Potomac River Blue Catfish
Throughout many areas of the tidal Potomac and the James you can spend many hours catching little cats that is fish that run from five to almost 20 pounds and either keep some for a meal or do the total catch and release gig.
Potomac river blue catfish. The area from the Wilson Bridge past Fort Washington offers some of the best fishing for blue catfish as does the Jug Bay area of the Patuxent River. First day back on the water for some blue catfish stared out the day at 5 am driving an hour south to Washington DC. Winter is trophy season for blue catfish and fish over 40-inches can easily be targeted from the shore as well as from boats.
Jun 27 2016 The largest species of catfish in North America the blue catfish is a non-native predator that appears to be growing quickly in size and population in the tidal Potomac. One caught in an inland lake on the VirginiaNorth Carolina border weighed 143 pounds. Commercial watermen in Maryland and Virginia harvested more than 5 million pounds of them in 2017 almost.
A Navionics chip in your sonar unit will do wonders not only for finding the hole but also for identifying the drop-offs and ledges around it. Fresh cut baits of gizzard shad and white perch are two of the most popular baits but clam snouts chicken liver and prepared catfish bait can work well also. After getting the breakdown on the gear baits and locations necessary to get you on a big old.
Experts from Virginia and Maryland agree their growing presence in local waters spells likely trouble for other fish species like shad and bass. Blue catfish are not native to Maryland. Mar 12 2021 Catfishing on the Potomac is popular in deeper parts of the river or in areas with bottom structures.
Maryland currently views the blue catfish as an invasive species and there are no limits in size or creel on them. Establishing themselves as year-round residents they. Apr 02 2021 Fishing for blue catfish is on the top of the list for many anglers on the tidal Potomac Patuxent and Nanticoke rivers this week.
Jun 10 2019 On the Potomac blue catfish are generally found north of the Route 301 bridge. A Baywide fish survey which had never before found catfish in the mainstem of the Chesapeake caught dozens off the mouth of the Potomac last fall. As an introduced species blue catfish are now commonly found in the tidal Potomac River and some of the other tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay.