Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, October 27 Update:
Fall is here but summer is trying to take one last stand as near record high temperatures have set in late this week. The warm weather will continue through the weekend and it is looking to be a great couple of days to be on the water. We checked in with The Tackle Box who let us know that the rockfish bite is improving throughout the lower Bay as water temperatures continue to cool off. Many boats are switching over to trolling or light tackle jigging as spot are becoming harder to find for those wanting to live line. Anglers fishing the shallows are also finding a good grade of fish near structure and current breaks.
With Rocktober in full swing it was good to hear of a lower Bay stripers this week, with one reader reporting a nice fish at the mouth of the Yeocomico and another with a limit catch with three aboard trolling Rat-L-Traps in the Rappahannock. Another angler in the Rap reported catching a 24-inch rockfish near a shoreline point in five feet of water while throwing a four-inch jerkbait. We also had a report from a boat in the Potomac that caught a three-person limit while trolling channel edges. The speckled trout bite in the Rappahannock has also been good and this warmup will should help that bite. We heard a report from an angler who caught three keeper speckled trout, a keeper rockfish, and six under-slot puppy drum all in less than four feet of water. The hot baits were three-and-five-inch paddletails.
White perch are still in the rivers and creeks but some are starting to make their way to deeper water. This weekend will be a good time to target them in the shallows with how warm it will be. The fish in the shallows are still hanging close to shoreline docks and rock jetties, but schools are also being found in deeper water around oyster bottom. Dropping down soft crab or bloodworms on bottom rigs will usually get the perch biting if you find a school of them. The Fishbites counterparts of these baits work excellent too and often stay on the hook better than live bait.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, October 20 Update:
Fish are biting good all over the Lower Bay with both the shallows and open water being productive this week. The Tackle Box let us know that there are plenty of slot rockfish and red drum in the shallows of the Potomac and other Lower Bay tributaries. Casting lures to shoreline points, riprap, and docks at dusk and dawn during sunny days has been best. The overcast and rainy days have seen bite windows extended throughout most of the day. Rockfish are schooled up in the Potomac between Ragged Point and the 301 Bridge. Boats trolling are having a lot of success with tandem rigs and umbrella rigs with white and chartreuse six-inch Shad baits. Breaking fish have been popping up sporadically and a moving tide has been key for seeing that action kick off. Cruising channel edges between 20 and 40 foot of water is a good bet for finding the rockfish. Any areas with congregations of birds sitting on the water are good places to look for fish on the fish finder too. The Tackle Box also mentioned that bottom fishing in the southern Bay rivers is producing a nice mixed bag including some keeper-sized weakfish.
In shallower water, the speckled trout bite has been great this week in the Potomac, Rappahannock, and other tributaries from there down. An angler in the Potomac reported that the trout were biting on four-inch white paddletails at creek mouths or where flats and sand bars came close to deeper water. The lower St. Mary’s River and Point Lookout areas were noted as hotspots. Two separate anglers fishing in the Rappahannock found the specks biting well this week. One caught a few trout and a red fishing near Greys Point. The other was fishing on a kayak and caught a handful of speckled trout, rockfish, a puppy drum, and a perch all on topwater plugs and suspending jerkbaits.
White perch are still in the creeks but will start to move out into deeper water by the end of the month. The mouths of tidal creeks and rocky structure have been good for anglers throwing jigs and spinners. A quarter ounce white Beetle Spin was noted as “irresistible” for fish recently. It’s a great time of year to be on the water with fish feeding hard. Make sure to get out there this coming week!
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, October 13 Update:
Cooler air temperatures this week have continued to push many fish into their fall patterns. Fishing for rockfish has really seemed to pick up throughout the lower Bay with anglers in the larger tributaries like the Potomac and Rappahannock finding increasing success. One angler checked in after finding rockfish near Cobb Island and the mouth of the Wicomico River. Another angler had an exceptional day on the water this week catching over 20 rockfish, two bluefish, and a red drum. Roughly half of their rockfish were over 20 inches with the biggest measuring nearly 25 inches. All fish were caught jigging soft plastics in the area of the 301 Bridge. The attributed their success to fishing away from the boats trolling. While trolling is effective, multiple boats trolling through a school of fish can quickly break them up. Umbrella rigs with sassy shads or spoons as teasers with trailers of a swimshad or small spoon pulled behind heavy inline weights is the standard trolling set up for most boats. Swan Point was noted as another productive area for those trolling along the channel edges.
In the lower Bay tributaries in Virginia, the shallows have been good for other popular species like speckled trout and red drum. There was a report from an angler who fished the Rappahannock last weekend and found a hot trout bite including a pair of 21-inchers and several other keeper-sized fish. Reader reports also came in of some beautiful fall-style speck fishing, including a chunky fish over 23” from Poquoson and several over the 20” mark from the Piankatank. Another Piankatank angler reported catching a few specks just under 20 inches and a handful of “dink” rockfish on soft plastics. Contributor Eric Packard also hit the Piankatank midweek and reported a fair bite, with a half-dozen specks to 19” and a handful of puppy drum hitting five-inch Electric Chicken paddletails; he noted they had dolphins in the area, which could have had the fish acting sketchy. It is safe to say that the speckled trout bite is in full swing right now, but these fish are finnicky and can be affected by the weather easily. The cooler weather may slow the bite or make it even better. You just have to keep fishing for them to find out. Good places to target this time of year are areas with shallow structure and deeper water nearby. October is a great month to fish on the Bay, so make time for a trip this week!
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, October 5 Update:
The warmer weather this week made for some great fishing conditions, but it seemed to have the fish a bit confused in some cases. Contributor Eric Packard noted that the changing weather did have the fish off their feed for a while, and that a trip to Point Lookout last Sunday resulted in just a few small fish on (a speck, a rock, and a blue). He noted that the water temps are now in the mid-60s. Elsewhere, other anglers managed to find decent bites throughout the lower Bay despite a roller coaster of weather patterns to start the fall.
The Tackle Box got positive rockfish reports out of the Potomac with schools of rockfish hanging out around Ragged Point and St. Clements. This is just the start of the Fall pattern where fish will be chasing bait to fatten up before winter. Breaking fish were found a few times near Piney Point this week which were spotted thanks to a mass of gulls diving on the bait. We heard from an angler who found a steady evening bite for rockfish near the 301 Bridge. The fish were eagerly hitting Rat-L-Traps. Also in the same area, there was a report of a bull redfish caught just south of the bridge.
Bluefish are still around for now but will begin to leave the lower Bay as water temperatures drop. Trolling spoons and surgical tubes is working well along channel edges when boats can find the fish, but schools are starting to spread out.
Puppy drum and a few slot reds are being caught in the tidal creeks from the Potomac south. An angler fishing the Corrotoman River found a smorgasbord of species in the shallows willing to hit Z-Man paddletails smothered in Pro-Cure Bait Scents. Rockfish, white perch, lizardfish, puppy drum, and speckled trout made for an action-packed trip. The Rappahannock also saw good fishing this week with a fisherman checking in after catching three slot reds, a nice speckled trout, and a 25-inch rockfish. This action should continue to heat up as cooler weather sets in this weekend which should have the fish feeding hard.