It is summertime in Maryland and families are enjoying vacations now that school is out and the Maryland outdoors invites anglers of all ages to enjoy fishing together.
Young Ella Hoenke gets some help holding on to a large red drum for a quick picture that she caught and released at Assateague Island. Photo by Kurt Hoenke
Forecast Summary: June 24 – June 30
Main Bay surface and river mouth water temperatures have risen slightly to the upper 70⁰s and will likely continue to rise all week. Smaller rivers and streams temperatures are holding in the upper 70⁰s. With warming waters, bottom oxygen levels are decreasing. Currently there is adequate oxygen in most Bay bottom waters except near Quantico to the Wicomico River (Potomac River) and the Swan Point down to the Bay Bridge area.
Expect below 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 Friday through Tuesday as a result of the full moon on Monday, June 29th.
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.
Pamela Caron traveled to the upper bay from Pennsylvania to catch this striped bass near Turkey Point. Photo courtesy of Pamela Caron
The Conowingo Dam Pool and the lower Susquehanna River continue to be a draw for upper bay anglers this week. A mix of striped bass, flathead and blue catfish are being caught by casting and drifting cut bait near the turbine wash area. Other anglers are casting a mix of topwater lures, crankbaits and paddletails in the dam pool and lower Susquehanna River and catching striped bass and Chesapeake Channa. The same mix is being caught along the edges of the flats during the early morning and late evening hours.
Striped bass are being caught in a variety of locations and methods this week. Live lining spot or drifting cut bait is very popular along channel edges near Turkey Point, Pooles Island, Swan Point and Love Point.
Anglers are reminded that only non-offset circle hooks can be used when targeting striped bass with live or cut bait. https://dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/pages/recreational/circle_hooks.aspx
These areas are also good places to jig with soft plastics or troll with umbrella rigs. Anglers in the Patapsco will find their fishing access near what is left of the Key Bridge limited to outside of the exclusion zones.
Blue catfish tend to be everywhere in the upper bay region, although the larger female blue catfish are still spawning, they are being caught as are the smaller male catfish. They often get overshadowed by the blue catfish, but channel catfish are present in most areas.
Fishing for white perch continues to be challenging for many anglers, but they can be found if one persists. The knolls and reefs in the upper bay are good places to check for white perch schooled up with depth finders and fished with bottom rigs baited with grass shrimp or pieces of bloodworms. The region’s creeks and tidal rivers are holding white perch along shoreline structure in the form of steep banks, rocks, old pier pilings and prominent points. Spin-jigs, spinners, small spinnerbaits and soft plastic jigs are excellent lures to use during the early morning and late evening hours.
Middle Bay
Dave Haber was fishing the Kent Narrows when he had a surprise catch of a nice sheepshead. Photo courtesy of David Haber
Anglers are enjoying good fishing for striped bass at the Bay Bridge piers this week. The most popular method is live lining or drifting various baits back to the pier bases when a tide is running. The 30’ drop-off on the eastside of the bridge is a favored location for this type of fishing. Others are casting soft plastic jigs at other pier bases, the concrete abutments, and rock piles with good luck. On the westside of the bridge in shallower waters is a good location for catching spot and white perch.
The Kent Narrows continues to be a good place to live line spot or jig for striped bass this week. Fishing for white perch is also good. Dave Haber was fishing the Kent Narrows when he had a surprise catch of a nice sheepshead. Salinity values have been high in the bay due to the current drought and anglers are seeing fish that are normally found farther down the bay.
The channel edges off Kent Island down to Bloody Point has been worth exploring for striped bass with depth finders. Once fish can be found suspended off the bottom, it can be time to try live lining or jigging. Trolling is another good way to explore channel edges. The channel edge from Buoy 84A down to Stone Rock is also a good place to look for striped bass when lining and jigging live. Other anglers are having good luck at the False Channel and Thomas Point. The 30’ to 35’ channel edge tends to be a sweet spot when looking for suspended striped bass.
