Lower Bay Fishing Reports

Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, October 24 Update:

The wind has been blowing lately, which has not made it easy for anglers, but it may be worth braving the wind as the bite has been good. A reader checked in and reported that the shallow water bite in the Piney Point area has been on fire for them recently. Half-ounce jigheads with four-inch paddletails have been the ticket while fishing docks or any structure in the seven-to-nine-foot range. Shad and natural colors are working well for them on windblown shorelines during the incoming tide. They mentioned that you can wait for the schools of baitfish to pass by or follow them around to get consistent bites while jigging or casting. Most of the fish are slot or over slot striped bass with a few trout, red drum, and flounder in the mix too. Another reader checked in from the Lower Bay western shore tributaries and reported that stripers are moving into the creeks and near river mouths. They have been very active at night. Speckled trout are being found on the grass flats, with the best action occurring during the early morning on a moving tide. They have also found a few slot redfish on the grass flats as well. Artificial soft plastics, clouser minnows on the fly, and topwater lures are working best during early mornings and late evenings.

The recent cold weather and windy conditions pushed most of the bluefish out of the Lower Bay. There are likely a few stragglers still hanging around reef and wreck structures or in the waters near the Target Ship, but they will also be gone soon. The dropping water temperatures have turned on the rockfish bite in just about all the Lower Bay tributaries, and we are starting to see some open water action. Anglers on the lower Potomac have reported some bird shows this week, and boats fishing on the Rappahannock are trolling up some fish along the main channel edges at the mouth of the river. There have also been black sea bass showing up at various reef sites in Maryland and Virginia waters. Most of these fish are below the minimum size of 13”, but a few keepers are being caught. More may show up too, so consider rigging up a few rods for reef fishing. Bottom rigs tipped with squid, crab, or Fishbites can work well. Small metal jigs are also reliable for catching sea bass.

Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, October 17 Update:

The gale force winds last weekend kept many anglers off the water, and thus we have slim reports from the Lower Bay. The weather is cooling off quickly, and the striper bite has been good when anglers can get out on the water, but strong winds have made it difficult this week. When the weather has cooperated, boats trolling for striped bass have been doing well in both the Potomac and Rappahannock. Anglers on the Potomac are having luck between the 301 bridge and St. Clement’s Island. Umbrella rigs and tandem rigs trolled in depths of 15’ to 30’ seem to be the ticket. On the Rapp, trollers are catching some fish from the mouth of the river up to Urbana. We had a report from a kayak angler fishing an undisclosed tributary on the Potomac who said the topwater bite has been very good in the shallows. They have caught fish up to 30” over the past two weeks. Fishing topwater lures near rip-rap, docks, and marshy points has led to the most action. Even on poor weather days, wind protected shorelines produce some fish.

The cooling water temperature has turned on the speckled trout bite in the shallows this month. The best action has been in the Virginia tributaries, including the Rappahannock, Corrotoman, Piankatank, and York. Fly anglers fishing on the Corrotoman this week reported a steady bite for a mix of species. They caught around 20 white perch, several stripers, a few puppy drum, and speckled trout up to 28”. Bluefish are still roaming around the Lower Bay in depths of 15’ to 25’. Ledges and shoal areas have been productive this fall for trollers using spoons and tubes. They could also be hanging around some of the Lower Bay reef and wreck sites. Small black sea bass have been hanging around shallow water structures. We haven’t heard of any reports from anglers trying for them in deeper depths, but that is likely where the keeper sized fish would be if they are here. It is the right time of year to find black sea bass in the Bay, and just a few years ago, we had a good run of keeper sized fish in the fall.

Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, October 10 Update:

Cooling water temperatures are triggering our gamefish species to feed more aggressively. Baitfish are beginning to exit the tidal tributaries, and fish are looking to ambush them in both the shallows and in open water. Readers report that the bluefish bite keeps going strong near the Target Ship, with the big blues smashing topwater lures. Trolled hoses are also a good bet, and one angler who stayed out late reported catching specks after the sun went down. Late evening topwater has also been productive for bluefish near the Target Ship. Contributor Eric Packard also reported specks in the area this week, pulling up a nice one near Point Lookout, along with a redfish just under the 30” mark, a flounder, and a pair of bluefish. Gulp! Jerk Shad and Bass Assassins in white, pink, and Electric Chicken got the fish biting. Another reader fishing near Smith Point reported catching a gag grouper and a nice red drum.

There were reports of bull reds being caught in the Potomac River this week. A few of the reports came from surprisingly far up the river, just south of the 301 Bridge. Both trolling and light tackle jigging were tactics mentioned that resulted in bites from the big reds. There have also been a fair number of rockfish in the section of the river from the 301 Bridge down to Coltons Point. The Tackle Box reports that trollers are having luck on the steep channel edges. Schools of bluefish have also been abundant in the lower Potomac River, near Point No Point, and south into Virginia waters. The tidal tributaries in Virginia have been very productive for speckled trout, red drum, and rockfish this month. The cooling water temperatures have really increased the speck action in the Rappahannock, Corrotoman, and Piankatank. However, the changing weather has been a hindrance at times and we did hear from a couple of readers who put in their time in the Piankatank and Mobjack with just a handful of specks and a flounder to show for their efforts. Soft plastic paddletails are working well, but some of the bigger specks have been caught on topwater lures over shallow grass beds. Bridges and reef sites have been producing some sheepshead and black drum as well. Crab baits, including peelers, fiddler crabs, green crabs, or even sand fleas, can work well to catch these fish.

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 productive for light tackle anglers. Boats trolling umbrella rigs and sassy shads behind inline sinkers are doing well near Swan Point. They also mentioned Point No Point lighthouse as an area where some schools of stripers have been hanging around. A kayak angler fishing in a tidal creek just off the Potomac River reported that there is a good mix of species willing to hit small jigs in the shallows. In recent trips, he has encountered small flounder, kingfish, lizardfish, small black drum, perch, and stripers. We will see the diversity of species start to decline as water temperatures continue their downward trend with cooler air temperatures moving in.

Contributor Eric Packard says the bluefish in the vicinity of the Target Ship continue chomping. At times, finding fish on the meter, then casting sinking lures, including bucktails and one-ounce jigs with white paddletails has been working. At others, casting topwater and Rapala X-Raps has drawn blow-ups, even when breaking fish haven’t been visible. He mentioned that the fish were running between 24” and 27” and on one active afternoon early this week, they caught around 50. The Tackle Box reports that the stone piles around Ragged Point have been productive for light tackle anglers. Boats trolling umbrella rigs and sassy shads behind inline sinkers are doing well near Swan Point. They also mentioned Point No Point lighthouse as an area where some schools of stripers have been hanging around. The bluefish are also running on the main stem of the Bay in Virginia waters. The larger class of fish are being caught along ledges and lumps, while the smaller fish have moved into the tidal rivers. The speckled trout bite is also heating up in the Virginia tidal rivers. An angler fishing on the Rappahannock this week reported an excellent trip where he caught several dozen specks up to 23”. Another angler fishing shoreline docks reported catching a few keeper specks and some under slot puppy drum while throwing Z-Man Diezel Minnowz this week. As water temperatures cool into the low 70s and upper 60s, speckled trout get very active.