Maryland and Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report
From Ocean City, Taylor Bakke of Always Bent Fishing OC reported that they’re still picking away at striped bass and tautog locally, despite the incessant wind. Not many boats are heading out due to unsettled seas, unless they’re staying in the back. The bass, he noted, are slowly but surely getting bigger as more fish migrate down the coast. There are also some flounder still being caught inshore around the inlet, but most of them are coming as bycatch since the bulk of the fish have made their way out to the ocean reefs and wrecks by now. Until the wind lays down, Bakke said, they’ll continue to fish for striper and tautog near Ocean City Inlet. He anticipates the local striper bite will continue to improve as dropping temperatures to the north send more fish down the coast.
Captain Jamie Clough of Eastern Shore Light Tackle Charters said large schools of stripers of mixed sizes are showing up on the high tides with each passing day, and they are closely following peanut bunker. They’ve had 3 bull red drum in the mix as well, which were welcome surprises. The skipper added that despite the smaller bait, large paddletails on jigs with skirts have been the ticket to their success. While bull reds are on their way out, the striper fishing is only going to improve as the month progresses and more fish return to the Bay. Head to Capt. Jamie’s Facebook page for rates and contact info to get in on the action.
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 wind just keeps blowing and it’s kept most of us from getting out to chase the schools of striped bass that are feeding on bunker as they prepare for a long winter. When the wind has laid down, there has been a good bite at the mouth of the Choptank River with schools of nice-sized bass and even a few surprise big red drum being caught. The shallow water bite seems to be finally slowing down, with just a few striped bass caught in the rivers, most of which have been bycatch when pickerel fishing.
Even with the high winds and low tides, chain pickerel fishing in the central tidal rivers continues to be worth the effort, with good numbers and some quality fish. The Patapsco, Magothy and Severn rivers are still the go-to spots to target pickerel. We expect the bite to improve as next week’s cold front moves in, cooling temperatures even more.
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.
Middle Bay
The Bay Bridge piers and rock piles continue to be a good place to check for striped bass. Casting skirted soft plastic jigs near the pier bases is always popular and an easy way to explore fishing success. Live-lining eels or small white perch is another good option. A running tide is important, and the morning and evening hours usually offer the best opportunities. Large white perch can be found holding near the rock piles; heavy but small jigs are needed to reach them.
The water temperature in the lower Choptank River is in the mid-50s this week and the bay anchovies and small menhaden continue their exodus from the river into a gauntlet of waiting striped bass. The striped bass are lining up along main channels at the mouths of several tidal rivers and in the bay waters. The mouth of Eastern Bay, the Choptank River, and Thomas Point are just a few areas where anglers are finding striped bass. Jigging is a popular way to fish for them and a good depth finder is a very important asset. Trolling umbrella rigs is an effective way to fish along the deep edges of the channels and heavy inline weights will get them down there. At times diving sea gulls can lead the way to the action, but anglers report it is hard to keep up with them.
Lower Bay
Striped bass fishing has been very good this week in the lower Bay. The lower Potomac and Patuxent rivers have been standouts for anglers jigging and trolling along the edges of the channels. The 30-foot edges tend to be the sweet spot for both river channels and out in the bay.
In the lower Potomac River, the steep edge from St. George Island past Piney Point is a good place to jig or to troll deep with tandem rigged swimshads or umbrella rigs pulled behind heavy inline weights. The lower Patuxent River near the Route 4 Bridge has been a very popular area to jig with soft plastics and cast paddletails.
The shallower waters near promising looking shorelines with structure are a fun place to fish during the morning and evening hours. Casting soft plastic jigs and paddletails are always a fun light tackle way to fish. The Cedar Point rocks provide a good place to try.
The large red drum have left our waters and the spot and croakers left right behind them for the mouth of the Bay. There are still a few speckled trout being caught in the shallow waters, but that fishery is wanning quickly. There are signs of promise that some large striped bass may be moving into the lower bay as sometimes occurs and providing fun catch and release fishing during late November and December.
Atlantic Ocean and Coastal Bays
The National Weather Service predicts that it is going to be very windy through the weekend, and presently there are gale warnings. It would be a good time to stay inside the inlet. Sheepshead and tautog are still being caught near the jetties, bulkheads and the Route 50 Bridge on sand fleas and pieces of crab. Striped bass are being caught during the early morning and evening hours by casting soft plastic jigs. There are flounder still inside the inlet, but cloudy water conditions will make it hard for them to see baits.
When things calm down offshore, fishing for black sea bass should pick right where it left off from last weekend with good catches of black sea bass, tautog and large flounder. Blueline tilefish will be waiting for deep drop anglers at the canyon waters.
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.