Lower Bay Fishing Reports

Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, December 6 Update:

Striped bass season is nearing the end with less than a month to go in Maryland, Virginia, and Potomac waters. Reports were slim this week likely due to the brutal cold snap and windy conditions we have been experiencing. A few anglers braved the cold and made it out, but we didn’t hear of any stellar trips. It still seems as though trollers are finding the most success by covering water with tandems and umbrella rigs. Most boats are reporting that fish are in the 30’ to-50’ range and are often close to bottom. One troller reported that chartreuse baits have been outperforming other colors recently. Light tackle anglers are working ledges in the same depths with side scan being a huge advantage for finding schools of fish. The most productive zone of the lower Potomac has been from Colonial Beach down to the mouth of the river.

Down on the Rappahannock, fishing for striped bass has also been slow and we haven’t heard of any more reports of migratory fish showing up this week. Historically speaking, now is the time when the big fish start to move up the Bay. This cold snap should help get them moving, but it appears many are still hanging out off the beaches of New Jersey. Surprisingly, even with the cold there are still cutlassfish being caught in the Rappahannock and other southern Bay tribs. Chesapeake Charters was out looking for stripers but ended up catching several nice cutlassfish on a trip earlier in the week. Umbrella rigs with five-inch sassy shads were getting the bites.

While striped bass fishing has been on the slower side, blue catfish are biting in both the Rappahannock and Potomac rivers. These fish will be more abundant upriver where salinity levels are lower. The big fish are biting, and we have seen several reports of fish over the 40-pound mark this month. A variety of cut bait will work including bunker, eel, chicken, and any other meaty substance you can find. Target them at the mouths of creeks and other tribs leading to the main stems of the rivers and at ledges or deeper holes. They will be a reliable target throughout the winter.