Maryland and Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report
Captain Jamie Clough of Eastern Shore Light Tackle Charters reported that the red drum have mostly vacated his area. Their charters were able to stick a few stragglers this week, but for the most part, the trophy fish have moved out. Thankfully, big bluefish showed up again to fill in the gaps, and they’ve been catching those gators on topwater plugs and 1-ounce jigs paired with 5-inch Z-Man paddletails, which hold up nicely to toothy blues.
The skipper also noted that striped bass have moved off the shore and away from shallow structure. He and Capt. Mike Gardner are now finding bass in open water, where they are crushing peanut bunker beneath diving birds. Between the abundant gator bluefish, blitzing stripers, and a few occasional reds, there’s plenty of good topwater action to go around if one bite doesn’t come together. To book a charter, head to the ES Light Tackle Charters Facebook page for trip rates and contact info to inquire about their upcoming availability for striped bass and bluefish.
From Ocean City, Taylor Bakke of Always Bent Fishing OC said there’s still plenty of late summer action around town this week. Sheepshead and triggerfish continue to be caught around hard structure inside the inlet as well as from the jetties. Sand fleas, green crabs, and shrimp seem to produce the best results for triggers and sheeps, but squid will also get the job done. Flounder fishing, he added, remains steady out front on the reefs with some nice keeper-size fish coming up. A few cobia have even been caught by boats fishing the reefs, or sight-fishing them on the surface when conditions allow. There are still loads of bluefish out front along with Spanish mackerel, Bakke said, and king mackerel are in the mix for those who are trolling Drone spoons.
Offshore, the canyons are still giving up marlin and the occasional tuna, but the fishing is not as good as it should be this time of year. Everyone is hoping that the bluefin and/or yellowfin show up as fall approaches, because aside from some midshore mahi and wahoo this summer, it’s been rather quiet close to home. Check out the Always Bent YouTube Channel and Instagram page to stay in the loop with the local fishing scene, from inshore bites to offshore tournament coverage and more.
Captain Monty Hawkins of Morning Star Fishing out of West Ocean City reported tough fishing across the board for mahi, sea bass, and flounder this week—most of which is due to inaccurate marine forecasts and less-than-ideal conditions for bottom fishing. The skipper described last Thursday’s mahi trip as a struggle despite clean, green, 80-degree water. Anglers on the rail had to work hard for their bites, but everyone on board managed at least one each and the pool winner came at the second-to-last stop seconds after lines went in.
The next trip sailed on Friday 9/4 for sea bass and flounder, and the captain said it was a grind. Although they marked a ton of sea bass at times, the fluke were biting much better. Keeper fluke, however, were tough to come by, with a lot of short fish jumping on the hooks. That said, there were a few very respectable flatties landed among the shorts, including one angler who reeled in a double-header of keepers.
The Morning Star fished the following day, Saturday 9/5, for sea bass and fluke, and although the bite started slow, catch rates increased throughout the morning. A small school of mahi showed up and several were promptly hooked and landed—a nice addition to the building bite. The fishing reached a lull for a few hours, but came around again later in the day, so the captain stuck around later than usual to help some anglers catch enough fish for dinner.
The Morning Star will sail for mahi on Tuesday (9/15) and Wednesday (9/16) before focusing on reef fishing until late December. Sea bass trips (with flounder in the mix) will be offered the rest of the week except Monday. Call 443-235-5577 to reserve your spot on the rail and head to their website for more trip information.
Anglers Sport Center Fishing Report – Annapolis, MD
Written by Anglers Fishing Manager & OTW Columnist, Alex Gallardo-Perez.
Anglers in the upper bay have seen a good amount of striped bass breaking on the surface while chasing small anchovies and peanut bunker during the early morning and evening hours. Most fish are on the smaller side, ranging from 12 to 18 inches, with a few slot-size fish mixed in. The Patapsco, Magothy, and Severn rivers, as well as the Eastern Bay, have also seen some topwater action during the morning hours. Live-lining spot around the Bay Bridge pilings has produced some slot-size fish when the tide is moving.
Bluefish and Spanish mackerel are still going strong south of Chesapeake Beach, with most of the best action happening from Hoopers Island down to the Target Ship area.
Bottom fishing in our area has been great, with lots of spot and some croaker. At times, even a few summertime visitors have shown up, with pufferfish and some small speckled trout appearing in random places like the Patapsco 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.
