Lower Bay Fishing Reports

Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, November 20 Update:

The start of the fall rockfish run has been excellent so far, with big schools of fish providing steady action on most days. The Potomac River bite has been a hotspot in the Lower Bay. Reports have rolled in from Colonial Beach, Coles Point, Piney Point, and Tall Timbers. Trollers are doing well working channel edges near these areas while pulling umbrella rigs and tandem rigs. Light tackle anglers have been running around enjoying fairly reliable bird shows. One angler reported a hot bite near Piney Point. There was sporadic bird action, but drifting through the area was much more productive than running to the constantly moving birds. White perch have also been mixed in with schools of rockfish at times. We have reports of white perch being caught by light tackle anglers anywhere from the 301 Bridge down to Coles Point. The perch have been relating to deeper waters over oyster bottom. Reef structures have also been holding fish, so make sure to look at your charts before your next outing to know where to find them on the river.

Down in Virginia waters, the rockfish bite has not been as reliable, and we are getting mixed reports from those going out searching for them. Trollers seem to be catching some fish working ledges from The Norris Bridge north to Wildwood Beach. Fishing at night near lighted docks has also been productive, as water temperatures are slightly warmer in Virginia, so there seem to be some more fish still hanging in the shallows. Speckled trout and some red drum are still being caught in the Corrotoman, Piankatank, and various other tidal tributaries in the Virginia section of the Lower Bay. Areas with deep water near grass beds have been productive. The trout are starting to spend more time deeper in the water column and seem to prefer a slower retrieve with paddletails and suspending jerkbaits.

Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, November 13 Update:

The Tackle Box reports that the Potomac River, from St. Clements Island north to Port Tobacco, has been the most consistent area to catch rockfish. Big schools of fish have been found on both the Maryland and Virginia side of the river. Trollers are doing well with tandem rigs and umbrella rigs as they can cover a lot of water. Light tackle anglers have been relying on good electronics and bird shows to find fish. When the sun is high and the rockfish are deep, chartreuse colored soft plastics have been working well. The rock piles and reef sites in the river have been holding good numbers of rockfish, and even some white perch. We had one report of some jumbo white perch caught near the 301 Bridge this week, caught on small jigging spoons. Another opportunity anglers have to look forward to is the arrival of migratory striped bass, which usually show up in December. This is when the trophy fish will enter the Bay and hopefully give us excellent catch and release opportunities.

The rockfish bite has been picking up in the lower Rappahannock this month. Trollers are finding fish from Deltaville up to Urbanna, with a few reports from further upriver too. Light tackle anglers have been catching a few fish from the bridge pilings at the Norris Bridge. The tidal creeks on the Corrotoman, Rappahannock, and Piankatank have been offering some speckled trout, puppy drum, and striped bass. Grass beds in three to eight feet of water are good areas to target right now, along with shoreline structure in the form of docks, rip-rap, and other cover. This time of year, is a great time to catch big speckled trout in the tidal tributaries. Paddletails, MirrOlures, and other suspending baits are extremely effective for trout. Speckled trout will over winter in some of the Virginia tidal rivers, so keep them on your radar through the rest of fall and into the winter.

Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, November 7 Update:

The striper bite is picking up as water temperatures continue to drop. The fish in the Lower Bay have been in a fairly consistent feeding pattern as baitfish school up on ledges in the main stems of the tidal rivers and on the Bay. The Potomac River has been fishing well from the 301 Bridge down to the mouth. Main channel ledges and rock piles have been holding good numbers of rockfish and white perch. Light tackle anglers are doing well with artificial jigs, and metal jigs and jigging spoons are also starting to work very well. Schools of rockfish have been holding around reef and rock structure in depths of 20’ to 30’. The steeper ledges from 20’ to 50’ have also been holding fish, but it can take covering a lot of water to locate them. We also had a few reports of slot puppy drum showing up in the Potomac mixed in with schools of rockfish.

Down south, the Rappahannock, Corrotoman, and Piankatank have been fishing well for rockfish, speckled trout, and red drum. Shoreline docks with deep water at the ends of them, or nearby, tend to hold fish this time of year. Contributor Eric Packard encountered abnormally low water and a slow bite in the Corrotoman last weekend and says the bite was depressed, catching one speck, red, flounder, and rockfish before pulling up stakes and heading for the Potomac in the Morgantown area—where fortunately, good numbers of slot rockfish were hitting. Another angler in the Rappahannock reported that the specks were hard to find last weekend, but the puppy drum were cooperative. They caught several mid-slot fish while throwing paddletails in three feet of water. Fishing the shallows should remain productive throughout the month, especially the farther south you go into Virginia waters, as some of the tidal tributaries are wintering locations for speckled trout and red drum.