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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 5 Update:
The surf fishing is relatively quiet right now, but there are still a few bites to chase. Migratory striped bass are moving down the coast, so there is a chance to run into them within casting distance of the beaches. The bulk of the fish will likely be out of casting range, but we have a few reports of stripers being pulled from the suds of the Virginia beaches. Captain Steve’s Bait and Tackle reports that anglers are checking in some… Read more from Coastal...
Freshwater Fishing Report, December 5 Update:
FishTalk’s Zach Ditmars spent some of the holiday weekend hitting the ponds dotting the Delaware section of the Eastern Shore but said the pickerel bite was tepid, and the weather made fishing tough. Only a handful of fish, up into the low 20-inch range, were willing to hit. A reader reported similar results in a millpond on the Shore's southern reaches, where the pickerel bite had shut down cold with the sudden chill in the air. However, he did… Read more from Freshwater...
Way North Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, December 5 Update:
We had a reader report of solid action on crappie in the Northeast River, with Gulp! minnows on Sabikis doing the trick. Some large bluegill were biting as well. Crappie can also be found in the Elk River, where they will be schooling near deeper structures. The tidal tributaries in the Way North region also have a robust largemouth bass fishery. The bite has slowed down as temperatures have dropped, but anglers are still catching… Read more from Way North...
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, December 5 Update:
There is still plenty of rockfish action in the Upper Bay for anglers to take advantage of before the season closes on December 10th. A couple of reader reports came in of action near Love Point, at times punctuated by bird play. Most of the fish were just under or in the slot, but a few larger fish were reported as well. Jigs have proven effective, but trollers seem to be consistently getting better numbers of fish, and Spoonbrellas… Read more from Upper Bay...
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, December 5 Update:
The Angler in Chief says finicky bird play remains the game in the areas he’s visited lately, with a lot of running from flock to flock and more birds on the meter than on the hook. The general vicinity of the mouth of the Choptank continues to produce slightly better than most areas, with white paddletails and small jigging spoons catching fish. Clarkspoon Jigging Sticks have been effective recently. A reader checked in with one of the… Read more from Middle Bay...
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, December 5 Update:
The striped bass season is coming to an end for those who want to take home some fillets. The season will end on December 10th for Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay. The Potomac and Virginia waters will remain open until December 31st. Catch and release will remain open after the season closes. Contributor Eric Packard reports that rockfish have been pushing bait to the surface in the lower Potomac, including into some surprisingly… Read more from Lower Bay...
Tangier, Pocomoke, and Lower Shore Fishing Report, December 5 Update:
It is time to bundle up while heading out on the water. The cold weather is here, but there are plenty of reasons to still get out and fish. Anglers in the Tangier region have an excellent winter fishery right in their backyards, the Pocomoke River. The Pocomoke has been fishing very well for crappie and several other species in recent weeks, including largemouth bass, yellow perch, and pickerel. Crappie have been enticed… Read more from Tangier and Lower Shore...
Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, December 5 Update:
Migratory striped bass are making their way back into the Chesapeake Bay. The big fish are beginning to arrive, and December is the best time of year to catch them in the Way South region. Some fish have been caught around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and in the waters off Cape Charles, but we are still waiting on the big push of fish, if they even show up. What the migratory stripers do in the winter tends to vary year by year,… Read more from Way South...