Maryland DNR Fishing Report by Keith Lockwood

There tends to be a little more chill in the air these days as the end of November approaches and Turkey Day is tomorrow. There is good freshwater fishing this week for a variety of species and striped bass fishing in the bay is good. Sea bass fishing off Ocean City is excellent and the fall migration of large striped bass and bluefish into Maryland's coastal waters has begun. Dress warm and enjoy the cool water fishing opportunities we have at the moment.

Striped bass fishing in the upper bay begins in the lower Susquehanna River and extends all the way down to the Bay Bridge this week. There has been plenty of good action in the lower Susquehanna for striped bass above 20" in length and the good action can also be found off Turkey Point and channel edges in the area.

Striped bass are being found along channel edges in the upper bay in about 35' of water mostly by those trolling. They are typically trolling a mixed spread of spoons, swim shads, bucktails dressed with sassy shads and umbrella rigs. Most of the fish being caught range from 20" to 30". There are smaller striped bass in the upper bay but they are usually high in the water column chasing bait. Water temperatures in the upper bay are in the low 50's and even colder in the tidal rivers so most of the better striped bass fishing is occurring out in the bay or the mouths of the rivers. Doug Crowe was trolling an umbrella rig near the mouth of the Magothy when he caught this nice striped bass recently.

Photo Courtesy of Doug Crowe 

At the Bay Bridge there continues to be good fishing around the bridge piers for striped bass. Most are jigging soft plastic jigs and bucktails near the pier bases and rock piles. There tends to be a lot of small striped bass in the Bay Bridge area and they can often be seen on top chasing bait. The concrete abutments are a good place to look for a better grade of striped bass holding close to the bottom. There has also been good fishing for white perch at the rock piles. The perch are holding deep and it will take a heavy weight to get to them without being swept off target in the strong currents. A heavy sinker and two dropper flies will usually do the trick.

There continues to be good striped bass fishing at the Kent Narrows for shore bound anglers and for some who wish to break our fishing regulations - it’s too good. Our Natural Resources Police work hard, often at very inconvenient hours to protect our fisheries resources. Three men were charged Thursday with poaching striped bass by officers on an overnight saturation patrol in Kent Narrows. Officers stopped two vehicles under surveillance and found 28 striped bass, 21 of which were undersized. Alejandro Argueta Lanaverde, 38, and Gonzolo Martinez Pena, 46, both of Annapolis, and Franklin Rafael Flores Santos, 27, of Hyattsville, received citations for exceeding the daily creel limit, possessing undersized striped bass and possessing striped bass between midnight and 5 a.m. Santos is scheduled to appear in Queen Anne’s District Court on Jan. 7. The Annapolis men have a Feb. 4 court date. If found guilty, each man could be fined as much as $3,000.

In the middle bay region trolling has become very popular along channel edges in the main bay such as the 30'to 35' edges on the western side of the shipping channel from Breezy Point south past Parkers Creek to Cove Point. Most boats are pulling a mixed spread of lures at various depths using inline weights of various sizes. Umbrella rigs have been popular with trailing bucktails dressed with sassy shads or Storm type lures. Spoons have been a good choice as has tandem rigged bucktails. Most of the larger fish are coming from deeper depths and it is a good way to avoid the smaller striped bass that tend to be higher in the water column. Sam Schatz holds up two nice striped bass caught while trolling along the western edge of the shipping channel below Breezy Point.

Photo by Travis Long 

Breaking fish are being encountered throughout the region; with most of the action for larger fish occurring in the bay. There is still some spotty action in the tidal rivers but it is usually smaller striped bass with a few larger fish underneath the surface action at times. Jigging is one of the most popular ways for small boat anglers to fish when breaking fish can be spotted to get to those larger fish. Larger striped bass are being spotted on depth finders, suspended out in the bay along channel edges and oyster bars. Metal jigs combined with braided line and a fast action rod tends to be a favorite but soft plastic jigs work well also. The water clarity in the middle bay region continues to be extremely good, bay water temperatures are about 55° and the salinity is elevated at18 parts per thousand. Water temperatures are noticeably cooler in the tidal rivers.

In the lower bay breaking striped bass are being encountered throughout the entire region with the bulk of the action occurring from the Middle Grounds area to the west side of Point Lookout. Most are jigging underneath the smaller striped bass which tend to be at the surface in search of a larger grade of fish. In the area from lower Hooper's Island to buoy 72A more than a few fishermen are reporting striped bass in the size range of 20" to 32" being caught by jigging and trolling. The channel cuts through lower Hooper's Island have been a good place to cast soft plastics and bucktails and bounce them along the bottom to striped bass that are holding there. There is also a shallow water bite in the early mornings and evenings along the marsh shorelines of the Eastern Shore. Casting swim shad type lures or topwater lures has been the ticket to this late season show. There continues to be some sea trout in the area and most are being caught while jigging.

