Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, June 26 Update:
The Lower Bay is offering some of the most exciting action on the Chesapeake, with bull redfish, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, cobia, and striped bass all providing opportunities. Redfish blitzes, improving cobia reports, and the northward push of Spanish mackerel are creating excellent early summer fishing. White perch fishing has also been particularly productive in the region's tidal creeks, making for outstanding mixed-species trips.
Some awesome action has cranked up off of Smith Point, with bull redfish blitzing and those anglers who had lucky-good timing treated to the sight of monsters churning the surface this week. Double and triple hook-ups happened on multiple occasions for anglers casting seven-inch chartreuse paddletails and bucktails trimmed with twister tails. We also had multiple subscriber reports this week of bluefish, mostly in the three-to-five-pound range, hitting strong just south of the Target Ship. Trolling with red and green hoses did the trick. The Spanish mackerel are also moving up the Bay. Reports up to Windmill Point have come in recently, and anglers are catching them by trolling in the usual zones around ledges in 20 to 40 feet of water. One boat reported boxing four mackerel and catching several others that were too small to keep. Hopefully they keep making their way north and offer some fun open water opportunities in July. Other wreck and reef sites in Virginia waters have been holding plenty of bluefish around the structure. The blues have ranged in sizes of 12” dinkers to some jumbos around 30 inches, though most of them seem to be in the 16” to 22” range. Jigging on deeper wrecks is working well, while the shallow wrecks have offered good opportunities for topwater and jerkbait lures.
The Tackle Box reports that cobia are hanging around the Middle Grounds below the Target Ship. Chummers are using chum bags and fresh chunks of alewife to attract them. Live eels are also working exceptionally well. It is still early in the season, and the reports have not been great, but there are more cobia on the way based on reports from further south in the Bay. On calm days, sight fishing opportunities will allow boats to locate the fish on the surface as they cruise just below the water. Once spotted, throwing live eels or large bucktails usually gets their attention. A lot of the cobia action so far this season has consisted of sub-legal fish under the 43” minimum, but larger fish tend to show up as we get later in the year.
The rockfish bite in the Lower Bay tributaries has been picking back up after a lull in the middle of the month. Anglers are finding success in open waters of the Potomac River at depths of 20’ to 30’. Fish are preferring long casts and subtle presentations with jigs and various soft plastics. Down on the Rappahannock and other Virginia tributaries, grass is abundant, and anglers are catching rockfish during low light hours on swimbaits and topwater lures. A few more speckled trout are showing up as well, but they are still few and far between. The Virginia tributaries on the Potomac, Rappahannock, and York rivers have also been offering better action for white perch in the tidal creeks. A pari of fly anglers reported catching over 100 perch plus a few spot, croaker, and rockfish this week. Anglers fishing from various shoreline locations are also having luck fishing with bottom rigs and sabiki rigs tipped with grass shrimp. It seems that the Lower Bay is one of the better locations for perch fishing right now. FishTalk Contributor Eric Packard checked in after kayak fishing near St. Jerome Creek. He caught a 27” rockfish on topwater just after sunrise and then caught a bluefish on a ¼ ounce Invincible Jig paired with a white Saltwater Assassin. Those were the only two fish of the morning.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, June 18 Update:
Cobia season is underway, and anglers are beginning to connect with fish around traditional hotspots such as the Target Ship, Smith Point, and Windmill Point. Spanish mackerel and bluefish are spreading farther north through the Bay, creating additional opportunities for anglers targeting summer migratory species. Striped bass action has been inconsistent but improving weather conditions could help spark a better bite heading into the weekend.
The Angler in Chief says he got out on the Rock-N-Robin and fished for cobia just south of Reedville midweek. The bite was on the slow side but chumming knolls rising to 16’ or 18’ from deeper water did produce two fish, though both were unfortunately undersized. The cobia chose live eels over bunker chunks and the good news is that rays were mercifully absent. The day before, the action had been better, with two cobia in the box plus some bluefish that hit the bunker chunks. Other boats fishing around the Target Ship, Smith Point, and Windmill Point are pulling in a few cobia, but cownose rays and the occasional shark have been harassing chunks of bunker on fish finder rigs. We have heard several reports of undersized cobia being caught from 30” up to the low 40s, but cobia regulations in Maryland and Virginia require the fish to be a minimum of 43 inches. Spanish mackerel are starting to push up the Bay. Some fish have been caught near Windmill Point, but we haven’t heard of much action around Smith Point yet. The mackerel bite has been good from New Point down to the mouth of the Bay, but as water temperatures continue to heat up, more mackerel will be migrating up the Bay. Bluefish have already pushed north of the Potomac River, and they are hanging around the rocky shoals and lumps near the Target Ship. Anglers have also found them on many of the wrecks and reef sites in the Lower Bay. The blues have been eager to hit topwater lures and paddletails when encountered.
FishTalk contributor Eric Packard checked in after fishing around St. Inigoes this week. He fished for two hours from noon until two and covered a lot of water but did not catch any fish. He spoke with another kayak angler who fished the western shore of Smith Creek who also had zero bites. We did see a report from another kayak angler that they found a good striper bite around Smith Creek last week while throwing paddletails. As we all know, the bite can change from day to day, and with warmer water temperatures, the stripers may be retreating to deeper water and only prowling the shallows during low-light hours. The Tackle Box reported that they had several good reports from anglers last week, including some that caught rockfish and bluefish on topwater lures near the mouth of St. Jerome’s Creek. The fishing reports turned sour this past weekend with the new moon on Sunday and Monday. A cold front also came in, and the fishing action seemed to slow down significantly. The reports are picking back up, and the conditions should be more favorable this weekend.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, June 11 Update:
Summer fishing is rapidly taking hold in the Lower Bay, with bluefish, bull red drum, black drum, Spanish mackerel, and cobia all making appearances throughout the region. Striped bass continue to provide steady action in the Potomac, St. Mary's, and Rappahannock systems, particularly during low-light periods. While speckled trout reports remain below average, anglers are optimistic that improving catches signal better opportunities ahead.
