Maryland Weekly Fishing Report - April 21st, 2018

Via MD DNR:

By: Keith Lockwood

Today, April 21, is a big day for those who dream of catching a trophy striped bass. More than a few anglers will spend the night before checking alarm clocks just to find themselves waking up a half-hour before the alarm is set to go off anyhow.

Weather is predicted to be a little nippy in the morning but should warm up as the day progresses. It will be a wonderful day to be out on the water with family and friends.

---

Before we get into this week’s fishing report, I want to remind everyone that they can submit their own fishing reports and photos to the Maryland Angler’s Log. To post a report, please email your name, hometown, photos, location and additional content for your report. All information is optional, but encouraged. 

---

The striped bass spawning in the Choptank, Nanticoke, Patuxent and Potomac rivers is behind schedule due to colder than expected water temperatures, and spawning in the upper Chesapeake Bay is most likely weeks away. This week the spawning area in the Choptank River registered 56 degrees and there is a minor amount of spawning occurring. Usually spawning begins at 60 degrees and is optimal at 64.5 degrees, so many female striped bass are still holding in the spawning reaches. Based on predicted weather forecasts, it may be another week or so for water temperatures to be correct in that area.

This photo taken from a helicopter shows planer board trolling gear deployed, a situation you do not want to find yourself in when trolling. Photo by Keith Lockwood

Those out trolling Saturday will most likely be kept busy clearing lines of winter jellies which are being swept along the steep channel edges. Unfortunately these are the same locations where the most optimum trolling will take place for striped bass. Winter jellies are actually lion’s mane jellyfish which are moving down the bay as part of their life cycle.

Pre-spawn striped bass will be the most common large fish being caught and it will be a tough decision for some to keep these fish or release them. The minimum size for striped bass during the trophy season is 35 inches. Chartreuse and white bucktails and parachutes in 2-6 ounce sizes will be the most common lures used and will be set to cover a wide variety of depths when searching for fish. Trolling speeds are often about 3 knots and the trolling pattern is perpendicular to the shipping channel edges.

Mid-Winter Maryland Fishing Report: January 31

Via MD DNR:

By: Keith Lockwood

Maryland started off 2018 with a deep freeze, and it remains to be seen what old man winter has in store for us in the next month. But as long as temperatures remain relatively moderate, there are all kinds of fishing adventures out there from the Atlantic Ocean to Mountain Maryland.

Anglers in the tidal waters of the Chesapeake Bay are mostly pursuing yellow perch and catfish species in the middle to upper regions of the tidal rivers. Water temperatures are holding in the mid to upper 30s in most tidal rivers and yellow perch are holding in some of the deeper areas, waiting for warmer water temperatures next month. Often these deeper holes can be found near narrow bends in the rivers and a good depth finder can help locate where the perch are stacked. A bottom rig baited with a minnow is always a good bet to catch them.

Before we get into this week’s fishing report, I wanted to remind everyone that they can submit their own fishing reports and photos to the Maryland Angler’s Log. To post a report, please email your name, hometown, photos, location information and additional content for your report. All information is optional, but encouraged. New reports are posted daily during the busy fishing seasons.

---

Biologists are conducting the annual winter trawl survey aboard the NOAA research vessel Chesapeake out of the Cooperative Oxford Lab, to acquire data on resident populations of finfish such as white perch, channel catfish and other species in the upper bay tidal rivers. Photo by Captain Mike Simonsen

In large waters — such as the lower Susquehanna River off Perryville, where there is a 40-foot hole where yellow perch traditionally stage — it will take considerable weight to hold bottom. In smaller and more sheltered waters you may be able to get away with as little weight as a couple of split shot. In smaller waters, a tandem rig of small shad darts is standard fare, and a piece of minnow placed on the hook or a small piece of red felt doped with anise or fish oil scents will go a long way to enticing yellow perch to strike.

On sunny afternoons, yellow perch can sometimes be found in shallower waters over dark mud on the sunny side of a river or creek. Casting small shad darts or lip-hooking a minnow with just enough split shot to get it to the bottom can be a good tactic in these areas. Slowly retrieve the minnow a few feet and then pause for a minute or so before reeling in another couple of feet. Of course if the rivers and creeks ice up again, all bets are off until the ice is thick enough to fish through — which at this point is rather doubtful.

If a trophy-sized blue catfish is on your bucket list, the next couple of months are a good time to target them. The deeper parts of the Potomac River channel and sections off Fort Washington are hot spots for this type of fishing. Fresh bait is of primary importance and finding live bait is often the biggest hurdle to this type of fishing — gizzard shad are often the best choice, while bluegills or white perch will work well also. Most anglers put out several stout rods with enough weight to hold bottom. If fresh catfish fillets are on your mind, smaller baits and rigs along channel edges will usually fit the bill. Small blue catfish can also be found in the upper Patuxent and Nanticoke rivers.

Channel catfish are abundant in most of the tidal rivers flowing into the Chesapeake Bay and can be found holding deep in the middle and lower sections of the rivers. Most fresh cut baits will do the trick and if you can keep it on the hook, chicken livers can work well. Nightcrawlers are another good bait, but small white perch can be pesky bait stealers at times.

