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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 Anchor Boats, Brown Dog Marine, CCA MD, Riverside Marine, Suzuki Marine, and Tri-State-Marine
Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, December 19 Update:
There are about two weeks left for black sea bass season on the coast. The fishing bite has been inconsistent off the Maryland coastline, but more reliable down in the waters off Virginia Beach. This December has been much colder than average, so water temperatures are down, and sea bass are mostly being caught in depths of around 200 feet. The OC Angler was out earlier in the week, and while the sea bass fishing wasn’t great, they did… Read more from Coastal...
Freshwater Fishing Report, December 19 Update:
We saw some seriously cold weather this week that had many areas iced over for a few days. It looks like we are getting a bit of a thaw that should open more areas for fishing. FishTalk’s Zach Ditmars says the bite was slow in the upper Pocomoke River last weekend, and only a handful of pickerel plus one bass were willing to hit on a recent trip. Minnow got the most bites. He noted that at one point he did find a school of fish on the meter (which… Read more from Freshwater...
Way North Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, December 19 Update:
Fishing is slowing down now that we are getting into the heart of winter, but there are still some opportunities worth getting out on the water for. Blue catfish have mostly moved to the deeper holes and channels of the lower Susquehanna River. The big blues are being caught in depths of 40’ to 60’, which can be found around the railway bridge that crosses over Garrett Island. Big fish can also be found just below the Conowingo Dam… Read more from Way North...
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, December 19 Update:
Pickerel fishing is one of the premier winter fishing opportunities in the Upper Bay. Popular locations include the Magothy River, Stoney Creek, Main Creek, and other tributaries in the Baltimore area. The recent cold snap caused many of the smaller creeks and tributaries to freeze up with ice, which makes accessing the pickerel grounds difficult. Luckily, we are getting a warm-up that should help melt away the ice and open up the creeks… Read more from Upper Bay...
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, December 19 Update:
It is an exciting time for catch and release striped bass fishing on the Chesapeake Bay. The big fish are arriving and mixing with schools of smaller fish, but the bite has been tricky. The Angler in Chief says it got a bit tougher to find birds last weekend, but a few were hitting just south of Chesapeake Beach. Early in the week, several readers tried finding the fish but reported a complete lack of action off Chesapeake Beach and in… Read more from Middle Bay...
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, December 19 Update:
The striped bass bite has been hard to pattern over the past week, but the most consistent bite seems to be happening around the mouth of the Potomac. Multiple reader reports came in of steady action on 20-soemthing rockfish with a few larger beasts in the mix in the lower Potomac. Trollers pulling umbrellas scored best, but some bird play and jigging success was reported as well. Water temperatures are below average for this time of… Read more from Lower Bay...
Tangier, Pocomoke, and Lower Shore Fishing Report, December 19 Update:
FishTalk’s Zach Ditmars says the bite was slow in the upper Pocomoke River last weekend, and only a handful of pickerel plus one bass were willing to hit on a recent trip. Minnow got the most bites. He noted that at one point he did find a school of fish on the meter (which would likely be either crappie or yellow perch) but the fish refused to eat. The Eastern Shore mill ponds had some ice on them with the latest cold… Read more from Tangier and Lower Shore...
Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, December 19 Update:
The big talk in the Way South region is the arrival of big migratory striped bass. Ocean’s East Bait and Tackle said reports that big numbers of fish have shown up in the southern Chesapeake Bay. The bite has been exceptional over the past two weeks, with several boats landing multiple trophy sized fish on recent outings. Sho-Nuf Sportfishing has been chasing these big fish, and their crews are catching some giants. On a recent trip… Read more from Way South...