Lower Bay Fishing Reports

Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, May 30 Update:

Below average temperatures and numerous rounds of rain are extending spring weather and causing water temperatures to slowly get warmer. The rockfish seem to be enjoying the cooler weather and there have been good reports in the Lower Bay. The Tackle Box reports that the Potomac on the Virginia side from Colonial Beach to the 301 bridge is hot for trollers catching schoolie striped bass.  They said other locations are good, but you have to work for them. Kayakers casting plastics on jig heads are doing well on rockfish and the occasional speckled trout in Cornfield Harbor.  There are reported good catches in Smith Creek and the St. Mary's River off the Potomac. Contributor Eric Packard says a few speckled trout are now wandering the waters of the lower Potomac and the St. Mary’s, and he had a couple in the net and lost another boatside this week. Most of the catch, however, consisted of slot or just-under rockfish. Chartreuse BKDs proved effective.

While rockfish have been the dominant gamefish in Maryland waters, the Virginia tidal rivers are holding better numbers of speckled trout and puppy drum, though the fishing isn’t red hot. Some reports are coming in from the Rappahannock, Corrotoman, and Piankatank of trout and drum being caught over grass beds and along docks with deeper water. Fishing at night near docks with lights or illuminated shorelines from buildings has also been effective. Three-to-five-inch soft plastic paddletails and curly tailed grubs are working well with hot colors including pink, pearl, and chartreuse. Good size spot and small croaker, with some keepers mixed in, can be found at the mouths of the tidal river. Areas with shell and oyster bottom seem to be holding good numbers of fish at depths of five to 20 feet. Bloodworms and Fishbites tipped on bottom rigs are working well. Cownose rays are still being reported as abundant in the tidal rivers and have been a nuisance at times. They will often shut down a bite after they have moved through an area, so it is best to avoid them if possible.

Crabbing Report: A pair of readers wrote in after crabbing in the St. Mary’s River over the weekend. They caught a bushel of crabs using two dozen drop traps baited with chicken necks and white perch. The white perch reportedly out caught the chicken necks by almost three to one. Good reports also came in from a reader crabbing in the Wicomico off the Potomac with a lot of number ones coming up on the trout line.

Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, May 23 Update:

It was an eventful week on the Bay with striped bass season finally opening. Contributor Eric Packard says there are some nice stripers, including slot and over-slot fish, mostly overs up to 29”, in the Point Lookout area. He’s had good success throwing paddletails and BKDs in pearl and chartreuse. However, you may want to keep some tooth-proof plastics on hand because he also encountered several bluefish in the 20” range. The bluefish have shown up sporadically in the lower Bay and have been seen at times pushing bait on the surface. They have also been found at some of the reefs and wreck sites where they have been willing to hit Rapala X-Raps and paddletails. Bottom fishing has been good at the mouths of the tidal rivers with spot and croaker just about everywhere. Bottom rigs tipped with bloodworms and Fishbites are working well in areas of shell or oyster bottom. White perch fishing has been spotty, with some tidal creeks producing good results and others seeming to hold few fish. One angler fishing in a lower Potomac creek said that the white perch bite was hot last weekend. They kept close to three dozen fish caught using a ¼ ounce jighead and two-inch soft plastics.

The Tackle Box reported that anglers have found good success in the Potomac since the opening day of striped bass season. Trollers have been pulling fish from 30’ of water between Piney Point and St. George Island. Unfortunately, cownose rays have been hassling anglers, and it appears they have moved into our waters in huge numbers. In the shallows, kayak anglers and shore fishermen are finding stripers along shoreline points, docks, and riprap. The Rappahannock River has seen better fishing for speckled trout and puppy drum than areas further north as they are slowly making their way up the Bay for the warmer months. Anglers fishing on the Corrotoman and in the area of Whitestone have found specks, puppy drum, and stripers in the shallows over grass beds and near shoreline structure. One angler reported finding speckled trout up to 20” and striped bass up to 21” while fishing over grass. Fish hit on topwater lures, jerkbaits, and paddletails. Conwose rays have also been a nuisance at times and if you encounter them, it is best to search other areas for your target species.  

Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, May 15 Update:

While striped bass season is kicking off, there are several other bites to be excited about. Reports of redfish are getting slightly more numerous (but still aren’t up to par with this time last year) and we’ve now heard of them up the Western Shore tribs to the St. Mary’s. We’ve also heard from multiple readers who hit the lower Potomac that all they found last weekend was lots of stripers. Contributor Eric Packard hit Smith Creek one day last weekend and had similar results…. except for the stripers. Speckled trout and puppy drum have been slowly making their way north in the Bay and the better reports are coming from the Virginia tributaries. Puppy drum are now being caught with some regularity in the Rappahannock and speckled trout are also showing up in areas with emerging grass flats. Unfortunately, cownose rays are beginning to invade the tributaries and several anglers have reported encountering them on recent trips. There have been a few scattered reports of bluefish showing up as far north as Maryland waters in the Lower Bay with fish busting bait on the surface at times. We have not heard about any specific areas, but it is worth keeping an eye out for surface activity while out on the water. Early reports indicate that these blues are on the larger side, which can be a lot of fun on light tackle (and frustrating if they break you off).

