Maryland & Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report
Sailing out of West Ocean City, Captain Monty Hawkins of Morning Star Fishing reported that bluefin tuna of al sizes continue to tear through schools of sand eels. They headed out just after 5 AM on the 23rd and were guided by the birds to some spectacular surface-feeding tuna action. during the late morning. The outing began with fast and frantic action. Between 11:15 AM and 12:15 PM, the sparse team of anglers and crew hooked and landed four keeper bluefin tuna on the troll. However, according to the skipper, the rest of the outing was nothing but a watch party. Despite the frustration of not hooking up again, they enjoyed seeing bluefin ripping through schools of sand eels and birds dive-bombing the surface for hours. The captain is currently offering mixed trips of sea bass or bluefin. He is planning to go out again on Friday (12/27), so give them a ring to inquire about availability. After January 1, they’ll be switching over to tautog fishing. Sign up for their email list here to stay in the loop!
In Ocean City, Taylor Bakke from Always Bent Fishing OC said the fishing report this week remains status quo. The striped bass mayhem continues out front, and there are seemingly even more bluefin around now that things have quieted down to the north. Captain Jeff on the Bad Habit went out on Christmas Eve and got his limit on spreader bars and soft plastics—no ballyhoo needed, so you know the tuna are in thick. Bakke also said there are some nice tautog being caught locally, so things are already looking up for the winter tautog charter boats in the area.
Anglers Sport Center Fishing Report – Annapolis, MD
The Anglers Sport Center fishing report is written by Anglers Fishing Manager & OTW Columnist, Alex Gallardo-Perez.
The first big run of migratory striped bass is here in the Middle Bay area from just north of Cove Point to Poplar Island. Most of the fish have been found on the western shore channel edge in 35 to 50 feet of water. There have been birds working the surface, at times, but you can also find them with side scan technology. Five- to 8-inch soft plastics on jigheads have been the ticket to get them to bite. Generally, in 35- to 50-foot depths, 1- to 1 1/2-ounce jigs are needed to reach and remain in the strike zone. The size range of striped bass we are seeing is still mixed; there are some small fish around 20 inches and under, but there has been a good push of 35- to 45-inch fish recently as well. The bite should continue to get better as they move closer to the Upper Bay area to begin staging outside spawning areas.
Maryland DNR Fishing Report
The following freshwater fishing report appeared in the December 18th Maryland DNR Fishing Report. However, the information holds true throughout the winter fishing season.
Maryland DNR Fishing Report is written and compiled by Keith Lockwood, fisheries biologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Freshwater
Fishing the nontidal and tidal waters for what are considered freshwater fish during the winter months holds a lot of opportunities for Maryland anglers. Everything from trout in the western region to chain pickerel on the Eastern Shore are ready to entertain anglers.
The trout management areas in western Maryland hold a lot of promise for anglers willing to enjoy catching and releasing trout when using fly fishing gear or artificials. The north branch of the Potomac along with the Youghiogheny and Savage rivers are just a few of the areas to explore. The tail race of the Gunpowder River is another good place to try in the central region. The DNR trout fishing website offers a lot of information on where and how to fish.
Deep Creek Lake offers plenty of fishing opportunities during the winter whether the water is open or if it freezes over. Walleye, smallmouth bass, trout, northern pike, chain pickerel, yellow perch, crappie, and bluegill sunfish are all active during the winter months. Other reservoirs in the region also offer good fishing, including Piney, Rocky Gorge, and the Savage Reservoir.
The upper Potomac will start to flex its muscles as more runoff from the watershed increases flows. Anglers who know how to fish the river will be targeting smallmouth bass and walleye. When fishing in boats, lifejackets are required during this period.
In the central region, a few standout reservoirs that are very popular with anglers are Liberty, Prettyboy, Loch Raven, and Triadelphia. Northern pike can be found in Loch Raven and Triadelphia reservoirs and smallmouth bass in Liberty and Prettyboy. All the central region reservoirs hold excellent populations of largemouth bass and chain pickerel. Liberty and Triadelphia are noted for their populations of landlocked striped bass. The many small lakes and ponds that dot the southern and eastern regions offer good fishing for a variety of species. Anglers looking for fishing opportunities might consider checking the freshwater hotspots website link.
Largemouth bass have moved into deeper waters and usually can be found near deep sunken wood, rocks, and steep drop-offs. Grubs, small crankbaits, hair jigs, wacky rigged worms, and spinnerbaits are all good choices for lures. All should be worked slowly and close to the bottom; bites will usually be subtle.
Crappie will also be holding deep and close to any kind of structure they can find, bridge piers, fallen tree tops, sunken brush and in tidal waters marina docks can be a big draw. Fishing marabou jigs or small minnows is the best way to get them to bite.
Cold water is much to the liking of chain pickerel, and they can be found in both nontidal ponds and reservoirs or in tidal waters in the upper sections of the tidal rivers. They can be found holding close to structure, sunken wood along shorelines is a good place to look for them. The largest chain pickerel will often be found away from shorelines in deeper water near some kind of structure. Many types of lures will work for chain pickerel, and they usually strike them with abandon; be advised if lures are fitted with treble hooks, mortal injuries can occur to the gills. If one is targeting chain pickerel, swapping out treble hooks for single inline hooks will make unhooking easier and cause less damage to the fish.
Maryland DNR Fishing Report is written and compiled by Keith Lockwood, fisheries biologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.