Bluefish, photo by Travis Long
Little by little, summer is losing its grip on the Maryland landscape, with cooler nights and milder daytime temperatures. Fish feel it too, and they are feeding aggressively and putting on body stores for what lies ahead. A perfect example are the bluefish in the Chesapeake Bay that are large and fat.
Forecast Summary: September 25 – October 1
As we roll into “Rocktober,” expect cool, wet, breezy weather to highlight our fishing conditions this week in Maryland’s waters. Shorter daylight periods and cooler day-time air temperatures have cooled main Bay surface water temperatures to the lower 70s, with rivers running slightly cooler. Maryland’s part of the Bay continues to run fresher than average.
In most places, expect areas with suitable amounts of oxygen – greater than 3 mg/l – to extend down to at least depths of 35 feet. The improving oxygen and water temperature conditions will continue to provide anglers with more opportunities to catch fish in shallower waters (as well as breaking fish) and the traditional places deeper in the water column such as channel edges, underwater points, hard bottom, and drop-offs.
Expect average water clarity for most of the Maryland portion of the Bay. To see the latest water clarity conditions on NOAA satellite maps, check Eyes on the Bay Satellite Maps. Expect average flows for the Susquehanna River and some other Maryland rivers and streams.
There will be above average tidal currents from Saturday through the rest of the week as a result of the upcoming new moon on October 2. Due to a low-pressure system parked off Maryland’s coast producing prolonged onshore winds, expect tides to be higher than normal for some of this week.
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.
The father and son fishing team of Bret and Bryson Demond caught some nice ones in an upper bay tributary recently. Photo courtesy of Bret Demond
Anglers fishing at the Conowingo Dam pool saw limited flows from the dam early in the week, causing very calm conditions, with a power generation release midweek. Casting a mix of topwater, crankbaits and paddle tails continues to be a good way to target striped bass with the occasional smallmouth and largemouth bass thrown into the mix.
At the mouth of the Susquehanna River, fishing for blue catfish is the major focus for anglers, and the good fishing also extends to the mouth of the Elk River and the other tidal rivers in the upper Bay. Fresh cut menhaden is one of the most popular baits, but there are many alternatives that anglers have found to be productive.
Fishing for Chesapeake Channa – aka northern snakehead – has been good this month, and the fish have been feeding aggressively in the tributaries of the upper Bay. Casting a mix of topwater lures over and near grass is one of the best ways to catch them.
Anglers fishing in the tidal rivers and out in the upper Bay should keep an eye out for floating debris this week. Extreme high tides often loosen logs and similar debris from the shores of the Bay and set them a drift.
Anglers fishing for striped bass continue to focus their efforts in and around the mouth of the Patapsco River, the remaining piers of the Key Bridge, and Love Point. Live-lining spot along the channel edges is a very popular way to fish, as is drifting back towards bridge piers and the edges around the Love Point rocks. Jigging with soft plastic jigs along the same location is also working well. Anglers are also finding suspended striped bass near the mouth of the Chester River and main channel edges with the use of depth finders.
White perch are still holding in their summer habitats this week but are more active due to cooling water temperatures. This is a good time to stock up on white perch filets, which freeze well for the winter months. Fishing with peeler crab, grass shrimp, bloodworms or small minnows near promising looking structure is always a good tactic. Docks and bridge piers, old piling fields, submerged rocks, shoals, and oyster bars all tend to hold white perch. Casting small spinnerbaits, spin jigs, spinners and small soft plastic jigs near promising looking shoreline structure is always a fun way to fish during the morning and evening hours. The Bay waters off Sandy Point State Park beach and the mouth of the Magothy River are two popular places to catch spot for live lining.
Photo by Herb Floyd
Anglers are finding improving fishing conditions at the eastern side of the Bay Bridge this week as more striped bass take up residence at the pier bases. On a running tide, drifting with live or cut spot, white perch, or soft crab baits to the pier bases is an effective way to target striped bass. Other anglers are casting soft plastic jigs at the piers during the morning and evening hours with good results. On the west side of the bridge fishing for white perch and spot has been good in about 10-15 feet of water. Peeler crab works well for the white perch and spot sure do like their bloodworms, which white perch will not turn down either.
