Maryland & Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report
From Ocean City, the guys at Always Bent Fishing OC reported that there’s been a decent bite for speckled trout in the salt marshes of Chesapeake Bay this week. Taylor Bakke was fishing for specks on Tuesday morning after a few days of good fishing, but with little to show for his morning efforts, he moved spots to some deeper water and began jigging. After the morning left much to be desired, he jokingly mentioned to his friend “I’d settle for a weakfish at this point, but I doubt that will happen.” He had only ever seen one weakfish landed at this location, but minutes later, he was battling what he assumed was a large bluefish until he pulled up a true tide runner weakfish (which he caught on film, see video on @alwaysbentfishingoc). The fish took a 4-inch soft-plastic paddletail that Taylor was jigging around bridge pilings.
Anglers Sport Center Fishing Report – Annapolis, MD
The Anglers Sport Center fishing report is written by Anglers Fishing Manager & OTW Columnist, Alex Gallardo-Perez.
It is starting to feel like summer with some of the summer migratory species starting to show themselves all over the Chesapeake. For us in the Middle/Upper Bay area, we started to see spot filtering in as well as white perch showing up all around the typical summer haunts. Fishing hard or sandy bottom is the key to finding spot. Some of the common areas are Hacketts Point, Tolly Point, and the oyster reefs south of the Bay Bridge. Bloodworms, Fish Bites, and lug worms are going to be the best baits to use when bottom fishing for spot or white perch.
Catfishing is still what most anglers are pursuing until the opening of striped bass season next Thursday, May 16th. There is a mix of channel, white and blue catfish in some areas of the upper Bay. The channel edge right in front of Sandy Point is holding some nice blue cats up to 40 pounds. Mud shad, bunker and shrimp have been the preferred baits when targeting catfish, and specifically blue cats.
There have also been some reports of speckled trout beginning to show up in the Lower Bay around Tangier Sound, the lower Eastern shore, and lower Potomac River on the western shore.
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.
Spring is spreading its blanket of new growth and warmth across the Maryland landscape this month. The black locust trees are blooming, signaling the first blue crab shed of 2024. These warm and sunny days beckon anglers of all ages and skill levels to seek out the excitement of fishing in every corner of Maryland – don’t miss it!
Lower Bay
Anglers who look forward to the hickory shad catch-and release fishery in the District of Columbia portion of the Potomac River saw high water temperatures last week push the hickory shad spawn into action. Many of the hickory shad have now spawned and will be leaving the area. Anglers are reporting that cooler water temperatures bring hope of additional pre-spawn hickory shad and increased numbers of American shad. Tandem rigged shad darts and small spoons are often favorites for those using spinning gear, fly-fishing anglers often use brightly colored flies or shad darts with sinking fly lines.
Fishing for blue catfish in the tidal Potomac, Patuxent, Nanticoke rivers could hardly be better this week. Medium to large blue catfish can be found in the tidal Potomac River from the Wilson Bridge south to the mouth of the river. Anglers are finding blue catfish moving out of the deepest parts of the channels and venturing into channel edges and flats next to the channels. The section of the Patuxent River near Bennedict and below has been an excellent place to fish for large blue catfish.
The section of the Nanticoke River below Sharpstown has also been an excellent place to fish for blue catfish. The Wicomico and Pocomoke rivers on the lower Eastern Shore are showing increasing populations of blue catfish. Fresh cut baits of menhaden are hard to beat when fishing the lower sections of the tidal rivers but gizzard shad, chicken liver, or scented chicken breast also work well. Anglers are reporting that cownose rays are becoming an increasing problem when fishing baits.
White perch are providing good fishing in the region’s tidal rivers this week. They can be found in the middle to lower sections of the tidal rivers. In some areas of medium depth waters casting small spinnerbaits or spinner jigs and working them close to the bottom has been working well for anglers. Fishing with a bottom rig baited with grass shrimp, minnows or pieces of bloodworm can also work well in deeper waters and near deep structure in the form of bridge piers, or deepwater docks. Anglers fishing with pieces of bloodworm are beginning to catch small spot and croakers. Lower bay anglers who are casting paddletails are catching the season’s first speckled trout and red drum.
Freshwater
In the central, southern, and eastern regions of Maryland, largemouth bass are actively spawning in many areas and holding near spawning nests. Water temperatures are still cold enough in the western region that largemouth bass are a week or two behind in their spawning activity. Most anglers tend to lessen their targeting of largemouth bass at this time and fishing for northern snakeheads can help fill in with plenty of available action. Northern snakeheads are also close or in the process of spawning but still offer plenty of good fishing in the tidal waters of Maryland. Casting chatterbaits, buzzbaits, soft frogs and white paddletails near grass beds is a great way to target them.
The Maryland DNR tidal bass program is attempting to upgrade their ability to raise more largemouth and smallmouth bass fry for stocking in Maryland waters and is seeking the help of anglers through donations. The Black Bass Conservation Fund collects donations to support specific largemouth bass and smallmouth bass conservation efforts in Maryland. In 2024, funds raised would allow the purchase of a filtration unit that would give Maryland Department of Natural Resources hatcheries the ability to raise 3,000 more largemouth or smallmouth bass each year. To learn more about this fund and how you can help, visit DNR’s black bass conservation page.
This is a great time to take your younger anglers out to local ponds to fish for bluegill, pumpkinseed, or other species of sunfish. Many seasoned anglers will tell you that a feisty bluegill sunfish was the first fish they caught. A simple push button spinning rod, bobber and earthworm are all that is needed to provide a lot of fun and lasting memories for a young angler and parents.
Atlantic Ocean and Coastal Bays
Surf anglers are seeing an increasing variety of fish along the beaches this week. Large spring migrating bluefish are being caught on cut bait of menhaden and mullet. Black drum are being caught on clams, sand fleas and cut bait. In addition to some undersized fish, large migrant striped bass are now being caught. Most of the large striped bass being caught exceed the maximum size of 31 inches but still present an exciting catch.
At the inlet and Route 50 Bridge area, anglers are catching large bluefish on jigs and Got-Cha lures as well as cut bait. Tautog are still being caught near the jetty rocks, bridge piers and bulkheads on sand fleas and pieces of crab. Flounder are being caught in the inlet area and the season’s first sea trout and sheepshead have made an arrival.
In the back bay waters, flounder are being caught in the channels on traditional squid and minnow baits as well as Gulp baits. Bluefish and striped bass can be caught by casting soft plastic jigs, paddletails and Got-Cha lures. Offshore, fishing for tautog remains very good and anglers are looking forward to the May 15 opening of the 2024 black sea bass season.
Maryland DNR Fishing Report is written and compiled by Keith Lockwood, fisheries biologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.