Claire Toth is all smiles with her first catch of white perch. Photo by Kevin Toth
The excitement of seeing a young angler catch their first fish is enough to warm the heart of anyone, much less a veteran angler. Bluegill sunfish and white perch often fit the bill for this first fishing adventure.
The Chesapeake Bay striped bass season reopens August 1, and although it is legal to fish for striped bass, anglers are urged to practice the most careful catch-and-release practices possible. Water temperatures are in the low 80s this week and low dissolved oxygen levels tend to be at cooler depths, making it difficult for fish to recover effectively. The Department of Natural Resources website provides a good overview of catch-and-release practices.
The Potomac River striped bass fishery (managed by the Potomac River Fisheries Commission) remains closed to recreational fishing through Aug. 20. Virginia waters of the Chesapeake Bay remain closed to recreational striped bass fishing through October 3 and the Virginia fall season opens on October 4.
Forecast Summary: July 31 – August 6:
Hot weather with low winds and a chance of T-storms all next week could make for uncomfortable fishing conditions. Main Bay surface water temperatures have cooled slightly to 82 degrees while Potomac and Susquehanna river temperatures are holding in the mid to upper 80s. Maryland’s part of the Bay continues to run fresher than average. Areas with suitable amounts of oxygen – greater than 3mg/l – have moved towards typical summer conditions, however, when combined with high water temperatures, current conditions remain stressful for gamefish. On the Potomac River, continue avoid the low oxygen areas below 15 feet between the Wicomico River and St. George’s Island. On the main Bay, from Tolchester to Bloody Point, avoid areas deeper than 20 feet, while from Bloody Point south to the state line, avoid areas deeper than 30 feet.
Expect average water clarity for the Maryland portion of the Bay. To see the latest water clarity conditions on NOAA satellite maps, check Eyes on the Bay Satellite maps. Expect average flows for the Maryland rivers and streams. There will be above average tidal currents conditions all week as a result of the new moon on Sunday, August 4th.
As always, the best fishing areas could be further refined by intersecting them with underwater points, hard bottom, drop-offs, and large schools of baitfish. For detailed and up-to-date fishing conditions in your area, check the Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ Click Before You Cast website.
Upper Chesapeake Bay
Bernard Hostetter reported he caught several nice blue catfish in the lower Susquehanna on chicken and then had this blue catfish chase down a spoon. Photo by Bernard Hostetter
The lower Susquehanna River and surrounding areas near the mouth of the Susquehanna and Elk rivers are among the best areas to catch large blue catfish this summer. Anglers have been fishing for them during the striped bass closure and enjoying great success. The opportunity to enjoy good action for large hard fighting fish that also provide great table fare has opened the eyes of many a doubting angler.
The upper Bay is still experiencing dissolved oxygen concerns in several areas. A website from our colleagues at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and a VIMS site offers a colorimetric map for anglers to view where problems may occur. Once striped bass season in Maryland begins August 1, many anglers will return to the last known concentrations of fish at the Pooles Island and Patapsco River locations. Many will try their hand at using spot for live-lining, while others may give jigging a try. The best fishing success will most likely occur during the early morning, with the late evening being second best.
Anglers who can be out on the water at dawn will most likely find striped bass holding in the Bay shore shallows. Casting poppers is always a fun way to entice a strike from striped bass moving through the shallows. Where water is a little deeper, crankbaits, jerkbaits and paddletails can be an excellent choice. This type of fishing can also be found at the Conowingo Dam pool and lower Susquehanna River, and in all areas usually ends abruptly once the sun clears the horizon.
A mix of spot and white perch can be found holding on some of the knolls and bars in the upper bay region. The Baltimore Harbor area and the mouth of the Magothy River and off Sandy Point State Park are also great places to find spot and white perch. Pieces of bloodworm are the proven bait for spot and although bloodworms work for white perch, cheaper grass shrimp and peeler crab are excellent baits for white perch. During the early morning and late evening hours, casting small spinnerbaits, spinners and small soft plastic jigs near promising shoreline structure is a fun way to target larger white perch.
