Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, June 11 Update:
Summer fishing is rapidly taking hold in the Lower Bay, with bluefish, bull red drum, black drum, Spanish mackerel, and cobia all making appearances throughout the region. Striped bass continue to provide steady action in the Potomac, St. Mary's, and Rappahannock systems, particularly during low-light periods. While speckled trout reports remain below average, anglers are optimistic that improving catches signal better opportunities ahead.
The Tackle Box reports that a pound netter in Cornfield Harbor pulled in chopper bluefish, bull redfish, some big black drum, and even a few Spanish mackerel this week. These are all summer visitors to the Lower Bay, and it looks like there are plenty of species to catch out there right now. The Tackle Box also reports that some cobia have been spotted below the Target Ship. These fish are mostly wanting live eels right now. The season opens on June 15th. They are also getting reports that rockfish and bluefish are being caught daily by anglers fishing in the Potomac River and St. Mary’s River. The speckled trout reports have still been slim this year, but a few have been caught around the grass beds near Kitts Point, so hopefully we are finally seeing a push of fish up the Bay.
In the Rappahannock and surrounding tributaries, slot-sized rockfish have been caught in the shallows near rip-rap shorelines, creek mouths, and other areas with structure. The bite has been best in the low light hours and often dies out once the sun gets up in the morning. If you are fishing during the day, try to find areas with stronger currents. Docks are also good areas to fish because they provide cover and shade from the sun. A few more reports of speckled trout are coming in from the Corrotoman and Piankatank, but the fishery is still catch and release in Virginia until July 1st. The puppy drum are still absent from most of the Lower Bay tributaries, but the bull redfish have been making occasional appearances. The action has been mostly along the main stem of the Bay and near the mouths of the tidal rivers.
FishTalk contributor David Rudow and Reports Editor Dillon Waters took a trip to the upper tidal Potomac last week to catch whatever was willing to bite. They started their day fishing at the Woodrow Wilson Bridge where they caught a mix of eight rockfish, three blue catfish, and one walleye. Most of the fish were caught by jigging one-ounce jigheads with straight tail soft plastics along the bridge pilings in around 20 feet of water. After jigging at the bridge, they ran upriver to Fletcher’s Cove in search of flathead catfish. The tide was going out, which made for a steady drift down the river over the rocky bottom. Working depths of 10 to 15 feet near the cove seemed to be the sweet spot. Over the course of a few drifts, they caught half a dozen rockfish, two flathead catfish, and a few blue catfish. After working that zone for a while, they pushed further up the river towards Chain Bridge, but the current was significantly faster up there. It took two-ounce jigheads to keep the lures on bottom. Two more rockfish, one flathead, and around a half dozen blue catfish were caught in the swifter moving water. They also report that spotted gar were splashing around all over the river between Fletchers Cove and Chain Bridge.
Crabbing Report: A reader checked in after crabbing on the St. Mary’s River last weekend using drop traps. They said that despite a weak tide, the crabs were plentiful and eager to take baits in eight to 10 feet of water over oyster bottom. They were able to catch a bushel of good-sized crabs in just over two hours.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, June 4 Update:
Bluefish, croaker, and spot are becoming more common throughout the Lower Bay, while striped bass continue to bite in several areas of the Potomac River. Speckled trout and puppy drum reports remain scarce, but catfish action has been excellent in the upper reaches of the Potomac and James rivers. We can expect the seasonal influx of warm-water species to continue building through the month of June.
Eric Packard checked in after fishing out of St. Jerome’s Creek this week. Packard said he got on the water around 7:30 in the morning, but apparently that was not early enough. A friend was there much earlier and caught three striped bass between 21 and 23 inches, and two bluefish up to 21 inches. Eric caught a single bluefish that measured 22.5 inches on a ¼ ounce jig with a four-inch white bass assassin. He fished until noon and that was the only bite he got. The Tackle box reports that the first few bluefish and big croaker were caught this week in the lower Potomac River. The numbers are not great yet, but more should arrive throughout this month. Spot are also becoming more prevalent, along with a lot of small croaker. Farther upriver, they received good reports from striped bass anglers fishing near the 301 bridge and the mouth of the Upper Machodoc Creek. This zone has been one of the better areas for stripers this year, with fish being caught in both the shallows and in open water near rock piles and other deep water cover. A reader confirmed the action around the 301 Bridge, adding that along with the excellent rockfish bite (catching around 30 fish in five hours) they found some white perch and catfish.
Speckled trout reports are still not looking good for the Lower Bay. By now, we usually hear of some specks being caught in the Rappahannock, Corrotoman, and Piankatank, but that has not been the case this year. There are likely some around, but anglers are going to have to work hard to find them. The same can be said for puppy drum which have been basically nonexistent so far in the northern waters of Virginia. There have been some bull reds around, and we heard of a 48 incher being caught in the Corrotoman on a live spot, but these fish are very spread out as well. Bluefish are making their arrival and have now been encountered throughout several areas of the Lower Bay. There have been some rumors of blues breaking in open water, but we have not confirmed them yet. The lumps and shoals around the Target Ship and other wreck sites tend to be where the blues start to congregate this time of year.
The upper reaches of the Lower Bay tidal rivers are still running muddy, but flows are receding. The catfishing has been very good with the increased flows and both blue catfish and flathead catfish are biting in the upper James River and upper Potomac River. On the Potomac, anglers are pulling blue catfish in the five to 10 pound range from the river near Chain Bridge. There have been some big flatheads in the mix, up to 20 pounds. The flathead bite near Richmond has been very good in the rocky stretches of river where the fish are hanging out in the slower moving pools and eddies. Flatheads are willing to hit a variety of artificial lures. Most anglers choose to throw large soft plastics with jigheads to match the depth and current needed to get down in the water column.