Maryland and Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report
Sailing out of West Ocean City, Captain Monty Hawkins of Morning Star Fishing reported hit or miss sea bass fishing late last week with the better action reserved to the early portion of the day despite marking plenty of fish on the sounder. Sharks posed a bit of a problem during last Thursday’s outing, and of course, when the skipper was ready to head for port, the sea bass decided to start chewing. There were some ling in the mix, and they managed to land two chicken mahi before calling it a day; June 26th is the earliest the captain can recall catching mahi. The weekend brought better sea bass fishing when it came to catching keepers, with steady action throughout most of the day on Sunday—enough for everyone to take home dinner. The Morning Star is sailing for sea bass when conditions allow, so give them a shout at (443) 235-5577 between 8 AM and 8 PM to reserve your spot on the rail!
From Ocean City, Taylor Bakke of Always Bent Fishing OC said the flounder bite remains hot from the reef sites to the inshore bays around Ocean City. However, the best thing going right now is the offshore yellowfin bite at the canyons. Trolling has been the top producer for school-size yellowfin and there have even been some mahi, bigeye tuna, and wahoo in the mix. Bakke and Capt. Jeff Rosenkilde caught the first recorded wahoo of the season in Maryland earlier this week on the Bad Habit as well. Offshore fishing will only continue to improve as the summer rolls on and the fish spread out, moving closer to home as water temperatures climb.
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 short break from the high heat this week; not that much cooler, but it’s a break from the 100-degree weather of late, and the fish can also feel the difference.
Striped bass fishing has been good at times in the upper part of the Bay around Pooles Island, Hart Miller Island, and all the way to the Susquehanna Flats. Some anglers are catching striped bass around the Key Bridge pilings using live spot. Otherwise, the bite inside the inner harbor and around the port has slowed down. Anglers fishing the Choptank River have reported a great topwater bite during the first two hours of sunrise and during the evening as well.
Maryland DNR Fishing Report
Maryland DNR Fishing Report is written and compiled by Keith Lockwood, fisheries biologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Middle Bay
Striped bass catches in the middle Bay have been a bit sparse lately but anglers who are out on the water before dawn stand the best odds. Casting a variety of topwater lures and paddletails in the shallower waters of the Bay and tidal river shorelines that look promising offers good fishing. Shoreline sunken riprap, dock pilings, and prominent points are all good areas to target. Water temperatures in the shallower waters of the middle Bay are in the upper 80s now and once the sun clears the horizon the best fishing action tends to shut down. The late evening hours offer the second-best time to fish the shallower shoreline areas.
The water temperature in the main portion of the Bay is holding around 85 degrees this week. Live lining spot is a popular option wherever striped bass can be spotted on depth finders holding near steep channel edges. The Bay Bridge piers and concrete abutments, Thomas Point, the Clay Banks, Sharps Island Light, and the mouth of the Choptank are all worth a look. Bluefish are in the region so bluefish will be part of the mix when fishing with live spot or cut baits.
Jigging along steep channel edges is another option when fish can be seen on depth finders suspended off the bottom. Trolling with tandem rigged bucktails, dressed with twistertails, Drone spoons or surgical tube lures in red or green or umbrella rigs. All are pulled behind inline weights or planers. Bluefish tend to go after the surgical tube lures and twistertails tend to get nipped off when bluefish are around. Some of the better places to troll have been the channel edge from Buoy 83 south past the mouth of the Choptank and the Breezy Point area.
Spot can be found in front of Chesapeake Beach, behind Black Walnut Point, and Eastern Bay. White perch fishing has been fair to good in the region’s tidal rivers and creeks. The morning and evening hours on a running tide offer the best fishing. Deepwater docks and oyster beds are good places to fish with peeler crab, grass shrimp, or pieces of bloodworm on a bottom rig. Casting small spinnerbaits, soft plastic jigs, and spinners are a fun way to target the larger white perch along shorelines during the morning and evening hours.
Lower Bay
The shallow-water fishery along the Bay, sounds, and tidal rivers continues to be one of the more popular and successful ways to target striped bass and a mix of bluefish, speckled trout, and red drum. The best action is occurring during the early morning and late evening hours, over grass beds, stump fields, and submerged structure.
Poppers and Spooks provide some fun topwater fishing and popping corks trailing a soft plastic shrimp or peeler crab bait are an excellent option when fishing over grass beds. Casting paddletails and jerkbaits in slightly deeper waters where grass is not a problem is a great option. The shorelines of the lower Potomac and Patuxent rivers, Tangier and Pocomoke sounds, and the Hoopers Island area are all good places to fish the shallower waters.
Bluefish are being caught out in the open waters of the Bay near the Target Ship, the Middle Grounds, Tangier Sound, Smith Point, and the mouth of the Potomac. Most anglers are trolling a mixed spread of red or green surgical tube lures for the bluefish and cobia and perhaps a large chrome spoon in the hopes of some catch-and-release action with a large red drum. All are being pulled behind inline weights. Increasing numbers of cobia are being caught in the lower Bay this week, mostly along the eastern side of the Bay. Trolling, chumming, and sight fishing for the cobia is always an extra bonus to fishing in the lower Bay. The minimum size for cobia is 43 inches total length, with a limit of one per day and only two per boat no matter how many anglers are onboard.
Spot are being found in the lower Potomac and Patuxent rivers, Tangier and Pocomoke sounds, and near the mouth of the Nanticoke River. Most tend to be on the small side for eating, but with a small enough filet knife one can get two nuggets off a fish. At times white perch will be in the mix and a few kingfish are being caught. The tidal rivers and creeks are the places to target white perch whether one is fishing bait or casting small spinnerbaits and similar lures during the morning and evening hours.
Atlantic Ocean and Coastal Bays
Surf anglers fishing cut bait of mullet and menhaden continue to find some catch-and-release action with large red drum and a mix of inshore sharks and stingrays this week. Those fishing slightly smaller baits of finger mullet or cut mullet are catching bluefish. One angler reported in with a few flounder and blowfish caught on squid baits in the surf and they fished with bloodworms looking for kingfish but came up empty.
At the inlet and Route 50 Bridge area, casting a mix of bucktails, soft plastic jigs, and paddletails near the jetty rocks, bridge piers, and bulkheads during the morning and evening hours is a great way to target striped bass and bluefish. A high percentage of the striped bass are coming up a little short of the required 28 inches but offer a lot of fun fishing. At night anglers drifting cut bait are having good luck catching bluefish and a few striped bass. Flounder are always in play at the inlet and drifting Gulp baits along the bottom is a good way to fish for them.
The channels leading from the inlet area are always a good place to fish for flounder. Boat traffic will be at a peak this weekend so lesser traveled channels may be a safer idea. The channel opposite Ocean City Airport could be a good alternative. Anglers are reminded that the minimum size for summer flounder is 17.5 inches. In the evenings casting paddletails near the bridge piers of the Verrazzano and Route 90 bridges can offer fun catch and release action with sub-legal striped bass.
Fishing for black sea bass is good at the offshore wreck and reef sites this week. At some of the wreck and reef sites closer to shore, anglers are finding large flounder. At the canyons, catches of yellowfin and bigeye tuna have increased dramatically and a lot of boats will be out fishing this weekend bringing in good catches. The first blue marlin catch was recorded this week; there have been white marlin releases and dolphin are rounding out trolling catches. The deep drop into the depths near the canyons is producing good catches of golden and blueline tilefish.
Maryland DNR Fishing Report is written and compiled by Keith Lockwood, fisheries biologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.