Maryland & Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report
Sailing out of West Ocean City, Captain Monty Hawkins of Morning Star Fishing reported that they’ve been running further offshore to find sea bass when sea and weather conditions have cooperated. This week, they got out once on Monday the 25th and were greeted by fair seas and some a steady pick of black sea bass. There were a few limits around the rail with some larger knuckleheads in the mix for pool contention, so most folks went home with a handful of fillets on ice. Unfortunately, no double-digit fluke were caught this time around! Looking ahead, the skipper will be keeping an eye on the forecast for the next day of fishable weather, especially since they’re going to making longer hauls offshore at this point in the season. Sign up for their email list at morningstarfishing.com to stay in the loop so you can jump on board the next time they head out.
In Ocean City, Taylor Bakke from Always Bent Fishing OC provided a fishing report just as he and Captain Jeff of Bad Habit Sport Fishing pulled into the slip at the marina. They ran about 18 miles northeast of the inlet and set up to troll for tuna, which yielded their 4-man crew a 72-inch, 240-pound bluefin! Bakke said they also stuck two keepers on Monday. The bite has been, in his words, “red hot” and it should only improve from here. As the fish stationed on bunker pods in New York and New Jersey move south, Bakke is confident they won’t have to run as far as the Bad Habit did today. Check out the Bad Habit site to inquire about charter availability while the bluefin bite is good!
Anglers Sport Center Fishing Report – Annapolis, MD
The Anglers Sport Center fishing report is written by Anglers Fishing Manager & OTW Columnist, Alex Gallardo-Perez.
Pickerel fishing has been good in most of the tidal rivers in the middle and upper bay. Most of the pickerel are in the 18- to 22-inch range, with some bigger fish mixed in around 24 to 25 inches long. The Severn and Magothy rivers seem to be the better places on the western shore, with some yellow perch in the mix as well.
The striped bass bite has been getting better with some bigger fish showing up locally. Most of the action has been near the mouth of the Choptank River and south of Chesapeake Beach. There have been some bird shows during the outgoing tide, but most anglers are scanning underwater points or around channel edges and finding schools of striped bass. Jigging 5- to 7-inch plastics is the most popular way to target them, but trolling tandems and umbrellas is also effective when running up and down the shipping channels.
Maryland DNR Fishing Report
Maryland DNR Fishing Report is written and compiled by Keith Lockwood, fisheries biologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Lower Bay
Anglers fishing for striped bass in the lower Bay are still having some success fishing the shallower waters in the lower sections of the region’s tidal rivers and near Point Lookout. Casting paddletails and soft plastic jigs in intermediate depth waters.
Out in the Bay along the main channel edges, anglers jigging are finding striped bass holding at about 30-35 feet along the deeper channels. Soft plastic jigs in the 5-inch size range and metal jigs are popular choices when jigging. Braided line and a fast action rod help with the jigging action and sensitivity.
Trolling is a very popular way to fish for striped bass this month if getting fish in the boat is your priority. Trolling with heavy tackle, a pound or more of lead weight and an umbrella can be a chore at times but it is an effective way to catch striped bass. Most anglers are using medium-sized bucktails and skirted jig heads with sassy shads in white or chartreuse as trailers. Both sides of the main shipping channel, the lower Potomac River, and Tangier Sound are excellent places to look for striped bass holding deep.
White perch have also moved deep and can be found holding close to the bottom in about 35 feet of water. The lower Potomac and the areas off the mouth of the Patuxent and Nanticoke rivers are good places to look for schools of white perch holding close to the bottom. A good depth finder is very important this time of the year to locate fish holding deep. Jigging with metal jigs is the best way to fish for them and using jigs helps sort out the smaller white perch.
Atlantic Ocean and Coastal Bays
Anticipation and patience sums up the experience for surfcasters awaiting the southern migration of striped bass to pass within casting distance of Maryland beaches. The reports from New Jersey tell of striped bass wallowing in schools of menhaden and sand eels. No reports of striped bass being caught off the beaches have come in here yet.
At the Ocean City Inlet and Route 50 Bridge area, anglers are enjoying good fishing for tautog along the jetties , bridge piers and bulkheads. Sand fleas and pieces of green crab are the most popular baits. Anglers who are casting soft plastic jigs are catching a mix of striped bass and puppy drum, no reports of bluefish this week. There are still a few flounder moving through the inlet, but most of the flounder action is taking place offshore on shoals, lumps and near the wreck and reef sites.
Fishing for black sea bass remains very good this week with anglers catching good quantities of sea bass at the reck and reef sites. Anglers targeting flounder are doing well also. Fishing for bluefin tuna has taken the Ocean City fleet by storm, all it takes is a calm day to allow boats to travel outside the inlet. All the action is occurring within the 30 Fathom Line and often within a few miles of the beaches. Most of the bluefin tuna being caught range from 50 pounds to 200 pounds.
Maryland DNR Fishing Report is written and compiled by Keith Lockwood, fisheries biologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.