John Horwat enjoyed a day of fishing in his kayak and holds up a beautiful chain pickerel on an Eastern Shore river before slipping it back into the water. Photo by C J Wood

A fish that is active during the winter months and fun to fish for is the chain pickerel. They tend to transcend the limits of tidal waters and freshwater impoundments and can be found in a wide variety of areas. Popular spots to fish during the winter months them include the upper regions of the tidal rivers and creeks. Chain pickerel seem to enjoy cold water and offer anglers a good target for some fun catch and release fishing. Most anything that moves through the water will attract the attention of a waiting chain pickerel — they attack lures with total abandon since they are ambush predators — but certain lures offers better options. Treble hooks on spinners and jerkbaits catch chain pickerel, but unhooking these toothy critters can be difficult and damage gills. A good pair of fishing pliers is a good tool to have on hand. A single hook tends to be more kind to the fish.

Large chain pickerel can be found holding near deep structure or drop-offs near coves. Smaller chain pickerel tend to hold along shorelines often warm themselves over dark bottom on sunny days. Larger chain pickerel can move into shallower areas also as most anglers know fish tend to move around on their own accord so covering a lot of water with lures is a good tactic. Spinnerbaits and swimbaits are good lures to use when covering a lot of water.

Photo courtesy of Greenbrier Lake stocking crew

The preseason stocking of trout in the put and take areas and other trout management classified waters is well underway and offers good fishing opportunities, often close to home. The stockings are posted on the trout stocking website when they occur.

Besides the traditional creeks and streams being stocked many neighborhood ponds are being stocked. These ponds offer comfortable fishing opportunities for families and especially young children. They can be with mom or dad on solid ground and watch a bobber for the telltale twitch indicating a trout may be interested in what is on the end of one’s fishing line. When fishing for recently stocked hatchery trout, few baits can beat the scent- and color-enhanced commercial dough baits. Garden worms and minnows offer alternatives. Others love to cast small spinners, wooly buggers and the deadly spinner fly, with good reason since one can cover a lot of water and they are trout killers.

Trout stocking crews are working hard to get the trout out and catch up after being held up by the early January freeze. During that time period, hatchery raceways and holding ponds were iced in and made feeding and collection difficult. Once the raceways were clear and trout started to be loaded on trucks, crews used some unconventional methods at times to get trout out to frozen lakes and ponds.

Matt Sell caught this nice walleye through the ice in early January. Photo courtesy of Matt Sell

The cold weather in early January caused ice to develop rapidly throughout all of Maryland from the coastal bays near Ocean City to the Chesapeake Bay and to the far western counties. In the Chesapeake Bay ice in many areas was recorded to be 7 inches thick or more, bringing most boat traffic to a halt. These conditions, coupled with tides that seemed to not come back in for weeks, made it tough on the creatures of the bay and tidal rivers, from oysters to geese.

The ice conditions at Deep Creek Lake, which is perhaps the most popular and famous location to go ice fishing in Maryland, developed rapidly in early January and “hard water” fishing was enjoyed by many. As January rolled on, warmer weather and rain caused deteriorating conditions and the lake currently has open water along the edges and “rotten ice” on the main lake and coves. Time and weather will tell whether ice conditions improve in February and anglers are able to safely get out on the ice once again.

John Mullican holds up a beautiful walleye for the camera before slipping it back into the river. Photo courtesy of John Mullican

But as weather conditions have opened up waters around the state, fish that enjoy cold water — such as walleye and smallmouth bass — are active in the upper Potomac River. Be advised that flows in the upper Potomac River are brisk this time of the year and rain events in the upper watershed can cause conditions to become dangerous very quickly. Smallmouth bass tend to hunker down in what many call “winter holes” where they can get some relief from stiff currents; walleye will also be found in these same areas. Small to medium-sized soft plastic jigs and swimbaits worked slowly close to the bottom can offer some trophy-sized smallmouth bass and walleyes. Through April 15 any walleye greater than 20 inches must be returned to the river, and the minimum size for possession is 15 inches.

This group braved some chilly temperatures on a trip with an Ocean City party boat and were more than happy to show off part of their catch. Photo by Captain Monty Hawkins

In the coastal areas and Ocean City the few party and charter boats that are heading offshore were locked up in ice in the early part of January. Tautog season is open now with a four-fish per-day limit and a 16-inch minimum until May 15. The tautog are out there and some impressive catches are being made, but weather conditions rule as to when boats can go. Some large flounder have also been caught recently to help spice up any trip. Spiny dogfish have been reported to be pesky at some of the wreck and reef sites, causing boats to move to other promising locations. The water temperatures at the wreck sites is holding around 46 degrees this week. The sea bass season is closed until at least Feb. 28.

