Lower Bay Fishing Reports

Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, August 8 Update:

The Lower Bay fishing scene that we usually enjoy during the late summer is starting to shape up. The Tackle Box reports that trollers have been finding an excellent bluefish bite in the waters around the Target Ship. They have taken a liking for both metal spoons and rubber hoses. In recent weeks, there have been several occasions where the bluefish have been giving away their location by blitzing on the surface of the water. Trollers will want to work the outside edges of the school when this happens so that they do not spook the fish. Light tackle anglers will also find it best to avoid driving into the frenzy and cast from a distance. Some Spanish mackerel are also starting to show up in this zone. Captain Greg Buckner of Miss Susie Charters reported that their crew boxed 11 Spanish mackerel along with a smothering of bluefish during a recent trip. Other boats have reported picking up a few mackerel here and there as well. Cobia fishing has not been great in Maryland waters so far this year, but anglers in Virginia are picking some up. Smith Point and Windmill Point have been two decent-ish locations to target them.

Bull red drum have been much more abundant than cobia in the Lower Bay. Anglers are having to cover a lot of water to locate them, but once found, the schools have been big. In the main stem of the Bay, the drum are being caught at shoals near the Target Ship and other main ledges in the Bay. The Lower Bay tidal rivers have been producing striped bass, red drum, and speckled trout in the shallows. The Potomac River is still under a no targeting closure until August 22nd. The Piankatank River and Corrotoman River have been good bodies of water to catch puppy drum recently. We had a report from a kayak angler who caught four slot reds and a few stripers while fishing docks in the Piankatank last weekend. Some flounder have also moved up the Bay. Most of them are under size, but some keepers are around. They can be caught in the shallows near docks and oyster bottom but will also be found at the steeper ledges in the mouths of the tidal rivers.