Those who are trolling are using a mixed spread of umbrella rigs with bucktail or swim shad trailers behind inline weights along with spoons and tandem rigged bucktails dressed with sassy shads. As of this week, there have been a few reports of large fall migrant striped bass making their way up the bay into Maryland waters. The bulk of the fall coastal migration of large striped bass is in New Jersey and the vanguard is now just entering Maryland waters. There were two large fish in the 47" size range reported during during last weekend's MSSA Tournament and Jason Zagalsky and crew caught and released this big 47" striped bass last Thursday just a few days before the tournament.

Photo Courtesy of Jason Zagalsky

Freshwater anglers at Deep Creek Lake are beginning to buzz about hopes of the lake icing over and a fun season of ice fishing. Until then there is plenty of good fishing to be had while the lake waters are clear of ice. There is good fishing for a mix of largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and large yellow perch in the upper lake areas where deep grass remains. Northern pike and chain pickerel are plentiful in the mouths of coves around the remaining grass beds also. There is good fishing for walleyes at dusk along some of the steeper rocky shorelines and most are casting swimming minnow type lures with good success.

The upper Potomac River continues to be low with very clear water; water temperatures are in the upper 40's. Smallmouth bass and walleye are scattered in the middle part of the river with the larger smallmouth bass concentrating in what is often termed "winter spots". These are the deeper areas that have large boulders to break up the current flow during high flow conditions. Soft plastic jigs, tubes and small crankbaits are good choices in these areas. The smaller smallmouth bass are becoming mostly dormant now with colder water temperatures so gear up for the larger fish.

Largemouth bass fishing remains good in the ponds, lakes and tidal waters this week. The bass are holding in deeper waters now near drop-offs. They are busy feeding on small baitfish and crayfish that are moving from the shallower areas where grass is breaking up to deeper cover such as sunken wood and rocks. Slow rolling spinnerbaits close to the bottom or working small crankbaits and jigs in similar fashion is a good bet. Working sunken wood and structure such as bridge piers and rocks is also a good strategy.

Crappie are schooled up now in deeper waters near structure. Bridge piers, marina docks and sunken brush or rocks are a good place to fish. Small jigs or minnows under a slip bobber are a good tactic. Channel catfish are active in most of the tidal rivers of the Chesapeake and blue catfish are plentiful and active in the tidal Potomac River. Chain pickerel are active and with grass beds diminishing, the pickerel and other fish are more accessible. Myroslav Tarnovetskyy was fishing in Tuckahoe Lake when he hooked this Maryland Fishing Challenge award size chain pickerel.

Photo Courtesy of Myroslav Tarnovetskyy

Trout fishing remains very good this week in many of the states trout management waters. There are still good numbers of trout in many of the put and take management waters. Casting spinners, small spoons and flies are a good way to cover plenty of water to find those trout that have been dodging Powerbaits. The catch and release and fly fishing only trout management waters are offering excellent trout fishing opportunities this week.

The Ocean City area is beginning to see the first substantial numbers of large migrant striped bass entering Maryland waters this week and this coming weekend may give anglers their first licks at these beautiful fish as they pass by on their way south. Surf casters will be fishing with fresh menhaden baits on bottom rigs; boats will be trolling the near shore shoal areas with Stretch 25 lures, bucktails, umbrella rigs or will be seen jigging or fishing with live eels. At the inlet casting bucktails or drifting live eels will be popular in the evenings. There are a lot of large bluefish in the region and more to come so they are part of the equation.

Sea bass fishing has been very good on the offshore wreck and reef sites with limits around the rails of party boats a common occurrence. Large bluefish are present and making short work of sea bass being reeled in, so speed reeling your valuable catch is in order.

Tautog fishing has been good on the inshore wreck sites and at the Route 50 Bridge/inlet complex. There are a lot of throwbacks inside the inlet area but keepers are present. Pieces of green crab and sand fleas are the best baits. Tautog season closes tomorrow November 26th.

