Maryland and Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report
Captain Jamie Clough of Eastern Shore Light Tackle Charters reported that big striped bass are coming in at a steady pace as they head north through the bay toward their spawning grounds. Bait (bunker) is starting to show up in deep water, and when the fish are there, the action has been good. However, the skipper noted that every day is different. Some days, he said, there is a shallow water bite and they’re catching bass on small paddletails and X-Raps. Then there are days when they find larger fish on bunker pods in deep water and the captain breaks out huge paddletails and heavier jigs to mimic deep-bodied adult menhaden. The wind has been up and down all week, but they’ve been able to duck into the lee in gusty conditions. Fewer boats means less noise and lower fishing pressure, which leads to better results. Capt. Jamie and Capt. Mike have some dates available, so head to the ES Light Tackle Charters Facebook page for rates and contact info. to get a date on the books.
From Ocean City, Taylor Bakke of Always Bent Fishing OC said their local fishing continued to improve in both saltwater and freshwater this week. Folks are racing to catch the first flounder of the year, back bay striper action is getting a little more consistent, and the largemouth bass bite has been hot in local ponds, which is a nice way to bend a rod since striper fishing is still hit or miss. Big profile moving baits like swim jigs with paddletail trailers have duped some nice largemouth for Bakke, while 3- to 5-inch weighted swim shads and paddletails on jigs are the ticket for schoolie stripers along the sod bank edges. Air temperatures continue to fluctuate drastically, but with some stable warm weather ahead and the back bays slowly warming up, the striper bite should continue to improve with faster action and a better class of fish.
Anglers Sport Center Fishing Report – Annapolis, MD
Written by Anglers Fishing Manager & OTW Columnist, Alex Gallardo-Perez.
The striped bass bite has been up and down over the past week. With temperatures constantly changing, the fishing can be tough at times. Most anglers are fishing the power plant down at Calvert Cliffs and catching fish in the mid 20- to 30-inch range with a few of them pushing 40 inches plus. Others have been searching the flats in Eastern Bay for packs of big striped bass on warmer days. Casting big glidebaits or twichbaits on the flats has produced some good fish.
The white perch run has been hit with the same problems. With temperatures changing so often, some days the fish push upstream to spawn and other days, when it’s cold, they move back down to deeper holes. Grass shrimp on bottom rigs have been the ticket to get them to bite.
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
Striped bass catch-and-release anglers can fish the waters out in the main part of the middle Bay; the tidal rivers remain closed. The DNR website has maps outlining the open and closed areas. Bay water temperatures are holding in the upper 40s this week. Trolling will be one of the ways anglers will fish along the steeper channel edges. Several rules include making lure hooks barbless, no stinger hooks and no more than six lines may be fished at any one time. Jigging will be a fun way to fish along channel edges or when fish can be spotted on depth finders. Large soft plastic jigs of 6 inches or more will be popular.
Anglers are reporting that white perch are moving up the Choptank River and Tuckahoe Creek this week. The vanguard of the white perch spawning runs are usually the smaller male white perch and they are being seen as far upriver as Greensboro and below Hillsboro on the Tuckahoe. Water temperatures are 58 degrees at Denton and 52 degrees at Cambridge. Small jig heads or shad darts with grass shrimp or small minnows attached or a bottom rig baited with grass shrimp, minnows or pieces of bloodworm work well.
Fishing for blue catfish is getting better each week as warmer water temperatures have the small to medium sized blue catfish becoming more active. The blue catfish weighing more than 20 pounds have been active for weeks.
Lower Bay
The lower Bay offers some of the best opportunities for striped bass catch-and-release fishing this week. Trolling will be popular as will jigging. Hooks on lures must be barbless when trolling, no stinger hooks and no more than six lines can be deployed at any one time. If fishing with bait, no-offset circle hooks are mandatory.
Some exciting news has come from the District of Columbia waters this week – the first hickory shad were caught at Fletchers Landing. The hickory shad have moved into Mattawoman Creek and are providing fun catch-and-release fishing opportunities. Small flashy spoons, shad darts and colorful flies are good choices for lures.
The white perch movement up the spawning rivers is creating a lot of exciting fishing opportunities this week. The Little Choptank, Nanticoke, Wicomico, Pocomoke, Patuxent and Potomac are major standouts. Grass shrimp, small minnows or pieces of bloodworm are the most popular baits with white perch. They can be presented on a small jig head, under a bobber or a bottom rig, all dependent on the water depth.
Crappie are also in play this week whether you are fishing for white perch with small minnows or targeting them directly. They can be found holding near structure in non-tidal ponds and reservoirs or tidal rivers. Fallen treetops, sunken brush or wood, bridge piers, and marina docks all attract crappie.
Fishing for blue catfish offers exciting action this week in the tidal Potomac, Patuxent, and Nanticoke rivers this week. The blue catfish have become very active, and the channel areas provide the best place to fish for them. Gizzard shad is the most popular cut bait, but menhaden, white perch, chicken liver and a variety of scented baits work well. An 8/0 or 9/0 circle hook on a sliding sinker rig is a popular way to fish for them.
Atlantic Ocean and Coastal Bays
The Ocean City area is beginning to come to life this week as water temperatures start a warming trend. Along the beaches, anglers are waiting for the first black drum to arrive and in the meantime are catching clearnose skates and spiny dogfish.
The first flounder have been reported in the Virginia back bay areas, so the first flounder catches around Ocean City may occur this coming weekend. There has been some striped bass catch-and-release action at the Route 90 Bridge for striped bass, although they don’t quite meet the 28-inch minimum.
Offshore tautog are where the action is. The boats taking anglers out to the offshore wreck and reef sites are finding good tautog fishing for their anglers. It is not uncommon for anglers to be able to catch their limit of four hefty tautog per trip. The Maryland tautog season is open through May 15. As inshore waters warm, anglers will see tautog moving into the Ocean City Inlet area.
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.