Lower Bay Fishing Reports

Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, April 17 Update:

There is no shortage of fishing opportunities in the Lower Bay this week with fish being caught from the upper reaches of the tidal rivers out to the main stem of the Bay. FishTalk contributor Adam Greenberg checked in after another outing at Fletcher’s Cove last weekend. He was fishing in a rowboat and reported conditions were not great after the rains, with high, fast, muddy water making shad fishing difficult. He did not see any surface action but still managed a dozen or so. Adam also made it down to the Washington Channel in D.C. on a separate trip to target carp with two other anglers. They were using hair rigs, pack bait, and boilies, which produced four big carp and a channel catfish. Carp are often underappreciated, but they put up quite a fight and are fun to catch. Contributor Eric Packard says that despite the erratic weather, the shad have been biting strong, and a trip to the upper reaches of Mattawoman produced dozens and dozens of fish on dart and spoon tandems. He also cast a fly rod for a while and said the fish were more than willing to attack flies as well. Down on the Rappahannock and James Rivers, the shad run is still going strong in the upriver sections near Fredericksburg and Richmond.

Reader reports from the Potomac are of a solid blue catfish bite with menhaden working well. Many are in the 20-pound-plus department, but there are plenty of eating-sized cats hitting too, with good reports from Indian Head up to Fletchers. The recent rains should extend their downriver range in all the tribs as salinity drops. There has been a lot of action around the 301 Bridge, with fish up to 30 pounds being caught and fish in the five to 10 pound range common. Catfishing on the James River has also been excellent this week and the increased flows had the blue catfish biting. Near Richmond, anglers are reporting that flathead catfish are getting more active as well.

Water temperatures took a dip this week, but the overall trend has been upward, and we should soon start to see the shallows on the Lower Bay come to life with some of our favorite inshore saltwater species, including striped bass, speckled trout, and red drum. There was a report from a kayak angler who was fishing on the Rappahannock north of the Norris Bridge who said they caught a few speckled trout in the upper reaches of a tidal creek this week. April is usually when we see speckled trout show up across this region and water temperatures around 60 degrees gets them on the move and much more active. Striped bass are also showing up in the shallows more regularly. The striped bass closure is still in effect for all Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay. During this time, anglers are prohibited from targeting striped bass. Virginia, D.C., and the main stem of the Potomac River are all open for catch and release fishing. You can view the Maryland DNR striped bass regulations map to see when and where targeting striped bass is allowed.

Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, April 11 Update:

The Lower Bay tidal rivers have been providing excellent early spring action for a variety of species. FishTalk Contributor Adam Greenberg hit the Potomac in DC late last week and reported a great bite on multiple species; they caught over 30 shad, two blue cats, and a nice flathead. The shad hit dart/spoon tandems and a tiny shad dart on a fly rod, and the catfish ate seven-inch flukes (slathered in scent) on a 1.5-ounce head. Un-slathered jigs did not get hit. Reports editor Dillon Waters also made it out on the upper Potomac in D.C. last weekend and said that the flatheads were active and biting, though the blue catfish seemed to be less active. He caught four flatheads up to 38 inches using Z-Man Scented Jerk Shadz on two-ounce jigheads. The river was running low and slow, which made vertical jigging easier on the rocky bottom. Most of the bites came from 20’ to 30’, though the biggest fish was in only 10’ of water. He says that a lot of shad anglers were out on the river having success just north of Fletchers Cove and about a half mile to the south near the bend in the river. Anglers mentioned the shad were holding close to the bottom and biting shad darts and metal spoons. Goober Time Guide Service has been running trips on the James River, catching some monster blue catfish, including a 30, 35, and 55 pounders from a night trip this week. Rain this week will bump up flows in the rivers, which should improve shad fishing and catfishing conditions. The catfish tend to bite better when waters are flowing high and muddy, and the shad usually respond well to increased flows too.

The striped bass closure is still in effect in Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay. The main stem of the Potomac River, Washington D.C., and Virginia are all open for catch and release fishing. There was a report from an angler fishing on the Potomac near Colonial Beach who caught around 20 stripers fishing along shorelines in six feet of water. Three-quarter-ounce jigheads paired with Z-Man soft plastics was the hot bait. We have also seen reports of big stripers being caught in the upper reaches of both the Potomac and Rappahannock rivers. The big fish are up there to spawn, so if you catch one, handle it with care and promptly release it.

Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, April 4 Update:

It was an action-packed week as anglers across the region found success throughout the Lower Bay tributaries. FishTalk contributor Adam Greenberg made it up to Fletchers Cove on the Potomac River this week and reported a steady shad bite on tandem rigged shad darts and spoons. He was also able to catch two blue catfish and one big flathead that measured 37” while jigging a 1.5-ounce jighead and 7” fluke style soft plastic. Adams says that anglers looking to jig for catfish should consider adding Pro-Cure or some type of scent attractant to their jigs because a co-angler caught zero catfish with the same jig compared to his three fish with the jig slathered in scent. Captain Chad Koenig of Dog Days Fishing was also out on the upper Potomac and says the area has filled in with eater sized catfish in the 10-to-20-pound range. He is catching less fish over 30 pounds, but still no shortage of bites with steady action on blue catfish and flathead catfish. His anglers have also jigged up white perch, quillbacks, stripers, and walleye. Lower Bay anglers fishing in D.C. and Virginia are still able to catch and release striped bass, but Maryland anglers are prohibited to target them now that the closure is in effect until May 16th. The big stripers are running up the rivers to spawn and we encourage anglers who catch them to handle them with care and get them back in the water as quickly as possible. After several consecutive years of poor spawning recruitment, we need to do what we can to protect the breeding size class of fish we have now.

The shad run has begun in earnest, and we had a reader report of solid action in the Potomac near Fletchers on spoon-and-dart tandem rigs. The fish were hitting both silver and green near visible seams in the current. Greater numbers of American shad have shown up around Fletchers Cove and spin casters and fly anglers are reporting schools of fish just downriver from the boulder field north of the cove. The rain this week bumped up the flow of the river which should help bring more fish into the area and enhance the bite. Anglers interested in fishing the upper Potomac River during the shad run should follow along with the Friends of Fletchers Cove Shad Report courtesy of longtime D.C. local Mark Binstead. Many readers, the Angler in Chief, and FishTalk’s Zach Ditmars all reported good shad action at Mason Springs, with fish hitting small spoons and darts but spoons producing more bites. Chartreuse was the hottest color and anglers fishing early in the day reported a much better bite than those fishing late. We also heard from an angler who had good success on them while casting crappie-sized plastics on jigheads. Some small yellow perch were mixed into the catch, and one reader reported a river herring as well. On the Rappahannock, the shad run is still going strong in the Fredericksburg area. A pair of anglers reported launching at Little Falls and heading upriver where they caught around 30 hickory shad. Gold spoons were the hot lure.