Maryland and Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report
Sailing out of West Ocean City, Captain Monty Hawkins of Morning Star Fishing reported that last weekend brought good sea bass fishing with a few flounder mixed in, although the mahi bite could have been better. Saturday’s trip brought a decent sea bass bite with some respectable fish in the mix, and the numbers of fish landed improved toward the end of the outing. On Sunday, the skipper and crew were met with nearly flat calm seas—good conditions for sight fishing mahi. Unfortunately, while many mahi were spotted, they were able to hook and land only one, which won the pool. The silver lining was the day’s sea bass bite, which saw some very nice fish swung over the rail—enough big ones that everyone went home with plenty for the dinner table. Unfortunately, Hurricane Erin has had them docked since the weekend. The Morning Star will be sailing again for sea bass and mahi when conditions allow. 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 Bad Habit had to pull out of the Poor Girls Open over the weekend due to engine troubles. Since then, Hurricane Erin has kept many boats at the dock, including the 114 boats competing in the MidAtlantic Tournament; no boats sailed on Tuesday as Erin continues to press north and east. According to a press release from tournament officials, this is “only the second time in 34 years the entire fleet took a lay day.” At the time of this writing, Michael Jordan’s Catch 23 holds the lead with 900 points and 12 white marlin released, while the Jenny Poo from Ocean City, MD, leads the wahoo category with a 60 pounder. Back inshore, Bakke shared that striped bass and bluefish have been providing plenty of entertainment from shore while most anglers wait for ocean conditions to stabilize. He caught a healthy over-slot bass on a soft plastic under the bridge lights earlier this week as the storm rolled in, and mentioned that there are still a lot of gator bluefish up to 30 inches in the mix as well. Stripers have been glued to the bottom in strong current, he said, so they have been using mostly 1.5- to 2-ounce jigheads and 5- to 8-inch soft plastics like Lunker City Fin-S Fish or paddletail swimbaits. Bluefish, on the other hand, seem to be intercepting baits fished higher in the column, so the heavier jigs have helped them weed out the blues. The Ocean City surf, he added, seems to be laying down a bit, but there is still a decent swell.
Captain Jamie Clough of Eastern Shore Light Tackle Charters reported that with the hurricane front coming through, water temperatures dropped a few degrees and he went back into the shallows to put his charters on some topwater striper action. The Lonely Angler Zipster—a walk-the-dog style plug—has been getting it done for his clients. Conditions have been a bit breezy and overcast, but the fish are chewing as a result of the cooler weather and water. Check out their Facebook page for booking info. and give the skipper a call to inquire about availability.
Anglers Sport Center Fishing Report – Annapolis, MD
The Anglers Sport Center fishing report is written by Anglers Fishing Manager & OTW Columnist, Alex Gallardo-Perez.
Striped bass fishing has been good this past week with lower temperatures and cloudy skies. Most of the tidal rivers and creeks produced some good topwater action in the mornings or on cloudy days. The Patapsco, Chester, and Choptank rivers, as well as Eastern Bay, are some of the top areas for shallow water action; 4- to 5-inch walking surface plugs and paddletails on 1/4- to 1/2-ounce jigs have been the top producers. Live-lining spot around structure is still working in most areas, especially the northern part of the bay around the Bay Bridge to Pooles Island.
Bull reds are still around the lower section of the bay from just north of the Target Ship into Virginia waters. The name of the game is to scan around the eastern side of the shipping channel and drop down 2- to 3-ounce jigs paired with 6- to 7-inch plastics. We also have seen more cobia in the area from the Target Ship to the mouth of the Patuxent River.
Maryland DNR Fishing Report
Maryland DNR Fishing Report is written and compiled by Keith Lockwood, fisheries biologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Read the full DNR report here.
A reminder to all Maryland anglers, please participate in DNR’s Volunteer Angler Surveys. This allows citizen scientists to contribute valuable data to the monitoring and management of several important fish species.
In particular, striped bass anglers are urged to report their catches and fish they release, which is very helpful to striped bassbiologists helping monitor this iconic species.
