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On this week’s Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, host Luke Barton checks in with Capt. Robbie Bryan aboard Reel Release Sportfishing and Capt. C.L. Marshall of Tangier Sound Charters for a spring report that covers everything from tautog and black sea bass to big shallow-water rockfish, black drum, red drum, and what anglers should expect as May approaches.
Capt. Robbie Bryan breaks down the current tautog bite around wrecks, reefs, bridge structure, and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, with detailed advice on bait, tackle, hooksets, and how water temperature affects fish behavior. Then Capt. C.L. Marshall joins the show with a hot Tangier Sound report, where black drum, red drum, and oversized striped bass are making for memorable shallow-water trips.
Conditions Recap
Spring is finally starting to settle into the Lower Chesapeake Bay, but wind and lingering cold-water effects are still shaping the fishing. Capt. Robbie Bryan said the cold winter pushed black sea bass farther offshore earlier in the year and slowed some patterns down, but warmer water is now helping tautog, black drum, red drum, and cobia movement begin to build.
Tautog are still active around structure, especially where fish are preparing to spawn, and the inshore bite has been more consistent than the offshore wreck bite. Black sea bass have moved back onto inshore and offshore pieces, though anglers should continue checking the latest VMRC and NOAA updates before fishing because season dates, size limits, and possession limits can vary depending on state and federal waters.
Farther up the bay, Capt. C.L. Marshall reported a strong shallow-water pattern around Tangier Sound, with big striped bass, black drum, red drum, croakers, skates, rays, and other species all showing up as the water warms. He said the black drum bite appears to be running about 10 days to two weeks behind schedule, but that may actually help extend the spring opportunity as May unfolds.
Tautog Fishing With Capt. Robbie Bryan
Capt. Robbie Bryan aboard Reel Release Sportfishing said the tautog bite has been steady, with inshore structure providing the more consistent action this time of year. Offshore wrecks can still produce, but he said the inshore wrecks, VMRC reefs, bridge pilings, and Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel structure are all holding fish.
One of Robbie’s biggest points was that tautog are extremely tied to water temperature. When the water gets very cold, he said they almost “hibernate,” tucking into holes and waiting for the water to warm before they feed aggressively again. Early in the season, he likes outgoing tides because that warmer water coming out of the rivers can fire up the bite better than cooler incoming ocean water.
For anglers trying to catch tautog, Robbie said the first requirement is being willing to fish snaggy places. If you are not getting hung up, you are probably not fishing the right kind of structure. He looks for holes, caves, ledges, drops, and dark areas where tog can tuck into wrecks and reefs. Unlike black sea bass, which may school around structure, tautog often live directly in the roughest parts of it.
Robbie’s bait choice this time of year is blue crab. He said blue crab is hard to beat once the water warms and crabs begin coming out of the mud. Earlier in the colder part of the season, softer baits like clams, oysters, and shrimp can work well because the fish may not have been feeding hard enough to handle tougher baits as aggressively.
Gear matters too. Robbie recommended bringing plenty of sinkers, leaders, and hooks because breakoffs are part of the game. Around shallower tube structure, he may use 3- to 5-ounce sinkers, while deeper bay structure may call for 6 to 10 ounces depending on tide and current.
For rods, Robbie prefers a softer, lighter tip that helps anglers feel the bite and distinguish bottom from fish. For jighead fishing, he uses light tackle with 30-pound braid on a 3000-size reel, almost like a trout setup. For conventional bottom fishing, he often fishes 50- to 65-pound braid with heavier leaders because black drum, red drum, and other big fish can show up while targeting tog.
His leader advice was especially practical. When fishing a wreck with significant relief, anglers should use a longer leader to protect the main line from rubbing against the structure. If a wreck rises 15 feet off the bottom, a short leader may leave braid exposed to sharp metal or concrete. In that situation, Robbie may use a leader long enough to keep the main line away from the wreck when a fish eats.
For hooks, Robbie likes 3/0 to 4/0 octopus hooks for bay fish, depending on bait size, and may step up to 6/0 2X hooks offshore. His hookset advice was to avoid swinging too early. A scratchy bite may just be the fish working the bait, and he would rather be a little late than pull the bait away too soon and spook fish in the hole.
Black Sea Bass And Early Black Drum Movement
Capt. Robbie also discussed the uncertainty around black sea bass regulations. He explained that the fishery is regulated at both the state and federal level, which can create confusion when Virginia state rules and federal offshore rules do not line up. His advice was for anglers to check VMRC updates before fishing, especially if they plan to cross the three-mile line.
Robbie said black sea bass are highly important for charter customers because many anglers book those trips to fill coolers with excellent table fare. He said the Virginia fishery has been strong, with plenty of fish available on wrecks and other structure, but anglers need to be sure they are following the most current rules before keeping fish.
