Fishing Report
Chesapeake Bay (lower), VA
Summary: Lower Bay - 7/30/26 Anglers pursuing striped bass in Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake will have until Friday July 31 to fish for striped bass. Maryland’s striped bass season will be closed August 1 through August 31. The Potomac River has been closed since July 7 and will not open until August 21. Live-lining spot has been the most popular way to fish for striped bass this month along channel edges between 25 feet and 35 feet deep. Action is found in the channel edges off Cedar Point and Cove Point and the channel edge between Buoy 76 and Buoy 74 offshore of the Stone Pile near what is left of Barren Island. Bluefish are a big part of the mix when live-lining and most anglers are catching limits of bluefish by live-lining or chunking. Cruising along the steep channel edges and watching depth finders for suspended fish is the best way to get in on the bluefish action. Boaters are reminded to avoid the waters surrounding Barren Island as restoration efforts continue, go to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers website for complete information and images showing waters to avoid. Bluefish of varying sizes can be found throughout the lower bay region this week and most likely through the rest of August. They can be caught while chumming and drifting cut bait, trolling with surge tube lures or Drone spoons behind inline weights, jigging, or casting into breaking fish. Sizes are running from 1.5 pounds to 10 pounds. Anglers are chumming for cobia while fishing live eels in the distant back of their chum slicks close to the bottom. While waiting for cobia, many anglers are drifting cut bait in their chum slicks to catch bluefish. The first Spanish mackerel were reported last weekend off Smith Point while trolling gold Clark spoons. Hopefully more will fill in this week. Trolling small gold Clark spoons behind inline weights and planers at a fast clip at around 7 knots is the best way to catch them. Large red drum continue to provide exciting catch-and-release action for anglers this week. Spotting them on depth finders, slicks, and disturbed water is a popular way to find them. Once found, baiting them with soft crab or large soft plastic jigs is a popular way to target them. Trolling with large chrome spoons behind inline weights is another way to catch them. The areas around Smith Point. Point Lookout, the Target Ship, and the Middle Grounds are good places to look for them. Speckled trout are being caught by anglers throughout the lower Bay when casting a variety of lures in the shallower waters near grass beds. Popping corks trailing plastic shrimp baits, Zara Spooks, and paddletails are all popular lures during the early morning and late evening hours. Drifting soft crab baits or small spot near creek mouths on ebbing tides is another popular and successful method to catch speckled trout. Fishing for a mix of croaker and spot has been very good this week and should continue through August. They can be found holding over hard bottom in most areas on both sides of the Bay. The lower Patuxent and Tangier Sound have been especially productive. The spot can be caught on pieces of bloodworms, lug worms, or artificial bloodworm baits. Croakers can be caught on the same or peeler crab. White perch are holding in the tidal rivers and creeks and can be found near structure in the form of docks, piers, oyster reefs, and submerged rocks. Grass shrimp, peeler crab, and bloodworms are good baits to use on a bottom rig. The early morning and late evening hours offer some of the best fishing on a moving tide. Casting small spinnerbaits and spin-jigs near promising shoreline structure offer fun light-tackle action.