Maryland & Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report
From Ocean City, the guys at Always Bent Fishing OC reported:
“Speckled trout and gator bluefish are showing up here in Ocean City both in the surf as well as in the back bays! Stripers are still around too but they’re mostly schoolies or under 28 inches, however, a few bigger ones are being caught in the surf. Hopefully this spring bite is finally starting to heat up for us. It was a slow start down here, but it’s getting better!
We also went up to Susquehanna River last Wednesday and tore up some smallmouth and largemouth bass, and even accidentally caught a couple stripers too. The actual river is tough to fish because it’s so high, so we fished a smaller creek where the water was still high, but had a slower moving current.”
Anglers Sport Center Fishing Report – Annapolis, MD
The Anglers Sport Center fishing report is written by Anglers Fishing Manager & OTW Columnist, Alex Gallardo-Perez.
We finally had a week with good weather and steady temperatures which made for some good fishing. The shad run seems to be coming down to a final push for most of the lower Eastern Shore rivers and southern Maryland creeks/rivers. But, for those die-hard shad lovers, the Susquehanna River is just reaching the prime part of the run and will still have a good few weeks of shad fishing. The Potomac River at Fletcher’s Cove had a good run of big American shad this past week and plenty of hickory shad, most of which have been small bucks.
Fishing for blue catfish is still the main draw for many anglers until the season for striped bass opens up again on May 16. Chunking bait on the bottom is the way to go when it comes to catfish, and most can be found from the South River to any channel ledge north of the Bay Bridge. The truth is that no matter where you go in the middle to upper Bay, you will have a good shot at catching blue cats. For anglers fishing from shore, Sandy Point is still producing quality catfish, and North Point State Park has also been one of the hot spots for anglers surf fishing.
Snakehead fishing still seems to be on and off because of high-tide conditions for the lower Eastern Shore. Most anglers fishing the upper Bay seem to have the best luck with bigger fish coming from the Susquehanna Flats.
The Angler’s Sport Center fishing report is written by Anglers Fishing Manager & OTW Columnist, Alex Gallardo-Perez.
Maryland DNR Fishing Report
Maryland DNR Fishing Report is written and compiled by Keith Lockwood, fisheries biologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
The weather forecast for the next week promises mild and sunny conditions, perfect for venturing into the outdoors for fishing with family and friends. Trout continue to be stocked each week in the put-and-take trout waters, and a wide variety of fish are active, including the northern snakehead.
Freshwater
The Susquehanna and Potomac rivers have been experiencing high flows and plagued with stained waters for several weeks now. There is no forecast of rain for the next week so hopefully water flows and water quality will improve. Fisheries biologist Josh Henesy sent us a report from the upper Potomac late last week: “Water levels are high, but color is fishable and ideal for smallmouth – which should be the most sought-after fish right now. The bass seem to be moving into spawning areas but based on our collections, are still several weeks away from spawning. Water temps are in the upper 50s to 60 degrees, and with this level, color, and time of year, spinnerbaits would be my number one choice!”
Fishing for largemouth bass is very good this week in both tidal and nontidal waters. Largemouth bass are in a pre-spawn mode of activity. In the southern, central, and eastern regions, male largemouth bass are preparing spawning beds and females are holding in slightly deeper waters and feeding aggressively. Casting spinnerbaits and plastic worms are two excellent lures to use. Emerging grass beds and sunken wood are two excellent places to target.
Northern snakeheads are becoming active and especially the larger ones. They can be found near any kind of structure or emerging grass beds, fallen branches and brush submerged in the water along shorelines are excellent places to target. Casting white paddletails, chatterbaits with large creature soft plastics as trailers and frogs are very popular lures. Dead sticking a large minnow under a bobber is always a great tactic while casting lures, just be sure to keep an eye on that bobber. On sunny afternoons sun exposed waters are a good location to look for northern snakeheads looking for a little warmth.
The middle to upper sections of the tributary rivers in the upper bay are providing some exciting northern snakehead opportunities. The middle and Bush rivers are particularly good. The tributaries to the Potomac, the lower Dorchester County backwaters and tidal waters throughout the Chesapeake all have a number of northern snakeheads present.
Chain pickerel are providing plenty of fun and exciting fishing and can be found in the upper sections of most all tidal rivers, and nontidal ponds and reservoirs. The thick grass beds of the summer months are forming but there is still plenty of open water to find chain pickerel lurking near sunken wood and similar structures. Spinners, spoons, paddletails and jerkbaits are all good lures to use but consider removing the treble hooks and replacing them with single inline hooks. Chain pickerel have a habit of engulfing baits and often get hooked in the gills which is usually fatal.
Atlantic Ocean and Coastal Bays
Black drum are starting to show up in the surf and surf casters are soaking baits of sand fleas and clams, hoping to tie into one. These are usually black drum in the 15-pound to 40-pound range and generally make for good eating. A few striped bass are being caught in the surf, but it will be another week or two before the Chesapeake Bay spawners pass by on their trip to New England waters. In the meantime, clearnose skates and dogfish are keeping anglers busy.
Fishing for tautog along the Ocean City Inlet jetties and the Route 50 Bridge and bulkheads has been very good this week. Anglers are catching plenty of tautog measuring over the 16-inch minimum. The daily limit is four fish and catching 3 or 4 legal-sized tautog is not uncommon. Sand fleas and pieces of crab are the most popular baits.
Striped bass are entertaining anglers casting soft plastic jigs and paddletails in the inlet, the Route 50 and 90 bridges. Most come up a little shy of the 28-inch minimum but offer plenty of fun catch and release action and now and then a legal-sized striped bass is caught. There are even a few large bluefish to be found inside the Ocean City Inlet and despite cold water and churned up bay waters a few flounder have been caught in the Thorofare Channel. Tautog continue to be the main attraction at the offshore wreck and reef sites this week. Anglers are catching a mix of medium to large tautog on pieces of crab.
Maryland DNR Fishing Report is written and compiled by Keith Lockwood, fisheries biologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Nice report, but “catching 3 or 4 legal sized tautog is not uncommon” is way off. I do a nightly fishing report and currently anglers are weeding through several throwbacks to catch keepers. Just don’t want your readers to expect something that’s not happening. Tight lines!