Black drum are also beginning to show in the bay earlier than expected. Robbie said a friend had recently limited out quickly, and other reports down the coast suggest more fish are pushing north. Since drum can show up around the same bridge and structure areas where anglers are fishing blue crab for tautog, he likes having heavier gear ready in case a 20-pound black drum or large red drum eats a tog bait.
Boat Updates And Reel Release Trip Options
Capt. Robbie also spent time getting his 28-foot Privateer ready for the season. He recently removed an old wrap, repainted the boat, redid the bottom paint, added spray rails, installed new spreader lights for night drum fishing, added a new motor box, updated paint inside the boat, and installed a new transducer.
The spray rails made a major difference in the ride. Robbie said the cabin boat carries a lot of weight forward, and the spray rails helped lift the bow and allow the trim tabs to work better. He described the difference as night and day, with the boat riding better and gaining speed.
Reel Release Sportfishing offers a wide range of trips, including inshore puppy drum, trout, flounder, Spanish mackerel, bluefish, bay fishing, offshore wreck fishing, flounder, black sea bass, triggerfish, mahi, tuna if the bite develops, tautog, and family sunset cruises. Robbie said he tries to keep trips comfortable, especially for families and kids getting on the water for the first time.
To follow or book with Capt. Robbie Bryan, visit Reel Release Sportfishing on Facebook.
Tangier Sound Report With Capt. C.L. Marshall
Capt. C.L. Marshall of Tangier Sound Charters joined the show with one of the strongest reports of the week. Fishing from areas around Crisfield, Maryland, Saxis, Virginia, Onancock, and nearby waters, C.L. said the shallow-water bite has been outstanding.
Black drum were the first sign that his season had truly kicked off. He found them on shallow oyster piles before moving a little deeper, where the bite expanded to include black drum, red drum, and other species. Over the past 10 days, he said the shallow-water fishing has produced reds, stripers, skates, rays, croaker, and even a diamondback terrapin.
The standout action has been oversized striped bass in very shallow water. C.L. reported catching fish over 40 inches, including one that measured nearly 49 inches, while fishing in only about two feet of water. He said those big fish can run 100 yards of line and make multiple hard runs on relatively light tackle.
For those larger rockfish, C.L. has been fishing chunked crab rather than traditional baitfish chunks. In Tangier Sound and surrounding waters, he said crab is king. He uses cut sooks, often in large half-crab pieces, because big baits draw big fish. Peelers can also work well when available.
His rig is simple and practical. He uses a 7/0 Mustad circle hook, an 18-inch leader, 30-pound leader material, a barrel swivel, a bead, and a fish finder rig. The lighter 30-pound leader gives him a way to break off cow-nosed rays quickly when needed instead of wasting a long fight and disrupting the spread.
C.L. said location depends on the target species. For big striped bass, he wants strong current around a point, sandbar, or other structure, especially where wind and tide are pushing bait against a bank. He is not afraid to fish a windward shore, anchoring off the bank and casting back toward the rougher water. For redfish and speckled trout, he often slides just off the heaviest current and fishes beside the structure instead of directly in it.
His current gear includes Tsunami 6-foot, 6-inch medium-heavy rods paired with Quantum 4000-size reels. The setup is light enough to make the fight exciting but still capable of handling big fish in shallow water.
What To Expect In May And June
Capt. C.L. said he plans to stay on the rockfish and black drum bite as long as it continues. The black drum pattern appears a little late, and that may help keep fish available as May progresses. He also believes the red drum bite is just getting started, with more fish expected to push into the region soon.
He is also looking forward to early summer bluefish action. Starting in June, one of his favorite trips is to leave early, fish topwater baits for stripers and speckled trout, and then move to breaking bluefish. He specifically mentioned Lonely Angler topwater baits as part of that program.
Cobia should also become part of the conversation soon. C.L. said he often sees catch-and-release cobia on the bay side during the last week of May and first week of June before the season opens. These fish are usually not giant ocean-side cobia, but 30- to 40-inch fish on light tackle in shallow water can make for a fun early-season opportunity.
He also pointed to the growing role of side-scan sonar in locating big red drum after they leave shallow water. In recent years, anglers have found those fish staging in 40 to 50 feet of water around channel edges in the upper bay, and that pattern continues to improve as more anglers dial it in.
To follow or book with Capt. C.L. Marshall, visit Tangier Sound Charters on Facebook.
Final Takeaway
This week’s Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report shows a fishery that is quickly shifting into late-spring form. Capt. Robbie Bryan gave anglers a detailed look at tautog fishing, black sea bass regulation awareness, early black drum movement, and the kind of preparation that goes into a successful charter season. Capt. C.L. Marshall brought a strong Tangier Sound report built around shallow-water striped bass, black drum, red drum, and the early signs of bluefish and cobia opportunities ahead.
The biggest theme this week is that warming water is opening more doors, but anglers still need to pay close attention to conditions, regulations, bait, current, and structure. Whether fishing wrecks for tog and sea bass or shallow points for big rockfish and drum, the captains made it clear that the little details are what turn a decent trip into a great one.
