Maryland and Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report
Captain Jamie Clough of Eastern Shore Light Tackle Charters continues to chase striped bass and reported that they’ve been able to catch some nice fish over the past week, with a few anglers nailing new personal bests despite battling low visibility due to thick fog. His most recent charter on Wednesday put together a decent catch in the backwaters. They had a small weather window with some sun and found a few quality fish in the marshes while casting topwater spooks tight to the sod banks. The skipper noted that locating areas with comfortable water temperatures are key this time of year, especially in shallow areas with high current. The forecast looks poor for the next five days, but Capt. Jamie is keeping a close watch on the conditions to see if they can find a weather window to get out and fish. Head over to the Eastern Shore Light Tackle Charters Facebook page for trip rates and contact info to inquire about their upcoming availability.
From Ocean City, Taylor Bakke of Always Bent Fishing OC said anglers along the coast are playing the waiting game. Stripers have yet to really activate in the back bays and marshes but in a few short weeks, he anticipates the black drum bite should start to pick up in the surf. That said, Bakke believes it will be delayed this year unless ocean temperatures rise quickly later this month into early April. Right now, the best thing going is the striper bite over in Chesapeake Bay. Freshwater fishing, he added, has been a good way to pass the time as largemouth bass and panfish are beginning to wake up due to some warmer weather lately. As we approach spring proper, fishing options will only improve.
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 perch run is in full swing. Yellow perch and white perch have begun to spawn. Most anglers reported a good amount of white perch in the middle sections of our region’s tidal rivers, with the Choptank and middle Patuxent rivers having the largest waves of fish moving up this week. Anglers are using small jigs with 2-inch plastics for the most part, along with live bait like minnows and grass shrimp. Yellow perch have not been showing up in good numbers; they have been really spotty with just a few being caught in the mix with white perch.
The striped bass bite has been on and off all week with fish showing up in shallow bays but not willing to bite at all. Most of the fish that have been willing to bite are being found in deeper water around channel edges from Chesapeake Beach to Solomons Island.
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.
Warmer weather has been inviting anglers to enjoy fishing across Maryland. Trout stockings are providing good trout fishing in the waters that are open for fishing, yellow perch are beginning their spawning runs, and many species of freshwater fish are becoming active.
Middle Bay
Anglers in the middle Bay are mostly focused on the tidal rivers this week. Yellow perch are moving into the upper reaches of the spawning rivers. Water temperatures are in the low 40s; the yellow perch will begin to spawn when water temperatures in the spawning areas reach the upper 40s. That will likely happen before the weekend due to the warmer air temperatures. The Hillsboro area of the Tuckahoe and the Greensboro section of the Choptank hold great promise for yellow perch anglers this week.
Lip-hooked small minnows with a small weight to get them down to the bottom are a very popular way to fish for yellow perch. Deep areas near the outside of river bends, channels, and fallen treetops in deep water are good places to drop a minnow if you’re in a kayak, canoe, or Jon boat. If fishing from shore, casting a lip-hooked minnow with a slit shot about a foot or so in front is a great way to fish close to the bottom. Other anglers will cast out bottom rigs or cast Beetle-spin blade jigs and small jigs and shad darts tipped with a favorite fish attractant scent. Anglers should consider releasing females full of roe to help conserve the fishery for the future. The daily creel limit for yellow perch is five fish per day and a minimum of 9 inches in total length.
The large female striped bass are entering the Choptank River this week and anglers are reminded that the Choptank River is currently off-limits to catch-and-release fishing for striped bass, as are several other tidal rivers in Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay. The DNR website includes a map that outlines areas closed to striped bass fishing.
Lower Bay
Anglers looking for some striped bass catch-and-release action have some of the best opportunities in the lower Bay and the main stem of the Potomac River. Stiped bass are moving along the steeper channel edges and moving up the Potomac River. Jigging with heavy tackle and large soft plastic jigs is a popular way to fish for them this week. The warm water discharge at the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant is always a draw for striped bass and anglers during March. The Department of Natural Resources recently released an article on catch-and-release practices that can help conserve the species.
Yellow perch are moving up the Patuxent River this week and most likely reach the Route 4 area by the end of the week. The upper sections of Mattawoman Creek are seeing yellow perch this week. On the Eastern Shore, the Nanticoke and Wicomico rivers also have strong yellow perch spawning runs. The Wicomico on the western shore, which is a tributary of the Potomac, has had good spawning runs of yellow perch at a location called “Alan’s Fresh” in the past. We’ve not heard much information from this stretch of water lately, but it might be worth checking out.
The tidal Potomac River abounds with blue catfish and warming waters will push them to be more active this month. The channels will be the best places to target, the deep channels off Fort Washington are noted for producing some of the largest blue catfish. The Nanticoke River near Sharptown and the Marshyhope are an excellent place to fish for blue catfish.
Atlantic Ocean and Coastal Bays
The waters around Ocean City are still cold, as inshore ocean temperatures barely reach 40 degrees this week. There is little doubt that some anglers will be casting a mix of bucktails and soft plastic jigs around the inlet for striped bass and they most likely will catch a few.
Most of the fishing action will be for tautog at the offshore wreck and reef sites. Catches are very good with solid fish coming over the rails of party boats, some in the double-digit category. The creel limit through May 15 is four fish per day at a minimum of 16 inches
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.