Dominic Rizzo proudly holds up a beautiful walleye he caught on the upper Potomac River while fishing with his dad and grandfather. Photo by Dominic Rizzo Jr.
As we approach the halfway mark of August, fitting in a vacation before school starts is often on the mind of parents. Enjoying fishing adventures is a big part of family memories spanning the generations.
With some hot days back in the forecast, remember to take care when catching and releasing any striped bass. Visit the Department of Natural Resources website for tips on catch-and-release fishing, and check the striped bass fishing advisory forecast below to help plan your fishing trip.
Forecast Summary: August 13 – August 19:
Expect hot and sunny fishing weather but unstable conditions for Maryland Bay waters this week. There is a chance of rain on Wednesday, Thursday, and next Tuesday. As reported by the NOAA buoys, main Bay surface water temperatures are currently in the lower 80s but warming. River temperatures are slightly cooler in the upper 70s.
Salinities are below normal for most Maryland waters this time of year. Widgeon grass, a type of underwater grass that provides many key functions in the Bay, are producing clumps of seeds and can be seen in the mid-Bay areas. Along the Western Shore from the Bush River down to Chesapeake Beach, there is adequate oxygen down only to about 15 feet. In the Potomac River, there will be adequate oxygen down to less than 15 feet from Colonial Beach down to just upstream of St. George’s Island. With the very warm Bay surface waters and low oxygen conditions relatively shallow in the main Bay waters, this is a stressful time for cool-water game fish such as striped bass.
The Department of Natural Resources has developed a Striped Bass Habitat Conditions mapping tool that uses our newly developed water temperature and dissolved oxygen-based thresholds for Maryland’s resident striped bass. This tool will help you identify your local fishing hotspot and the current conditions so you can find the best locations to fish.
Expect average water clarity for Maryland’s streams, rivers and main Bay waters. However, expect reduced water clarity in the west side of the main Bay from the mouth of the Patapsco River down to the Magothy River from algal blooms. 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 Wednesday, Thursday, and next Tuesday as a result of the previous full moon on August 9.
Anglers at the Conowingo Dam continue to catch striped bass by casting with light surf rods, braided line, paddletails, and soft plastic jigs to reach the turbine wash at the dam. The action is just enough to keep anglers coming back. In the lower Susquehanna River, the focus is on fishing for blue catfish, as the striped bass action along the edges of the flats has been fair to poor due to warm water temperatures. The best time to fish there is at dawn and once the sun clears the horizon, fishing success for striped bass hits the skids.
Fishing for blue catfish is very good in the upper Bay from the mouth of the Susquehanna and Elk rivers, south to the Pooles Island vicinity, and the Chester River. There are blue catfish in other tidal rivers and parts of the upper Bay, but these areas tend to hold the highest concentrations. Most cut bait, scented chicken parts, cheese baits, and wild grocery store shrimp all work well.
Charter and private boats from throughout the Bay have descended on the south side of the Patapsco River, southwest of the Francis Scott Key Bridge site near Curtis Bay and Fort Carroll. Most boats are live-lining spot after anchoring up, and the fleet tends to be packed in at a rather confined area. Boaters are warned to pay attention to the restricted areas; the Maryland Transportation Authority provides updates for waterway users in the Key Bridge area.
Some anglers are choosing to troll for their striped bass along channel edges and some are jigging at the Love Point rocks, but most anglers are choosing to live-line spot. Other areas worth checking out are Pooles Island and the Baltimore Light.
Fishing for white perch on some of the lumps and knolls in the upper Bay has been a success for anglers jigging dropper rigs with two small jigs or shad darts attached. In some areas, fishing with grass shrimp is a very good way to catch white perch, while others are having success casting small spinnerbaits and spin-jigs along promising looking shorelines during the early morning and late evening hours. The Chester River near Hail Point, the mouth of the Magothy River, and the waters off Sandy Point State Park are good places to catch spot.
Daniel Neuland holds up a Channa that he managed to catch while fly fishing in his kayak. Photo by Daniel Neuland
The Bay Bridge piers are providing some striped bass action this week; most anglers would describe it as a slow pick but there is some success there. Drifting live spot or soft crab back to the pier bases is the most popular way to fish there. A good moving current is key and the early morning hours are reported to offer the best chances of hooking up with a striped bass. The 30-foot edge on the eastern side of the bridge is always popular but other pier clusters offer good fishing. Casting soft plastic jigs at the pier bases is always a fun option.
