Maryland and Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report
Captain Jamie Clough of Eastern Shore Light Tackle Charters reported good striped bass fishing in the main Bay this week as fish have begun to exit the rivers as water temperatures drop. The skipper said they are finding stripers pushing baitfish to the surface and feeding beneath bird piles early in the morning before settling in deeper water once the sun is up. Recent charters have had great success both casting and jigging 8-inch Z-Man StreakZ, depending on where the fish are in the water column. Aside from early mornings and evenings, the bass are usually holding deeper, and jigging those large plastics around bunker schools has been the most effective technique. The action will continue to improve as more resident fish leave the rivers to feed and, eventually, mix in with migratory bass returning to the Bay in mid- to late November. To book a trip, head to the ES Light Tackle Charters Facebook page for rates and contact info, and inquire about their upcoming availability for striped bass charters.
From Ocean City, Taylor Bakke of Always Bent Fishing OC said not much has changed for anglers in the Ocean City area this week, although the red drum bite off Assateague Island has begun to slow down. There are a few small bluefins showing up relatively close to home, Bakke added, and the local striper bite continues to improve as fish become more active in the cooler temperatures while migratory fish trickle in from the north. The area bridges are fishing well for stripers at night, with soft plastic jigs responsible for most of the catching. Those same areas have seen decent tautog action during the day. Meanwhile, sea bass fishing is good on the reefs and wrecks further offshore. 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.
On The Water columnist Tim Hesford, at Anglers Sport Center in Annapolis, reported: “Water temps in the middle and upper Bay are still holding in the low 60s and patterns haven’t changed a whole lot since last week. There are still quality schoolies to be caught up the tributaries, but the open-water bite seems to be improving, with sporadic bird shows and more slot to over-slot fish holding around 15- to 30-foot contours in the upper Bay. These schools are moving fast, chasing bunker and rain bait, so hot spots can change on a daily basis. Many who ventured out around the full moon tides this week found quality fish chewing hard. White perch continue to be caught on lumps and hard structure in certain areas, but the bite has been feast or famine, with action at some historical hotspots reportedly lackluster.”
Captain Monty Hawkins of Morning Star Fishing out of West Ocean City reported good results on black sea bass and porgies (scup) after heading 20 miles offshore last Sunday, with an even better bite on Monday’s trip. Despite some beautiful weather and calm seas, they’ve had a lighter rail for their past couple of outings, which made it easier to reach a boat limit on Monday. The porgies have been a nice addition, helping to fill coolers for those who like variety in their seafood dinners. The Morning Star will continue to fish for sea bass (when conditions allow) 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
At the Bay Bridge charter boats have been anchoring up-current of the bridge piers near the 30-foot dropoff on the eastern side of the bridge. and anglers are drifting live spot or cut bait back to the pier bases. Other anglers are having luck casting soft plastic jigs to the pier bases and drifting live spot and cut baits. A good running tide is always important, and the morning hours tend to offer the best action. Anglers are still able to find a few spot at the west end of the bridge in shallower waters. White perch are also being found along the shallower sides of the bridge and are being caught on pieces of bloodworm.
Striped bass are being found throughout the middle Bay this week and anglers are exploring promising locations with good success. Structure is always important to attracting striped bass – hence the nickname rockfish. It can manifest itself as ballast stone piles, submerged shoreline riprap, artificial reefs, piers and prominent points to name a few. A good moving current is also important and is a primary reason the Kent Narrows provides good fishing. Focusing on these two important factors can help narrow down fishing location choices.
Water temperatures in the middle Bay are currently around 60 degrees and the tidal rivers are slightly cooler. The schools of young of the year menhaden seem to be taking their time coming down the tidal rivers. There has been action at the mouth of the Choptank River and Eastern Bay, where anglers are locating striped bass and either jigging or trolling. Soft plastic or metal jigs provide an exciting light-tackle method to catch striped bass. Trolling involves umbrella rigs or tandem bucktails pulled behind heavy inline weights, which are needed to get everything down to the depths where striped bass are holding.
White perch are beginning their move to deeper water as temperatures drop. They can still be found near some of the deepwater piers or bridge piers, but they’re moving to deeper waters in the lower sections of the tidal rivers. Oyster bars are often their first stop, and they’ll hold there until winter temperatures arrive. At that time, they’ll move to even deeper waters out in the Bay.
There is good fishing for blue catfish this week in the Choptank River from below the Dover Bridge up to Denton. Cooler water temperatures have them feeding non-stop, so this is a good time to catch a bunch and freeze them for some winter meals. The meat is mild and they freeze well, just remember to remove all the red meat and silver skin from the fillets. DNR’s blue catfish webpage has information and a short video on how to clean blue catfish.
Lower Bay
Light tackle anglers are enjoying exciting shallow water fishing along the shorelines of the lower Bay and the major tidal rivers. The early morning and late evening hours provide the best fishing with topwater lures and paddletails. This is a great time to take advantage of the late sunrise before Daylight Savings Time ends on November 1. Recent sunrises have been as late as 7:26 a.m. and sunset as late as 6:07 p.m. The lower Potomac, St. Marys, and the Patuxent rivers and the waters of Hoopers Island and Tangier Sound are just a few of the good places to fish.
Jigging along channel edges is a great option in the fall as striped bass begin to congregate along channel edges, usually somewhere around 30 degrees this time of year. In December they will most likely go deeper depending on colder temperatures. Trolling is a popular option, especially for charter boats. Umbrella rigs with heavy inline weights are the ticket to get down to the striped bass.
Anglers are still live-lining spot along channel edges this week. There are some spot in the Patuxent River and most likely at other locations, but it will take some exploring to find them. Anglers who are bottom fishing for spot are also catch gray and speckled trout in the process. White perch can still be found in the creeks and tidal rivers this week. They tend to be in deeper waters as water temperatures decline.
Atlantic Ocean and Coastal Bays
Surf anglers are picking away at the last of the red drum fall migration passing by the Maryland and Virginia beaches this week. A few striped bass have also been caught. At the Ocean City Inlet and Route 50 bridge area fishing for tautog has been good. Live sand fleas and pieces of green crab are popular baits. Anglers are now catching a higher percentage of tautog that measure over the 16-inch minimum. Starting November 1 the daily limit increases from two tautog per day to four tautog per day.
Anglers who are catching a ride out to the wreck and reef sites off Ocean City are catching black sea bass and porgies. The porgies are a welcomed addition, and supplementing black sea bass catches. The fishing for black sea bass is good; most anglers are catching good numbers, but limit catches are not common yet. The wreck sites farther offshore are producing larger black sea bass and some limits. December is usually a great month for black sea bass fishing.
The deep waters of the canyons are providing good fishing for swordfish this week and stopping at the lobster buoys is providing some late season small dolphin. Deep drop fishing for blueline and golden tilefish remains good.
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.