The Atlantic coastal states of Maine through Virginia have scheduled hearings to gather public input on Draft Addendum II to Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Menhaden. The Draft Addendum considers options to reduce the Chesapeake Bay Reduction Fishery Cap (Bay Cap) by up to 50% and distribute the cap more evenly throughout the fishing season. The options aim to alleviate a concentration of effort that may be affecting other fisheries within the Bay and other potential ecological impacts. A public hearing is scheduled in Annapolis on September 15, or you can participate in one of several virtual meetings and enter comments online.
Anglers pursuing striped bass since the season resumed are catching quite a few fish over the 24-inch maximum. Anglers should make every effort to release these fish while they remain in the water. Studies have shown that larger striped bass are more vulnerable to catch and release stress during warmer water conditions. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources website offers tips for safe catch-and-release fishing.
Middle Bay
Fishing for striped bass is beginning to look like a fall pattern. Anglers are reporting finding striped bass working over schools of bait. This kind of action is always a lot of fun, whether it is out in the Bay or near tidal rivers.
The Bay Bridge is holding striped bass this week, and anglers are drifting live spot, soft crab baits, and cut spot to the pier bases with good luck. Casting skirted soft plastic jigs to the piers bases is also productive this week. The best fishing opportunities are occurring during the early morning and late evening hours on a strong current flow.
Striped bass fishing opportunities are spread throughout the middle bay region this week. Live-lining spot along channel edges continues to be the most popular way to fish for them. The channel edges off Kent Island, Buoy 83 south to the False Channel and Thomas Point, Breezy Point, and Parkers Creek edges have been holding striped bass. Bluefish are certainly in the mix and red drum have a habit of showing up at times.
The shallow water striped bass fishery is offering some action, although it centers mostly in the early morning and late evening hours. As water temperatures decline the active fishing times will extend. There can hardly be anything more fun than casting poppers or skipping bugs over the shallow waters along bay shores and the lower tidal rivers.
The fall fishery at the mouth of the Choptank River and similar waters where baitfish will be exiting the tidal rivers is about a month away and water temperatures in the 60s but this can be a good time to go over gear: braided line in the 15-20 pound test range, some made-up fluorocarbon leaders, and a supply of jigs. Metal jigs can come in the form of Crippled Herrings, Sting silvers, and others, also soft plastic jigs with some chartreuse in them and placing skirts on them offers a larger profile to fish. A fast taper rod helps a lot in the jigging process.
Trolling is now mostly limited to bluefish since the Spanish mackerel are starting to make themselves scarce in the middle Bay. Surge tube lures pulled behind planers and inline weights is the best way to target them.
Lower Bay
Anglers in the lower Bay are enjoying good fishing for striped bass in many locations. The lower Potomac and Patuxent rivers are proving to be excellent locations to cast jigs, and paddletails along channel edges and shallower waters near points and creek mouths. Live-lining spot along the deeper channel edges remains a popular tactic in the lower Potomac and Patuxent rivers and select sites in the Bay where fish can be spotted suspended off the bottom with depth finders.
There are still some Spanish mackerel, but what remains most likely will not stick around for long. Anglers are finding them below Cedar Point and the Middle Grounds by trolling Drone and gold Clark spoons behind planers. Bluefish are still in play and can be found most anywhere from the shallower waters to out in the bay channels. The HS Buoy and near the Target Ship have proven to be good locations to find them.
Catch-and-release fishing for large red drum is still active near Cedar Point, Point Lookout, the Target Ship area, and the Middle Grounds. They can be spotted attacking schools of bait or located by slicks and depth finders. Jigging with large soft plastics is the most popular way to fish for them.
Atlantic Ocean and Coastal Bays
Fishing in the Ocean City area could hardly be better, and the summer crowds have dissipated, offering anglers plenty of room on the beaches, inshore waters and offshore waters.
Beach anglers are catching a mix of kingfish, spot and croakers in the surf while fishing with bloodworms or artificial bloodworm baits. Casting soft plastic jigs tipped with a strip of squid is a good way to keep busy and catch flounder.
At the Ocean City Inlet, anglers are catching sheepshead and tautog close to the jetty rocks while fishing with live sand fleas. Croakers can be caught in the inlet and the channels leading from the inlet. The East Channel has been an excellent place to fish for croaker and flounder. Anglers casting soft plastics or drifting cut bait at night are catching a few bluefish and mostly undersized striped bass.
Flounder fishing on the inshore and offshore wreck and reef sites has been extremely good with anglers catching limits of large flounder. Fishing for black sea bass has been off, but anglers are catching black sea bass and triggerfish at the wreck and reef sites.
September often is one of the best times of the year for white marlin catches and boats returning to port are flying numerous release flags from their outriggers this week. Deep drop anglers are bringing plenty of blueline and golden tilefish back to the docks.
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.