Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, June 30 Update:
The rockfish bite on the Potomac has been spotty and that trend continued this week. One angler reported launching out of Dahlgren where they tried jigging and trolling without any luck. They did see a lot of bait on the surface but did not mark very many fish. On the flip side, a boat fishing south of the 301 Bridge reported finding a thick school of fish last weekend. They hit the water at sunrise and quickly got their boat limit of four fish. They then proceeded to have fun with catch and release fishing, landing close to 60 fish throughout the morning. An exciting bite that seems to be developing comes courtesy of speckled trout. The Tackle Box reports that those casting lures are scoring on specks at the mouth of the Potomac. Bluefish and rockfish are also mixed in with the specks in the shallows. Contributor Eric Packard found a solid speck bite in the lower Potomac this week, catching five (plus some stripers) casting chartreuse soft plastics. We also had a reader check in from the Smith Point area where four chunky specks plus a rock hit their offerings. And an angler fishing the York River this week reported catching five puppy drum, four speckled trout, and one 30-inch cobia while throwing paddletails in five foot of water or less. Their largest drum was 27 inches, and the largest speck was 20. They did mention they hooked into what they suspect was a bull red based on the runs the fish was making, but it eventually got off after the hook bent.
Unfortunately, we’ve heard from more readers who struck out than have had success when it comes to cobia. One mentioned seeing another boat catch one that looked to be in the 45-inch range at dead low tide off Smith Point and another said they caught one undersized fish while chumming at Windmill. The Tackle Box did mention seeing a photo of a 55-pound cobia that took a live eel in a chum slick. The fish was caught just below the target ship last weekend. Hopefully more of those big beasts will move up the Bay as the water warms up a bit.
Crabbing Report: The crabbing in the lower bay is red hot with tributaries off the Potomac producing quality crabs. Two readers wrote in to let us know that they hit the Saint Mary’s River near the college with their kayaks and had a great hall last weekend. They ran close to 20 drop traps for crabs in around seven feet of water. In about two and a half hours, they had close to a bushel of crabs. They noted that around half of the crabs were number ones to jumbos, and almost all were heavy rust-bellies.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, June 23 Update:
There is a lot of action going on in the lower Bay right now. No matter where you are fishing, there are several different species you might end up catching. Captain LJ from G-Eye Jigs says that a lot of bluefish have moved into the region. Many anglers are catching them using jigs with soft plastics or by throwing Gotcha plugs. Fishing for rockfish (still in season in the Potomac and MD waters, but now closed for the summer in VA waters) has been more consistent in the rivers, with the Potomac seeing good action this week. One angler found schools of keeper sized fish in the 20-to-30-foot range but reported that earlier in the week he found most of his fish on shallow structure. Live lining is now a popular option with schools of spot just about everywhere.
We are a week into cobia season and most of the action has been from Smith Point south, although the presence of the Omega fleet near the mouth of the Rappahannock sure didn’t help fishing productivity in the area. Bay temperatures are still low for this time of year, but as they rise, more cobia should migrate north. Two readers checked in after success going for cobia, one from Windmill Point where a live shad fooled a beautiful fish into biting and another with a monster 57-incher caught after departing from Point Lookout. However, we also heard from several anglers who targeted these fish without success in the same areas last week. Many boats are setting up chum bags and dropping over cut bait, spot, or live eels. If you get a calm day, you can cruise around searching for cobia just below the water’s surface and cast bucktails or eels to sight fish them.
Those anglers who are bottom fishing are catching white perch, spot, and small croaker. Cast out a bottom rig with bits of bloodworm or Fishbites, and you should be getting hits in no time. The lower Bay tidal rivers are full of life right now with many gamefish cruising the shallows for anglers to try their hand at with light tackle gear. Contributor Eric Packard says he enjoyed fantastic action in the Piankatank, and fishing in a crew of three kayakers they reeled up around 20 specks in a day of fishing. Most were small but four were keepers and there were also a lot of snapper blues and white perch in the mix. The fish were holding in four to eight feet of water over grassbeds, and white and root-beer paddletails proved effective.
Crabbing Report: Crabbing is really picking up in the lower Bay as the water temperatures rise. The magic depth has seemed to be between five and 10 feet of water. We had a few reports of nice catches from the St. Mary’s River. One reader told us they had a two-boat convoy each set trot lines baited with chicken necks and within a few hours work, each boat had their bushel of crabs. Another reader went to the river with their kayak and around 15 drop traps where they were able to catch close to a bushel of crabs in three hours. Their traps were baited with chunks of white perch. The crabs are here people, so bait up those traps.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, June 16 Update:
Now is a great time to hit the water since the lower Bay offers plenty of fishing opportunities during the summer months. Most of the rockfish action in the lower Bay has been in the shallows where fish are being caught near shoreline structure and grassy areas; remember that the VA season for keeping these fish ended yesterday, but for anglers in the northern sections of the lower Bay the Potomac and MD waters remain open. Boats fishing near the rocks at Point Lookout and near Cornfield Harbor are catching keeper sized rockfish up to 28 inches by throwing paddletails or live lining spot. There are scattered schools out deeper, but it may take some running to find them. One boat trolling in an unspecified location of the Potomac caught five keeper rockfish during a trip out last weekend. Speckled trout and bluefish are also becoming more abundant, especially in the western shore rivers along Virginia. An angler fishing in the Corrotoman was able to land a 20-inch speck, a 22-inch rockfish, and a 24-inch rockfish that all made their way into the cooler for dinner. We haven’t heard of any spanish mackerel reports but we expect them to start showing up by the end of the month.
