Lower Bay Fishing Reports

Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, December 25 Update:

We hope that you all got some new fishing gear to try out as we heard into the new year. Reports Editor Dillon Waters spent a day fishing with a friend between Hoopers Island and Point Lookout last weekend. They joined a fleet of about 20 other boats working the shipping channel ledges in 70’ to 100’ on the east side. The large bait balls were in the deep waters of the shipping channel suspended between 20’ and 50’ down in the water column. Rockfish were mixed in, and they marked several schools of fish following the bait balls. The morning bite was very slow, and although fish were on the meter, they seemed to have lockjaw as only a few anglers hooked up on small fish over the course of a few hours. Once the afternoon came around, things changed, and the bite seemed to turn on. He and his co-angler started hooking up on some fish in the 30” range, and even landed a 44” fish that hit a 10” ZMan Heroz straight tail. Other boats in the fleet started catching fish too, and they watched several boats land trophy-sized fish. It appeared that the guide boats with an assortment of electronics were having the most success as they were able to pinpoint the exact location of fish in the deep water using a combination of sidescan, livescope, and downscan. Having good electronics is crucial when the fish are not actively feeding near the surface.

A lot of the light tackle guides are having luck on the east side of the Lower Bay in Maryland waters and near the Virginia line. This time of year, it is all about finding bait, and water temperatures tend to dictate where the big schools of bait stage up. Right now, the Lower Bay seems to be the hotspot of the trophy striped bass bite, and the recent warm weather appears to have turned the bite on big time. Over the past few days, the reports from the lower Potomac River, mouth of the Rappahannock River, and main stem of the Bay near the shipping channel have been very good. Bird shows have even kicked off at times. With water temperatures hovering in the low 40s, most of the action is taking place in depths of 40” or more, and a lot of reports have been in depths of 80’ or more. Trollers are doing very well right now but are having to use 20 to 30 ounces of lead to get baits down to the fish. In the mouth of the Rappahannock, we saw several reports from trollers landing fish over the 40” mark and even a few over 48”. Live lining eels has also been very effective. Striped bass season for the Potomac River and Virginia waters of the Chesapeake Bay is open until December 31st and will move to catch and release only at the start of the new year.

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 year, with most areas in the low 40s. This has significantly reduced bird action, and fish are spending more time in deeper water close to bottom. This is why having good electronics is so important, because rather than huge schools of fish feeding on bait under birds, anglers are having to pick off fish from small packs in deep water. The Tackle Box had a report from Greg Buckner of Miss Susie Charters that said their crews caught good numbers of 17” to 30” rockfish between the number five buoy and Ragged Point. They also landed a few big migratory fish as well.

Not all anglers found success in the Potomac this week, as we had a reader check in after spending a few hours fishing the mouth without any luck. They only marked a few scattered fish and noted a major lack of bait. The bite seems to vary significantly from day to day. Down on the Rappahannock, the bite has also varied from day to day. Trollers seem to be finding the most consistent bite working the waters from the Whitestone Bridge out to the mouth of the river. Most of the big migratory fish are being caught on the main stem of the Bay in Virginia waters, so searching main channel edges and contours is the best bet right now. In the upper sections of the Lower Bay tidal rivers, blue catfish are a popular winter target. We have good reports from the D.C. portion of the Potomac and upriver sections of the James River. The big blue cats have moved into their wintering holes on the deeper stretches of river. The best way to catch them is to drop down fresh cut bait in these deep holes and be patient. The giants are less active but are still lurking, looking for a meal.

Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, December 11 Update:

Striped bass season is now closed in Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay but catch and release is still open. The Potomac and Virginia waters of the Bay will remain open for harvest until December 31st. Reports editor Dillon Waters headed down to fish with a friend out of Point Lookout last weekend in search of the first wave of trophy striped bass moving up the Bay. They didn’t find any trophy fish, and the bird action was scattered at first, but later in the afternoon, the bite picked up. After searching around the mouth of the Potomac with little luck, they ran north to Piney Point, where they found a huge bird show and large schools of feeding stripers. For an hour and a half, they enjoyed a good jigging bite for fish in the 20” to 25” range. Drifting in the area of action instead of chasing down diving birds led to more hookups. Other anglers on the Potomac are having luck from Coltons Point down to the mouth, and a few reports of trophy sized fish rolled in this week.

In Virginia waters, the striped bass bite has been slower, but more big fish are showing up. Trollers in the mouth of the Rappahannock are picking up a few slot sized fish and a few 40” + showed up this week. The action should get better throughout the month. A pair of fly anglers fishing on the Corrotoman had a good trip last weekend. They found speckled trout in four to six feet of water, catching seven keepers up to 20”. They released another five that were sub-legal. They also caught some white perch in three feet of water and a carp. They were using jig style flies tied on size two and six hooks. Some speckled trout will overwinter in the tributaries off the Rappahannock. The key is to find areas of shallow water, usually with mud flats, where deep water is close by. On warm, sunny days, specks will often move into the shallows as the water temperature warms up, then retreat to deep water when the cold returns.

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 shallow areas of just four to eight feet of water near Point Lookout, and at times have been marked by fast-moving flocks of birds. White plastics and Steelshad blade-baits got them biting. A reader checked in after spending the day fishing with Thomason Tradition Sportfishing on the lower Potomac. They fished all day and said that the morning bite was slow, but the afternoon bite turned red hot with birds and fish feeding hard. Schools of rockfish were moving around, chasing bait in depths of 20’ to 30’. The afternoon bite seems to be the best time to get on the fish right now, but some morning action has also been reported; it is just less consistent. Another reader caught multiple slot fish trolling white umbrellas between Ragged Point and Sandy Point, in 30' of water.

Some white perch are being caught in the Potomac River in depths of 30’ to 50’ and are often found close to or mixed in with the schools of rockfish. Small metal jigs and bloodworms are working well when anglers come across the perch schools. Down on the Rappahannock, the rockfish bite has been slow, but trollers are plucking a few fish on umbrella rigs while working the ledges at the mouth of the river. In the upper portions of the Lower Bay tidal rivers, blue catfish have moved into their wintering holes but are still very active. Now is a great time of year to catch the big fish. An angler fishing in Washington D.C. on the Potomac River said that he has found a good bite in the channel near Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling and north of Georgetown. Anglers fishing on the James River are catching some monster fish in the 40-to-50-pound class in the upriver deep holes. Temperatures may be cold, but pulling in a fish of that size makes it worth it.