Boom...Morgan

Salty Cape Weekly Fishing Report - August 25, 2017

Capt. Shaun Ruge shows off a bonito caught on an Epoxy Jig earlier this week. A push of very large stripers made its way through the Canal this week, with a mid 50-pound fish weighed in on Tuesday in addition to many others over 35 pounds. Meanwhile, live bait seems to be the key strategy for stripers on the bay side, with most consistent activity happening around the east end of the Canal. Bonito are still being found consistently at the Bonito Bar, Hooter and elsewhere on the sound side, with some reports of spanish mackerel as well.  Boom...Morgan

Maryland Weekly Fishing Report - August 14th, 2017

Via MD DNR:

By: Keith Lockwood

Both lower and high tier views of the Bay Bridge at sunset. Photo by State of Maryland

As I was coming across the Bay Bridge yesterday evening, I could not help but marvel at the schools of juvenile menhaden plying along the calm surface of the bay and drifting along in the currents on both sides of the bay. The bay is truly a bountiful basin of life and on this evening there did not seem to be any hungry striped bass or bluefish nearby. All was calm on the Chesapeake this evening, at least at this area.

Satellite imagery from NASA

The Conowingo Dam has been releasing a lot of water at mid-day intervals for power generation and there is a lot of discolored water moving down the lower Susquehanna and into the uppermost parts of the bay. It is beginning to clear some in the last six days and hopefully fishing will improve. In this satellite image from August 4, 2017, one can see the stained water coming out of the lower Susquehanna River.

Fishing for striped bass in the upper bay region continues to be one of the best places in the Maryland portion of the bay to consistently find striped bass exceeding 20” in length. The action for those chumming has been the best at Swan and Love Points with the action slacking off this week at Podickory Point. Sub-legal striped bass that are less than 20” are still dominating the chum slicks and also surface breaking fish events. Breaking fish in the areas around Love and Swan Points has been recently offering a fun way to catch some nice fish by jigging underneath the smaller surface striped bass. Breaking fish are being spotted mostly in the early morning and evening hours as striped bass chase juvenile menhaden along channel edges and most of the action lately tends to be on the eastern side of the bay.

Small bluefish have moved into the region and have been nipping at cut baits being drifted back in chum slicks and making short work of live spot being live lined in the region. The good news in regard to live lining spot is that spot can now be found in some of the region’s tidal rivers such as the Magothy and Chester Rivers.

Fishing for white perch remains good this week in the tidal rivers and hard bottom shoal areas in the bay. If you can find wild caught shrimp at the grocery store they make good bait when bottom fishing for white perch as well as peeler crab and the more expensive bloodworms. Fishing close to shore around structure is a fun way to catch white perch with light tackle. Small jigs with soft plastic bodies are an excellent way to fish and tend to not hurt your pocketbook too much when you get hung up. If you can catch your own with a fine mesh net, grass shrimp tend to be the ultimate bait when used on a simple one hook bottom rig or on a small jig fished tight to old dock piers and similar structure.

Maryland Weekly Fishing Report - July 11th, 2017

Via MD DNR:

By: Keith Lockwood

Josh Zylka holds up a nice striped bass caught in the lower Susquehanna on a popper; by Craig Zylka

The holiday weekend is but a memory now and I hope your memories are good ones. It was a scorcher in many areas of Maryland and people flocked to the water for relief. It did my heart good to see fishing rods peeking out through mini-van windows or in the back of pickup trucks as folks headed to their waterside destinations. The summer will tend to move along now and before we know it we’ll be starring Labor Day in the face so don’t put off spending time with family and friends fishing.

The Lower Susquehanna River continues to give up a fair amount of striped bass for those willing to be at the Conowingo Dam pool at sunrise. The power generation releases usually begin before daybreak and continue into the afternoon. Casting heavy swimshads with surf casting gear into the most turbulent parts of the pool has been a great option. Others are having success casting topwater lures in the boulder fields farther down river at sun up.

A few striped bass are being caught around the edges of the flats but most of the action in the upper bay is focused from the Rock Hall area south. Chumming has taken center stage at Swan Point, Love Point and Podickory Point. It has been a good idea to locate suspended fish on a depth finder and anchor up and allow chum and baits to drift into the deeper edges of the channel. As always a good tide is essential. As usual, the chum slicks are being swarmed with two and three year old striped bass that are less than twenty inches in length so it takes some strategy to get to the larger fish that often are 28″ or better. Allowing baits to get to the bottom and in the back of the slick has been the best tactic, and sometimes it takes a squeeze on weight of a half-ounce or so a couple of feet in front of the bait. Surface water temperatures are now around 82 degrees so the larger fish will like to stay deep and mornings will usually offer better fishing results. Channel catfish can be part of the mix when fishing baits on the bottom.

Salty Cape's Weekly Fishing Reports - June 12th, 2017

Salty Cape's WEEKLY FISHING REPORTS are a must-read before you head out on your latest fishing adventure. Browse fishing reports for Cape Cod Bay, Cape Cod Canal, Buzzards Bay, Elizabeth Islands, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, MV and Nantucket Sound, Monomoy, the Outer Cape and Offshore.


Boom...Morgan

Maryland Fishing Report - June 1, 2017

Via MD DNR:

By: Keith Lockwood

Most enjoyed a nice break in the weather over the Memorial Day Weekend although there were scattered showers at times. The forecast for the rest of the week promises sunny and warmer weather. Those that fish the Chesapeake for striped bass are looking forward to all waters of the bay being open to striped bass fishing as of June 1. Cooler water temperatures are making for excellent freshwater fishing so which ever you choose - enjoy the outdoors this week.

