Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, June 28 Update:
The summer heat has kicked in with little rain to give us any relief. Fishing has been good in the Lower Bay on days where the wind hasn’t kept boats off the water. The Tackle Box is reporting a few cobia caught near the Target Ships, but not tremendous numbers and Contributor Eric Packard spent a day trolling tubes there to no avail. The AIC ventured down to Reedville this week with some of the FishTalk crew to target cobia with Rock-N-Robin Charter Fishing. He says the boat had to venture even farther south to find the fish, but it paid off in the way of three cobia and a LOT of rays. Check out the action and see how to catch 'em in this video we shot on the scene:
An eight to one ratio of rays to cobia led to a steady day of action, but dang they can get annoying quick when other species are the target. Two keeper cobia went in the box, one at 42" and the other at 47", and a third fish at 37" was released. The south wind has been persistent this month and days where the wind lays down have been few and far between, which has made sight fishing difficult, and we are still early in the season. So, the fishing will likely be better the further south you go and chumming or trolling may be the best move until the south breeze gives us a break.
We are still waiting on Spanish mackerel to move up the Bay for the summer. They are being caught around Virginia Beach but have yet to make their way into the Lower Bay in any numbers. There are a few around, but they are very scattered. Bluefish on the other hand have shown up in force and are providing steady action for trollers and casters. Schools of bluefish are being caught along channel edges at Smith Point, Windmill Point, New Point Comfort, and everywhere in between with fish up to 35 inches. Small Drone and Clark spoons trolled behind number one or two planers has done the trick. Trolling between three and five knots works well for the blues. When the mackerel show up, trolling at a faster speed of around six to eight knots will weed out the blues and lead to more mackerel takedowns. Isolated structure in the 10- to 20-foot range has also been holding bluefish. Casting Rapala X-Raps and bite-proof soft plastic paddletails are working well in this scenario.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, June 21 Update:
Readers fishing in the lower sections of the Lower Bay tribs reported a wonderful mix of fish the past week, along with some grumbling about the strong south winds. Both slot and under-slot redfish, stripers (mostly in the Potomac plus some in the Rap), lots of spot with some (small) croaker mixed in, and a surprising number of flounder including some keepers have been showing up. Speck reports faded, no doubt a function of the fast-rising water temperatures (already breaking 80 degrees in some areas) and the fish likely shifting slightly deeper. An angler fishing around Cobb Island landed a nice 21-inch slot red on a piece of cut crab. Down near the mouth of the Rappahannock, a variety of fish were biting for an angler fishing Fleets Bay. White perch, ribbonfish, speckled trout, croaker, and puppy drum all made a showing. Popping corks with shrimp imitation baits caught a lot of fish over grass beds and small paddletails worked well around docks. The shallows are full of life this time of year. The key is to find clean water, a moving tide, and some form of structure—a recipe for success.
The Tackle Box let us know that cobia are moving north and are being caught around the Target Ship and Tangier Island. Sight fishing has been productive on calm days, and they are also being caught by trolling surgical tubes or chunking cut bait. Live eels and spot are the best bait for live lining in a zone where cobia are lurking. Good reports have come in from the mouth of the Rappahannock near Windmill Point. The fish are there, but so are a lot of boats and on weekends the fleet has been upwards of 50 boats. One crew fishing last weekend hooked into a big cobia first thing in the morning, but the fish pulled the hook right at the boat. Later in the morning they landed another that was just short and then trolled around for some bluefish. The blues have made a strong showing so far this year in the Lower Bay. Schools have been cruising around major channel edges and can also be found on structures in deeper water. Blues up to 35 inches have been caught this week and are a lot of fun to catch.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, June 14 Update:
Summer can offer great fishing in the Bay, but it can also have us scratching our heads asking where the fish are. This year is no different and the bite has been very sporadic. Contributor Eric Packard reports hot and cold action on the lower Potomac, encountering skunk action one day then a few days later catching 50 stripers (with plenty in the slot) and two redfish. He mentioned he’s been doing well early in the day and the skunk was a late afternoon attempt. He also said half-ounce heads with four-inch plastics worked well, as did a Rapala jerkbait, with most of the fish holding in three to eight feet of water along deeper drop-offs down to 20’ of water. There have also been schools of rockfish scattered in open water along the main stem of the Potomac. Light tackle anglers and trollers are finding them anywhere from Colonial Beach to Tall Timbers. Fish have been chasing bait in zones of 20 to 40 feet of water. Side scan has been an important tool while covering water to locate fish.
