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.
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.