Water releases at the Conowingo Dam have been highly variable this week with large releases during the day and barely any during the night. This certainly makes for some crazy fishing in the river if one is trying to cash in on the large numbers of white perch present. Out on the bay, near the channels below the flats, there continues to be good striped bass fishing in the mornings and evening. Topwater poppers have been a favorite along the shallower parts of the channel edges. On June 1, all parts of the bay will be open to striped bass fishing so anglers will be able to fish the lower Susquehanna if they wish. 

The striped bass action tends to be a little slow as one ventures south in the upper bay region. There has been some action for those drifting live eels around the deeper channel spots around Pooles Island and there has been some chumming action at Swan Point. Those trolling are finding a few fish along the 30' channel contours by trolling umbrella rigs with bucktail or swim shad trailers. Love Point is always a place to check out and there is some trolling and chumming action there as well as Podickory Point. Striped bass are being found at the Sewer Pipe and Bay Bridge Piers by slow trolling close to the bottom, by jigging and a few boats are chumming, it tends to be a slow pick but can be worth the effort.

The middle bay region tends to offer some of the better striped bass fishing opportunities this week. There are some good concentrations of fish spread out along both sides of the bay, mostly along the edges of the shipping channel. The action has been good on the western side of the bay from Thomas Point south to below the power plant. The fish tend to be suspended along the 35' edge of the channel and at times are pushing bait in the form of bay anchovies to the surface and creating some fun topwater action. There are quite a few sub-legal sized striped bass involved when breaking fish are encountered but there are some nice fish in the 22" to 28" size range mixed in. Light tackle jigging has been popular but others are having fun with topwater lures. 

Trolling is certainly an option and most are pulling a mixed spread of 3 to 4 ounce bucktails dressed with twister tails, spoons, red surge tube lures and also umbrella rigs, all with inline weights to get them down. Those looking to sit still and relax a little have been chumming at the outside 30' edge of Hackett's, the Hill and anywhere fish can be found suspended along the channel edges. Water temperatures in the middle bay region are about 65° this week and salinities are a bit lower than normal. 

Black drum showed up on time at Stone Rock and the Sharp's Island Flats this week and more than a few boats got into the action. Standard fare for this show is a good depth finder, a sturdy conventional rod set up with a large circle hook with a whole or half of a soft crab held to the hook with a rubber band. Once a fish is spotted under the boat, the angler does their best to drop the bait close by and hope a cow-nosed ray doesn't pick up the bait. This happy angler holds up a nice one for the camera caught this past weekend.

Photo courtesy of Travis Long

The 2017 Huk Performance Fishing – CCA Maryland Kent Narrows Fly & Light Tackle Tournament

Click the poster below to learn more. Click here to see the Facebook event!

Boom...Morgan

Maryland Weekly Fishing Report - April 25th, 2017

Via MD  DNR:

By: Keith Lockwood

Another Maryland spring time opening day has arrived and passed, and the fishing will only get better as the season progresses. The opening day of the spring trophy striped bass season was slow because most of the post-spawn fish have yet to exit the spawning rivers. The Maryland landscape is ablaze with flowering plants, bushes and trees which makes for very pleasant surroundings when fishing. The mosquitoes and biting flies have not yet emerged for the most part, and temperatures continue to be mild. All in all, a perfect time of the year to enjoy time outdoors; don’t let it slip by!

Don Goff happily holds up his third hickory shad this day, caught and released near the dam pool.

The lower Susquehanna River is beginning to warm up, and water clarity is slowly improving as water flows through the Conowingo Dam have decreased. As a result, water temperatures are now in the low 60s. Because the weather has been mild with no large rain events, Octoraro and Deer creeks are showing inviting water temperatures tempting hickory shad to ascend those creeks to spawn. Both hickory and American shad have been present in the lower Susquehanna for several weeks, and it is only now with warmer water that they are becoming more active. Reports of good catch-and-release fishing was reported this week at both spots. Octoraro Creek tends to run a little warmer than Deer Creek. Catch-and-release fishing has also been good near the Conowingo Dam pool this week.

Water clarity is slow to improve in the Susquehanna Flats area this week so catch and release fishing for striped bass continues to be slow. Fortunately much of the floating wood debris that blanketed the area as a result of spring tides has beached on windward shores making for safer boating in the region.

The upper bay region below the Brewerton Channel was, of course, busy with boats trolling along the shipping channel edges on Saturday as most fishermen were anxious to participate on opening day of the 2017 striped bass season. It was a slow day in regards to catching, which is not uncommon for the first week of the trophy  season, especially in the upper bay region. Fish were caught by a few lucky souls along the steep edges near Podickory Point, Love Point and around the Bay Bridge. Fishing success will improve in the coming weeks.

Luck was with Mike Fisher on opening day as he holds up a beautiful fish he caught near Love Point on an umbrella white bucktail combination.