Water temperatures have reached the upper 70’s this week and it is due time to be thinking about careful releases of striped bass that may be below or above the slot. It would be a good idea to quickly release fish. The following website link offers guidelines. https://dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/pages/catch-and-release.aspx
The shallow fishing for striped bass during the morning and evening hours continues to be very good this week. The waters are warming up, so the morning and evening hours offer some of the best fishing opportunities. Casting poppers, Zara Spooks and paddletails are popular lures to use. Watch out for roving schools of cownose rays, they’ve really been stirring up some of the shallows.
Anglers are catching blue catfish in the Choptank River from the Dover Bridge to Denton this week in the channels. Anglers are reporting a lot of smaller blue catfish and a mix of channel catfish. Anglers fishing for white perch with bottom rigs report being overwhelmed with small 12” blue catfish.
In the lower sections of the region’s tidal rivers and creeks white perch fishing has been better. Casting small spinnerbaits, spinners and small soft plastic jigs along shorelines during the morning and evening hours is a fun and successful way to fish. Others are having good luck fishing with grass shrimp or pieces of bloodworms close to deepwater docks and oyster beds.
Lower Bay
Layla Kinder managed to choose this nice striped bass as the first fish she has ever caught. A very nice start to a fishing career, while fishing in the Patuxent River. Photo by Jordan Gray
There are lots of great fishing opportunities in the lower bay region this week. Schools of large red drum have arrived in force and anglers have experienced blitz fishing experiences at times near the Target Ship, the Middle Grounds, Smith Point and Point Lookout area recently. Casting large soft plastic jigs and heavy chrome spoons to schools of red drum has provided plenty of catch and release fishing for anglers. These red drum are not going anywhere soon, so the fun fishing should continue this week.
Cobia are steadily moving into the lower bay region this week and anglers were able to lure some into chum slicks off Smith Point and the Middle Grounds. The areas around the Target Ship and Point Lookout will also be good places to fish. Anglers are using live eels for the best results in their chum slicks. Anglers are reporting a fair percentage of the cobia being caught are coming up a little short of the 43” minimum total length measurement. Cownose rays, bluefish, striped bass and perhaps an inshore shark may be attracted to those chum slicks as well.
There are a lot of different fishing opportunities for striped bass this week. The steep channel edges in the lower Potomac River between St. Georges Island and Piney Point is a good location to live line spot or jig. The lower Patuxent River, Cedar Point, Cove Point are all good places to search for striped bass suspended close to the bottom. The 30’ depth has been a performer for anglers live lining, jigging or trolling lately. Bluefish are a big portion of the mix, whether one is live lining, trolling or jigging. Anglers casting from the shores of Point Lookout are reporting to be catching bluefish.
Fishing in the shallower waters along shorelines and river mouths is always fun with light tackle. A mix of striped bass and bluefish are entertaining anglers that are casting topwater lures and paddletails during the morning and evening hours. The marsh edges and grass beds on the eastern side of the bay, St. Marys River, the Cedar Point Rocks and the Hooper Island cuts are a few examples of good places to fish.
Cruz Aisquith seems to have his hands full with these jumbo crabs. Photo courtesy of Douglas Aisquith
Fishing for a mix of spot, croaker, and white perch is excellent in the lower Potomac and Patuxent rivers, Tangier Sound, Pocomoke Sound, and the Hoppers Island area. The larger spot can be found in deeper waters and the small ones suitable for live lining can be found in shallow waters.
Anglers targeting white perch will find them in the tidal rivers and creeks of the region. Oyster lumps are good places to fish with dropper rigs or bottom rigs baited with grass shrimp or pieces of bloodworm. Fishing the shorelines that hold promising structure can be fun in the morning and evening hours. Small spinnerbaits, spin-jigs and spinners are good choices for targeting a larger grade of white perch.
Blue Crabs
In some areas it has been a tough time for recreational crabbers to put a catch together. Upper bay recreational crabbers report having a difficult time finding crabs. The lower bay region and particularly the eastern side of the bay has been producing the best catches this week. Recreational crabbers in the middle and lower bay regions report catching the most crabs in relatively shallow waters of 4’ to 7’ of water. Crabs dropping off trotlines has been a problem. Most crabbers are finding crabs to be about 6” or larger and report that they are full.