Middle Bay
Overcast weather and cooler water temperatures have helped put the shallow-water striped bass fishery back to a better place. The shallow-water action can be seen extending a little more into the morning hours past sunrise and better evening fishing. Casting topwater lures in the form of poppers and skipping bugs is always pure entertainment with striped bass and speckled trout. Casting paddletails is also a popular way to fish. The shorelines of Eastern Bay, the Poplar Island rocks, and the lower Choptank and Little Choptank rivers are good places to look for striped bass.
Striped bass fishing continues to be on-and-off at the Bay Bridge piers this week. One day, it seems all conditions align to put striped bass in a feeding mood, other days not so. Drifting live spot towards the pier bases is a very popular way to fish the bridge but casting skirted soft plastic jigs at the pier bases is always worth a try. At the shallower ends of the bridge white perch and a mix of spot and croakers can be caught by using peeler crab, grass shrimp or bloodworm baits.
Bluefish are being caught by anglers trolling a mix of red and green surge tube lures and small spoons behind inline weights along the main channel edges. The east side of the bay has been a good place to look for bluefish from Buoy 83 south past the Sharps Island Light, the False Channel, and past the CP Buoy below the mouth of the Choptank. The west side of the Bay below the Chesapeake Beach area has been experiencing some dissolved oxygen problems and causing fish kills of juvenile menhaden.
Anglers are encouraged to be ready to care for bluefish once they are landed. They make the best table fare when iced down immediately and kept cold to ensure the meat is firm. Bluefish left without being iced immediately often become soft.
Lower Bay
Bluefish are providing plenty of action throughout the lower Bay this week. They are being caught by trolling along the channel edges with small spoons and red or green surge tube lures behind inline weights. Spanish mackerel are becoming more common and kicking up trolling speeds a notch, and placing small spoons behind planers is a good way to round out a trolling spread. At times breaking fish are being encountered and providing plenty of exciting fishing by casting metal jigs.
When carefully pulling up near breaking bluefish, anglers should keep an eye on depth finders for heavy marks that could reveal cobia or large red drum lurking below and close to the bottom. Dropping cut bait, live eels, or large soft plastic jigs down to those marks may provide some exciting action. Anglers report there has been an influx of cobia into the region so whether you are sight-casting or chumming, keep watch for them near the Target Ship and Middle Grounds.
The recent cooler weather has had a positive effect on the shallow water fishery in the lower bay region this week. Anglers are catching a mix of striped bass, speckled trout, and bluefish by casting soft plastic jigs and paddletails. The Tangier Sound area has been an excellent place to fish for speckled trout. Anglers targeting flounder are finding a few in the Pocomoke Sound on Gulp baits.
Spot and croakers are getting to a size now, that they are providing good table fare. Many of the croakers are now more than 9 inches long. Anglers are also seeing a mix of kingfish, white perch, and northern blowfish when bottom fishing with peeler crab and bloodworms. White perch are also being found in the region’s tidal rivers and creeks, grass shrimp tend to be one of the best baits to use.
Atlantic Ocean and Coastal Bays
Surf anglers and those hoping to head offshore are experiencing rough conditions – it will be a good week to stay on land until at least the weekend. Surf anglers will need a cement block to hold bottom so it will be best to sit it out and perhaps see what the waves cough up on the beaches.
The inside of the Ocean City Inlet may provide some fishing for a mix of bluefish and striped bass for those casting soft plastic jigs or drifting cut baits during the morning and evening hours. Sheepshead can be caught near the jetty rocks on sand fleas and small crabs. Boat traffic should be almost non-existent through the inlet. If the winds pick up, the back bay waters will become churned up, and flounder fishing will be poor. If the waters remain clear fishing for flounder should be good. Croakers and small sea bass will be part of the mix for those fishing with squid strips. Gulp baits and live baits have been catching the largest flounder.
Hopefully, offshore fishing for black sea bass and triggerfish at the offshore wreck and reef sites will be good after the winds blow through, and canyon fisheries might benefit from the rough seas once they calm down. This can often be the case in late August and September with hurricane conditions.
Maryland DNR Fishing Report is written and compiled by Keith Lockwood, fisheries biologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Read the full DNR report here.