In the middle bay region, it would seem that post-spawn striped bass are taking their time exiting spawning rivers. Although the bulk of spawning activity is past, there was still spawning going on in the upper Choptank, Patuxent and Potomac as late as yesterday. Generally speaking, the progression of spawning activity and fishing success out in the bay is on track. Traditionally, opening day tends to be slow and the best fishing usually occurs around the last week of April and the first week of May. As can be expected, Saturday’s reports told of the best success at first light and that success tapered off as the morning wore on. It seemed to be a toss-up which color of parachutes and bucktails caught the most fish. Surface water temperatures in the middle bay region are about 60°F today and water clarity is fairly good.

Jellyfish were a big problem for those trolling in the middle bay region, and mates and others were kept busy clearing fouled lines as they trolled along the steep edges of the shipping channel and the current breaks that occur there. Recently I’ve noticed vinyl skirted parachutes being used in the theory that they do not become bogged down with jellyfish goo like the nylon skirted parachutes. My friends tell me that they do also foul, to a lesser degree, but when they do they have to be hosed off rather than brushed out like the nylon ones. Who said it was going to be easy?

In the lower bay region, one would most likely describe the striped bass fishing as a very slow pick. Unfortunately, there were a lot of disappointed fishermen in charter and private boats. The lower Potomac tended to be slow and reports of good fishing in the catch-and-release area near Fort Washington supported the notion that a lot of the fish have not completed their cycle of spawning and heading down river into the areas below the Route 301 Bridge. There were reports of a few fish caught along the channel edge out in front of St. George’s Island and Piney Point. The channel edges at Cove and Cedar points were also slow. Patience can be a tough virtue for fishermen, but better fishing is just around the corner.

Aiden Reilly was lucky enough to catch this beautiful 41-inch specimen in Tangier Sound with his dad.

Catch-and-release fishing for hickory and American shad in many of the tidal rivers of the Chesapeake has been very good this week. Reports from the upper Choptank near Greensboro and the Marshyhope near Federalsburg have been good. Hickory shad tend to dominate the fishery, but there are just enough American shad to create more excitement. There is good catch-and-release fishing for hickory shad being reported in the upper Patuxent River. The upper tidal Potomac near Fletcher’s Boathouse has been extremely good this week. Maryland anglers are reminded that they’ll need to purchase a District of Columbia fishing license to fish above the Maryland line.

White perch are working their way down the spawning rivers and are beginning to spread out into their typical late spring/summer habitats. Small jigs, spinners and bottom rigs baited with bloodworms or grass shrimp are the way to catch them. Channel catfish are active in most of the state’s tidal rivers and crappie fishing has been very good. The tidal Potomac has an excellent population of crappie and everyone is enjoying wonderful fishing near structures such as sunken wood, marina piers and fallen tree tops.

Fishing for blue catfish has been very good in the tidal Potomac, and one does not have to be in a boat to fish for them. There are many access points in the Fort Washington area to fish from shore, which has a special appeal on warm sunny days.

Eight-year-old Bailey Krikstan enjoyed fishing with her dad and shows off a big blue catfish she caught on a white perch cut bait.

Fishing for largemouth bass in the tidal Potomac River has been good as largemouth nose into small tidal creeks and shallow areas along the river to spawn. Covering emerging grass in the shallower transition areas with spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, shallow running crankbaits and jerkbaits as well as soft plastics are a safe bet. Northern snakeheads will be part of the equation as well, and fishermen are finding them to be a welcome additional catch.

Trout fishing in the many stocked put-and-take management waters continues to take center stage for many fishermen this week. Often many of such areas are close to home. Stocking crews continue to work at a grueling pace to get trout placed at your favorite location. Those stockings are posted by early afternoon each day. The stockings can be viewed on the trout stocking website or by receiving notice via the email subscription service.

Largemouth bass are beginning to spawn in some of the warmer water ponds and impoundments in the southern, central and eastern regions this week or close to it. Most bass fishermen know that the possession of largemouth bass is, of course, prohibited from March 1 – June 15 in nontidal waters, so bass should be handled carefully. The tidal rivers of the Eastern Shore hold good populations, and they can be found holding near the shallower spawning flats and feeder creeks. Crappie and bluegill fishing has been very good in these same areas, and the tidal rivers of the Middle and lower Eastern Shore hold populations of northern snakeheads.

Captain Monty Hawkins sent us this intriguing picture of a tautog peering out of its hideaway and a sea bass hovering nearby.

As the water warms in the coastal areas of Ocean City, fishing is steadily improving. Water temperatures near the Inlet are approaching 49°F this week. The first reports of tautog caught there came in over the weekend, and fishing will only improve this week. Bottom rigs baited with green crab pieces or sand fleas are the most popular baits, and slack tide is often one of the better times to fish for them. If you have a boat, it is pretty hard to beat fishing at the South Jetty. If you’re shore-bound, the bulkhead from 2nd to 4th Streets, the North Jetty or the Route 50 Bridge are good places to fish.