Spot and (mostly small) croaker are now in all of the rivers and creeks of the lower Bay where they are being caught on bottom rigs with bloodworms or Fishbites. These fish can provide lots of action for kids or anglers who are newer to the fishing scene. The spot also make great live bait for rockfish and cobia. There are usually schools swimming around anywhere from six to 20 feet of water at river mouths. One angler reported catching over 40 spot drifting Fishbites on bottom rigs with two-ounce weights near Ragged Point in the Potomac.
Cobia season opened on Thursday this week and we heard reports of some action in Virginia waters. One angler checked in after catching a 40-inch cobia at windmill point using live eels. Another angler noted that the Omega fleet was setting nets at the mouth of the Rappahannock, which doesn’t bode well for anglers in that area. After a slow cobia season last year, many anglers are hoping for a productive season this year. Each week we are hearing reports of more fish moving into the Bay and they should continue to make their way north. We should have more reports on that front after this weekend.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, June 8 Update:
There are a lot of species to target in the lower Bay right now in both Maryland and Virginia waters. Unfortunately, most of the bites haven’t been red hot but anglers are still grinding it out to catch their fish. The Tackle Box reports that a mix of rockfish and speckled trout are being caught at the rocks along Point Lookout. Other trout reports indicate that the fish have made their way into the mouth of Smith Creek and in the St. Mary’s River. Most of the rockfish in this area are in the 20-inch range while the trout have been caught between 15 to 24 inches. The main stem of the Potomac has been hit or miss for those targeting rockfish. One angler reported striking out while trolling near Colonial Beach. Another angler caught two keepers while trolling near Westmoreland State Park. The first fish was 26 inches and hit a six-inch paddletail on a four-ounce tandem while the other was a 23 incher that hit an umbrella rig outfitted with six-inch paddletails. He was trolling a channel edge between 25 and 30 feet of water.
Day temperatures have been on the cooler side which has slowed the increase of water temperatures in the lower Bay. Despite this, bull reds and cobia are making their way north. Cobia season opens June 15th and many anglers are prepping their gear in hopes of landing a big one. We got word that a few have been caught off Windmill Point, but the large numbers haven’t shown up yet. A nuisance that has become all too common in the Bay are cownose rays. Large schools of these are cruising around the shallows and can quickly ruin a good fishing spot. The bright side is that cobia will often follow the schools of rays so make sure to look closely when you spot them. We got a report from an angler who was fishing the Corrotoman River this week in the morning during the incoming tide. They caught a lot of white perch and one 17-inch puppy drum while throwing white Gulp! Minnows and small blade baits. The white perch should be in all their usual summer hangouts by now. They are commonly found in tidal creeks near rock structures, docks, and old pilings.
Crabbing report: We had a report from the lower Potomac that the creeks are now loaded — start baiting that trot-line!
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, June 2 Update:
All waters of the Chesapeake Bay are now open to harvesting stripers now that June has arrived. Fishing for rock has been spotty in the Potomac this week but we heard hearsay of a decent bite happening between Ragged point and Colonial Beach. One angler fishing in that area got out for a quick trip where they caught three schoolie rockfish and one right at legal size while casting lures. The wind has made it difficult for boats to get out but luckily, fishing from shore has been productive. A few anglers fishing from their dock did well on the blue cast over the weekend. They caught around 15 catfish and seven perch. Most of the catfish were one to three pounds but a few of the larger ones were approaching 10 pounds.
The Tackle Box reported that bluefish have shown up in the pound nets at Cornfield Harbor. Anglers should now have a good chance at catching these fish as more will show up each week. White perch are also active in the shallows from the bayfront to the tidal creeks. Ken Lamb from The Tackle Box was able to catch eight perch up to 11 inches on a small spinnerbait during an outing this week. We are starting to see the spring fishery switch into summer mode in Virginia waters as fish are heading into the shallows to chase bait. An angler fishing in the lower Rappahannock found a 31-inch red drum in only two feet of water. He said the fish went running for deeper water and took him and his 15-foot skiff for a ride before he was able to land it. We saw a picture of an angler who caught a gator speckled trout while fishing by the Norris Bridge at night. The trout measured into the mid-20s and was caught on cut spot. We also had two reader reports of specks in western shore river mouths, though which weren’t specified, plus one from the Coan River (of a single fish) along with a puppy drum and several small rockfish.
Cobia are starting to migrate into the lower Bay along with schools of red drum. We haven’t heard of any hotspots, but the fish are out there folks and we did have a report of one caught off Deltaville already. Cobia season opens on June 15 so make sure to get all your gear preparations done now!