Middle Bay
Based on water quality information and where the middle bay striped bass fishery was before the recent closure, anglers may look towards the shallower waters during the early morning and late evening hours. During hot summer days, striped bass often head from the shallows to deeper waters as soon as the sun breaks above the horizon. Anglers working the shallows with poppers, jerkbaits, and paddletails will find an exciting mix of speckled trout and slot size red drum. The shorelines around Poplar Island, the mouth of the Choptank, the Little Choptank and Thomas Point are all good places to explore. There have been reports in the past week of large red drum roaming the waters of the Taylors Island area north to Eastern Bay. Some lucky anglers were fortunate enough to catch them on the surface and enjoyed some exciting catch and release action.
Fishing for white perch remains good this week, the best fishing in the shallower waters is occurring at dawn and dusk. Casting small spinnerbaits near promising looking shorelines of the bay and tidal rivers offers a lot of fun and a larger grade of white perch. Small 12-inch red drum have also been part of the mix. Fishing in deeper waters near large piers and oyster beds involves using grass shrimp, peeler crab or pieces of bloodworm used on a bottom rig.
Lower Bay
The lower Bay is exploding with fish and opportunity this week. Perhaps the most exciting news is the arrival of large numbers of Spanish mackerel in the region. They are being caught by trolling at a good clip with number one planers and small Drone or Clark spoons. Placing a couple of surgical tube lures in one’s trolling spread is a great way to catch the large bluefish that are in the area. The east side of the bay tends to have the greatest numbers of Spanish mackerel at this time.
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This happy trio is all smiles with these extra-large crabs. Photo by Rich Watts
Anglers fishing the shallower Bay shore waters are catching a bounty of slot sized red drum this week by casting spinnerbaits, paddletails and soft plastic jigs. Others are drifting soft crab or peeler baits at the mouths of tidal creeks and the Hoopers Island cuts. Small to medium black drum and speckled trout will often be part of the mix when fishing bait.
Large red drum are very common in the lower bay region currently and are providing a lot of fun catch and release action. They are often being spotted on the surface chasing bait or noticing slicks or disturbed water. Casting large soft plastic jigs is a popular way to fish for them.
Fishing for cobia is reported to be slow lately and most anglers fishing for them are setting up chum slicks near Smith Point, the Target Ship or Mud Leads above the Target Ship and drifting cut bait or live eels to the back of their chum slick.
Sheepshead are being caught near the Target Ship by anglers using peeler crab for bait. Small spot and croakers are being caught at the mouth of the Patuxent River, the lower Potomac River just north of Point Lookout and Tangier Sound. Fishing for white perch remains good in the region’s tidal creeks and rivers.
Recreational crabbers are experiencing fair catches in the middle and upper bay regions this week and the best catches are coming from the lower Eastern Shore. The largest crabs tend to come from waters 10-15 feet deep. Shallower waters are teeming with small crabs.
Freshwater Fishing
Frankie Goff had a fun time catching this smallmouth bass at the Conowingo Dam pool. Photo by Don Goff
The upper Potomac River continues to experience typical low summer flows which create a fun situation where anglers can wade out from shore to cast a variety of lures for smallmouth bass. Root Beer colored tubes, small crankbaits and spinnerbaits are popular lures to use for this type of fishing.
Smallmouth bass juvenile seine surveys were conducted on the Monocacy River in Frederick County and Conococheague Creek in Washington County. Shoreline seine surveys are used to monitor the number of new bass entering the population. Both river systems showed successful spawns with juvenile recruitment numbers close to their long-term median values. Juvenile smallmouth bass surveys will also be conducted in the upper Potomac River.
