Maryland and Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report
From Ocean City, Taylor Bakke of Always Bent Fishing OC reported that hickory shad are thick in the OC area right now, bluefish are showing up in stronger numbers, black drum and stripers are still running the surf, and bull red drum are showing up on the beach as well. Striped bass are still the focus for many anglers, including Jason Fedele from Ocean City who said in addition to the surf, the bridges and inlet continue to produce some quality over-slot fish. Fishermen on the beaches after dark are most likely to encounter a mix of red drum and stripers. Hickory shad and bluefish have really begun to fill in now, and they’re nice to fall back on when nothing else will cooperate, he said. It feels like the action has picked up overnight, but it’s been about 2 to 3 weeks since the blues first appeared and now, the bite is starting to turn on. It’s a great time to be on the water around Ocean City.
Captain Jamie Clough of Eastern Shore Light Tackle Charters reported that Captain Mike had a productive trip in the middle Bay today after returning from vacation. Small fish are plentiful and they are holding tight to shallow structure. Walk-the-dog topwaters were the ticket to success, and water clarity is exceptional right now—the best he’s seen so far this season. Head to their Facebook page for contact info and trip rates to get in on the action while the shallow water bite is hot.
Captain Monty Hawkins of Morning Star Fishing out of West Ocean City is back on the sea bass grounds! The skipper reported offshore surface temps of about 53 degrees during their trip on Friday the 8th, during which they marked a few good piles of sea bass. The action was not light’s out by any means, but they had a steady pick of some quality fish and the high hook caught well into the double digits. They headed back to the ground on Sunday with a much lighter rail and had a slower bite, which is to be somewhat expected with fewer anglers on board. Capt. Monty said they didn’t find much activity where the fish were on Friday, so they pushed further offshore and everyone managed enough fish for the table. The Morning Star has a Coast Guard inspection coming up soon, and assuming all is well and sea conditions are steady, they’ll be back on the sea bass grounds in no time. Head to morningstarfishing.com or visit their Facebook page for contact info. to call and make a reservation.
Anglers Sport Center Fishing Report – Annapolis, MD
Written by Anglers Fishing Manager & OTW Columnist, Alex Gallardo-Perez.
The striper bite picked up this week with the Bay Bridge holding a good amount of fish, as well as Eastern Bay and the area just outside Poplar Island. Most anglers are casting 1/2- to 3/4-ounce jigs paired with 4- to 5-inch paddletails and just slow rolling them back. Using live spot around structure has been effective as well.
Bottom fishing in the area is starting to see a few spot mixed in, but the numbers are still low. Perch have begun to show up as well, but it will be a week or two until we see them in good numbers too.
The last push of the shad run happened this week but a few anglers are still catching American shad, and some hickory shad, as well, in the lower Patapsco River and Susquehanna 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.
Middle Bay
The piers on the east side of the Bay Bridge are attracting charter and private boats during the early morning tides. Boats are anchoring up current and drifting a variety of baits back to the pier bases. Cut menhaden, soft crabs and small white perch have been popular. Other anglers are casting soft plastic jigs at the pier bases with good luck on slot size striped bass.
The middle bay region is offering light tackle anglers a lot of shallow water action this week in a variety of locations. Shoreline structure, grass beds, prominent points and submerged rocks are always good places to cast poppers, paddletails, crankbaits and jerkbaits. The water clarity is something we all wish would last the rest of the year. The Poplar Island rocks, Thomas Point and in front of the Naval Academy are just a few spots to check. The morning and evening hours tend to offer the best shallow water fishing opportunities. Saturday, May 16, the mouth of the Choptank River will offer expanded fishing locations as closure boundaries move upriver.
Trolling will be an option for many striped bass anglers this week. Many main channel edges in the Bay and those at the mouths of several tidal rivers are good places to look for striped bass suspended close to the bottom. Most of the large spawning striped bass have moved out of the region, so anglers are concentrating on slot striped bass measuring between 19 inches and 24 inches. Umbrella rigs with bucktail trailers dressed with sassy shads or twistertails are popular trolling options.
