Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, April 3 Update:
Ocean water temperatures are on the cooler side, but water temperatures in the tidal tributaries, especially on the western shore, are heating up rapidly with the warm temperatures this week. The creeks and rivers now have water temps in the 50s, and some may even have water temperatures in the 60s. This has caused the puppy drum to get more active in the tributaries. We had a report from an angler fishing Rudee inlet who caught a few schoolie striped bass and one red drum, but said the bite was still slow, likely due to water temperatures in the low 50s. Warmer waters in Lynnhaven Inlet and the Elizabeth River are leading to more active fish. Puppy drum can be found cruising the shallow mud flats feeding on baitfish such as mullet. Striped bass are being caught in areas with current and structure such as bridges and deeper docks. These bites should continue to improve as warmer weather takes over.
Big news came out of Virginia this week as the Virginia Marine Resources Commission closed down recreational speckled trout harvesting from April first through June 30th. This decision is in response to the cold stun event earlier this year that makes two consecutive years in a row with significant speckled trout die-offs in Virginia. Catch and release fishing is still permitted, but if you want to take a fish home for dinner, you will have to target other species. Speckled trout harvest is still allowed in Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay, but we will have to wait and see how many fish push up the Bay.
The black drum have finally made an appearance on the Eastern Shore of Virginia as the first few reports of fish caught in the surf came in this week. That means there are likely some moving into the Chesapeake Bay. These fish can be caught around the bridge tunnel and at various reef sites all the way up to the Tangier Sound, and occasionally even farther north. Sand fleas work very well in the surf, but in the Bay, many anglers choose to use fresh chunks of blue crab on fish finder rigs. Along with the drum moving into the Bay, tautog have also arrived at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. They can be caught around the rock islands and bridge pilings. Fiddler crabs, sand fleas, and blue crab also work very well for these fish. Dropper rigs with octopus hooks or bottom sweeper jigs are the two most common rigs for targeting tautog in this zone. A reader checked in with us after a successful trip fishing for tog last weekend at the CBBT. They caught seven keepers and a few throwbacks.