Maryland and Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report
Captain Jamie Clough of Eastern Shore Light Tackle Charters reported that the striped bass fishing lately has been pretty solid, with good numbers of school-sized fish hanging deep and following schools of small menhaden. They’re using 10-pound braid and light leader to jig 5-inch paddletails around those deep schools of bass and bait, and it’s been working well for their recent charters; one angler hooked a jumbo red drum on Wednesday’s afternoon charter, which put up a nice battle on a 2500-size reel. While the bass bite has been reliable, the skipper is anticipating lights-out action over the next week following a cold front that will span the Mid Atlantic and Northeast this weekend. We’re heading into the best time of year for striped bass fishing, and this front should really kickstart the fall migration to the north, bringing bigger bass back to the Bay in the coming weeks and months. To book a charter, head to the ES Light Tackle Charters Facebook page for trip rates and contact info and inquire about their upcoming availability for striped bass and bluefish.
From Ocean City, Taylor Bakke of Always Bent Fishing OC said the big news lately is the hot bite for bull red drum in the surf, although it seems to be winding down a bit. Anglers soaking baits off Assateague have been doing well on reds. Meanwhile, in the back bays, the local striper bite is slowly improving with more slot-size fish in the mix. The best bass fishing is happening at night for anglers fishing soft plastics around channel edges and choke points, as well as the bridges. During the day, the boats fishing the back bay channels and the inlet are still plucking keeper flounder as they migrate toward the ocean to head offshore. Speaking of offshore, Bakke said the canyons are giving up good numbers of swordfish, which is a nice change of pace. However, he noted the lack of tuna reports, which has been a constant struggle throughout the season. For now, anglers in the Ocean City area can enjoy some late-season flounder action and an improving striper bite as a cold front approaches, which should kickstart the fall migration in New Jersey and soon find migratory fish back in Maryland waters. 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 sailed for sea bass on Saturday, Tuesday, and Wednesday over the past week and reported tough fishing across the board despite some larger fish coming over the rails. They’ve been burning a good amount of fuel to locate spots with promising marks, and even when they find a pile, the fish have not always been cooperative. On Saturday, the first couple of stops didn’t yield much, but the skipper eventually set up over a school of larger fish that didn’t chew for very long. A handful of 20-inch class sea bass came up, including one that measured 22 inches but, unfortunately for the angler, didn’t qualify for the pool. Instead, a 20-inch fish took the pool that day. Anglers on board grinded away for the rest of the day, with only one reaching double digit catches. Back at it on Tuesday, the skipper said they struggled to get on good fish and tried over a dozen spots, picking away at shorts and a few keepers. Flounder, he added, continue to be completely MIA. Wednesday’s trip was slow to start, but after hitting a spot he’s been building with blocks, the day began to show some promise. Several anglers finished the outing with double digit catches of sea bass and there were even some triggerfish in the mix. And even though the skipper bounced around a bit, the best action of the day was in a spot with his fingerprints all over it—one that consists of 1500 blocks across 25 pyramids. The Morning Star will continue to fish for sea bass until the season ends in December. Call 443-235-5577 to reserve your spot on the rail and head to their website for more trip information.
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
Anglers are enjoying good fishing for striped bass at the Bay Bridge when live-lining spot, small white perch, or eels near the pier bases. The east side of the bridge near the 30-foot drop-off tends to offer some of the best fishing. Most boats are anchoring up current and drifting baits back to the bridge pier bases with good success. Other anglers are enjoying good fishing for striped bass by casting soft plastic jigs and bucktails at pier bases along the bridge. The best opportunities are early in the morning and late evening and a good running tide is always important.
Some of the best striped bass fishing is occurring along the shallower waters of the Bay and tidal rivers this week. The best fishing success is occurring during the morning and evening hours for anglers casting poppers, paddletails or jerkbaits. Speckled trout are still in the mix.
