Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, December 30 Update:
Strong winds and an arctic blast made fishing difficult last week throughout most of the region. Along with tough conditions, there aren’t a ton of fishing opportunities this time of year in the mid Bay. Rockfish season is closed and will close on the 31st of the month in the Potomac. Catch and release fishing is still an option for rockfish, but the recent cold front pushed many schools of fish further south into the lower Bay. The best chance at a rockfish in the wintertime will be at the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant where the warm water discharge empties into the Bay. Rockfish (and some speckled trout) frequent the area around the discharge throughout the winter and boats often target them by light tackle jigging while drifting along the current. Fish will be holding close to bottom and often require a subtle presentation to entice a bite. Half ounce to one and a half ounce jigheads paired with bright colored soft plastics work best at the discharge. Big ocean run rockfish have been showing up in the lower Bay and some may make their way to the discharge to take advantage of the warmer water.
Another option for middle Bay anglers is to target pickerel in the tidal rivers. The Severn River is known for its great winter pickerel fishery, but these fish can also be caught in the upper reaches of the South River and West River. The recent cold weather has frozen over many creeks and coves on the rivers, but a warmup is on the way and should melt most of the ice by this weekend. Once the ice clears it will be much easier to target the pickerel. Jerkbaits with flash, spinners, and bladed jigs all work great since these fish are attracted to shiny, bright colored baits. This time of year, the fish prefer a slow and steady retrieve with some pauses to entice the bite. They will be hanging close to transition zones and structure. Fallen trees, jetty walls, rock piles, and docks all provide great structure for the pickerel to hide around as they wait to ambush bait. If you haven’t already, check out the CCA Pickerel Championship which runs until the end of February. There are plenty of divisions for anglers to enter along with some great prizes.
It has been a great year of fishing with lots of cherished memories made along the way. As we enter the new year let’s hope 2023 brings plenty of catches, new PBs, and exciting adventures.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, December 23 Update:
Winter has officially started with the passing of the solstice this Wednesday, and it looks like old man winter isn’t wasting any time bringing on the season as our region is expected to get a blast of arctic air starting Friday and continuing into the weekend. Strong winds and bitter temperatures will make fishing difficult, and with rockfish season closed, anglers are limited on their fishing options in the mid Bay. Catch and release is open for rockfish but anglers wanting to keep a few more before the new year will have to head to the Potomac or Virginia waters.
There are still schools of rockfish around the Solomons area and south but that is strictly catch and release fishing in those areas. The fish have been anywhere from 30 to 70 feet of water holding close to bottom. Anglers Sport Center says to find them, either look for birds, or scan ledges with your electronics. You will need to use heavier jig heads, up to two ounces, to get to the bottom. It’s really going to depend on the current and how much you are drifting. If you aren’t bouncing the bottom, you will most likely not catch fish! You can also troll, but you will need to run your umbrellas very deep, right on the bottom. The CCNPP is also an option for mid Bay anglers. There have been plenty of schoolie sized rockfish and a few speckled trout being caught by anglers jigging while drifting in the warm water discharge. Fish should be at the power plant throughout the winter, but whether they will bite is a different story.
Santa is coming to town this weekend so let’s hope for lots of new fishing gear under the tree to try out in the new year. Merry Christmas and happy holidays from all of us at FishTalk Magazine!
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, December 16 Update:
Rockfish season has officially closed and won't open back up in Maryland waters until May 1 for trophy season. Just because you can’t keep them doesn’t mean you can’t catch them and many anglers are still taking advantage of the schools of fish still in the middle Bay. The schools of fish that had been hanging in the area of Chesapeake Beach have continued to push further south and are now between Dares Beach and Long Beach. The bigger schools and bigger fish have been in 30 to 50 feet of water and are their location is sometimes marked by bird activity. Most boats are jigging for these fish and it will usually take some boating around while looking at the meter to mark them before it is worth dropping down. Make sure to handle these fish with care as targeting rockfish is strictly catch and release right now.
The Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant has had some schools of smaller rockfish in the area along with a few stray speckled trout. One reader reported heading to the CCNPP last weekend which produced plenty of rockfish in the 16 to 19-inch range along with one 18-inch speckled trout. There were a few other boats in the area drifting in the flow of the warm water discharge and most boats were catching one or two fish per drift. The fish were holding deep and jigging just off the bottom was key for getting the fish to bite. They also mentioned that while most boats were snap jigging, they found that casting out and doing a very slow retrieve along the bottom produced bites at about the same rate as jigging. A video of their trip to the power plant can be found at The Waters Edge YouTube channel.
White perch can be found out in deeper waters of the Bay but may not always be willing to bite. They are usually in 40 foot of water or deeper so areas like the Bay Bridge rock piles and the Matapeake shipping channel edge will likely have schools of perch. Heavy metal jigs or bottom rigs will be required to get down to the fish in the deep-water current. If they are hesitant to bite, bloodworms may be your best shot.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, December 9 Update:
There is still a good rockfish bite in the middle Bay this week and with the season closing on December 10th, anglers are trying to catch those last few fish of the season. The Angler in Chief reports that the schools of rockfish in the mid-Bay zone have continued making their way deeper and to the south, and most he’s encountered recently have been five or more miles south of Chesapeake Beach in 30-plus feet of water. Another reader wrote in and confirmed finding fish just south of Chesapeake Beach. Most were 19 to 21 inches and the best bite was during high tide. Brief bird action gives away the general location but meter-searching is a must before dropping lines.
The AIC also said a few visits to the CCNPP have produced a handful of specks here and there (plus dink rock) but not great numbers (and with a skunk result one day last weekend; the running total has been 1-4-0-1). Fortunately, those that are present have been chunky, in the 19- to 24-inch range. The most recent trip there produced lots of micro-rockfish, one speck, and a surprise 17.5-inch redfish. The larger schools of rockfish with a much better class of fish were still out deeper in 30 to 40 foot of water and just to the north, where they found breaking fish in the area south of Chesapeake Beach.
A reader who fished the west side of Sharp’s Island Flats said he caught a couple of nice rock up to 28 inches meandering around in the area using jigging spoons. He also noted that lots of “liar” birds were up on the flats in shallower water dipping bait, but he didn’t find any rockfish under them. An angler fishing out in front of the West River on Tuesday reported a great rockfish bite, catching six fish in the 22- to 25-inch range. The fish were caught on a one and a half ounce skirted jig in 12 to 30 feet of water and the bite turned on during the start of the outgoing tide at sunset.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, December 1 Update:
The Angler in Chief reports that the schools of rockfish in the 20- to 30-inch class have steadily been making their way deeper and to the south, most recently popping up a bit south of Chesapeake Beach in 35 to 45 feet of water. As par for the course this season, brief bird action gives away the general location and jiggers need to putt around and find the good marks before dropping. Chartreuse BKDs and six-inch white paddle tails on one-ounce heads get ‘em biting, and trollers who weight down their offerings to run deep do well in this scenario. He noted that the fish were covered in an extraordinary amount of sea lice. Rudow also said he tried a run to the power plant last weekend and reported a slow bite; they did find a lone speckled sea trout mixed among a few 16- to 18-inch rockfish, but just the one. It hit a five-inch white paddletail in 22 feet of water.
A reader checked in after kayak fishing near Drum Point in six to eight feet of water, finding a chunky rock in the low-20s range willing to hit a chartreuse Gulp! Another reported encountering rockfish in the mid-20s under pop-up birds between green 79B and the CR buoy, and a third ID’d the mouth of the Pax as hot for rock in 20 feet of water under on-again, off-again birds. Angler Skip Zinc and friend headed south out of Sandy Point trolling five rods along the channel edge where water temperatures were 49 degrees. Four rods were rigged with tandems and the fifth had an umbrella on a downrigger. While zig zagging the channel, they saw a small cluster of boats working the eastern edge and decided to join. When they got close to the fleet their meter lit up and they immediately reeled in a 22-inch rockfish, picked up an 18-incher, and lost a larger fish estimated to be in the low 30-inch range. It stings when those big ones get away!