Surf anglers are catching a few short striped bass, and both clear-nosed skates and spiny dogfish are keeping everyone busy. In the back bay areas, there is plenty of action with striped bass that are less than 28 inches in length. Casting a variety of lures near prominent sedge islands and the Route 90 Bridge have been good places to get in on this catch-and-release action.

The tautog fishing on the offshore wreck and reef sites has been good. There are limit catches by some anglers, while others tend to scratch out only a couple of fish.

Boom...Morgan

Fly Product...Smithfly Big Flats Poling Board

Via Smithfly:

Announcing pre-orders the new Big Flats Poling Board! Our patent pending light weight inflatable platform for flats fishing or just hanging on the water your favorite peeps. Yep, it's 100 pounds, rolls up and goes in a carry bag like our raft but is designed to pole around and fish the shallow water areas of your favorite body of water. Available in four packages, Base, w/ platform, w/ platform and pole, with Platform, pole and Cooler seat. Reserve yours today for delivery this summer!

Base MSRP: $1,999
W/ Platform: $2,499
W/ Platform & Pole: $2,999
W/ Platform, Pole, & YETI: $3,499

Boom...Morgan

Maryland Fishing Report - April 05, 2017

Via MD DNR:

By: Keith Lockwood

The recent warm spring weather we've been experiencing can really get one excited about fishing and the forecast for the weekend looks good. Trout stocking crews are busy this week and warming waters have many local fish in a very active feeding mood.

Last night I had the opportunity to set out in my canoe and drift down the Choptank River through the first substantial striped bass spawning that I've witnessed this year. Warm weather has pushed water temperatures into the upper 50's and that along with a very strong ebbing tide was all it took to get things going. Looking back at my choices, it was probably not a good idea to take my dog with me since she loves fishing and fooling with released fish in shallow water. She was all over it, moving from side to side of the canoe as spawning fish rolled and splashed on both sides of us. I made sure I had my life vest on, just in case we ran into any trouble. All in all she was actually very well behaved despite all the action around us. It was a beautiful evening, bald eagles were patrolling hoping for an easy snack, a turkey was gobbling in the nearby woods and even an otter was enjoying a good swim along the shoreline. I hope that all of you can find a little down time for yourselves, wherever it might be, to enjoy the bounty of nature that we are so fortunate to share here in Maryland. 

  
Photos by Keith Lockwood

Present conditions up at the Susquehanna Flats area do not bid well for striped bass catch and release fishing. There are several gates open at the Conowingo Dam dumping loads of cold stained water into the lower Susquehanna River. Water temperatures are about 46° and water clarity is non-existent. If a trip up to the area is in your plans, consider the east side of the flats where water clarity might be a little better and afternoon sun may warm up the water a few degrees. Crankbaits and jerkbaits with rattles may be a good choice for attracting a strike, swimbaits are often a good choice also. If you go, be prepared ahead of time with all of the optimism an angler can muster so you are ready for a quick and gentle release of these large fish. Lip fish with a glove if you can and keep the fish in the water and if you take a quick picture, support the fish horizontally. If you choose to use bait, circle hooks are mandatory and you most likely will land some nice channel catfish in the process. 

The tidal rivers of the Chesapeake are still holding white perch in the upper reaches of the tributaries. Many of the larger white perch have already spawned and can be found holding in some of the deeper holes slightly down river of the spawning areas. As most will find out, the spawning areas are still holding a lot of pre-spawn white perch that are 4" to 6" size range who seem to have arrived late for the annual party. Shad darts and small jigs are perhaps two of the better choices for lures and it doesn't hurt to tip them with a piece of cut minnow, nightcrawler or Fishbites. Anglers will also find a mix of chain pickerel, crappie and various sunfish when fishing these areas. The yellow perch have descended into the middle areas of the spawning tidal rivers and can be found if one looks for them. 

A number of tidal rivers have spawning populations of alewife and blueback herring as well as hickory shad. The Anadromous Restoration Program of the Maryland Fisheries and Boating Services has been working very hard to restore populations of river herring and hickory shad in Maryland's tidal rivers. Hickory shad are arriving in several tidal rivers and the first are being caught at this time. The Choptank River above Greensboro, the Marshyhope near Federalsburg, the upper Patuxent and the Potomac River below Great Falls are a few rivers that are providing catch and release fishing for hickory shad this week. . I received a phone call from the field from biologist Matt Baldwin on the upper Patuxent yesterday concerning water temperatures. They recorded 58° at the Wayson's Corner (Route 4 Bridge) area and also mentioned that they electro-shocked four large northern snakeheads while surveying for hickory shad. 

Deer Creek is of course a very popular spot for hickory shad but it will be a while before this fishery hits high gear. The hickory shad are in the lower Susquehanna at this time but cold water has them hunkered down and waiting for warmer water temperatures in the mid- 50's before getting excited about spawning. Attractive lures such as shad darts and spoons or colorful sinking flies are good choices for lures. Don Cosden dug into his tackle box and shared with us some of his favorite hickory shad lures and flies. 

