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Fishing Reports
Weekly fishing reports for the Chesapeake Bay and Mid-Atlantic and surrounding region. If you would like to be notified via e-mail when our weekly fishing reports are updated, click here to sign up.
FishTalk fishing reports are presented by Anchor Boats, Brown Dog Marine, CCA MD, Riverside Marine, Suzuki Marine, and Tri-State-Marine
Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, October 3 Update:
Two hurricanes off the coast have kept most of the offshore boats at the dock during the later part of the week. The swells have been big, and the ocean has been rough, so fishing has been limited to inshore waters, but the bite in the Atlantic was good before the wind machine turned on. Several readers have checked in after enjoying rather epic mahi-mahi action at the canyons. At least prior to this week’s big blow, they were still… Read more from Coastal...
Freshwater Fishing Report, October 3 Update:
Water temperatures are cooling, and our freshwater areas are fishing well across the region. FishTalk contributor Adam Greenberg checked in and reported he was able to get a few hours of smallmouth wading in on the Upper Potomac this week. He said the river is still low and moderately clear. He caught a dozen or so fish, but all were fairly small. A small paddle tail and a whopper plopper got bites. Adam said he probably should have been throwing a… Read more from Freshwater...
Way North Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, October 3 Update:
The catfish are biting, and we heard reports of success this week from both the Susquehanna near Port Deposit and from the North East River. Some of the Port Deposit fish were true monsters, and while we didn’t hear a quoted weight, the fish looked to be 40-plus pounds from the pics. The Conowingo Dam is still running a limited power generating schedule, which means that the flow below the dam has been minimal. The slower moving water… Read more from Way North...
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, October 3 Update:
“Rocktober” is here, and the striped bass bite should really pick up this month throughout the Bay. Rockfish are beginning to school up and feed more regularly as we have now entered the fall. Reader reports from the Upper Bay were mixed, with a reader catching a great mix of slot rockfish and jumbo white perch above Pooles Island on eels and peeler crab. Another reader said the Patapsco bite had grown erratic recently, with one evening… Read more from Upper Bay...
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, October 3 Update:
The Angler in Chief says shallow-running 4” blue/silver stickbaits continue to out-perform white paddletails at Thomas Point, where the rockfish have been active when a good current is running at dusk. He said being there at daybreak can also be productive, but one morning, even though everything looked good, the fish were a no-show. He also said a handful of fish were now prowling the mouth of the West, but just a handful. An angler… Read more from Middle Bay...
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, October 3 Update:
October is here, and many anglers know it as “Rocktober”, though it is a far cry from what it once was. The striper bite is picking up, and we can expect that trend to continue throughout the month. Anglers fishing on the Potomac River are reporting a good bite for striped bass on the ledges and lumps spanning from the 301 Bridge down to St. Georges Island. The Tackle Box reports that the stone piles around Ragged Point have been… Read more from Lower Bay...
Tangier, Pocomoke, and Lower Shore Fishing Report, October 3 Update:
FishTalk’s Zach Ditmars and Eric Packard gave us the scoop after fishing the Tangier during last weekend’s Tangier Classic tournament, and said there was lots of searching, many areas with little action, and a few hot spots that provided better bites. They caught about 15 bluefish, 20 or so (smallish) speckled trout, a “slew” of lizardfish, and a few black sea bass and spot. Packard said that over the course of two days they… Read more from Tangier and Lower Shore...
Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, October 3 Update:
October has arrived, and many anglers are looking forward to the fishing opportunities in the southern Chesapeake Bay this fall. After a long catch and release period, Virginia’s fall striped bass season will open on October 4th. The creel limit is one fish per person, with a slot limit of 19’ to 24’. The bite has been good in the tributaries around Norfolk and Virginia Beach with anglers catching stripers near docks and rip-rap… Read more from Way South...