The Tackle Box checked in and reported that anglers seeking speckled trout and red drum have struggled to find their target, but there are plenty of stripers around. They expect anglers fishing in both the shallow and deeper areas in the tidal rivers to find success once the season opens. They also report that spot and croaker are everywhere now with anglers catching them both by boat and from shore. Croaker are mostly in the five to eight inch range and spot are anywhere from three to six inches. There have also been a few whiting (northern kingfish) caught in the Lower Bay as well. Bottom rigs tipped with Fishbites or bloodworms are working for all the bottom feeders. Live Liners should be able to catch spot for bait when heading out to target stripers. After a month and a half closure, the striper season will open on May 16th for most Maryland waters in the Chesapeake Bay. The season also opens on May 16th for Washington D.C., the Potomac River, and Virginia. The slot limit is 19” to 24” with a creel limit of one fish per person per day. Not all areas in Maryland are open to harvesting or targeting striped bass, so make sure to look at the Maryland DNR striped bass regulation map to see where fishing for stripers is allowed.

Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, May 9 Update:

Fishing is heating up as the lower Bay has come to life this spring. The Tackle Box is reporting that there have been a handful of puppy drum caught in the St. Mary’s River. Some have even been caught by anglers live lining small spot at night. They also report that stripers seem to be plentiful in several areas where they are off limits right now. Anglers who are searching for early season speckled trout and red drum are finding a lot of accidental stripers. Recent rains have increased flows on the upper Potomac River and there has been a very good schoolie striped bass bite in the area this week. Fish ranging from 18” to 25” are being caught by fly anglers casting clouser minnows and by those using spinning gear with jigs. With more rain in the forecast this weekend, the current river conditions may persist long enough to keep the fish in the area for the opening of the season next week. The striped bass season opens on May 16th in the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland Waters, Washington D.C., the Potomac River, and in Virginia waters. Each of these jurisdictions have regulations that allow anglers to keep one fish per person per day with a slot limit of 19” to 24”.

Down on the Rappahannock, the shallows are coming to life with many of our favorite saltwater gamefish. Speckled trout have surged north in the Bay and are now regularly being caught on the Rapp. A boat fishing out of Greys Point reported catching several speckled trout and striped bass while casting paddletails in the shallows this week. Emerging grass beds will be prime areas to search for speckled trout while docks in deeper water often hold striped bass and red drum. The unfortunate news this week is that cownose rays have started to invade the Lower Bay with anglers reporting them from the York River up to the Potomac. When a large school of rays comes through an area, it can shut off a bite and dirty up the water. They are a nuisance, but if you have fished on the Bay you know it is just part of the game. The spot and small croaker have shown up throughout the Lower Bay, and they are being caught by shore anglers at the mouths of the tidal rivers and on the main stem of the Bay. Bottom rigs baited with bits of bloodworm and Fishbites are working well.

Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, May 2 Update:

It is an exciting time of year to fish as several bites are going strong. Snakehead fishing has been excellent this spring. Apex Predators on Potomac Creek sent in several pics of nice catches their clients made on the Potomac. An angler fishing a creek in northern Virginia reported catching a 30.5” snakehead while topwater fishing. Potomac River tributaries on both the Maryland and Virginia sides have been fishing well this spring as an abundance of emerging grass flats and SAV are providing prime habitat for pre-spawn snakehead fishing. Topwater frogs are working very well right now and anglers are reporting that hydrilla fields have been holding a lot of snakeheads, and some bass too. The Rappahannock is another Lower Bay river that has become a hotspot for snakeheads with hotspots around Fredericksburg and Port Royal. Catfish will be another reliable target this time of year in the Lower Bay tidal rivers and blue catfish are biting in the Potomac, Rappahannock, and James. Anglers are also reporting a good bite for flathead catfish on the James River around Richmond.

The Tackle Box checked in with several reports from southern Maryland waters. Spot are starting to show up on the Potomac and they had an angler check in after catching half a dozen on the St. Mary’s River while fishing with bloodworm. Spot numbers should continue to increase throughout the remainder of the spring. The Tackle Box also got their first report of a puppy drum being caught in Maryland with a 16” fish coming from the St. Mary’s River. The angler also caught a handful of striped bass and some white perch on a jig. Water temperatures have reached the 60’s, and we are starting to see warm water species push north. A kayak angler on the Piankatank caught a 18” speckled trout, 26.5” trout, and a 18.5” puppy drum. All fish were caught in three feet of water using Gulp! swimming mullets and paddletails. The summer/fall striped bass season for the Chesapeake Bay will open this month on May 16th. The regulations are the same as last year with a slot of 19-24” and a creel limit of one fish per person per day. Only certain areas will be open for targeting striped bass in Maryland waters so make sure to look at the Maryland DNR striped bass regulations map to see when and where you can fish for striped bass. Striped bass season on the Potomac River and in Virginia waters will also open on May 16th with the same limits.