Fishing Reports
Weekly fishing reports for the Chesapeake Bay and Mid-Atlantic and surrounding region. If you would like to be notified via e-mail when our weekly fishing reports are updated, click here to sign up.
FishTalk fishing reports are presented by Brown Dog Marine, Intrinsic, Parish Creek Landing, Riverside Marine, Suzuki Marine, Tri-State-Marine, and Waterfront Marine
Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, January 27 Update:
We have good news from the Virginia Marine Resources Commission. They have voted to open a special recreational black sea bass season from February 1 through the 28 of 2023. More information regarding the special season can be found on the VMRC website. A free permit is required to participate, which can be found here. After not opening the special season last year, this is a great opportunity for winter fishing while other bites are… Read more from Coastal...
Freshwater Fishing Report, January 27 Update:
Contributor Eric Packard reports that the winter trout stocking locations continue to be productive. Along with the nymph with a bead head dropper that proved so productive last week, he’s tried using a simple bobber rig baited with redworms with success. We also heard from a pair of anglers that visited some southern Maryland stocking locations in Prince Georges and Charles Counties who reported catching their limit on two different days. Slow… Read more from Freshwater...
Way North Chesapeake Fishing Report, January 27 Update:
Fishing has really slowed down this month and we haven’t received many reports from up the Bay. Frequent wind and poor weather are partly to blame. Yellow perch are showing up in the tidal tributaries but will not be in full spawn until mid to late February. The perch spawn is hard to predict and can vary depending on temperature and other weather events. Live minnows are the best bait for the perch and can be fished under a bobber or… Read more from Way North...
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, January 27 Update:
Contributor Eric Packard had some good success in the Baltimore creeks fishing for pickerel, catching seven in a morning and “losing just as many.” He noted that many fish were short-striking his lures and said a chrome/green jerkbait and a quarter ounce jighead with a four-inch green tail were the offerings that got the fish snapping. The tidal tributaries in the upper Bay provide excellent pickerel fishing in the wintertime and the good… Read more from Upper Bay...
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, January 27 Update:
The mid-winter fishing blues are really setting in as we eagerly await spring. Fishing on the Bay is tough right now but some catch and release rockfish opportunities are available. Water temperatures have warmed up slightly which has pushed some of the rockfish into shallower water. Anglers Sport Center says a good starting point will be to look for them in 40 feet of water, but they have been found in as deep as 100 feet of water. The… Read more from Middle Bay...
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, January 27 Update:
Fishing has really slowed down this month and we haven’t received many reports from the lower Bay. Frequent wind and poor weather are partly to blame. There are still opportunities for catch and release rockfish, but those endeavors have been nothing short of a grind. Captain Pete Dahlberg Four Seasons Guide Service has been targeting trophy rockfish in the middle and lower sections of the Bay recently. It hasn’t been easy though with… Read more from Lower Bay...
Tangier, Pocomoke, and Lower Shore Fishing Report, January 27 Update:
Sea Hawk Sports Center reports that fishing the Pocomoke has been a little rocky recently. Some days anglers are finding plenty of perch, bass, pickerel, and crappie to keep them busy, and other days it is hard to find a decent bite. The yellow perch are staging for their spring spawning runs and will be schooled up in holes or channels. Six to 10 feet of water seems to be producing the most consistent bites. Crappie will… Read more from Tangier and Lower Shore...
Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, January 27 Update:
The mid-winter fishing blues are really setting in as we eagerly await spring. The winter temperatures have really slowed the fishing in the area, but some fish are still biting. Big breeder rockfish have been out in the main stem of the Bay in deeper water. They haven’t been easy to locate though and sometimes they won’t even bite but the chance at a trophy rockfish is enticing for many. Metal jigs up to three ounces have been… Read more from Way South...