Maryland & Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report
- Triggerfish, sea bass and flounder are caught around offshore reefs and wrecks.
- Striped bass feed on baitfish exiting the rivers; bigger bass in the shipping channel and hugging the Bay Bridge pilings.
- Maryland DNR begins stocking trout.
- Big blue catfish take cut bait and paddletail jigs in the Susquehanna.
- Some red drum and speckled trout linger around the mouth of the Patuxent River.
Tochterman’s Fishing Tackle Report — Baltimore, MD
The Tochterman’s Fishing Tackle Fishing Report is written by Tochterman’s team member, Kevin Trupia.
Water temps are continuing to drop in the Bay and its tributaries into the 60’s. Amid the dropping temperatures, anglers are catching striped bass at the Conowingo Dam and the Susquehanna Flats using paddletails and some jerk baits. Meanwhile, the mouth of the Chester River and north of Pooles Island are good places for live-lining spot and eels. Love Point and the mouth of the Chester River, are also good places for live-lining spot and eels. Trolling is becoming very popular this time of year with the water temps dropping and the striped bass moving throughout the bay.
Blue catfish are everywhere and devouring any baits, both natural or artificial, that are in their path. If the striper action is slow, the blue cat action should bring you some reliable excitement. Cut bait is the best bait when fished on a live-liner rig. Enjoy the cooler weather and some good fishing!
Reel Chesapeake Fishing Report – Annapolis, MD
The Reel Chesapeake Fishing Report is written and compiled by writer and media professional, James Houck. Find the full report here, at reelchesapeake.com.
A pleasant and quite classic week of weather and angling is what October is all about—it was a good one, but as the week behind us leads into the weekend, we’ll see a cold front develop from the west bringing strong winds, which could disrupt the fisheries a tad. Expect small craft advisories Friday through Sunday.
We’re also approaching the first quarter of the moon and the tidal cycles are mild during daylight. Stronger tides will be occurring overnight these next few days. Surface water temperatures still hover in the mid-60s, so there’s plenty of movement between baitfish and most of our beloved species in the middle Chesapeake.
All this said, if fishing is in your forecast this weekend, consider working through the mid-Bay rivers, where the wind and wave influence isn’t as strong as on the main Bay. There are plenty of schooling striped bass and larger rogues throughout most of the tributaries as they continue feeding heavily on peanut bunker and minnows. The river fish generally don’t exceed 25 inches, but we saw a few reports of larger fish taken this past week (Severn, South River, Choptank, and Chester).
The past three Octobers, I’ve personally logged catches up to 28 inches at sunrise by casting jerkbaits along shallow flats that drop sharply to deep water. Expect 17 to 23 inchers in most cases, but the action could be consistent if you stick to a plan, whether that be casting topwater or subsurface around points at dawn or dusk, jigging under baitfish, jigging near current and eddies of hard structure, or trolling lures (light tackle, tandem rigs, umbrellas, spoons).
In the main Bay this past week…lots of birds, huge blitzes, bigger fish. The Bloody Point/Poplar Island and Patapsco vicinities continue to produce nice fish, with good reports coming from the charters. Big spooks are drawing in fish when the water is calm. The saltwater fly game is also picking up with large Clousers and Deceivers getting hit. Try an 8- or 9-weight outfit if this is your pursuit. Captain Tom Weaver has been showing nice reports of clients catching stripers on the fly this week.
Folks are also live-lining spot, perch, etc. with success. A 30-inch-class fish was taken at the Sewer Pipe a couple days ago. Plenty of mid-20s have been picked up at the Bay Bridge pilings, especially toward the eastern side of the shipping channel. And trolling large setups along channel drops is also popular. Of note, Tiki Lee’s Rockfish Invitational was held last weekend and the winning striper was a 30.98-pound brute caught by The Chief, which took home a cool $100K for the catch.
White perch fishing is still quite good. Surprisingly, I’m still seeing quite a lot of fish in the creeks upriver (Severn). On Friday morning, I found a nice school of 9- to 11-inch fish in Stevens Creek. On Sunday, I caught several 8-inch perch during after-dinner casts in Valentine Creek. All caught on micropaddletails tipped to 1/8-ounce jigheads. They remain a worthy catch if fish tacos are on your mind. Increasingly, we’re hearing reports of yellow perch and pickerel in the mix (Marshyhope Creek on the Shore has been quite active). The water temperature is still a smidge high for both species to kick into late-fall feeding mode, but we’re getting close. Once the surface temps dip below 60F and inch close to 55, it should be game on! (Reminder, the Coastal Conservation Association Maryland annual Pickerel Championship begins Nov. 1st, so sign up now at ccamd.org/pickerel-championship.)
Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources has been busily stocking brown, rainbow, and golden trout at many regional parks, creeks, and riversheds. And folks are catching them! This week, DNR stocked locations in Western, Central, Southern, and Eastern Maryland. Check DNR’s trout page for exact days, locations, and species stocked. Now is a great time to fly cast for the species or take light spinning gear for a, well, spin. Go small with nymphs, tiny panther martins, or for a near-guarantee, use Berkley’s Powerbait Trout Bait mushed on small #10 or so hooks. And bring a second outfit with you to target largemouth bass, especially with small crankbaits worked along sunny shorelines and laydowns. Many of the same waters hold the fish and they are bulking up before winter. Good luck!
View the full Reel Chesapeake Fishing Report, written and compiled by writer and media professional James Houck, at reelchesapeake.com.
Angler’s Sport Center Fishing Report – Annapolis, MD
The Angler’s Sport Center fishing report is compiled and written by Anglers Team Member, A.J. Lewis.
Upper and Middle Bay
The mouth of the Patapsco River or areas around the Key Bridge are excellent areas to target striped bass right now. With the cooling water temperatures, striped bass are hanging out around the mouths of rivers and feeding on bait fish being swept out of the tidal rivers. Chasing birds and jigging with soft plastics are currently the most efficient ways to get on your fill of stripers.
Blue catfish are in big numbers from the Conowingo Dam Pool, down to the mouth of the river. Anglers are reporting great success using soft plastics and jigs or even cut bunker or soft crab.
The early morning and late evening bite for white perch is still going strong at the moment. Anglers are having success targeting shallow structure with spinners, and targeting deeper waters and structure during the day with Chesapeake Sabiki Rigs or bottom rigs tipped with either artificial or live bait.
With the plummeting bay temperatures, anglers are noticing a decrease in the spot bite. Spot are beginning to move south toward warmer water and can be found deeper in channel edges using bottom rigs or Chesapeake Sabiki Rigs.
South Bay
Striped bass are being caught all around the mouths of rivers this week, where they can be seen chasing small baitfish being swept out by the tide. Anglers are having the best success targeting them while either trolling or jigging with soft plastics rigged during the early morning or late evening hours.
Anglers are still catching sheepshead around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and the Target Ship. The favored method is using either peeler crabs or soft crabs. Be sure to get your fill of sheepshead as they will not be around much longer as the water temperature begins to drop.
The white perch bite is still continuing strong in the tidal rivers of the South Bay area. Anglers are having the most success casting small spinners and spoons in shallow water around structure during the early morning or late evening hours. During the day, anglers are transitioning to deeper water to target the bigger white perch, again using either bottom rigs or Chesapeake Sabiki Rigs tipped with either live or artificial bait.
The mouth of the Patuxent River is offering some decent red drum, speckled trout and kingfish opportunities. The same goes for striped bass. Jigging and trolling is the most efficient way to get your fill of these fish! Spot and croaker are also being caught in this area, however, with the cooling water temperature, they’re beginning to move south towards warmer environments.
The Angler’s Sport Center fishing report is compiled and written by Anglers Team Member, A.J. Lewis.
Maryland DNR Fishing Report
Maryland DNR Fishing Report is written and compiled by Keith Lockwood, fisheries biologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Atlantic Ocean and Coastal Bays
Surf anglers have been dealing with turbulent surf lately, but conditions are improving. Those fishing smaller baits are catching kingfish, flounder, and bluefish. Larger baits of cut mullet or menhaden fished in the evenings are accounting for a few large red drum and an assortment of stingrays and inshore sharks.
At the Ocean City Inlet, anglers are catching sheepshead at the jetties and Route 50 Bridge piers and a few nice tautog are being caught on sand fleas. Striped bass and bluefish are being caught by casting soft plastic jigs or drifting fresh cut bait. Flounder are moving through the inlet and providing good fishing opportunities. The channels leading towards the inlet are also excellent places to target flounder this week. The largest flounder are being caught with live peanut bunker, spot, and finger mullet.
Fishing for black sea bass at the offshore wreck and reef sites is excellent this week, with some captains reporting boat limit catches. Anglers are also catching a mix of triggerfish and flounder at the fishing sites. Farther offshore at the canyons, anglers who are trolling are enjoying good fishing for yellowfin tuna, white marlin, and wahoo. Casting to lobster buoys and floating debris is providing nice catches of small dolphin. Deep drop anglers enjoyed a good week of swordfish catches and those opportunities should continue.
Maryland DNR Fishing Report is written and compiled by Keith Lockwood, fisheries biologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.