• Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report - VA

    Capt. Billy's Charters
    (804) 580-7292 http://www.captbillyscharters.com/default.asp captbillypipkin@gmail.com
  • I grew up in a small rural waterfront area of Pasadena, Maryland. At age five, I had my first vessel, a sailing skiff converted to a rowboat. My father taught me how to fish and crab while ultimately helping me develop a love and respect for the water.

  • Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report - VA

    Fishing remains good as conditions this week have been mixed. Mother Nature has handed us sunny days, calm water, rain and winds that rattle your britches but catches have been good throughout. Water temperatures are holding steady at 65 degrees in the bay and averaging 62 degrees in creeks and rivers.

    STRIPED BASS are biting well throughout the region. The local reefs are offering specimens from 18 to 23 inches each day. Larger fish are slow to arrive so we should not expect the larger sized fish to show for a couple weeks. It is obvious that rockfish are moving into the fall migration mode as they are feeding more aggressively. In the Rappahannock river, a mix of fish up to 25 inches have been found over oyster rocks and channel edges in several mid- river locations. Trolling small bucktails and naked shad behind jig heads has proven successful there.

    Schooling fish have been more the exception than the norm lately, but when found the bucktail presentations work well. Often times bluefish will be in the mix as well. You may opt to pull spoons as the blues quickly turn a bucktail into a bald jig head and leave rubber shad in pieces with only a toothy smile left as a calling card.

    BLUEFISH have also invaded the channel edges. While chumming for rockfish, it is not uncommon for bluefish to make up over 50 percent of the catch. These aggressive fighters offer another dimension to our chumming. Although they are a bit worrisome as they facilitate the depletion of our tackle, they sure do put up a great fight on light tackle. The closest access point to the Northern Neck and Asphalt Pile reefs is Ingram Bay Marina. There are plenty of slips and a deep ramp there to provide a short run to the mix of Rock and bluefishing.

    In Maryland waters, the S.W. Middle Grounds are holding large bluefish up to 5 pounds mixed with some rockfish. The lumps and larger rock piles have been producing a few more rockfish.

    On the Potomac River, action continues to go well for anglers chumming and trolling in the mid-channel area from Lewisetta to the rivers mouth

    TROLLING action has been sporadic with the morning and late afternoon hours being the most productive. Schools consist mainly of 1-3 pound bluefish and are mixed with similarly sized rockfish. Surface feeding has been best in Maryland and lower Potomac river areas but we expect action to pick up in the next week or two in Virginia waters. The Rappahannock river has offered some top water action well above the bridge with a mix of small bluefish and rockfish.

    Inshore fishing continues to provide good action on SPECKLED TROUT as well as PUPPY DRUM and small ROCKFISH. There have been a few citation trout caught over the past few weeks. Trout appear to have made a comeback from the hard freeze that killed many last winter. We are also seeing a nice run of GREY TROUT this fall, although most remain small, the one fish per person limit is being reached by many anglers.

    This is an exciting time of year. Enjoy the outdoors while we have both great fishing and favorable weather. If you don’t have a boat, give me or one of my fellow captains a call and we will put you on the fish.

    Until next time…Fair winds.

    Capt. Billy Pipkin owns and operates Ingram Bay Marina and Capt. Billy’s Charters located in Wicomico Church at the mouth of the Great Wicomico River. 580-7292 captbillyscharters.com
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