Photo courtesy Don Cosden

The much anticipated opening of the Trophy Striped bass season is only two weekends away for the opener on April 15th. The minimum size this year is 35" and the bag limit is one fish per person per day. Of course everyone wants to get out on opening day but the real action for post-spawn striped bass will not really kick in until about the last weekend of April. The striped bass are at the spawning reaches for the Potomac, Patuxent, Nanticoke and Choptank Rivers and are still arriving at the Susquehanna Flats/River area. There is a minor spawn going on at this time in the upper Choptank River. The recent warm weather got things started this past Sunday and it definitely kicked up a notch on Tuesday and today. The Nanticoke, Patuxent and Potomac usually follow closely to this same schedule so there is good promise for some post spawn striped bass on opening day in the middle and lower bay regions. 

At present middle bay region water temperatures are about 50° and steadily rising. On April 15th it might be a good idea for anyone trolling to stick to the steep shipping channel edges in the middle and lower bay regions. Bloody Point Light, Thomas Point and close to the Buoy 84 and 84A will certainly be good places to troll. The False Channel edges and the steep edge out in front of the Little Choptank down to the inside edge of the CP Buoy may be a good place to intercept post-spawn striped bass exiting the Choptank. Often the largest female striped bass are the first to spawn so you might find that fish of a lifetime. Out in front of the mouth of the Nanticoke River, the Hooper Island Straits, Tangier Sound channel edges and just a little north at the steep edges at Buoys 74, 72B and 72A are good traditional places to troll. On the other side of the bay, the Cove Point and Cedar Point channel edges are known hot spots. The steep channel edges in the lower Potomac near Piney Point and St. George's Island will be good places to troll. 

Chilly bottom water temperatures will cause large striped bass to be cruising close to the surface as they use the strong currents near the channel edges. Striped bass do not like engine noise so the mass of boats expected on opening day will drive them down quickly. This is definitely a case of the early bird getting the worm. You should plan to be out there at daybreak and if part of your crew is late, apologize later. Planer boards are the name of the game for this type of fishing and crews are forewarned to bring plenty of rubber bands and slide rings when using planer boards. The same stiff currents that attract the large striped bass along the steep channel edges are also carrying the spring migration of lion's mane jellyfish that are headed for the mouth of the bay. This is the time of the year that they drift in the currents and they easily are swept up in current breaks, which is right where you should be trolling. There will be a lot of grumbling in regard to constantly clearing lines but if you're serious that is what you're going to need to do. The old saying that a busy cockpit catches the most fish could not be more on the mark in regard to this situation. 

For those without planer boards sending flat lines way back will be the best option but will make you hair stand on end with crossing boat traffic. Large parachutes and bucktails in white or chartreuse will be the most popular colors, both dressed with filleting size sassy shads. Stinger hooks are often popular with these large baits and tandem rigged baits will dominate most trolling spreads. Light tackle fishermen will find some jigging action at the Calvert Cliffs Power Plant discharge and if you can find some good marks on your depth finder, there is no reason why jigging won't catch you your fish. There may even be a few souls out there that will try chumming and they will most likely catch a few fish also. 

Last but not least there will be pre-spawn striped bass caught on opening day that is a fact. How you deal with it is your own personal decision and yours alone. If you are on your own boat or a friends, there is a good chance you be out fishing later on after most fish have spawned. If you've booked your "once this season" charter, that is a whole different story. Most will say "a fish is a fish' and certainly no one should be throwing rocks at another fisherman's decision. It does pay to be prepared though if you might release a fish. Rubber mesh landing nets, gloves and a quick release go a long way to reducing stress if a fish is going to be released. 

April and trout fishing just seem to be a natural and as the month starts off this fact is true. Stocking crews are working very hard moving trout from the hatcheries to a trout management water near you. This is hard work lifting thousands of trout a day, out of tank trucks and down slippery stream banks. I suspect a bottle of Advil is standard equipment on the dashboard of every stocking truck. The stockings are posted every day that stockings take place and the news is out usually by 3:00 pm the day of the stocking on the trout stocking website or through our email news subscription service. 

This a wonderful time of the year to introduce kids to fishing. One does not have to travel far to find a good local fishing spot for either the abundant trout stockings or pan fish. There are a number of trout stocked ponds and streams that are set aside for young children so the odds can be greatly stacked in a child's favor. These sites are listed on the trout stocking website. Local ponds offer some great opportunities also. A Barbie or Spiderman child's fishing outfit, a bobber, hook and a few garden worms and you're all set for some great fun. Grace Ziegler definitely had fun with her dad catching sunfish. 

Photo by David Ziegler

The upper Potomac River is running pretty stiff this week so be careful out there and remember your best friend is a PFD that is on your body. The current flows are strong and waters are a bit stained but there is good smallmouth bass fishing in the mid- river current breaks. Tubes are the number one choice for lures. Farther down river in the tidal portion of the Potomac in Maryland waters fishing for largemouth bass is picking up. There are reports of quite a few male largemouth bass staging in slightly deeper water near the spawning areas. Soon they will be making nests to lure spawning female largemouth bass to set up a nursery. Targeting these transition areas and covering a lot of water near emerging grass is a good tactic with lures such as spinnerbaits. If you can find sunken wood or rocks, soft plastics worked slowly near the bottom often works. 

