Maryland and Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report
Sailing out of West Ocean City, Captain Monty Hawkins of Morning Star Fishing announced that they just opened up reservations for spring black sea bass trips beginning May 15 until June 1. The minimum size for sea bass is 13 inches with a bag limit of 15 fish per angler. Trips sell out at 18 anglers, so give them a call at 443-235-5577 to reserve your spot before trips fill up!
From Ocean City, Taylor Bakke of Always Bent Fishing OC reported that Capt. Jeff Rosenkilde found big schools of speckled trout in the marshes of the Chesapeake earlier this week, so he anticipates them showing up in the Ocean City area any day now. Bakke said he caught—as far as he can tell—the first bluefish of the season in Maryland waters late last week, which he believes is another positive sign that speckled trout should be in the Ocean City area very soon. The black drum bite is still on fire from the surf, he added, and a few big migratory stripers up to 40 inches have been in the mix in the past 2 or 3 days. The back bay schoolie striper bite is continuing to improve as well, and they’re seeing a lot of tog caught around the Ocean City inlet with some keepers in the mix. Further south in Virginia, the red drum bite is starting to pick up too, and he’s optimistic that they will make their way north in the next 2 or 3 weeks. By that time, Bakke says they’ll be keeping an eye on the offshore water temperatures to try and get out for the first tuna of the season!
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 had a great week with good weather and wind letting off at times, allowing anglers to get out on the water. Most people are still targeting the American and hickory shad around the main Bay tributaries like the Potomac, Susquehanna and Patuxent rivers. A good amount of mid-size American shad were caught in the Potomac this week along with some striped bass and catfish. Good thing we could target the striped bass since it was in DC waters, where you can still catch and release them. Most anglers were using small gold spoons and shad darts for the hickory and American shad, and when targeting striped bass and catfish, a 1- to 1-1/2-ounce jig with a 5- to 7-inch paddletail got the job done.
Other anglers are targeting black drum off the surf on Assateague Island using sand fleas and clams, but there has been a lot of bycatch like clearnose skates and spiny dogfish.
Maryland DNR Fishing Report
Maryland DNR Fishing Report is written and compiled by Keith Lockwood, fisheries biologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Upper Bay
Water releases from the Conowingo Dam have been varying from early morning to late evenings. Hickory shad are providing fun catch-and-release action at the dam pool, the mouth of Deer Creek, and in Octoraro Creek. Brightly colored sinking flies, shad darts, and small gold or chrome spoons all do the trick when fishing for hickory shad.
Blue catfish are on the prowl and taking any bait that is within their realm of attention. They’re feeding on the white perch that are staging at the mouth of the Susquehanna and in other tidal rivers. Cut bait of white perch can be easy to obtain and will make a good bait. Oily fish in the form of gizzard shad, menhaden, or chicken parts also make excellent baits.
The lower Susquehanna, Elk and the middle and upper sections of the Chester River hold some of the greatest populations of blue catfish. Anglers will also encounter channel catfish and the occasional white catfish in the tidal rivers. The larger blue catfish are beginning to be more commonly found in the main stem of the upper Bay this month.
Anglers targeting Chesapeake Channa (northern snakeheads) are finding increasing opportunities in the upper sections of the tidal rivers on the western side of the Bay. The thick grass beds, which are typical of the summer months, are forming and the fish are holding close to those grass beds. Casting white paddletails that are rigged weedless is a very popular lure to use, chatterbaits rigged with a white plastic bait is another popular lure.
Middle Bay
White perch are steadily moving down the Choptank River and are beginning to spread out into the many smaller creeks and tidal rivers of the middle Bay. The white perch will hold in these areas throughout the summer months, providing fun fishing off docks and shorelines.
A mix of channel and blue catfish are providing good fishing in the region’s tidal rivers this month. Both species of catfish can be found in every tidal river and many creeks. The greatest populations of blue catfish can be found in the Choptank River and tidal rivers and creeks in Dorchester County.
