Maryland & Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report
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.
Step into the freezer…indeed! This week, the middle Chesapeake Bay has chilled down considerably with overnight temperatures dipping into the 20s Farenheit (don’t forget to shut off your hose bib supply lines). Daytime highs reached the high 30s/low 40s, and we have felt it. The fish have, too. But that’s a good thing if you know where to look.
On a dismal, cold, and rainy Sunday (11/26), I needed to fish, so I took my river runner, a ’78 McKee Craft, down the Severn to target chain pickerel. I’m a glutton for punishment (weather-wise), but the day paid off with a few nice specimens caught on inline spinners (Mepps Aglia Streamer) casted along dying grass beds in 2 to 5 feet of water. Largest went 23 inches. Not too shabby. Yellow perch were active and willing to hit small offerings as well, like a micropaddletail on a 1/8-ounce jighead.
It’s early in the season, but the pickerel bite has been excellent in many of the popular riversheds—Severn, Magothy, upper Choptank, Tuckahoe, Marshyhope—and freshwater environs, like the Eastern Shore millponds (I love Unicorn Lake!) and Baltimore region reservoirs. The water is still very low at Triadelphia and Rocky Gorge reservoirs. The boat ramps are fully-closed at Triadelphia, and just one remains open at Rocky Gorge (Supplee Lane). But you can fish the piers and shoreline at both.
The surface water temp has reached 50F in the Severn. Reports from others throughout the middle Bay have said the same. I’m certain that during the past couple days, water temp has dropped a few more degrees. This means slow working jerkbaits (I prefer Rapala XR08 and XR10) at various depths around structure will become the hot ticket to catching pickerel. In deeper water, greater than 10 feet, jigging a blade bait may be a good option. The largemouth bass guys are already starting to employ this bait to pull up some nice fish (Eric Packard at St. Mary’s Lake, @ericp132 on Instagram).
On windy days, a few charter captains have taken clients into the creeks and coves of middle Bay rivers to try for pickerel, in lieu of striped bass. Capt. Tom Weaver (@fishwithweaver) has put clients with fly gear on a few fish; stripping in sinking streamers, Clousers, etc. can work.
And when the weather windows are calm, access to the main Bay has provided great striper fishing. Big blitzes on bunker are still drawing boats into the frenzy. This week we heard of action occurring at the Patapsco mouth around the knolls (still good fish there!), Gum Thickets, and down to Bloody Point and Eastern Bay. The mouth of the Choptank also sees spurts of activity. The further south you run, the better shot you’ll have at hitting schools slamming the bunker that are migrating toward the ocean. Jigging is the name of the game with 1- to 2-ounce jigheads and soft plastics in the 5- to 7-inch range.
We’re also seeing the biggest blue catfish of the year being pulled up. Earnie Robinson (@earnie_the_hog_snatcher) has pulled up multiple 40-pounders from the D.C. banks of the Potomac this week. But the largest fish of the season is a 79.9-pound whopper that angler David Confair caught on 11/24 from the Marshyhope. What a fish! (The Maryland state record is 84 pounds). Bottom rigs with the freshest, oiliest chunk bait you can get, on 7/0 to 10/0 circle hooks, will attract and hook the fish.
And some reports of walleye are trickling in from a few anglers that are targeting them near the Conowingo portion of the Susquehanna River. Bottom-bouncing baits and minnow-mimicking lures worked in deeper cuts can be effective. We’re getting closer to the winter season, which still offers amazing fishing. Reminder that the striped bass keeper season closes on 12/10; afterwards, it’s catch-and-release only until the 2024 spring regulations kick in (updates on that soon). Good luck!
View the full Reel Chesapeake Fishing Report, written and compiled by writer and media professional James Houck, at reelchesapeake.com.
Maryland DNR Fishing Report
Maryland DNR Fishing Report is written and compiled by Keith Lockwood, fisheries biologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Freshwater
Anglers in the western region are enjoying good fishing for northern pike, smallmouth bass, and walleye at Deep Creek Lake. The northern pike are being found at the mouths of the main coves in the upper reaches of the reservoir; large spinners and jerkbaits are popular lures to use. Walleyes are being caught in the evenings along steep rocky shores by casting deep running jerkbaits and small crankbaits. Smallmouth bass can be found along the deeper edges of the reservoirs by casting tubes, small crankbaits, and craw jigs.
Fishing for smallmouth bass and walleyes is good in the upper Potomac River this week. Anglers are doing well by casting a mix of root beer-colored tubes, craw jigs, and small crankbaits.
In the tidal Potomac River, anglers are enjoying good fishing success for largemouth bass by fishing moderate depth waters near drop-offs and the deeper waters beyond the drop-offs. A mix of spinnerbaits, craw jigs, small crankbaits and jerkbaits are all good choices for lures. In the deeper waters, slow retrieves close to the bottom can work well.
Crappie fishing is extremely good this week and anglers should make time to target them. Crappie can be found schooled up and holding tight to deep structure. Marina docks and bridge piers in the tidal Potomac are holding a lot of crappie this time of the year. Small minnows or marabou jigs under a slip bobber are great for catching them. Deep Creek Lake holds a lot of crappie as do the Baltimore and D.C. city reservoirs in the central region. Smaller bodies of water such as the lake at Wye Mills on the Eastern Shore and St. Marys Lake in the southern region are just a few examples of great places to fish for crappie.
Cooler water temperatures mean plenty of fun chain pickerel fishing. The thick grass beds where they hid during the summer are gone and the pickerel can be found holding near any kind of submerged structure. Single hook lures such as paddletails or other lures with the treble hooks replaced with single inline hooks are a better choice to reduce fatal injuries to the chain pickerel when practicing catch and release.
Atlantic Ocean and Coastal Bays
There is hope just around the corner for surf anglers waiting for the migration of large striped bass to pass along Maryland’s shores. Anglers off southern New Jersey are seeing large striped bass in the surf this week so it might not be too long before they come our way. In the meantime, sub-legal striped bass, dogfish, and skates tend to provide most of the action in the surf.
At the Ocean City Inlet and Route 50 Bridge area, fishing for striped bass has been very good but mostly catch-and-release, as fish are coming up short of the 28-inch minimum. Anglers are enjoying good luck by casting soft plastic jigs and paddletails. Anglers are also seeing increasing numbers of tautog around the jetties and bridge piers; pieces of green crab tend to be the most popular bait.
Anglers looking for flounder are still catching some in the channels leading to the inlet. The throwback ratio is high, and the numbers of flounder are thinning out quickly. There continues to be plenty of fun catch and release action for striped bass at the Route 90 and Verrazano bridges this week. Most of the fish are undersized but provide plenty of fun on light tackle for those casting paddletails.
Offshore, anglers are enjoying excellent fishing for black sea bass, limit catches are common and there is also a mix of large flounder, triggerfish, bluefish, and porgies. Farther offshore at the canyons, at least one boat connected with a great catch of yellowfin tuna. Others are deep dropping for golden tilefish, blueline tilefish, and swordfish.
Maryland DNR Fishing Report is written and compiled by Keith Lockwood, fisheries biologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.