4/28/2017 Update:
The Tackle Box in Lexington Park reports that trolling has picked up a bit, but only a bit. Cove Point down to the mouth of the Potomac has accounted for most of the catches, with a few lucky anglers hitting their limit but many falling short (and some falling far short). Most of the trophies being caught are spawned out, which is excellent for the future of the fishery, but may also indicate that the warm February did in fact lead to an early spawn. The next few weeks will tell us if the bulk of the big stripers have departed Maryland waters already.
Trophy rockfish aside, there’s some good news to share: the first speckled trout of the season and the first croaker of 2017 were both caught during the past week. On top of that, white perch are now biting in the creeks. Up the Potomac a bit, blue catfish are providing most of the action with cut herring fished on bottom as the top bait.
4/23/2017 Update:
Trophy stripers became much more active this past Friday and Saturday. Whether it's due to the shift in the weather or the fish moving out of spawning areas, anglers in the upper and middle Bay areas saw vastly improved catches with some boats reporting limits. The Love Point, Podickory Point, Thomas Point, Eastern Bay (closed to trophy season!), Chesapeake Beach, and Solomons were all mentioned as areas with a hot bite. White and chartreuse were both effective colors for trollers, and cut bunker fished on bottom produced good numbers of fish (mostly in 30 to 35 of water over muddy bottom). With this kind of action, the waters from Solomons south should be hot over the next week or two as these fish move south and head for the open Atlantic.
4/21/2017 Update:
Despite reporting a poor start to the season, the guys at the Tackle Box said using standard spring trolling tactics to catch trophy rockfish has accounted for most of the success thus far, producing some 45 to 50 pound fish: trolling bucktails, tandems, and umbrellas in chartreuse, white, and yellow. However, there haven’t been many particular hotspots so far this year. This season has also seen large numbers of jellyfish moving through the area, so make sure to keep your lines clear.
Two anglers we spoke with at a recent CCA banquet said they did relatively well trolling south of Solomons this week. One boat had three keeper fish and the other had two keepers and two throw-backs, with most of the fish taking white tandems fished off the planer boards. The 40 foot zone accounted for most of these fish.
4/16/2017 Update:
While the opening day's catch was not up to expectations, anglers in the Solomons and southern areas of the Maryland portion of the bay did better than those up north. Some boats skunked, many reported a single fish, and some had a half-dozen or more. Still, judging by the number of marks on the fishfinders, the bite wasn't as good as one would have hoped. Successful anglers reported white was a good color (something we heard from anglers up and down the bay).
4/14/2017 Update
The Tackle Box in Lexington Park has a lot of good news to report, starting off with croaker. They've been a bit scarce the past few years compared to five or 10 years ago, but hopefully that's about to change - anglers casting from the public fishing pier at the foot of the Solomon's bridge have been catching croaker already, and on top of that, netters have been finding croaker in their catch. Up the Potomac stripers have been spawning and as they move back off the spawning grounds, umbrella rigs and parachutes with large plastic shad should tempt them into biting. The Tackle Box also reports some excellent activity at St. Mary's Lake, which can be found in the Freshwater Reports. Editor's note: those unfamiliar with St. Mary's Lake should be sure to check out the June edition of FishTalk, which will include a feature article on fishing in this excellent body of water (detailed hotspots included!)
4/7/2017
Although it`s been a long, slow winter, look forward to the return of a plentitude of migratory species in the lower bay. Despite the lack of fish in the southern most parts in late March, anglers have been catching white perch and catfish. To catch some cats, the guys at Bishops in Yorktown, Virginia, have reported using cut bunker in the James River to be effective. For catfish, you can take out your boat or fish from shore in some areas. White perch have been found around Solomons and in back creeks, according to Alvin at The Tackle Box in Lexington Park, Maryland. He recommended using grass shrimp to target whites during the upcoming season, based off of the store report.