In the tidal Potomac the fishing for crappie could hardly be any better right now. Casting small jigs or minnows under a slip bobber near sunken structure has been very productive. Drifting around in a boat with spider rig poles is also a proven way to fill up an ice chest with slab sized crappie. The spoils against the north side of the Wilson Bridge on the Maryland side is a great place to fish as is marina docks in the Fort Washington area. There are plenty of blue catfish in the river and it is not hard to fill up ice chests with some good eating fish. Simple bottom rigs with fresh cut bait will do the job every time. 

Over on the Eastern Shore fishing for crappie has been excellent in many areas. The crappie are schooled up near sunken structure such as fallen tree tops or similar sunken wood. The tidal rivers hold good crappie fishing as do lakes such as Wye Mills, Tuckahoe Lake, Smithville Lake and the lakes in Salisbury. Largemouth bass fishing in the tidal rivers has been good and the Wicomico, Pocomoke and upper Nanticoke are great places to fish. Northern snakeheads are more and more part of the mix when fishing in these tidal rivers and they certainly provide some exciting fishing action. Angelina Watts enjoys fishing some of the backwater areas in Dorchester County for them and holds up a whopper for the camera. 

Photo courtesy of Ryan Jones

Nearshore water temperatures are slowly rising in the Ocean City area and have hit the 45° mark this week. Surf casters are enjoying some beach time watching lines set with bottom rigs and bait and catching a few striped bass and a whole lot of clear-nosed skates. Out at the wreck and reef sites fishing for tautog has kicked up a notch with some nice fish being caught. 

Photo courtesy of Monty Hawkins

Offshore fishing is focused mostly on tautog fishing near the wreck and reef sites. The charter and head boats are reporting fair to good catches on most days.

There has been rumor of a few tautog caught at the Ocean City Inlet area recently and it is expected that those rumors will turn into solid reports shortly. In the back bay area's there is some striped bass action for those casting swimbaits, jigs and jerkbaits. Most all of the striped bass are just shy of 28" but they make for some fun catch and release fishing.

Boom...Morgan

E-Zine...SCALE Magazine #24

Boom...Morgan

Maryland Fishing Report - February 27, 2017

Via MD DNR:

By: Keith Lockwood

Mid-Winter Fishing Update

February tends to be a tough month for playing outdoors. Most hunting seasons are closed and it is a little bit early for comfortable fishing. Fortunately the trout production program and the many fisheries biologists that stock the trout have given fishermen a chance to enjoy good trout fishing in the put and take trout management waters across the entire state as part of the pre-season stocking program. It is a little early for yellow perch but those that give it a whirl are finding a few male yellow perch here and there in the tidal rivers. There are fishing shows just about every weekend this month and into March. During this time of the year, many start to think about buying a new fishing license. Remember that fishing licenses now go 365 days from the date of purchase, so check the date on your current fishing license.
The lower Susquehanna River near Perryville has been offering some of the most consistent yellow perch fishing to be found right now. The typical pattern for this time of the year is that the yellow perch congregate in about 40' of water just below the Route 40 Bridge. This is vertical fishing for the most part from small boats or kayaks when weather conditions are favorable. Most prefer to use a sinker with a Christmas tree type rig with two dropper flies or small soft plastic jigs in the 1/32 oz. to 1/8 oz. size category. Tipping the lures or flies with a small piece of cut minnow or a dip in your favorite fish attractant juice can often pay better dividends.

Farther upriver and closer to the dam pool there has been some productive fishing for flathead and channel catfish. The flathead catfish tend to be in the 3lb. to 5 lb. size range in the river below the dam pool. The whopper sized flatheads tend to hold in the dam pool below the turbines where lunch consisting of mostly gizzard shad is served during power generation. In the upper, middle and lower bay regions, most anglers have their favorite places to check in the tidal rivers and creeks as they look for the vanguard of the spring yellow perch run. This usually consists of male yellow perch and a few can be found here and there at traditional locations. Water temperatures in the tidal rivers and creeks are generally in the low "forties" (40° - 44° range) right now due to a relatively mild winter. This water temperature range is relatively close to the 46° mark that will start the spawning event. The young male yellow perch want to be the first ones to show up for the party, so they are beginning to stage in deeper areas below the spawning reaches. John T. McMullen holds up a nice yellow perch for the camera.


Photo courtesy of John T. McMullen

Daisy's Corner - Ep. 10

Daisey's Corner Episode 10 from Colin Herlihy on Vimeo.

Boom...Morgan

In Martha’s Vineyard & Nantucket, There Ain’t No Stripas

Via Marine Fish Conservation Network:

By: Capt. John McMurray

Photo by Capt. John McMurray

Man, I hesitate to write this, because I don’t wanna cause any more economic harm to the islands’ charter fleet, by, well, saying it publicly… but I think it’s become so obvious that most striper fishermen already know it… 

The historically significant striped bass fishery that made Martha’s Vineyard (and Nantucket) the iconic fishing destination it is, just ain’t what it used to be.

As someone who has fished Nantucket for the last 25 years, I can attest to this with 100% certainty. To read the rest of the article, click here.

Boom...Morgan