A variety of cut baits work well; white perch, gizzard shad, menhaden, and American eel are excellent baits, but chicken parts and scented baits also work well. A fish finder rig or sliding sinker rig with a small float in front of a 5/0 to 7/0 circle hook is the most popular rig for fishing blue catfish.
Lower Bay
The American shad and hickory shad runs at the Potomac River below Little Falls is at its zenith this week with excellent catch-and-release fishing. Water temperatures have reached 59 degrees this week. Maryland anglers will have to purchase a District of Columbia fishing license to participate in the fun. The American shad are being caught in the main channel of the river and are best targeted from a kayak or small boat. Hickory shad can be caught by shoreline anglers. The American shad are being caught on larger shad darts and the hickory shad on smaller shad darts and gold or chrome spoons.
Anglers are having good success targeting black drum in the Tangier and Pocomoke sounds this week. The mouths of the Pocomoke, Wicomico, and Nanticoke rivers as well as the Middle Grounds and Mud Leads near the Target Ship are good places to look for them. Locating the black drum on depth finders and fishing with blue crab baits is a popular way to target them.
Atlantic Ocean and Coastal Bays
Surf anglers report that they have been hampered by rough surf and churned up waters, but conditions have improved. The run of black drum took a break during the turmoil but the clearnose skates were as eager as ever to chew up baits meant for black drum. Anglers have been using sand fleas to fish for black drum.
At the Ocean City Inlet and Route 50 Bridge area, anglers are enjoying good fishing for tautog along the jetty rocks and bulkheads. Sand fleas and pieces of green crab have been the most popular baits, and the tide switch often provides the best action. Fishing for striped bass in the inlet area has also been good for anglers casting soft plastic jigs. As most anglers are aware, most of the striped bass are coming up a little short of 28 inches. Flounder are moving through the inlet, and a few have been caught in recent days.
In the back bay areas, fishing for striped bass continues to take center stage near the bridge piers of the Verrazzano and Route 90 bridges. Casting paddletails in the early morning and late evening hours is the way to get in on this fun catch-and-release action. Now and then anglers do catch a striped bass within the 28-31 inch slot. Flounder are coming into play as more flounder move into the back bay areas, Gulp and minnow or squid combinations are popular bait setups.
Outside the Ocean City Inlet and at the offshore wreck and reef sites, anglers are finding good fishing for tautog. Limit catches are not uncommon, and many anglers are releasing the larger tautog that weigh in the double-digit category so they can reproduce.
Maryland DNR Fishing Report is written and compiled by Keith Lockwood, fisheries biologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Maryland Fishing Forecast
In the Bay and its tributaries, blue catfish, Chesapeake channa (northern snakehead), white perch and hickory and American shad are providing plenty of entertainment while striped bass fishing remains closed—except for the main stem of the tidal Potomac River, which is open to catch-and-release striper fishing only. There are also a fair amount of quality black drum being caught in the Bay. A great weekend plan would be to a catch a mess of white perch, save some for the table, and use some for blue cat bait. Talk about a nice fish fry!
The shad run is reaching its peak in the Potomac, so hit it while it’s hot. As mentioned above by the Maryland DNR, American shad seem to be stacked in the deeper channels of the river while hickory shad have been more accessible to shore and wading anglers. Spoons and shad darts are getting the job done.
Along the coastal bays and in the surf off Assateague Island, black drum and striped bass are being caught on sand fleas, although there have been a fair amount of skates and dogfish in the mix. In the backwaters, schoolie stripers are hitting minnow plugs, jerkbaits and soft plastics, but don’t be surprised if you run into some bluefish. The nearby bridges and Ocean City inlet rocks continue to produce some quality tautog.
Spring fishing opportunities abound across the state this week, from freshwater ponds and tidal waters to the coastal bays and ocean surf. Get out there and enjoy it!