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Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report
By Keith Lockwood of The Maryland DNR
This information is provided as a public service of the
Maryland Department of Natural Resources. www.dnr.state.md.us
May 7th, 2008
CHESAPEAKE BAY FROM DRUM POINT SOUTH TO THE VIRGINIA LINE
Trolling the shipping channel edges and the channel in the lower Potomac continues to be the best show in town for fishermen hoping to catch a large spring migrant striped bass. The charter boat fleets have been leaving the dock every day loaded with fishermen full of dreams of catching one of these impressive fish; the private boats which now are outfitted with planer boards and weighted lines or diving planers have become a more efficient fishing machine also and have been racking up some impressive catches. Large spoons, swimming shad lures, bucktails and parachutes dressed with sassy shads have all been good choices of lures to drag behind a boat. The fish are being caught off of the planer boards in the top 25’ of the water column but also at deeper depths recently along channel edges. Cove Point, Cedar Point, Point-No-Point, Hooper’s Island Light, Buoy 72, the mouth of the Patuxent and Potomac have all been good places to find fish. Eight year old J.T. Lewis caught this 40” striped bass near the mouth of the Patuxent and checked it in for a citation at Angler’s with both his grandfathers by his side.
Fishermen have been reporting that they are seeing more bait in the region lately and a number of times breaking fish have been reported. This kind of action is pretty significant when you consider the size of the fish involved. This kind of situation would fit a dream sequence for just about any angler on the Chesapeake; 30”+ striped bass on light jigging tackle. Fishermen are well advised to now carry a set up suitable for jigging when they go out to troll and have it rigged ahead of time so you don’t miss out on the action.
Croaker fishing at the mouth of the Wicomico River in the lower Potomac continues to be the place to be if you really want to get into some good croaker fishing. Bloodworms, shrimp and squid as well as Gulp and Fishbite artificial baits have been working well on bottom rigs. Buoy 7 on the Virginia side of the main channel has also be a recent hotspot for croaker. White perch have moved down into the lower sections of the regions tidal rivers such as the Patuxent, Nanticoke and Pocomoke Rivers. Bloodworms and grass shrimp have been the best baits lately on a simple bottom rig. Croaker fishing has been relatively slow at the mouth of the Honga River this past week but should pick up soon. Croakers are being caught in the waters of Tangier and Pocomoke Sounds and also around Point Lookout on the western shore.
LOWER CHESAPEAKE BAY MAP
CLICK MAP FOR A LARGER VIEW
Map courtesy of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. www.dnr.state.md.us
Other Maryland Fishing Reports
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