The shallow water fishery for striped bass tends to be the most popular and successful way to fish for striped bass this week. Cooler water temperatures are causing the striped bass to linger longer in the morning hours and move into the shallower waters earlier in the evenings. Topwater lures in the form of poppers and Zara Spooks are popular, paddle tails, jerkbaits and crankbaits work well in slightly deeper waters. The back of Eastern Bay, Poplar Island, the lower Choptank, and the mouth of the Little Choptank are good places to fish this week. Slot size puppy drum and the occasional speckled trout have been part of the mix lately.
Fishing for white perch is a good option this week, and there are some large ones being caught. Kent Narrows is a very good place to fish from shore or a boat, the shorelines of Eastern Bay, the Naval Academy area on the Severn River, the Lower Choptank, the Little Choptank, and South River are just a few places to fish near shoreline structure. Casting small spinnerbaits, spin jigs and soft plastic jigs are a fun way to fish during the morning and evening hours. Small red drum are often part of the mix and when fishing deeper oyster reefs, croakers can be found when fishing peeler crab baits.
Photo by Travis Long
There are two spectacular fishing opportunities for bluefish this week in the lower Bay. The first is the abundance of large bluefish that are in the 8-10 pound range along the eastern side of the Bay from the HS Buoy south past the Target Ship along the main channel edges. Trolling Drone spoons and surgical tube lures behind planers is a very effective way to target them. If you are lucky you can encounter them as breaking fish; casting metal into the group will certainly put a bend in your fishing rod. These bluefish are real porkers, big and fat. There is a smaller group of snapper-size bluefish – ranging around a half pound to ¾ pound – found in shallower waters around Point Lookout and the mouth of the Potomac River.
The shallow water fishery for a mix of striped bass, slot-size puppy drum and speckled trout are keeping light tackle anglers busy and happy. The lower Potomac, St. Marys River, Patuxent, Hoopers Island, and the Tangier and Pocomoke sounds are all great places to fish the shallower waters during the morning and evening hours. Casting a mix of topwater lures, spin jigs, and paddle tails all work well. In areas with channels and cuts with a good current, drifting soft crab baits is a good way to hook up with red drum and speckled trout.
There are reports this week of large red drum chasing bait in the form of juvenile menhaden near the Target Ship and the Middle Grounds. The action can pop up at any time, and if the fish are not driven down by boat traffic the action can be exciting. Casting soft plastic jigs is the most popular tactic and if the drum is deep, jigging is employed. Unfortunately, if large toothy bluefish are mixed in, soft plastics are going to take a beating.
Ben Szoch holds up a big 8.5-inch crab ready for the pot, and it looks like his partner is ready with the seasoning. Photo courtesy of Ben Szoch
We have not heard much about flounder fishing in the lower Bay this week but normally this time of the year it is worth the effort fishing for them in Pocomoke and Tangier sounds. Any hard bottom shelf near deeper channels can be a good place to drift with pink or white Gulp baits.
Fishing for spot in the lower Patuxent is as good as it can be; the spot are about as large as they can get before colder water urges them to head south. Kingfish, croaker, and white perch will often be in the mix. The mouth of the Nanticoke and Honga Rivers along with the Point Lookout area and Tangier Sound are great places to fish for them. White perch can also be targeted in the many tidal creeks and rivers by casting small spinnerbaits, jig spins or soft plastic jigs near promising shoreline structure. Fishing grass shrimp or peeler crab on a simple bottom rig is another good tactic.
Recreational crabbing is still good this week in all regions of the Bay. Most crabbers can finish off an outing with a full bushel or close to it. Many are culling out crabs less than 6 inches and going to the extra-large crabs. Reports this week tell of good crabbing in waters between 6 feet and 10 feet deep, but also report a lot of sooks and small crabs chewing up baits.
Larry Tennant caught and released this beautiful smallmouth bass this past Monday. Photo courtesy of Larry Tennant
October is just around the corner and the traditional fall trout stocking program will begin in areas where water conditions will support the stocking of trout. Check the DNR website for more information on when stocking will take place near you.