Keith Lockwood's Maryland Fishing Report

     Oxford, Md. -- A lot of folks could be seen on the highways this past weekend headed for day trips or perhaps week long vacations with family in tow most with one purpose in mind; to get near water and its cooling effects on the body and soul. Whether it is a favorite lake, the bay or the ocean, water offers fun and relaxation and fishing can be a big part of that equation. I took my own advice this past weekend when three youngsters came to visit from Manhattan to come and play on the eastern shore. After a lot of swimming and chasing frogs and turtles; we set aside some time to go to our local tackle store and let the kids pick out their own character related fishing outfits and head to the bay for some white perch fishing. Fortunately despite the searing sun the white perch and small striped bass were hungry for grass shrimp and our young fishermen caught their first fish ever and I might add the 2nd and the 12th and so on.

     Fishermen in the upper bay region have been finding plenty to do in the tidal rivers such as the Susquehanna River, fishing for white perch and channel catfish with a few striped bass tossed in now and then. Farther down the bay in the region from Rock Hall south fishermen are finding schools of striped bass along channel edges. These fish range from typical 3-year old fish that are less than 18" to 4 and 5 year old fish that can go a nice 22" or more. Most fishermen have been trolling but chumming has been successful and those lucky enough to find some small spot have been live lining along the channel edges and the bay bridge piers with good success. These fish are chasing juvenile menhaden and bay anchovies and often can be spotted on the surface in the mornings and evenings chasing bait; fishermen are reporting that often there are no diving birds to mark the activity.

     The fishing for striped bass below the bay bridge down to the Breezy Point area continues to provide a lot of good fishing for striped bass along the edges of the shipping channel in the vicinity of Hackett's Bar, Thomas Point, the Hill, the False Channel area and out in front of Breezy Point. Fishermen have been seeing surface action in the mornings and evenings as striped bass chase bait up to the surface. Casting soft plastic jigs, bucktails and metal has been providing fun light tackle fishing. A good depth finder has also be a real asset this week in regard to finding fish suspended and holding along the channel edges; soft plastic jigs and metal have been effective choices to reach the fish. Trolling continues to be a very popular method to work the channel edges for striped bass this week; swim shads and bucktails in tandem or behind umbrella rigs as well as spoons and surgical tube lures have been good choices.
     Fishermen in the southern region of the bay are reporting good trolling opportunities for striped bass in the lower Potomac River with small to medium sized bucktails along the channel edges. Chumming is also been productive at the mouth of the Potomac River for a mix of striped bass and bluefish. At Cove Point along the 35' channel edge out in front of the Gas Docks fishermen are live lining spot on a regular basis now and catching striped bass. There are plenty of small spot in the Patuxent so it makes it easy for the Solomons fleet to obtain bait.
     Bluefish are mixing it up with striped bass in the lower bay region and can often be seen chasing bait to the surface. The bluefish are also showing up in chum slicks, nipping a live lined spot now and then and attacking lures trolled behind boats. Many of the fishermen trolling have put their swim shads in storage and are using Drone spoons, bucktails and surgical tubing lures. The Mud Leads and the lower bay in general have been good places to catch medium-sized bluefish.
     Croaker fishing in the lower bay and middle bay regions has been most productive at sunset and into the evening hours when a good tide is running. Shoal areas near deep channel areas have been good places to fish such as Buoy 72 in the lower bay and Sharp's Island Flats in the middle bay region. White perch fishing in the channel areas and tidal rivers in the middle and lower bay regions remains good with bloodworms being the most popular bait when fishing with bottom rigs.
     Shallow water fishing for white perch and striped bass remains good in the early morning hours with much of the fishing shutting down once the sun rises. Due to hot weather, the evening fishing kicks in gear once the sun sets. Topwater lures and jerkbaits are good choices for striped bass and spinners and Beetle Spin type soft plastics are good choices for white perch.

Crabbing

     Recreational crabbers report slim pickings this week in the upper bay tidal rivers and creeks and fair crabbing in the middle bay region's tidal rivers and creeks. Crabbing success picks up in the lower bay and Tangier Sounds area this week.

Freshwater

     Many of Maryland's freshwater fisheries are now in what most fishermen would call a summer pattern of behavior. That translates into early morning and late evening fishing for the best success. Whether one is fishing for trout in the western region streams, Deep Creek Lake, the upper Potomac or a small farm pond in southern Maryland fishing early morning and late evening is the key. Potomac River expert John Mullican sent in a short report from the upper Potomac that reflects this typical summer pattern. The Potomac is low, clear and temperatures are running in the mid-80s. Fishing has been pretty good during the morning and evening hours, but gets pretty slow during the day, a typical summer pattern.
     Fishing for largemouth bass has been good for fishermen who can get up early and work the shallows with topwater lures over grass such as frogs and poppers. As the sun gets higher in the sky targeting shade such as docks, fallen tree tops and under thick grass will often produce strikes from largemouth bass hunkered down in the shade. Creek mouths that flow into lakes and tidal rivers often run a bit cooler are also good places to target for bass holding there.

