Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 3/30/2018 Update:
The bite at Calvert Cliffs warm water discharge has been the highlight of fishing in the area, although it's also attracting flocks of anglers looking to get in on preseason trophy fish. The Tackle Box reported that large chartreuse and white soft plastics have been catching, however be sure to remember that we are still outside of trophy season, which starts on April 21. Be sure to use barbless hooks, and abide by catch and release regulations until then. In the open Bay, meanwhile, the weather has kept a damper on things. The few pre-fishers who have gone trolling have reported relatively slow action but some trophies are being caught. The water is still a chilly 45 degrees in the Point Lookout area and stripers will eat at that temperature, but not vigorously.
J&W reports that catfish have been hot in the Potomac, taking fresh cut bait fished on bottom, on 10/0 circle hooks. Most of the blue cats have been ranging from five to 15 pounds with larger fish mixed in most trips. The fishing has been good from Indian Head up, with the DC area providing the best action. Anglers are reminded that the larger specimens aren't best for eating as toxins can accumulate in their meat as these fish age, and the state of Maryland fish consumption advisory recommends you avoid eating blue catfish over 30 inches long, caught above the 301 bridge.
Area anglers willing to switch over to freshwater options have been having a good bit of action at St. Mary's Lake, where pickerel and crappie have been quite active and bass have been providing a slow bite. Darts or marabou jigs tipped with minnow are best on the crappie, and while the pickerel will hit these too, anglers targeting them in specific will likely have better action on small blade-baits and swimbaits.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 3/23/2018 Update:
Darn this $!*@ weather! With cold temperatures, wind, and snow keeping anglers off the water, and cold water temperatures keeping the fish from biting, it seems as though fishing has been put on hold until we get a few solid days of warm, fair weather with heavy sun to boost temperatures. The only spot we heard of action this week on the main-stem Bay was the warm water discharge at Calvert Cliffs, with the Tackle Box reporting a few 22- to 24 inch fish were caught. That said, the fall in temperatures may actually trigger an improvement in the fishing here. They also noted that perch fishing on the Potomac has stayed steady, with minnow the best bait. There's also still a catfish bite in the river up towards DC, however, the rapidly-moving fronts have even affected that fishery and at times, shut off the bite. Fortunately a few days of stable weather is usually all it takes for the big blue cats to get back on the feed and by the time this report publishes, we'd expect them to be ready to take cut bait from the bottom in holes and along channel edges.
If you're willing to shift to freshwater temporarily, there has been a good pickerel bite plus some crappie willing to eat, and St. Mary's Lake in southern Maryland came through the weather event without being adversely affected. Check the Freshwater Reports for more info.
We are heartened by the effort to clean out the garbage that had collected behind Conowingo dam and applaud Exelon for getting this stuff out of the water before it flows down and clogs the entire Bay with debris. They've been using a crane-mounted clam-shell bucket to remove the wood and garbage, which according to an Exelon spokeswoman, is the largest volume of debris to come down the river in 20 years. Thank you for that, Excelon!
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 3/16/2018 Update:
With water temperatures hovering around the 41 degree mark, fishing in the lower region of the main-stem Chesapeake has essentially been put on hold until a warm front moves through. The Tackle Box is looking for a few days around 65 degrees to liven the fishing back up, but until then suggests puttering around the Potomac if you've you've got the itch to be off dry land. Reports of catfish are still coming out of the river, which is the most action they've heard recently. Try from DC down to the Indian Head area, concentrate on holes and channels, and fish cut bait on bottom. If you're not familiar with this fishery, before you head out be sure to read Tidal Blue Catfish Behemoths, which gives you the run-down on how to make it happen.
The only other action in the area is for anglers willing to travel up to the CCNPP (see Fishing for Trophy Rockfish in Warm Water Discharges for some tips on how it's done). The bite there hasn't been spectacular and flow is reduced at the moment, but fish are being caught on a regular basis. Large white and pearl BKDs and Hogies on one to two-ounce jig heads jigged along the bottom is the best way to get them biting.
We didn't get any fresh news this week on perch in the creeks off the Potomac, but considering how the bite was on the Eastern Shore it seems fair to guess that the recent weather has slowed that action up a bit, too. A day or two of strong sun should change things for the better.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 3/9/2018 Update:
The Tackle Box has been getting a steady flow of reports that catfish are sitting heavy on bottom in the Potomac and its tributaries, making for a fun day of fishing if perch fail to be active in the creeks off the river. The bigger issue right now is timing your fishing with the weather, as wind, high water, and pressure changes have all at times shut off the action. Blue catfish are particularly sensitive to pressure spikes and at times, have shut off completely as the fronts have moved through. To target this species in specific try from DC down to the Indian Head area, with holes and channels producing better on the up-river side of that scale. Spring is just around the corner, and we can't wait for the weather to start warming up so we can tell you about all the cool (and tasty) species moving up the Bay and where to catch them. In the meantime, along with cat-fishing the perch fishing has been killer, with reports indicating that bull minnow on shad darts are working best. Many of the perch are fairly far up the creeks, so crappie and the occasional bass have been in the mix especially during high tides when the fish tend to move up towards the banks and can be targeted with bobber rigs.
No one we spoke with knew of any anglers pre-fishing for stripers in the area recently, due to the weather. On rare occasions anglers have been able to head north and sneak out at the power plant, but with mixed results and mostly smaller fish being caught. Some folks in the area have also opted to head for freshwater instead, as there's been a good bite for crappie plus a few bass and pickerel in St. Mary's Lake.
ANGLER ALERT: There's talk of re-opening the black drum commercial fishery in the Chesapeake. Maryland has proposed the opening to the ASMFC and public input is now open, plus there will be a public meeting on the topic next week. See Angler Alert: Maryland Commercial Black Drum Re-Opening Proposed, to learn the details and make your voice heard.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 3/2/2018
The Tackle Box reported that yellow perch and catfish are continuing to be the main targets for area anglers, as well as crappie for those fishing freshwater areas. Blood worms and grass shrimp have been the bait of choice in the rivers and creeks, and catfish are also taking cut bait on bottom. Anglers have reported some hefty blue cats up the Potomac near DC, including several over 40-pounds. The Tackle Box also reported that the outgoing tide has been the most productive, as well as the early morning sunrise bite.
In the creeks in many areas perch are already surprisingly far up-river, in areas fresh enough that anglers encountering yellow perch are also catching some crappie and an oddball bass here and there. Minnow have been the best bait, fished slow near bottom on a shad dart. Grass shrimp have also been effective.
We weren’t able to find anyone who’s tried pre-fishing in the open Bay in this zone just yet. However, water temperatures at Point lookout have already bounced back to 45 degrees. This weekend’s blow is sure to shake things up, but look for the stripers to move back into the Chesapeake and start cruising up the Bay soon after the weather settles. Pre-fishers are reminded that hooks must be barbless, stingers are not allowed, boats are limited to six lines, and since these regulations change often and rapidly you need to please check the current DNR regs, before making a spring trip.