August continues to provide a broad range of fishing opportunities for anglers during the striped bass closure.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reminds Maryland recreational anglers that targeting striped bass in the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries is prohibited through August 1 through August 31 to protect the species. This month is an ideal time to fish for Maryland’s multitude of other species, especially Chesapeake Channa and blue catfish.
For anyone interested in chasing a Maryland state fishing record, there are steps anglers can take to increase their chances of hooking the largest fish of a given species and what to do if you think you have record-setting catch. Learn more from DNR’s online article on what it takes to land a Maryland record.
Forecast Summary: August 12 – August 18
Main Bay surface and river mouth water temperatures are holding in the low 80s and will likely continue to remain stable all week. Temperatures in smaller rivers and streams are holding in the upper 70s. With recent storms, bottom oxygen levels should be stable throughout the week. Currently there is adequate oxygen in most Bay bottom waters except near Indian Head to the Colonial Beach (Potomac River) and in the western shore of the Bay from the Bush River down to the Rhode River area.
Expect average flows for most Maryland rivers and streams. Expect average clarity for most Maryland portions of the Bay and rivers. To see the latest water clarity conditions on NOAA satellite maps, check Eyes on the Bay Satellite Maps. There will be above average tidal currents all week because of the new moon on August 12.
As always, the best fishing areas could be further refined by intersecting them with underwater points, hard bottom, drop-offs, and large schools of baitfish. For more detailed and up-to-date fishing conditions in your area of the bay, be sure to check out Eyes on the Bay’s Click Before You Cast.
Upper Chesapeake Bay
Striped bass are off the menu this week but there are plenty of other fish to entertain anglers in the upper Bay. The Conowingo Dam pool and lower Susquehanna River are among the best places to catch blue catfish. The cool water from the dam water releases draws them to the river and the dam pool is a dead end for any fish traveling up-current. The dam pool is noted for concentrations of both blue and flathead catfish. Anglers fishing in the lower Susquehanna will also encounter large channel catfish.
The lower Elk River and the North East River are also good places to fish for blue catfish and the Chester River above Chestertown is a real standout. Blue catfish can be found in every tidal river in the upper Bay along with channel catfish. Natural baits of cut menhaden or gizzard shad are popular baits, but scenting chicken pieces with garlic powder or using chicken liver also works well.
The tidal rivers in the upper Bay hold populations of Chesapeake Channa, aka snakeheads, and the tidal rivers on the western shore are producing some very large fish. The large grass flats are much to their liking and it is very possible that our next state record will be coming from one of the upper Bay’s tidal rivers. Several have come close recently. Large chatterbaits tend to be the killer bait for large Chesapeake Channa. Colors can vary from white to black for the soft plastic creature bait. A crawfish-looking creature is very popular with anglers; it presents a large profile. Soft-bodied frogs and buzzbaits are good baits when working grass flats and white paddletails are a good option when working in more open water.
Fishing for white perch can be fun, and they certainly provide excellent eating. Early mornings and late evenings tend to offer the best success for large white perch that can be found near shoreline structure. The large white perch can be targeted with grass shrimp under a slip bobber or on a simple bottom rig that is worked close to deeper structure. Well-established docks, piers, piling fields, submerged rock walls, or jetties are all good places to fish. Casting spin-jigs, small spinnerbaits, and soft plastic jigs is a fun light tackle way to fish promising looking shorelines. Fishing deeper with a bottom rig baited with grass shrimp or peeler crab over oyster beds and bars will result in mixed sizes. Schools of white perch can often be spotted on depth finders.
Spot and a few croaker can be found in different locations in the upper Bay, The lower Chester River is often a good place to fish, as is the mouth of the Magothy River and Sandy Point. Most are live-lining size, but often larger spot can be found a little deeper. Bloodworms are the preferred bait for spot.
Middle Bay
Anglers in the middle Bay are fortunate to have bluefish spread throughout the region, and it is doubtful they’ll be leaving anytime soon. They are being caught by trolling surge tube lures and Drone spoons behind inline weights and planers along channel edges. The edge from Bloody Point past Sharps Island and the mouth of the Choptank has been a productive channel edge to troll. The Thomas Point and Breezy Point areas have also been productive for trolling. Other anglers are setting up chum slicks near Sharps Island and Thomas point and drifting cut spot or menhaden. The bluefish have been ranging in size from 0.75 pound to 8 pounds.
