Angler Manny Gomez caught a 27.1-inch spotted seatrout, also called a speckled trout, in the Chesapeake Bay. Photo courtesy of Manny Gomez
Mild weather conditions and a full spectrum of fall fishing opportunities await anglers this week from the mountains of Western Maryland to the Atlantic.
With the fall fishing season well underway, anglers are encouraged to participate in the Department of Natural Resources’ volunteer angler surveys. This is a chance for anglers to directly help with fisheries management. The information you provide assists the Department’s fisheries biologists with collection of important data, including species caught, harvest (fish kept), total catches, and fish released.
Forecast Summary: October 23 – October 29:
For more detailed and up-to-date fishing conditions in your area, be sure to check out Eyes on the Bay’s Click Before You Cast.
Upper Chesapeake Bay
Don Goff holds up a big blue catfish caught near the Conowingo Dam Pool. Photo courtesy of Don Goff
Anglers are seeing good fishing for striped bass this week at the Conowingo Dam pool and the lower Susquehanna River, as water temperatures drop into the low 60s. It takes a long cast to reach the small amount of turbine wash, but that is where the striped bass are holding. The dam has not had a significant power generation release in the past several days, but the striped bass and blue catfish are biting.
The upper Bay, like the other regions, is undergoing a transition as colder air temperatures are chilling up the shallower waters and striped bass are beginning to head to the deeper channels. The best action for striped bass this week tends to be the mouth of the Patapsco River where anglers are trolling deep with umbrella rigs or jigging with soft plastics. The resource of spot for live lining is diminishing, so using eels is becoming more popular. Fishing for striped bass at the mouth of the Chester River and Love Point area is reported to be slow this week.
The cooler water temperatures are causing blue catfish to be more active, staging near the edges of channels and becoming more concentrated. The lower Susquehanna River near Port Deposit and Havre der Grace is one of the best places to fish for blue catfish this week. Other excellent locations include the middle to upper sections of the Chester River, the other major tidal rivers in the upper Bay, and the Conowingo Dam pool.
White perch are beginning to move out of the shallower waters this week but there is still some good fishing in those areas on a high tide during the early morning and late evening hours. Casting small spinnerbaits, spinners, or small jigs, or fishing grass shrimp, peeler crab, or small minnows under a bobber are good ways to fish for them. They can also be found in the Bay holding near shoals and knolls. Fishing with bait is the best way to target them at the Bay locations.
Middle Bay
Andrew McCarthy has reason to be all smiles with this nice striped bass he caught. Photo by Rob Cochrane
Anglers are reporting slow fishing for striped bass around the Bay Bridge piers this week. The shallow water striped bass fishery is also slow. The drop in water temperatures in the tidal river shallows to 60 degrees or less most likely has something to do with that. The shallow water fishery is not completely done, and anglers are finding some action with striped bass and puppy drum on the high tides during the morning and evening hours.
The typical fall pattern for striped bass in the tidal rivers is to stage in the channels at the mouth of the rivers, intercepting baitfish moving out of the rivers and into the Bay as they head south for the winter months. Water temperatures in the tidal rivers will soon dip into the 50s and the exodus of juvenile menhaden will begin. This sets the stage for anglers to enjoy jigging for striped bass either in the depths of the channels or on the surface as the striped bass push the bait to the surface. This action will be marked by diving seagulls. This is the time of the year when striped bass feed heavily and build up their body stores for the upcoming winter months.
Soft plastic jigs, metal jigs and paddletails will be a few of the most popular lures anglers use. Braided line and a fast action spinning, or conventional rigged rod will help feel pickups by striped bass in deep waters when vertical jigging. Watching for birds on the horizon is always an exciting tactic, and a careful approach is necessary so as to not cause the bait and striped bass to go deep. Anglers will also troll with umbrella rigs, pulled behind heavy inline weights and stout tackle to reach the striped bass holding deep in the channels.
White perch are feeling the urge to move to deeper waters this week as temperatures in the shallower waters of the tidal rivers and creeks continue to drop. They typically slowly move to deeper waters in the tidal rivers and may even travel out into the bay during the winter months. There will be some white perch lingering in the shallower areas this week and they will often be the larger white perch. Fishing with jigs tipped with grass shrimp or peeler crab or fishing with those same baits and small minnows on light bottom rigs.
Lower Bay
[IMG alt="Andy Watson holds up a nice puppy drum for a picture. Photo courtesy of Andy Watson
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Andy Watson holds up a nice puppy drum for a picture. Photo courtesy of Andy Watson
The large bluefish that have dominated the fishing scene out in the bay channels have headed south this week as water temperatures steadily decline. There are still some smaller bluefish to be found in the lower Potomac River and Tangier Sound this week, but they will also head south shortly.
Anglers are enjoying good fishing for slot size red drum and ones smaller than the 18-inch minimum in the shallower portions of the region’s tidal rivers and sounds. Striped bass, small bluefish, and speckled trout are rounding out the mix for those casting paddletails, soft plastic jigs, topwater lures, and crankbaits. Popping corks with a soft plastic shrimp as a trailer is a favorite for speckled trout and red drum when fishing over grass. The lower Potomac River, the Patuxent River, the Hoopers Island area and Tangier Sound are several of the best locations to get in on the action.
