Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, September 4 Update:
The Lower Bay is offering one of the best mixes of species right now, with bluefish and Spanish mackerel holding along channel edges and bull reds appearing sporadically throughout the same areas. Side-scanning has been key for locating the reds before they surface, when anglers can quickly cast large paddletails for explosive action. Rockfish are also biting around the lower Potomac, while Rappahannock oyster bottom is producing croaker, spot, and a mix of drum and sheepshead.
Contributor Eric Packard says some bluefish were biting on spoons behind planers in the mainstem Bay along the channel edges outside of the mouth of the Potomac last weekend, and although the boat he was on didn’t tie into any bull redfish he did see a light-tackle boat bring one up in the area. The birds weren’t active, and the boat appeared to be running around side scanning to find the big fish. He then heard from a friend that later in the day the reds came up and boiled the water, and several boats got in on intense action. A subscriber checked in after hitting the same area and said his trip was cut short by gusting winds, but in the short time he trolled small spoons behind planers, he picked up four blues and a mackerel. Another fishing farther south, a few miles below the Target Ship along the channel edges, said multiple boats were side scanning for the reds and when they were spotted, the first boat or two to the marks would enjoy double and triple hook-ups. But the schools moved on quickly and the fleet’s arrival generally meant the fish were gone. Casting 1.5- to three-ounce heads with white or pink paddletails was effective. Packard also took advantage of the opening week of rockfish season and made it down to Piney Point to take some casts. He headed down the St. Georges Island side, throwing a topwater bait in bone color. He started catching fish on some offshore structure and ended up pulling 12 fish that ranged from 22” to 26”. A couple fish were caught on half-ounce Hard Head Custom Bait jigs with a five-inch Rapala The Mayor plastic. Once the tide dropped out, so did the bite. He went back up towards the bridge and caught some small bluefish and had some puffer fish harassing his plastics. Packard made one more trip to the Potomac this week and spent a morning casting on Smith Creek. He caught some small speckled trout and small bluefish while casting around soft plastics. If you are looking for the chance to catch a variety of species, the Lower Bay is the right place for you.
Down on the Rappahannock, there are some red drum, black drum, and sheepshead around bottom structure and other reef sites in the river. Bottom fishing for croaker and spot has also been very good around oyster bottom in the lower half of the river. Spanish mackerel have been prevalent along the deeper channels in 20’ to 40’ of water towards the mouth of the river and on the main stem of the Bay. One boat fishing this week reported that they found the mackerel around the 2R buoy and boxed a dozen nice mackerel while trolling. We heard of some rumored puppy drum reports coming in from around the Deltaville area, but we could not confirm them. However, it is the right time of year for the pups to start showing up.
The Tackle Box reports that white perch fishing has been good on the tidal tributaries of the Potomac River. These fish should become increasingly concentrated in the tidal creeks and rivers as fall approaches, with the larger fish relating to deeper holes, channel edges, docks, fallen trees, rip-rap, and other hard structure in relatively shallow water. The best approach is to work small jigs, Beetle Spins, Mepps-style spinners, or shad darts around shoreline cover, particularly on a moving tide. Early and late in the day, perch will often push into three to five feet of water to feed on bait, while brighter daytime conditions can send them tighter to shaded docks, pilings, and deeper structure. Puppy drum have also made an appearance on the Potomac, so they should be around the Virginia tidal rivers as well. One reader said they found a school of around a dozen under slot and slot puppy drum in an unspecified area of the Potomac this week. Puppy drum will often occupy many of the same shallow-water areas as the perch, particularly around grass, oyster bottom, riprap, creek mouths, points, and deeper pockets adjacent to flats. As the water cools, look for them where current funnels bait through narrow cuts or along the edges of shallow flats. Small paddletails, Beetle Spins, and other compact jigs are effective when cast around structure and retrieved just above the bottom. In Maryland, the recreational red drum limit is now three fish per person per day with an 18” to 26” slot. Virginia regulations also allow three red drum per person per day, with an 18” to 26” slot.