The Tackle Box reports that a pound netter in Cornfield Harbor pulled in chopper bluefish, bull redfish, some big black drum, and even a few Spanish mackerel this week. These are all summer visitors to the Lower Bay, and it looks like there are plenty of species to catch out there right now. The Tackle Box also reports that some cobia have been spotted below the Target Ship. These fish are mostly wanting live eels right now. The season opens on June 15th. They are also getting reports that rockfish and bluefish are being caught daily by anglers fishing in the Potomac River and St. Mary’s River. The speckled trout reports have still been slim this year, but a few have been caught around the grass beds near Kitts Point, so hopefully we are finally seeing a push of fish up the Bay.
In the Rappahannock and surrounding tributaries, slot-sized rockfish have been caught in the shallows near rip-rap shorelines, creek mouths, and other areas with structure. The bite has been best in the low light hours and often dies out once the sun gets up in the morning. If you are fishing during the day, try to find areas with stronger currents. Docks are also good areas to fish because they provide cover and shade from the sun. A few more reports of speckled trout are coming in from the Corrotoman and Piankatank, but the fishery is still catch and release in Virginia until July 1st. The puppy drum are still absent from most of the Lower Bay tributaries, but the bull redfish have been making occasional appearances. The action has been mostly along the main stem of the Bay and near the mouths of the tidal rivers.
FishTalk contributor David Rudow and Reports Editor Dillon Waters took a trip to the upper tidal Potomac last week to catch whatever was willing to bite. They started their day fishing at the Woodrow Wilson Bridge where they caught a mix of eight rockfish, three blue catfish, and one walleye. Most of the fish were caught by jigging one-ounce jigheads with straight tail soft plastics along the bridge pilings in around 20 feet of water. After jigging at the bridge, they ran upriver to Fletcher’s Cove in search of flathead catfish. The tide was going out, which made for a steady drift down the river over the rocky bottom. Working depths of 10 to 15 feet near the cove seemed to be the sweet spot. Over the course of a few drifts, they caught half a dozen rockfish, two flathead catfish, and a few blue catfish. After working that zone for a while, they pushed further up the river towards Chain Bridge, but the current was significantly faster up there. It took two-ounce jigheads to keep the lures on bottom. Two more rockfish, one flathead, and around a half dozen blue catfish were caught in the swifter moving water. They also report that spotted gar were splashing around all over the river between Fletchers Cove and Chain Bridge.
Crabbing Report: A reader checked in after crabbing on the St. Mary’s River last weekend using drop traps. They said that despite a weak tide, the crabs were plentiful and eager to take baits in eight to 10 feet of water over oyster bottom. They were able to catch a bushel of good-sized crabs in just over two hours.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, June 4 Update:
Bluefish, croaker, and spot are becoming more common throughout the Lower Bay, while striped bass continue to bite in several areas of the Potomac River. Speckled trout and puppy drum reports remain scarce, but catfish action has been excellent in the upper reaches of the Potomac and James rivers. We can expect the seasonal influx of warm-water species to continue building through the month of June.
Eric Packard checked in after fishing out of St. Jerome’s Creek this week. Packard said he got on the water around 7:30 in the morning, but apparently that was not early enough. A friend was there much earlier and caught three striped bass between 21 and 23 inches, and two bluefish up to 21 inches. Eric caught a single bluefish that measured 22.5 inches on a ¼ ounce jig with a four-inch white bass assassin. He fished until noon and that was the only bite he got. The Tackle box reports that the first few bluefish and big croaker were caught this week in the lower Potomac River. The numbers are not great yet, but more should arrive throughout this month. Spot are also becoming more prevalent, along with a lot of small croaker. Farther upriver, they received good reports from striped bass anglers fishing near the 301 bridge and the mouth of the Upper Machodoc Creek. This zone has been one of the better areas for stripers this year, with fish being caught in both the shallows and in open water near rock piles and other deep water cover. A reader confirmed the action around the 301 Bridge, adding that along with the excellent rockfish bite (catching around 30 fish in five hours) they found some white perch and catfish.
Speckled trout reports are still not looking good for the Lower Bay. By now, we usually hear of some specks being caught in the Rappahannock, Corrotoman, and Piankatank, but that has not been the case this year. There are likely some around, but anglers are going to have to work hard to find them. The same can be said for puppy drum which have been basically nonexistent so far in the northern waters of Virginia. There have been some bull reds around, and we heard of a 48 incher being caught in the Corrotoman on a live spot, but these fish are very spread out as well. Bluefish are making their arrival and have now been encountered throughout several areas of the Lower Bay. There have been some rumors of blues breaking in open water, but we have not confirmed them yet. The lumps and shoals around the Target Ship and other wreck sites tend to be where the blues start to congregate this time of year.
The upper reaches of the Lower Bay tidal rivers are still running muddy, but flows are receding. The catfishing has been very good with the increased flows and both blue catfish and flathead catfish are biting in the upper James River and upper Potomac River. On the Potomac, anglers are pulling blue catfish in the five to 10 pound range from the river near Chain Bridge. There have been some big flatheads in the mix, up to 20 pounds. The flathead bite near Richmond has been very good in the rocky stretches of river where the fish are hanging out in the slower moving pools and eddies. Flatheads are willing to hit a variety of artificial lures. Most anglers choose to throw large soft plastics with jigheads to match the depth and current needed to get down in the water column.