Maryland & Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report
Sailing out of West Ocean City, Captain Monty Hawkins of Morning Star Fishing reported some decent tautog fishing on calm seas earlier this week on Monday the 12th. With light wind, very little current and a low swell, the conditions were near perfect and the captain was unsure he’d even need to anchor, as a slow-drift is much easier when possible. They ended up spending a fair amount of time fishing with only one anchor until the current picked up, requiring the second and demanding heavier weight to help those rigs hold bottom. They experienced a slow pick for most of the day, keeping a few tog and releasing even more. The group experienced a lull mid-day, but the bite picked up again in the second half, although it still left much to be desired. They ended up with a few male tog of good size, including the pool winner, and one large female that was released. Check out their website for contact info to reserve your spot and get out fishing the next chance they get!
Reel Chesapeake Fishing Report – Annapolis, MD
The Reel Chesapeake Fishing Report is written and compiled by writer and media professional, James Houck. Find fishing reports and more at reelchesapeake.com.
This weekend looks like another couple days of small craft advisories, flurries, and a low pressure system keeping things cool, but by early next week another front will blow in and temperatures are predicted to increase. We’re at the first quarter of the moon with the most tidal influence to occur during daylight hours. What does all of this mean for fishing?
With the recent precipitation, the water I’ve been on, including the upper Severn River and the way upper Patuxent River, has been very muddy. You can see the dirt and your lures skimming through it—that kind-of-muddy. On this week’s outings, the target species was yellow perch and I didn’t find any holding in the spots I specifically fished. With abysmal clarity and above average water flow, fishing these parts of water was a bit challenging with the small offerings I tried (ranging from 1/16 ounce stump jumpers to 1/8 ounce jigs with tiny plastics). Heavier lead was probably needed.
That said, further downriver—particularly in the Patuxent—we saw reports of neds holding bottom in the big, deeper bends at Jug Bay. Launch at Jackson’s Landing and head upriver about one mile. Fish are being pulled up and yellow perch are just about at their start of spawn. Hillsboro on the Eastern Shore was also productive recently. Traditional spawning grounds (and therefore more popular fishing holes) will start to see more fish and anglers. These include the aforementioned waters, Red Bridges at Greensboro, Beachwood Park on the Magothy, Bacon Ridge on the South River, Allen’s Fresh off the Wicomico, and the Marshyhope at Federalsburg, among other headwaters in Chesapeake tribs.
Chain pickerel also offer any angler with cabin fever a target species. Their aggressive strike can be triggered with small square bill crankbaits, jerkbaits, inline spinners, vibrating jigs, and other flashy offerings. This time of year, they tend to hold near cover that has soaked in any sun. Look for laydowns, riprap, and grassbeds in water up to five feet deep along sun-exposed shorelines. Later in the day can be better and with the higher tides arriving in the afternoon for the week ahead, fishing for pickerel could be prime. I almost always have success fishing for them in the Severn River’s many creeks, as do many anglers plying rivers northward in the Bay, including the Magothy. The Eastern Shore’s millponds (I absolutely love Unicorn Lake) are excellent pickerel waters, too.
Striped bass have been challenging to locate. The entire middle Chesapeake is fair game to find them, but prepare to put in many miles searching deep water with electronics. The eastern side of the shipping channel is usually worth targeting first. On the western side, the area from Point Lookout up to Cedar Point will hold fish. Both areas are vast, but give you some space to key in on. A few reports of rogue brutes being in caught in shallower water just inside river mouths have come in. Reportedly, a first push of bait into rivers occurred in the Potomac, but confirmation is scant.
What’s not scant are the reports of blue catfish. This has been the species-du-jour for many days this month. Anglers from the Bush River to the Choptank to the Potomac are experiencing excellent fishing for these heavy invasives. Most fish are in the 10- to 15-pound size with some 20s and 30s mixed in. They hug bottom in deep water. Fresh cut bait on bottom rigs will draw them in; once the fish find your baits, they seem to come in droves. Channel and flatheads might hit, too.
Haven’t seen any reports of northern snakeheads this week (there were a few last week). I suspect water conditions may have turned off the bite for a smidge. Better conditions and a slight warm up this coming week might get them moving a bit more ahead of their spring spawn.
Maryland Department of Natural Resources continued to stock a mix of rainbow and golden trout in tidal and nontidal waters. No browns yet. This week focused on stockings in the mid and upper Eastern Shore (Tuckahoe and Unicorn Branch!) and north of Baltimore on the western side. The Department’s Trout Stocking webpage has all the information. Fly casting for them can be great fun. My recent catches in the Little Patuxent came by sinking and short stripping white or black buggers fished on a 5wt. Spincasting anglers caught them with tiny inline spinners or pinching a nub of trout powerbait on a small No. 8 or 10 hook. Your mileage may vary depending on the water you hit and when. Once a stocking occurs, that water will usually get hammered by anglers. Within two or three weeks of the fish dump, the bite might be all but completely dead.
And speaking of trout, the big news this week was of a new Maryland state record rainbow caught in the Devil’s Backbone section of Antietam Creek, south of Hagerstown. The 17.44-pound trout was caught by angler Jean-Philippe Lartigue with a long, 12-foot crappie-style rod, spinning reel, 8-pound test monofilament line, a small split-shot weight, and a No. 8 hook baited with a natural worm bait. It’s an eye-opening catch that will surely draw anglers region wide to the Central Maryland trout streams. Good luck!
View the 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
Yellow perch are starting to make an appearance in small numbers along the eastern shore around Tuckahoe, Greensboro and particularly in standout locations like Hillsboro. As we transition into spring, their presence is expected to increase even more, thanks to the rising water temperatures. Anglers are successfully catching yellow perch using a variety of lures, similar to those employed for white perch, such as small spinners, shad darts, or bottom rigs.
Pickerel fishing remains at its prime in the local tidal rivers of the upper and middle Bay areas, particularly in hotspots like the Severn and Magothy rivers. While pickerel can be caught throughout the year, their activity peaks during the fall and winter months. To efficiently target these predatory fish, anglers are finding success with lures like jerkbaits, chatterbaits, or willow vibes paired with a 3- to 4-inch soft-plastic trailer. Pickerel can be caught all around shallow water structure, however, with the pickerel beginning to move in preparation to spawn, the biggest ones can be found further up the creeks and rivers.
As bird activity has decreased since last month, anglers are adapting their tactics by moving more frequently to find the best spots for striped bass fishing. Targeting drop-offs or steep channels remains the key to landing trophy-sized striped bass. Reports indicate larger fish individually roaming in areas of the lower middle bay. While both jigging and trolling are effective methods, jigging seems to be the favored and most common approach. Striped bass are being caught in decent numbers about an hour after sunrise, with the action dropping off during the day and picking up dramatically just before sundown.
South Bay
In the southern bay area, the striped bass bite has been notably slow and inconsistent, particularly when fishing from shore. However, anglers are finding success by employing jigging techniques around steep drop-offs, channel edges, or deep-water structures to target trophy-sized striped bass. Despite the challenges, there’s still a variety of opportunities in shallower waters providing a chance to catch other species such as speckled trout or white perch here and there! Hopefully with spring just around the corner, fishing in the southern bay, especially around the mouth of the Potomac River, will swing back into full force.
The Angler’s Sport Center fishing report is compiled and written by Anglers Team Member, A.J. Lewis.