Fishing Report for December 2, 2020

Saltwater

Many of the Rockfish being caught are being caught inside the rivers. Most of the reports this week have come from the James, the Rappahannock, and the Potomac Rivers. Umbrella rigs have been popular. Many are being used with heavy mojos. Tandem rigs are also bringing aboard fish. Some have been able to find feeding birds which can enable casting to the fish with buck tails, rattletraps, swim baits, and spoons. These baits can also be jigged vertically with good success.

There has been some night success at the CBBT lately, but not widely talked about. The Speckled Trout anglers have been faring well—especially those fishing at night under the full moon. Lynnhaven Inlet has been good in the last few days. The Rappahannock and surrounding inlets and tributaries have also been good. Depending on the severity of the winter, the Speck bite can remain quite good throughout the whole season. As the water temps drop, the better lures tend to be Mirr-o-lures and suspending jerkbaits.

High winds in the last few days have kept the charter boats docked and the surf anglers off the beaches. So, there haven't been many reports from them.

Tautog anglers are enjoying a good bite both inside the Chesapeake Bay and on ocean wrecks. The ocean wrecks are producing excellent catches of Seabass, Triggerfish, and Flounder.

Freshwater

Good Bass fishing is taking place in many places. The tidal rivers are always a good choice, as warming afternoons can warm tidal flats quickly causing shallow feeding in sometimes surprising areas. Rattletraps, swim baits, jigs, and soft plastics on finesse presentations are some of the more popular options. Many of the fish are still in the creeks, but the pits along the James River should not be overlooked either.

Chickahominy Lake is another option not to be overlooked, especially for big fish. There have been some real monsters caught there in past years.

The upper James is again at, or above, flood stage. So, it looks like another week with frustrating conditions there.

Lake Anna has been good for the Stripers, Bass, and the Crappie. The Stripers are mainly being caught from the splits to the upper stretches of both arms. Swim baits and even topwaters have been good. 19+ lbs won the most recent Winter Series Bass tournament out of Sturgeon Creek Marina. The Bass have been responding well to jigs in rocky areas. Crankbaits and swim baits have been good, too. Alabama rigs are working for both the Stripers and the Bass. The Crappie are being caught from the bridge areas as well as deeper brush piles. Minnows on slip floats have been working best.

The Crappie action remains good at Kerr Lake, as it often does. Bridges, brush, and floating docks around deeper areas have been good. Side imaging and forward facing sonar are extremely useful for pinpointing Crappie, as well as other species. Action has been increasing for Crappie in area ponds also.