Fisheries staff have been busy at the cold-water trout hatcheries as they bear through the summer heat. Water flows are down, and staff struggle with high water temperatures and the trout are holding on and barely feeding. Hatchery staff recently stocked 48,000 fingerling rainbow trout in the North Branch of the Potomac River and 25,000 rainbow trout fingerlings in Antietam Creek. Trout anglers will be happy to know that 650 trout were moved to the trophy pond to grow out to become the trophy-sized trout that provide the catch of a lifetime.
Anglers are enjoying good fishing for largemouth bass in the tidal and nontidal waters of Maryland this week. Prettyboy and Liberty reservoirs have good populations of smallmouth bass as does the Susquehanna River near the Conowingo Dam pool. Largemouth bass tend to be feeding mostly at night in the shallower waters, and lounging through the day in the best cool shade they can find. Floating grass matts, overhanging brush, fallen treetops, old docks and sunken wood all provide a place for largemouth bass to spend bright sunny days.
It is hard to beat a well-presented wacky rigged worm in front of a lounging largemouth bass holding under shade. When dropping a worm through floating grass, extra weight may be needed. During the early morning and late evening hours casting frogs and other topwater lures near the shallow waters and spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, and lipless crankbaits can be choices in transition areas outside of grass, spatterdock fields and lily pad patches.
Chesapeake Channa, aka northern snakeheads, will often be encountered in tidal waters where thick grass is, and most are post-spawn and hungry. Casting buzzbaits, chatterbaits, and frogs over and near grass patches is a proven tactic to entice them to strike. The tidal waters of the western side of the upper bay and the lower Eastern Shore are very popular areas for large Chesapeake Channa.
Atlantic Ocean and Coastal Bays
Brian Reynolds caught and released this beautiful red drum while fishing at Assateague recently. Photo courtesy of Brian Reynolds
Surf anglers are finding a mix of kingfish, spot and croakers along the beaches of Assateague Island. The best fishing success is reported to be early in the morning, bloodworms, peeler crab and artificial bloodworm baits are being used. Those using larger baits are catching bluefish and catching and releasing large red drum.
At the Ocean City Inlet and Route 50 Bridge area, anglers are enjoying good fishing for bluefish and striped bass. Casting soft plastic jigs has been popular for those fishing for striped bass, bluefish like those jigs also but tend to chew them up and Got-Cha lures can be a good alternative. Others are having good luck catching bluefish by drifting cut bait in the currents. Sheepshead are being caught near the South Jetty and inlet bulkheads and bridge piers with peeler crab and sand fleas.
Flounder fishing has been good at the inlet and back bay channels when water clarity is good. Larger baits tend to catch the largest flounder and anglers are using Gulp baits and being inventive with live or fresh small spot, finger mullet and large silversides. Traditional baits of squid and minnows will always be a good choice for flounder fishing, but there are a larger number of undersized throwbacks. Anglers using squid baits often will deal with hungry juvenile black sea bass and croakers.
The for-hire boats headed out to the offshore wreck and reef sites are finding good fishing for black sea bass for their patrons. Most are using traditional baits of squid and sometimes clams, while others have excellent results by jigging with butterfly jigs. Flounder and chicken dolphin are always a welcomed addition to the catch.
White marlin have arrived at the canyons this week and providing plenty of fun catch and release fishing, a few blue marlin are also being encountered. A mix of yellowfin and bigeye tuna are providing plenty of meat coming back to the docks along with chicken or small dolphin. Deep Drop fishing for a mix of blueline and golden tilefish remains good.
“The art of bottom fishing is that of letting the fish come to the fisherman, instead of vice versa… Bottom fishing, in short, is the Thinking Man’s fishing.” – Louis D. Rubin, 1983
Maryland Fishing Report is written and compiled by Keith Lockwood, fisheries biologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Click Before You Cast is written by Tidewater Ecosystem Assessment Director Tom Parham.
A reminder to all Maryland anglers, please participate in DNR’s Volunteer Angler Surveys. This allows citizen scientists to contribute valuable data to the monitoring and management of several important fish species.
This report is now available on your Amazon Echo device — just ask Alexa to “open Maryland Fishing Report.”