Spanish mackerel have moved into the middle Bay in the past week and are providing plenty of fun fishing action. Trolling a mix of Drone spoons and gold Clark spoons behind planers and inline weights has been the most popular way to fish for them. Trolling speeds are a little faster than those for bluefish and the main channel edges near Buoy 83 past the False Channel area and Breezy Point are good locations to find them.
Anglers are catching and releasing red drum in the middle Bay this week. The area near the Little Choptank and Sharps Island are reported to be two of the better locations to find them. Most are being caught on bait or jigging with large soft plastic jigs. A few large, speckled trout are being caught near the mouth of the Little Choptank by drifting soft crab baits.
Fishing for white perch on the shallower western side of the Bay Bridge and Kent Narrows is good with mixed sizes being caught on peeler crab or grass shrimp baits on bottom rigs. Using a dropper rig with a sinker and two small jigs and drifting through the Kent Narrows is an excellent way to target white perch there. The piers of both bridges is another good place to fish. If fishing from the shoreline, bottom rigs with bait is a good choice, or walking-the-dog type fishing in a sweeping motion with the current can also work well.
All the tidal rivers and creeks within the region are holding white perch; docks, piers,and oyster beds are good places to target them. Fishing tight to structure is the key and the best success during the hot summertime is during the morning and evening hours when a brisk tide is running. Casting small spinnerbaits, spin-jigs, and spinners along favored shorelines during the early morning and late evening hours is always a fun way to catch large white perch.
Spot and croaker are spread throughout the middle Bay and the hard-bottom areas in Eastern Bay, the Whitehall Bay area, the lower Choptank, the Little Choptank, and the James Island Flats.
Fishing for blue catfish has been good this month in the upper Choptank and Tuckahoe. The blue catfish can be found near the town of Denton and above Route 328 on the Tuckahoe. They are seeking cooler waters and can be found in the channels
Lower Bay
Even though the striped bass season is closed for the month, lower Bay anglers are enjoying excellent fishing opportunities for a mix of Spanish mackerel and bluefish. Anglers have been anticipating the arrival of the Spanish mackerel, and they have moved into the lower Bay in great numbers. The numbers of bluefish in the lower Bay have also increased.
Trolling a mix of Drone spoons and gold Clark spoons behind inline weights and planers has been the most productive way to catch both Spanish mackerel and bluefish. Trolling along the main channel of the Bay has been offering the best opportunities for the Spanish mackerel and the channel edge on the eastern side of the Bay from R76 south to R72 is one of the better channel edges to troll. Spanish mackerel and bluefish can also be caught by casting metal jigs into breaking fish when encountered.
There has been an influx of large red drum in the lower Bay this week and anglers are encountering them in a variety of fishing situations and locations. Shore bound anglers are catching and releasing them when fishing with cut bait. Trolling large chrome spoons or diving plugs is another way to catch them and locating schools of reds feeding and casting large soft plastic jigs is perhaps the most exciting way to catch them. All the large red drum are far beyond the upper end of the slot, which is 26 inches, but offer exciting catch-and-release action.
Anglers are still catching some cobia by chumming and drifting live bait to the back of their chum slick or by sight casting with live bait or large soft plastics in orange or pink. Trolling with surge tube lures is another way to fish for them and bluefish will also hit the surge tube lures.
A few large sheepshead are being caught at the Target Ship on peeler crab or soft crab baits. Speckled trout are also to be found along grass beds in Tangier Sound, Hoopers Island and Point Lookout. Drifting peeler crab or soft crab baits or casting paddletails are popular ways to fish for them.
Fishing for spot is about as good as it can possibly get. The spot are large and plentiful throughout the lower Bay and Potomac River. The mouth of the Patuxent, the Nanticoke, and Tangier Sound are excellent places to catch them. Bloodworms or artificial bloodworm baits are what is needed to catch them on a bottom rig. Croakers are often mixed in.