The boating activities on Deep Creek Lake are really beginning to slow down, and the waters once again are becoming quiet for fish and anglers. Largemouth and smallmouth bass are still holding to a general summer pattern of activity, although anglers are reporting that on cloudy days the top water bite can last well into the day. Poppers, soft jerk baits, and buzzbaits have been good choices for this type of fishing. Floating docks and moored boats continue to hold largemouth and smallmouth bass. Slow presentations of jigs, tubes, soft stick baits, and wacky rigged plastic worms will often trigger these lurking fish to strike.
Fishermen are now finding walleye and yellow perch at 10-15 foot depths over deep grass beds. Drifting with live shiners over these areas or using small jigs has been an effective way to catch them. Anglers are also starting to see crappie congregate around bridge pilings.
The upper Potomac River continues to experience very low flows this week. Wading is still a fun way to fish the river, and you can see boulder formations that will be hidden during higher flows, so make note of them for future fishing. Anglers are having good luck catching smallmouth bass by casting root beer-colored tubes, small crankbaits, and topwater lures during the morning and evening hours.
Fisheries biologists were busy last month surveying smallmouth bass in the upper Potomac River. Juvenile smallmouth bass seine surveys were completed on the upper Potomac. The overall seine index score was below the historic average, but juvenile smallmouth bass densities were higher in the upper sections of the river. Juvenile smallmouth bass were observed in a range of sizes, suggesting that multiple spawning events occurred during the spring. Fall boat electrofishing surveys will be conducted at many of these same stations to monitor adult bass numbers.
Fishing for largemouth bass is good this week in tidal and nontidal waters. Grass tends to be the key target this time of the year. The largemouth bass are hungry and active due to cooler water temperatures; grass is where the food is, so you can find the largemouth bass by, usually in waters usually less than feet deep. Topwater lures in the form of frogs, poppers, or buzzbaits are good to use over grass. In tidal waters, watch out for Chesapeake Channa focusing on those topwater lures.
When encountering floating grass mats over water with some depth, dropping weighted wacky rigged plastic worms down through the grass is a great way to target any bass holding underneath. Working soft plastic craw jigs near the edges of thinning grass or sunken wood is another good tactic. Casting spinnerbaits and jerkbaits around the outside edges of grass patches or spatterdock fields can work well.
Pestering easterly winds did not make for very good fishing conditions for anglers in the surf, the bays, or offshore this past week. The surf is calming down and kingfish and spot are still in the mix. A run of red drum is anticipated, and anglers are fishing large cut baits hoping for some catch-and-release action. Migrating bluefish may very well begin to show up along the beaches.
At the inlet and Route 50 bridge area, bluefish tend to be the most common target for anglers casting a mix of bucktails, soft plastic jigs, and Got-Cha lures. Drifting cut bait during the night tide has also been a very effective way to catch bluefish. Striped bass are in the mix and casting soft plastic jigs during the early morning or late evening hours gets the best results. Flounder are always in play at the inlet and as bay waters cool next month, anglers will see more flounder moving through the inlet as they head offshore for the winter months.
The back bay waters have been cloudy due to strong winds but are clearing up quickly. The back bay channels and especially those leading towards the inlet offer the best fishing opportunities. Traditional baits of squid and minnows work well, but the largest flounder are being caught on live spot, finger mullet, or Gulp baits in white or pink.
There is a significant ground swell still present offshore, but a few boats have ventured offshore to fish the wreck and reef sites for black sea bass and large flounder with good results. Boats trolling the inshore waters should start to see bluefish and false albacore when trolling. At the canyons, a few boats came back to the docks recently with catches of dolphin and flags flying indicating white marlin releases.
“…Blues are both butchers and gluttons. They’re cannibals that will eat their young. They will eat anything alive. They have stripped the toes from surfers in Florida…”
John Hersey 1987
Maryland Fishing Report is written and compiled by Keith Lockwood, fisheries biologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Click Before You Cast 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 several important fish species.
This report is now available on your Amazon Echo device — just ask Alexa to “open Maryland Fishing Report.”
