Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, November 24 Update:
The great fishing in the lower Bay is just one of the many things we have to be thankful for. Good news for anglers is that the rockfish bite seems to have had a slight uptick in action with a few anglers reporting in after successful trips. A boat trolling in the Potomac in the Swan Point area caught fish between 21 and 27 inches while another just north of St. Clements Island had lots of bird action with plenty of fish between 21 and 23 inches. Apex Predators guide service checked in after some great catches this week to report that there are plenty of rockfish around. Captain Mike caught around 30 rockfish all in six to eight foot of water while throwing a chatterbait paired with a five-inch soft plastic. He also reports that the crappie bite in the Potomac’s tidal creeks has turned on with the colder weather. He is catching them on small crappie jigs around docks and sunken wood.The bite in the Rappahannock seems to be improving this week too. One angler found a few schools of fish while jigging near the mouth of the river and another found fish schooled up while trolling near buoy 10. As has been the case in most areas of the Bay, the trollers are out catching the light tackle anglers on most days. Surprisingly, there have also been a few reports of ribbonfish still trickling in. The few that are still around are being caught by trollers near the mouth of the river.
Lest you wonder if the Lower Bay reds and specks are still biting, the answer was a firm yes at least up until the unsettled weather that passed through early this week. We heard from a reader who joined Mikey D Fishing and had excellent action on both light tackle and fly fishing, and we also had a report from an angler fishing near Mobjack who caught three reds with two in the slot and two keeper specks while casting pearl paddletails bathed in Pro Cure.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, November 17 Update:
Many anglers are focused on targeting rockfish since November is a prime month to find them in the Bay. However, the fish in the Potomac and other lower Bay rivers have been scattered with no serious concentrations yet. Many boats have had to cover some water, but locations near Coltons Point and Tall Timbers seem to be holding some fish. The Tackle Box let us know that boats trolling tandem rigs and small umbrellas are having the best luck. Surprisingly, many boats trolling for rockfish are still picking up ribbonfish. One angler checked in after trolling near Point Lookout, fining lots of bird action and catching a few ribbonfish before the wind blew him off the water. Another angler trolling in the Rappahannock between buoys 11 and 13 went out for a half day trip and found no rockfish but caught five ribbonfish.
The ribbonfish have stayed around longer than expected, and so have some of the puppy drum. We had a report from an angler who caught three pups while fishing in Hull Creek. Another angler fishing in the Great Wicomico from his kayak caught a mixed bag of rockfish up to 22 inches, puppy drum, and fat white perch. All fish were caught in four to six feet of water and a four-inch pearl paddletail did most of the catching. White perch are moving to deeper water as water temperatures drop. This time of year there are still a few in the shallows, but many will be found staged at deeper holes near the mouths of the tidal rivers. A reader checked in after catching close to 25 perch near Cornfield Harbour using green worms. The white perch are fat this time of year and if you catch enough, can make for a great fish fry.
Blue catfish are also abundant and feeding heavily in the Potomac, Rappahannock, and James rivers. These fish will be found sitting in the deeper holes and along the channel edges. The colder months is a great time to catch a PB and we have already seen fish upwards of 50 pounds caught this month.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, November 10 Update:
Weather has been all over the place the past few weeks with unseasonably warm and cold weather visiting every few days. This week we saw a warming trend to start the week, but more cold weather is on the way this weekend. It seems this has the fish a bit out of sorts, and it has been hard to pattern them at times. Covering a lot of water has been key to staying on the fish, but hopefully things will start to settle into a more consistent pattern as water temperatures continue to drop. There were reports of stellar days on the water, and other reports of skunks this week. One angler trolling in the Dahlgren area of the Potomac last weekend found good success but said that the fish were very finnicky and he had to try a lot of different baits and colors to dial in on what they wanted. He caught a few undersized fish, and his keepers were all between 19 and 24 inches. Apex Predators guide service has also been getting on the rockfish action and let us know that trips in the past two weeks have produced steady action for the stripers. They are also still catching some snakeheads and bass in the tributaries of the Potomac.
The blue catfish bite has also been very good in the Potomac, Rappahannock, and James rivers. These fish are very active right now feeding up to prepare for the winter months. They tend to congregate in deeper holes and along channels edges. Any type of fresh cut bait should work but cut bunker has been the top producer recently.
Surprisingly, reports of ribbonfish up to and in the Rappahannock are still rolling in. Many boats who are trolling for rockfish are catching them on Rapalas and crank style baits. They may look like aliens, but they are delicious table fare. Take advantage of catching them while they are around, because they will likely migrate south soon. Rockfish action seems to be picking up slowly in the Rap and one angler found a few fish willing to bite while fishing an undisclosed tidal creek. They were throwing Z-Man EZ ShrimpZ smothered with shrimp scented Pro-Cure along grassy areas and dock structures. Another report of a good rockfish bite came in from a boat trolling near Tappahannock that caught rockfish around the 20-inch mark sporadically throughout the day.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, November 3 Update:
Temperatures dropped quickly this week after last week’s warm up. Despite the chill, species diversity is still a thing in the lower Bay, and this week we heard from a reader who scored multiple cutlassfish, along with a 21-inch striped bass (plus throwbacks) in the lower Potomac. Trolling with tandems including Crippled Alewife spoons and bucktails, as well as spoons pulled behind planers, in 28’ to 40’ of water did the catching. We also had multiple reports of cutlassfish making a showing in the Rappahannock. Anglers who were out trolling for rockfish were surprised to find them still hanging around. Since temperatures have cooled off drastically this week, these fish are likely to move south soon to find warmer water.
Fishing for rockfish in the Potomac has been spotty, but when anglers find a school of fish, they have no problem biting. One angler fishing near Maryland Point found keeper rockfish in the middle slot range while jigging soft plastics. Another angler fishing near Coles Point caught five rockfish including a fat 26 incher. Down on the Great Wicomico, an angler fishing last weekend caught puppy drum and rockfish in four to six feet of water while throwing pearl and white paddletails. We also heard about two big bull reds caught in the lower Bay (exact locations not divulged) so some of those bruisers are still around, too.
The Tackle Box let us know that the big blue catfish in the tributaries are feeding up and anglers fishing for them are reeling in some very big fish up to 50 pounds. This bite is emerging in the James, Potomac, and the Rappahannock where we had a report from a boat who caught a 76-, 53-, and 45-pound blue catfish along with several smaller ones. Various types of cut bait work well with bunker, bluegill, and eel always being top producers. The fall and winter fishery for these fish is great in the lower Bay tidal rivers, so don’t overlook this opportunity during the colder months.