CBBT or near the Pocomoke Sound on the Eastern Shore. More fish should move into our area this month as water temperatures rise with the summer heat. We will let you know when or if we get a push of fish.
The snakehead spawn is just starting to get into full swing as we enter July. Many anglers are reporting fry balls popping up in most of the lower Bay tidal tributaries. Apex Predators guide service has been slaying the snakeheads recently and doesn’t expect the action to slow down anytime soon. They have seen close to a dozen fry balls while out on recent trips and has been able to put their anglers on the snakeheads each time. Apex is now making custom lures for all of your snakehead fishing needs. Lures include soft plastic jigs, critter baits, topwater frogs, and popping corks. All have been put to the test and the verdict is that the snakeheads love them. You can buy the lures from apex directly or get them at Catfish Kelly’s Country Store in Fredericksburg, VA.