Lower Bay Fishing Reports

Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, May 9 Update:

Fishing is heating up as the lower Bay has come to life this spring. The Tackle Box is reporting that there have been a handful of puppy drum caught in the St. Mary’s River. Some have even been caught by anglers live lining small spot at night. They also report that stripers seem to be plentiful in several areas where they are off limits right now. Anglers who are searching for early season speckled trout and red drum are finding a lot of accidental stripers. Recent rains have increased flows on the upper Potomac River and there has been a very good schoolie striped bass bite in the area this week. Fish ranging from 18” to 25” are being caught by fly anglers casting clouser minnows and by those using spinning gear with jigs. With more rain in the forecast this weekend, the current river conditions may persist long enough to keep the fish in the area for the opening of the season next week. The striped bass season opens on May 16th in the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland Waters, Washington D.C., the Potomac River, and in Virginia waters. Each of these jurisdictions have regulations that allow anglers to keep one fish per person per day with a slot limit of 19” to 24”.

Down on the Rappahannock, the shallows are coming to life with many of our favorite saltwater gamefish. Speckled trout have surged north in the Bay and are now regularly being caught on the Rapp. A boat fishing out of Greys Point reported catching several speckled trout and striped bass while casting paddletails in the shallows this week. Emerging grass beds will be prime areas to search for speckled trout while docks in deeper water often hold striped bass and red drum. The unfortunate news this week is that cownose rays have started to invade the Lower Bay with anglers reporting them from the York River up to the Potomac. When a large school of rays comes through an area, it can shut off a bite and dirty up the water. They are a nuisance, but if you have fished on the Bay you know it is just part of the game. The spot and small croaker have shown up throughout the Lower Bay, and they are being caught by shore anglers at the mouths of the tidal rivers and on the main stem of the Bay. Bottom rigs baited with bits of bloodworm and Fishbites are working well.

Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, May 2 Update:

It is an exciting time of year to fish as several bites are going strong. Snakehead fishing has been excellent this spring. Apex Predators on Potomac Creek sent in several pics of nice catches their clients made on the Potomac. An angler fishing a creek in northern Virginia reported catching a 30.5” snakehead while topwater fishing. Potomac River tributaries on both the Maryland and Virginia sides have been fishing well this spring as an abundance of emerging grass flats and SAV are providing prime habitat for pre-spawn snakehead fishing. Topwater frogs are working very well right now and anglers are reporting that hydrilla fields have been holding a lot of snakeheads, and some bass too. The Rappahannock is another Lower Bay river that has become a hotspot for snakeheads with hotspots around Fredericksburg and Port Royal. Catfish will be another reliable target this time of year in the Lower Bay tidal rivers and blue catfish are biting in the Potomac, Rappahannock, and James. Anglers are also reporting a good bite for flathead catfish on the James River around Richmond.

The Tackle Box checked in with several reports from southern Maryland waters. Spot are starting to show up on the Potomac and they had an angler check in after catching half a dozen on the St. Mary’s River while fishing with bloodworm. Spot numbers should continue to increase throughout the remainder of the spring. The Tackle Box also got their first report of a puppy drum being caught in Maryland with a 16” fish coming from the St. Mary’s River. The angler also caught a handful of striped bass and some white perch on a jig. Water temperatures have reached the 60’s, and we are starting to see warm water species push north. A kayak angler on the Piankatank caught a 18” speckled trout, 26.5” trout, and a 18.5” puppy drum. All fish were caught in three feet of water using Gulp! swimming mullets and paddletails. The summer/fall striped bass season for the Chesapeake Bay will open this month on May 16th. The regulations are the same as last year with a slot of 19-24” and a creel limit of one fish per person per day. Only certain areas will be open for targeting striped bass in Maryland waters so make sure to look at the Maryland DNR striped bass regulations map to see when and where you can fish for striped bass. Striped bass season on the Potomac River and in Virginia waters will also open on May 16th with the same limits.