Early reports of cobia have started to roll in which are giving us hopes for a good start to the season. A boat fishing near Windmill Point this week was able to land six cobia while sight fishing on a calm day. There have been a lot of cobia down at the CBBT for a couple weeks now and many of those fish should be pushing north with the warm weather we have had. Lower Bay cobia hotspots include the Target Ship, Smith Point, Windmill Point, and Cape Charles. Cobia season will begin this Saturday, June 15th for both Maryland and Virginia. Anglers will be allowed to keep one cobia per person with a minimum size of 40 inches. Boats will be limited to two cobia per vessel, and in Virginia, only one of the fish kept on a vessel may be over 50 inches in length.
In the “strange catch” category, there was an angler who caught a Tilapia on the upper Potomac near the Maryland and DC line. Tilapia are not native to our waters and should be removed if caught. Unfortunately, we often see people who have pet fish (and other critters) let them go in our waters. We all know how snakehead were introduced…
Crabbing report: Crabbing has been up and down across the board with some finding good action while others are struggling to fill a basket. We heard from a commercial crabber that said the Wicomico River has been mediocre at best. He was able to catch three bushels last weekend during a full day of crabbing but mentioned that a lot of the crabs were on the smaller side and he had a lot of other boats to compete with. Another reader crabbing off his kayak down in the St. Mary’s found good results while using drop pots baited with chunks of white perch. He was able to catch a bushel of crabs in just over two hours with a lot of number ones in the mix. Oyster bottom in five to eight feet of water was a hot zone. He mentioned a few terrapins and snapping turtles came up in the pots as they were looking for an easy meal.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, June 7 Update:
The Tackle Box let us know that June fishing is starting off with a bang for many anglers. Striped bass have been the main draw for those fishing in the Chesapeake Bay, Potomac, Rappahannock, and various other lower Bay tributaries. A charter fishing out of tall Timbers has been catching limits for clients on most days and loading up on big spot, too. The Tackle Box did mention that although there are plenty of eater sized spot around, they have yet to hear any reports of croaker in the area. The general zone of Coltons Point to the mouth of the river along the main channel edges have been where most schools of rockfish have been located. Shallow water fishing has bene good too with fish hanging out around rip rap, shoreline points, and docks with current running along them. Remember that in both Maryland, the Potomac, and in Virginia the striped bass regulations allow anglers to keep one fish per person per day between 19 and 24 inches. If you catch a fish outside the slot, make sure to handle it with care and take the time to revive it to ensure it swims off strong. This will be especially important as water temperatures rise over the next few months.
There are a lot more than just rockfish to target in the lower Bay this time of year. Redfish have made an early push into the tidal tribs with slot fish being caught in this zone. Contributor Eric Packard continues to enjoy a great puppy drum bite in the creeks of the lower Potomac River and points south, though some slow days are mixed in as well. Paddletails on 3/8-ounce heads have been doing most of the catching with the bulk of the fish undersized but some slot fish mixed in, too. There are also speckled trout and a few rockfish in the mix. He also notes that snagging rays has been a regular issue. Another angler fishing at the mouth of the St. Mary’s River has had good luck catching slot stripers and puppy drum while fishing with paddletails on jigs and topwater poppers. Along with these popular species, flounder are also making a surprisingly strong showing with some keepers being caught in the lower Potomac, Smith Piint, the Rappahannock, and the Piankatank. The flounder fishery in the Lower Bay is a shell of what it once was but this is shaping up to be a nice comeback. Many anglers are tight-lipped about the exact location when they find a good spot, so the best advice we can give is find a good ledge or deep creek mouth with current and try your favorite flounder rig. Live minnows and squid strips are great to add to any teaser rig.