Jigging in the deeper waters along the main channels in the Bay has also been very productive this week. Many of the striped bass being caught are over the 24-inch maximum but offer plenty of fun catch-and-release action. Trolling along the deeper channel edges in the lower bay and lower Potomac River is also a productive method to catch striped bass and bluefish this week. To get down deep to where the fish are suspended, umbrella rigs pulled behind heavy inline weights are preferred, and white sassy shads are the preferred lure for a trailer this week. There are still some large red drum in the lower Bay near the Target Ship providing some catch-and-release action, and trolling large spoons or jigging with large soft plastic jigs tends to be the best way to target them.
The spot, croaker, and kingfish are on the move to more southerly and warmer waters this week, so catches have declined in the past week or so. There are still some small black sea bass around the reef sites, and it is hoped that larger black sea bass will move into the lower bay in the next few weeks. The minimum size for black sea bass is 13 inches excluding the tail filament, so there will be a lot of throwbacks if you fish for them. The daily bag limit is 15.
White perch are feeling the urge to move to deeper waters as water temperatures decline. They can be found near some of the deeper structure in the region’s tidal rivers and creeks. Fishing with small jigs or spin jigs tipped with grass shrimp or peeler crab is a good way to target them. A bottom rig baited with grass shrimp, peeler crab or small minnows works well also.
Recreational Crabbing
Recreational crabbers continue to find good crabbing in most areas this week with a few minor adjustments. The shallower waters that are less than 8 feet tend to produce the best catches. Those using trotlines report a lot of crabs dropping off the line before they can be netted. Many are also using collapsible crab traps to supplement catches. Sooks and small crabs are abundant and chewing up baits.
Freshwater Fishing
Justin Rutledge was fishing in Liberty Reservoir when he caught this beautiful striped bass. Photo courtesy of Justin Rutledge
Deep Creek Lake is really offering a world of fishing opportunities to anglers, especially now that the summer crowds are gone and the water is cooler. Many of the floating docks are now gone and the ones that are still deployed are very attractive to both largemouth and smallmouth bass. Fishing jerkbaits and spinnerbaits near points, lake flats, and shallow weed beds has been very productive for largemouth and smallmouth bass. Walleye fishing has also been very good near various points and deep weed beds, and yellow perch can be found close to shore.
Fall trout stocking this past week included many small community ponds that offer some fun trout fishing close to home and a perfect place to take our younger anglers to fish for trout. The fall stocking program will soon come to a close but many of these stocked locations will offer good trout fishing throughout the fall. To get the latest trout stocking information, check the DNR website.
Fisheries biologist Josh Henesy reported that grass beds in the upper Potomac are starting to break up, but still are rooted in lots of places. He and other biologists were continuing with their fall survey for smallmouth bass, and report that conditions are extremely low and clear. At least one angler at the ramp told Josh he was having success on jerkbaits in 5-7 feet of water, and indicated that making long casts were a key factor in success.
The central region reservoirs are noted for their excellent fishing opportunities for a wide variety of freshwater fish such as largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, chain pickerel and white perch. You can also catch landlocked striped bass that were stocked as fingerlings. Unlike the Chesapeake Bay, in Maryland freshwater reservoirs, the striped bass regulations are: 18-inch minimum size; two fish per person per day— but only one of those fish may be larger than 30 inches.
Fishing for largemouth bass is about as good as it gets this week. Largemouth bass are roaming in waters less than 8 feet and looking for baitfish or crayfish leaving the shallower grass beds and headed for deeper cover. Casting spinnerbaits, soft craw jigs, crankbaits and jerkbaits are good choices when fishing these transition zones. In tidal areas, fishing the outside edges of the grass beds or spatterdock fields on a falling tide is a good bet. Casting topwater lures over grass is another good tactic and in tidal waters Chesapeake Channa can often be part of the mix.
Atlantic Ocean and Coastal Bays
Andrew Lano holds up an impressive red drum before slipping it back into the surf. Photo courtesy of Andrew Lano
Most surf anglers are fishing the tail end of the southerly push of large red drum along the beaches of Assateague Island. Using cut mullet has been the most popular bait and a mix of stingrays and small inshore sharks have been keeping anglers busy. A bluefish can be thrown into the mix also at times.
There continues to be plenty of action in the Ocean City Inlet and Route 50 Bridge area this week. Anglers are enjoying good fishing for sheepshead along the South Jetty and bulkheads. Sand fleas have been the most popular bait and at times tautog can be part of the mix. Striped bass and bluefish are being caught by anglers casting soft plastic jigs and bucktails dressed with twistertails.
The waters of the back bays are beginning to show significant cooling and as the daylight photo period shortens, flounder are going to feel the urge to move out of the back bays and travel through the inlet to their offshore spawning grounds. The channels leading to the inlet would be a very good place to consider drifting baits for flounder this week. Live spot, finger mullet, Gulp baits, and even large minnows are a good choice to target the largest flounder.
The anglers headed out to the wreck and reef sites are experiencing mixed results when fishing for black sea bass. At some sites, the fish do not seem to be interested in biting so sometimes a move to another location means all the difference. Anglers are reporting large bluefish can be pesky at times, chomping sea bass in half before they can be reeled to the surface.
We’ve not heard much from boats headed out to the canyons this week, but a few boats tangled with some impressive bluefin tuna inside the 30 Fathom Line this week. This weekend promises to offer some tuna and deep drop action for anglers if good sea conditions prevail.
“At the altar, I little realized I was pledged to love, honor and obey three outboard motors, the ways of the river, the whims of the tide and the wiles of the fish, as well as Bill, the man of my choice.” – Beatrice Cook 1949
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.”