At the Ocean

     Ocean City fishermen are finding the best fishing for a mix of small summer species in the surf in the early morning and evening hours now that surf water temperatures are around 76-degrees. Kingfish, croaker, small bluefish and flounder can be found in the surf as well as catch and release fishing for inshore sharks this week. In and around the inlet and Route 50 Bridge are fishermen are catching flounder, croaker and sheepshead during the day and striped bass at night. Flounder fishing in the back bay areas is good when water clarity is favorable.
     Outside of the inlet the party boats are finding good fishing for sea bass on the wreck sites with a high throwback ratio. Farther offshore fishermen are finding good fishing for yellowfin tuna and a mix of bigeye tuna, bluefin tuna, dolphin, white and blue marlin and wahoo. Deep drop fishermen are finding tilefish along the canyon edges.

Maryland Fishing Report by DNR Biologist Keith Lockwood

     Oxford, Md. -- It would seem old Mother Nature decided to take a few steps backward in regard to the advance of spring this week and they may be a good thing in regards to adjusting nature's clock. Perhaps this cold front that is sitting upon us will set things straight with spawning runs of striped bass and other andromous fish such as hickory shad and river herring and things will get back to a more normal schedule. One fishery that is certainly on schedule is the traditional opening day of trout season this coming Saturday in the put and take areas. Fisheries crews and the volunteers that help spread the fish out have been busy stocking trout in your favorite fishing waters.

     Water temperatures in the lower Susquehanna River and flats area are holding around 50- 55-degrees depending where one is. Local fishing guides report that a group of striped bass arrived a little more than a week ago and seemed to have nosed into the Elk River where water temperatures may have been suitable for spawning and catch and release fishing is off limits. Fishermen have been trolling with crankbaits, casting jigs, crankbaits and bottom fishing with cut bait in the lower Susquehanna and flats area without much success lately, very few striped bass have been caught and released to date. Usually not all the fish in a spawning population arrive at the same time so there certainly is hope that more striped bass are headed up the bay and due to arrive shortly.

     The white perch have been thinning out in the lower Susquehanna River and upper bay tributaries and moving out into the upper bay area. Channel catfish are plentiful in the region and hickory shad have begun to show up in sufficient numbers to provide some good catch and release fishing late in the afternoons at the Deer Creek area. Chances are that this weekend will be a good time to catch them.

     In general white perch are moving down the tidal rivers of the Chesapeake to settle in to areas that traditionally hold them in late spring and summer. White perch are still being reported at Fletcher's on the Potomac near Washington D.C. but fishing with bloodworms in the lower sections of most other tidal rivers may get you into some nice perch. Fishermen are catching them at Sandy Point State Park and other areas around the bay such as the Bill Burton Fishing Pier on the lower Choptank River.

     Water temperatures in the mid-bay area are running around 50-degrees this week and fishermen have been practicing a little catch and release out along the shipping channel edges by trolling large parachutes and bucktails. The warm water discharge at Calvert Cliffs Power Plant has also been drawing light tackle fishermen to try their luck at jigging near the discharge for striped bass.

     Freshwater fishermen who love their largemouth bass could hardly have better catch and release fishing than right now. Conditions seem to be perfect; largemouth bass are in an aggressive and hungry pre-spawn mode of activity and are hitting just about anything from topwater lures to grub jigs. The bass are cruising near all kinds of cover ranging from underwater ledges and drop-offs to emerging grass beds. 

     Trout fishermen are getting geared up for the big opener this Saturday in the Put and Take areas where fisheries biologist have been busy stocking trout. All manner of fishermen from the fly fishermen in waders to the young fishermen in sneakers will be trying their luck in the hopes of taking a few trout home with them. Powerbait is perhaps one of the best baits for fishing for stocked trout; it seems like candy to them, they just can't resist. Most trout fishermen spent quite a bit of time enjoying the pre-season stockings at many of the put and take waters earlier in the month and late February. The special catch and release trout management areas continue to provide wonderful catch and release opportunities for fishermen not concerned about taking fish home.

     Fishermen in the Ocean City area are beginning to see some surf action as a few bluefish and striped bass are being caught this week by fishermen using bait. Skates and dogfish are out there also ready to chew up baits. Tautog continue to move inside the inlet and fishermen are finding fishing improving as water temperatures reach 54-degrees. Offshore the boats heading out to the inshore wreck and artificial reef sites are finding large tautog for their customers.