Lucas Haggart decided to do a little fishing at Little Seneca Lake before his summer job shift at the boat rental station. While casting a soft frog he caught this monster size Chesapeake Channa (that was not in the tidal Chesapeake). Photo courtesy of Lucas Haggart
Vacationing anglers at Deep Creek Lake will find a wide range of fishing opportunities this summer. Our young anglers can enjoy fishing for bluegills off floating docks. If a boat is available, fishing the deep grass lines with live minnows is a good way to target yellow perch, smallmouth bass, chain pickerel and perhaps a walleye. Smallmouth bass and largemouth bass can be found off rocky points during the early morning hours and holding in the shade of floating docks and shoreline fallen treetops of sunken wood and boulders. The following website link for Deep Creek Lake offers valuable information for anglers. https://dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/pages/hotspots/deepcreek.aspx
The upper Potomac received a little bump in water levels from the recent rain but generally river flows are typical for the summer months. The waters are low and clear, calling for stealthy approaches, light lines and long casts. Summer temperatures invite wading but be careful of slipping or twisting an ankle. Casting tubes, topwater lures, small crankbaits and various soft plastics are all good choices.
Recent fish survey work at Piney Reservoir revealed that some of the saugeye that were stocked as fingerlings a few years ago have reached sizes of 24” or more. Liberty and Triadelphia reservoirs hold true strain walleyes and a wide range of desirable fish species for anglers. Prettyboy, Piney Run and Loch Raven are also popular and productive central region reservoirs to fish.
Largemouth bass have moved into a typical summer mode of behavior. They seek cool shade during the heat of the day and feed at night, often in the shallower waters near grass and structure. Floating grass mats over deeper waters, docks, overhanging treetops or brush and deep sunken wood all provide the cool shade largemouth bass are looking for. Since they are in a loafing type of mood, wacky rigged plastics are an excellent choice. In the evenings and early morning hours, topwater lures, spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, and paddletails worked near shallow grass will get their attention.
Chesapeake Channa will be part of the mix when fishing grass beds. Soft frogs, chatterbaits, and buzzbaits are good choices. Anglers are catching some impressive ones lately which might be signaling that they are leaving their fry balls and seeking to replenish body stores after spawning.
Atlantic Ocean and Coastal Bays
Matthew Groleau holds up a nice sheepshead he caught near the Route 50 Bridge. Photo courtesy of Matthew Groleau
Fishing the beaches of Assateague Island and Ocean City has settled into a summer pattern this week. The large migrating striped bass are long gone, there are some large red drum out there, bluefish and a lot of sandbar and blacktip sharks and stingrays for those fishing large baits. Kingfish can be caught on bloodworm or artificial bloodworm baits. Casting jigs with a strip of squid may get one a flounder or two.
At the inlet and Route 50 Bridge complex, sheepshead are being caught on sand fleas. Bluefish and striped bass are being caught by casting jigs during the early morning or evening hours. Drifting cut bait during the evening hours is a great way to target striped bass and bluefish.
It is summertime and boat traffic in the back bay channels, and the inlet are something anglers will have to deal with when fishing for flounder, be careful and have eyes in the back of your head. Flounder fishing is good and the flounder are spreading out through the back bays so the channels near the inlet, although an excellent place to fish can be avoided during heavy boat traffic times. The area in front of the Ocean City Airport is often a good place to drift for flounder.
During the early morning and evening hours anglers are catching striped bass near the bridge piers of the Verrazzano and Route 90 bridges. Most of the striped bass are a little short of the 28” minimum but offer fun catch and release action. Soft plastic jigs and paddletails are the most popular baits.
Outside the inlet Spanish mackerel and bluefish are being caught by trolling a mix of Drone spoons and Clark spoons. Flounder are being caught on the inshore lumps and shoals. At the wreck and reef sites fishing for black sea bass has been good. Limits of black sea bass are few, but most anglers can put together a good catch. Triggerfish have arrived and provide an excellent addition to the mix.
At the canyons, the boats trolling are catching a mix of yellowfin and bluefin tuna. Catches could be better, but most boats can bring a couple of tuna back to the dock. Many captains are adding some deep drop fishing to their charter trips to bring back golden and blueline tilefish.
“The chief difference between big-game fishing and weightlifting is that weightlifters never clutter up their library walls with stuffed barbells.” Ed Zern 1947.
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 several important fish species.