White perch are being caught in the tidal rivers and creeks during the early morning and evening hours. Fishing with peeler crab or grass shrimp near structure is very popular. Casting small spinnerbaits and spin-jigs near shoreline structure is also productive.
Blue Crabs
Anyone out on the Bay this week can’t help but notice the large number of doublers swimming on the surface headed south in the current. The cradled sooks are still light, and the jimmies are protecting them until they harden up. Soon the sooks and jimmies will depart, and the sooks will begin their journey down the bay as they develop into sponge crabs.
Recreational crabbers are catching a lot of small to medium sized crabs in waters from 6-12 feet; many of the large crabs tend to be light. The larger and heavy crabs that often measure 7-8 inches are being caught in water depths of 20 feet.
Freshwater Fishing
Western region rivers and streams received a little bump in water flows this week from recent rains, but it tended to be very localized. Water temperatures are still elevated in the western and central regions and anglers in the catch and release trout management areas should exercise the best catch and release practices. Fly anglers are having good success with a variety of terrestrials and dry flies.
Despite a little rise in water levels recently, the upper Potomac is experiencing summertime flows and water temperatures. These conditions beckon wading in some areas. It is a wonderful way to beat the summer heat, but anglers should be very careful. The morning and evening hours offer the best fishing success for smallmouth bass. Tubes, swimshads, and small crankbaits are popular lures.
The Savage River Reservoir contains healthy populations of largemouth and smallmouth bass and walleye as well as yellow perch and sunfish species. Each spring the reservoir is stocked with rainbow trout. Information about the Savage River Reservoir can be found on the DNR website.
Largemouth bass continue to provide plenty of fun summer fishing in nontidal and tidal waters this week. The largemouth bass are holding to a typical summer pattern of feeding mostly at night in the shallower areas. Anglers are finding the best fishing in the shallower waters during the morning and evening hours with topwater lures, spinnerbaits and paddletails. Deeper waters can be fished with small crankbaits, paddletails and jigs. The largemouth bass seek cool shade during the heat of the day under docks, overhanging brush and fallen treetops, deep sunken wood and floating grass mats. Wacky-rigged stick worms, soft plastics and the new urchin soft plastics are a good way to temp them to pick up a bait.
Atlantic Ocean and Coastal Bays
Surf anglers are enjoying a nice mix of summer species and continue to find some exciting catch-and-release action with large red drum. A mix of kingfish, croaker, and spot are being caught on small baits of bloodworms and peeler crab; squid work well for the croakers. Bluefish are being caught on finger mullet and flounder can be caught by casting jig heads tipped with a strip of squid. The red drum are being caught on menhaden or mullet cut bait.
At the inlet and Route 50 Bridge area, anglers are catching sheepshead by using live sand fleas. Flounder are in the inlet area as well as croakers. During the early morning and late evenings striped bass and bluefish are being caught by casting soft plastic jigs. Got-Cha type lures are also working well for the bluefish.
Clarity in the bay waters has improved and flounder fishing has been very good, with some large flounder being caught. The largest flounder are often caught by anglers live-lining spot or using large Gulp baits. The spot can be found at the shallower ends of the Route 90 Bridge. Croakers are entertaining anglers in the channels near the inlet and are being caught on squid.
Outside the inlet anglers are enjoying catching Spanish mackerel and bluefish by trolling a mix of Drone spoons and silver Clark spoons behind inline weights and planers. The inshore and offshore wreck and reef sites are providing excellent fishing for large flounder and a mix of black sea bass and triggerfish.
At the canyons the boats trolling are catching a mix of bigeye, bluefin and yellowfin tuna and a mix of dolphin of various sizes. White marlin are also part of the mix. Deep drop fishing for a mix of golden and blueline tilefish continues to be good.
“…. It takes several years of serious fishing before a man learns enough to go through a whole season with an unblemished record of physical and spiritual anguish.” – Ed Zern, 1951
Maryland Fishing Report is written and compiled by Keith Lockwood, fisheries biologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
The Forecast Summary is written by Tidewater Ecosystem Assessment Director Tom Parham.
A reminder to all Maryland anglers, please participate in DNR’s Volunteer Angler Surveys. This allows citizen scientists to contribute valuable data to the monitoring and management of se