The Choptank River continues to provide some of the best fishing for blue catfish this week. The catfish are in a pre-spawn mode of feeding aggression, making for good fishing. Anchoring up and chumming and putting out baits is a good way to load up on an ice chest full of blue cats. The section of the river from the town of Choptank to Denton provides some of the best fishing opportunities.
Lower Bay
The lower Bay holds a lot of fishing opportunities for striped bass this week. Fishing has been good in the bay and its shorelines and on Saturday May 16, the tidal Potomac River opens to striped bass fishing, and the Patuxent River opens up downriver of Point Patience. The Potomac holds the promise of fishing along the steep channel edges from Piney Point to St. Georges Island. Anglers usually find good striped bass fishing below the Route 4 Bridge over the Patuxent River.
Jigging and trolling are popular ways to fish these edges and as soon as spot move in; live lining will come into play. Anglers who are jigging are usually using 3/4-ounce soft plastic jigs in the 5-inch size range. The shorelines of the Potomac, St. Marys, and Patuxent rivers, Cedar Point rocks, the Calvert Cliffs Power Plant warm water discharge are just a few of the good places to work jigs. The trolling anglers will usually be using umbrella rigs with inline weights to get them down to where the fish are suspended. The 35-foot edge out in front of Cove Point and the eastern main channel edge from Buoy 76 to 72B are other locations to check for striped bass.
Casting poppers and paddletails are a fun way to fish for striped bass in the shallower waters of the shorelines of the Bay and Tangier Sound. The grass beds are filling out, and striped bass can be found in the shallows during the morning and evening hours.
Black drum are being found in the Tangier Sound waters, the Northwest Middle Grounds and near the Target Ship. Anglers are spotting them on depth finders and then dropping soft crab baits on them. Large red drum are moving into the lower bay region and can be found in the Tangier Sound and Target Ship areas.
Far up the tidal Potomac River to the waters below Little falls and the District of Columbia, the spawning runs of hickory shad and American shad have just about fizzled out this week. A few hickory shad were caught and released by anglers last week but only a few. The lack of good river flows from spring rains really put a damper to this heralded catch and release fishery. It was an active fishery at the end of March but then declined. There is always next year.
White perch are offering plenty of enjoyable fishing in the lower sections of the region’s tidal river and creeks this week. They have moved into some of the typical locations anglers expect to see them during the summer months. Evenings can be spent casting small spin-jigs, spinners, and small jigs along promising looking shorelines. Fishing off docks and piers with grass shrimp or pieces of bloodworms is always a fun summer pastime, especially for our younger anglers. The lower Patuxent is usually a good place to fish for white perch and soon spot and perhaps croaker that have grown a little larger in a year will return to the lower Patuxent and other Bay waters.
Atlantic Ocean and Coastal Bays
Surf anglers fishing along the beaches of Assateague and Ocean City are catching a mix of black drum, large striped bass and a few large bluefish. The black drum are being caught on sand fleas and clams, the striped bass and bluefish on cut menhaden or mullet.
Flounder continue to move through the Ocean City Inlet towards the back bay waters. The inlet and channels leading from the inlet are good locations to target them. Some of the larger flounder are being caught on Gulp baits. The minimum size for summer flounder is 16 inches until June 1; the minimum size then will be 17.5 inches, and the four flounder per day limit will continue.
Tautog are being caught in the inlet area near jetty rocks, bulkheads and bridge piers on sand fleas. Striped bass are being caught in the inlet, some large ones are being caught by drifting cut baits at night. Casting soft plastic jigs near structure is providing plenty of fun for striped bass that mostly fall short of the minimum 28 inches. The inlet and Route 5o Bridge areas as well as the bridge piers of the Route 90 and Verrazzano bridges are excellent places to cast soft plastic jigs and paddletails.
The 2026 black sea bass started off with a bang with good fishing at the wreck and reef sites. Anglers enjoyed catching the chunky sea bass, some caught their limits and all went home with plenty of fish. Flounder were in the mix for those who fished for them.
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.