LEXINGTON PARK — A 24-hour swing from 80-degree sunshine to cold, windy weather has flipped Southern Maryland’s fishing season toward late fall, and rockfish now have most of the water to themselves.
With overnight lows settling into the 40s, spot, bluefish, bull red drum and speckled trout are expected to head out of the Chesapeake Bay and into the Atlantic on their southern migration, Ken Lamb of The Tackle Box in Lexington Park reported Oct. 19. That leaves striped bass, both in the shallows and schooling in the rivers and the bay, as the main event for local anglers, along with catfish and a strong freshwater bite.
Stripers in every venue
Anglers caught rockfish in all venues this past week, Lamb said. Trollers found them with tandem rigs fished on the bottom and with plain bucktails on the surface.
On the Potomac River, breaking fish have been consistent south of Ragged Point, though they are small. Lamb expects bigger fish to move in under the breaking schools soon. Stripers are also holding near the mouth of the Upper Machodoc Creek, just below the U.S. 301 bridge, a stretch he said has been productive for several seasons. Trolling, casting and jigging are all producing action there.
The Patuxent River has rockfish throughout, according to Lamb, but timing matters. Twilight and dawn have been the most active periods, and moving tides are key.
Shore anglers have been finding stripers at Piney Point, Point Lookout, Greenwell State Park, Myrtle Point and the Solomons fishing pier.
Anglers keeping fish should check current rules before heading out. Under the Chesapeake Bay recreational season Maryland adopted this year, harvest is open from Sept. 1 through Dec. 5, with a limit of one striped bass per person per day between 19 and 24 inches. The bay switches to catch-and-release only from Dec. 6 through Dec. 31. Closed areas are shown on the state’s striped bass regulation maps. The Potomac River’s main stem follows Potomac River Fisheries Commission rules.
The cold snap comes as the state reports another weak year for young striped bass. Maryland’s 2026 juvenile index was 5.5, up from last year but below the long-term average for the eighth straight year, the Department of Natural Resources said Oct. 19.
Blue cats and crappie
Catfish are active. The Wicomico River near Cobb Island and the Bushwood pier are giving up blue catfish in good size and numbers, Lamb said, with cut spot or alewives the bait of choice. Blue catfish are an invasive species in the bay, and Maryland encourages anglers to keep them.
Freshwater fishing is very good. Crappie are schooling in St. Mary’s Lake, where one party caught 20 nice crappie last week, according to Lamb. Bass and pickerel are plentiful as well.
For last week’s conditions, see our Oct. 14 local report on rockfish schooling up, and for the statewide outlook, the Maryland Fishing Report from DNR.
