Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 1/25/18 Update:
The lower bay is barren of ice, which we will take as good news for the week. Unfortunately, J&W is reporting that it is also barren of fish, the reason why we'd like for there to be no ice. Hrumph.
We haven't gotten any solid reports of a perch bite yet, but we're betting that's due to the weather and the ice - both of which are mostly out of the way at this point. Winter Yellow Perch Fishing at Tidal Creeks should be getting ready to break loose, as historically, the beginning of February is an excellent time to hit Nanjemoy, Mattawoman, and the other creeks off the Potomac. Bull minnow on bottom rigs are the name of the game, in deep holes at the bends of the creeks.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 1/19/18 Update:
The Tackle Box is still reporting a few anglers catch and releasing rockfish, however the action is still slow. There was a perch bite in the creeks off the Potomac, as well as a blue catfish bite farther up the river, but areas that aren’t ice covered are subject to ice floes and fishing is extremely difficult right now. The best bet for an angler with cabin fever will be to head to Nanjemoy, Mattawoman, or one of the other feeder creeks and fish the deep holes using tactics as described in Winter Yellow Perch Fishing at Tidal Creeks.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 1/12/18 Update:
Although rockfish are out of season right now, there have been a few people doing catch and release with barbless hooks doing well jigging, according to the folks down at the Tacklebox. However, the weather has obviously made things difficult and “other than that you’re better off to stay on dry land and keep warm.”
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 1/5/18 Update:
Welcome to the first Lower Chesapeake Bay report for 2018, folks. We hate to start the year with a report as short as this one, but considering the weather, we figure you'll all understand! The Potomac had decent perch fishing according to J&W, near shore and mostly in deeper water, right up until the Arctic Bomb dropped into our region. There were also still a few very large stripers being encountered by catch-and-release anglers. Even prior to the obscene winds and temperatures of the past couple days, however, few anglers were able to get out on the water, making for a sparse report.
Yellow perch may well be swimming in the holes of the Potomac tributary creeks by now (read Winter Yellow Perch Fishing at Tidal Creeks to find out how to target them) and catfish should be in the same areas. However, once again thanks to the weather, we haven’t found anyone who’s been able to test these spots just yet.