Water temperatures in the middle Bay are holding around 68 degrees, and the rivers are slightly cooler. The warmer weather that is predicted for this week will most lightly hold water temperatures stable till cooler weather moves in. Baitfish in the form of young of the year menhaden have started to move downriver from the upper reaches of rivers such as the Choptank but still have a long way to go to reach the mouth of the river. If water temperatures hold in the mid-60s they will most likely take their time moving downriver.
Anglers are encountering schools of small menhaden now and then in the Bay along the steeper channel edges where they are being swept along by strong currents. Most of the time the bait is deep and striped bass feeding activity can be observed on depth finders, slicks or if the bait gets pushed to the surface; the exciting event of diving sea gulls and breaking fish occurs. Jigging with soft plastics or metal is a popular way to fish. The channel edge below Bloody Point Light past Buoy 83 and south to the False Channel area has been a good place to look for activity.
Live-lining along the channel edges of the bay continues to be a popular way to fish this week. Spot can still be found but anglers are reporting they are not being found at every traditional location. Most anglers are looking for suspended striped bass holding at about 30 feet along channel edges before deploying live spot.
Lower Bay
Getting out to fish on the lower Bay has been difficult for the past three weekends, but there are excellent fishing opportunities in between. Anglers are enjoying excellent fishing for bluefish this week. Trolling a mix of spoons and surge tube lures has been the most popular and effective way to catch them. The mouth of the Potomac, the Target Ship area and the Middle Grounds are all good places to find them. Make sure to bring plenty of ice to keep them firm in an ice chest. Once they get soft from not being iced, there is no way to firm them up again.
Increasing numbers of bait schools are being seen in the lower Potomac and Patuxent rivers this week and the striped bass are missing no opportunity to move in on the feast. This is an important time of the year for striped bass to build up body stores. Casting soft plastic or metal jigs is a favored method when casting into breaking fish or jigging to ones below the surface. No doubt bluefish may be counted on to be in the mix.
Anglers will start to see a shift in striped bass behavior this month as the shallower water fishery gives way to jigging out in the main stem of the tidal river mouths. The mass exodus of bait from the tidal rivers has not started in earnest, but schools of bait are being seen in the lower sections of the region’s tidal rivers. The cuts through Hoopers Island and the mouth of the Nanticoke River will be producing similar results.
There is excellent fishing for a mix of spot, kingfish, grey and speckled trout and plenty of northern puffers in the lower Bay this week. The lower Patuxent River, the Point Lookout area and Tangier Sound are three of the best places to find them.
Northern puffers are often called blowfish, and they make excellent table fare. We’ve not seen this many since the 1960s and early 1970s. Back then they were called sea squab or chicken of the sea. They are an easy fish to clean once one figures it out. First make a cut behind the head with a large knife but not through the belly skin. Then, turn the backend of the fish inside out by grasping the meat and pulling it away from the back skin. That is all there is to it! They can be fried, or baked whole since there are no bones except the backbone and the meat just falls away. If you are cleaning a mess of them, gloves are recommended since their rough skin will tear your hands up.
Atlantic Ocean and Coastal Bays
The Ocean City area had to shake off another rainy and windy weekend, that is three in a row. The weather turned around yesterday, and sunny and warm temperatures are in store for the rest of the week. Surf anglers may see the tail end of the red drum catch and release fishery this week. Inside the inlet anglers are catching striped bass and a few bluefish by casting soft plastic jigs. There are still some sheepshead to be found near the jetties, bridge and dock piers. Tautog are also in the mix and pieces of green crab or live sand fleas are good baits for the sheepshead and tautog.
The back bay waters are once again churned up, and water clarity is a real issue for flounder fishing. It has begun to clear up and should be fine by the end of the week if the winds remain calm. The East Channel and close to the inlet are good places to fish for flounder during a flood tide.
Outside the inlet, fishing for black sea bass is reported to be fair to good and boats are venturing out to the wreck and reef sites with beautifully calm sea conditions this week.
Farther offshore, small chicken dolphin are providing excellent fishing near the lobster buoys and any sizable floating debris. At the canyons, deep dropping for swordfish has been providing some exciting action and blueline and golden tilefish help bring some fish 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.