Fishing for striped bass in the middle Bay is a bit spotty this month; August does not have a stellar reputation for striped bass fishing. Anglers are checking many of the traditional locations for jigging and live-lining. These include Thomas Point, the Gum Thickets, Sharps Island Light, and the False Channel.
If you can get to your favorite location at dawn, striped bass can be found in shallower waters near prominent points or shoreline structure in the form of rocks and piers. The warm water temperatures have striped bass headed for deeper water once the sun clears the horizon. Casting 3-inch paddletails is a very popular way to fish and speckled trout may be in the mix. Poppers are always the most fun lure to fish the shallows; they stay above the grass beds and always provide entertaining surface strikes.
Bluefish are fortunately picking up the slack for the somewhat sedate August striped bass fishery. Anglers are finding them by trolling red and green surge tubes or spoons behind inline weights along channel edges. They are also encountering bluefish chasing bait on the surface.
Fishing for Chesapeake Channa, or northern snakehead, can be a worthwhile endeavor this week for a little change up from fishing out in the Bay. The tidal rivers of Dorchester County hold large populations of them and they are actively feeding now that they are in a post-spawn mode of behavior. The thick grass beds and spatterdock fields offer good fishing for these toothy fish.
White perch are providing some action in the region’s tidal rivers, fishing grass shrimp or peeler crab near docks and bulkheads is a good way to target them. Casting small spinnerbaits along promising looking shoreline structure during the early morning and evening hours is a fun way to target them. A mix of spot and small croakers can be found in the tidal rivers and Eastern Bay.
Lower Bay
Naeem Memon holds up a Spanish mackerel he caught this past weekend. Photo courtesy of Naeem Memon
Bluefish have taken center stage for anglers in the lower Bay this week. They are being caught by trolling red and green surge tube lures and spoons behind inline weights or planers. Trolling along the main channel edges and especially near the Target Ship and HS Buoy has been very good, with anglers catching their limits. Anglers are also encountering bluefish chasing bait on the surface and enjoying casting metal jigs into the action. The first Spanish mackerel showed up this past weekend and were caught by anglers casting metal jigs into breaking fish. Most likely more will be caught by increasing trolling speeds and by pulling small Drone and Clark spoons behind inline weights or planers.
Striped bass are being found here and there throughout the lower Bay. The lower Patuxent River near the Route 4 bridge and the lower Potomac near St. George are two areas where jigging and live-lining spot are working. Other anglers are finding a few striped bass along shorelines with docks, piers, and rock jetties by casting paddletails and soft plastic jigs during the morning and evening. Speckled trout may be in the mix, especially on the eastern side of the Bay.
Large red drum between the Middle Grounds and the Target Ship are being found usually by spotting slicks and disturbed water that is verified by depth finders. Jigging with large soft plastic jigs is very popular and some are dropping soft crab baits to the drum. An influx of cobia has been reported in the past week which makes sight fishing and chumming anglers happy. The area around the Target Ship has been the best place to find them.
Spot are still being found in many areas in the lower Bay, including Tangier and Pocomoke sounds, the lower Potomac and the lower Patuxent rivers; hard bottom is the key. The spot are getting larger and some are now big enough for table fare, while some of the croakers now exceed the minimum length of 9 inches. White perch fishing is somewhat steady in the tidal rivers and anglers are finding some flounder on the flats near channels in Pocomoke Sound.
Blue Crabs
Recreational crabbers are reporting catches and heavy crabs in 10 feet or less of water this week. Most crabbers can cull out the recently shed crabs and smaller ones to put together some nice crab catches. It has not rained in a while, and the crabs have moved far up many of the state’s tidal rivers. Razor clams continue to be the bait of choice, but chicken necks work well. Because of the number of small crabs on baits, some are using bull lips.
Charles Vinson holds up a nice smallmouth bass for a quick photo before returning it to the river. Photo courtesy of Charles Vinson.
The slight break in the daytime temperatures and cooler nights are spurring many of our freshwater fish into increased activity, which is good for anglers. Trout streams and rivers in the western region of the state are still showing the effects of increased runoff from rain events. Trout anglers fishing the flyfishing-only and catch-and-release areas are enjoying some good fishing by using a variety of flies.
Anglers at Deep Creek Lake and other reservoirs in the western region are enjoying cooler temperatures and good fishing for a variety of fish. Usually, smallmouth bass and largemouth bass top the list during the summer. During the day they can be found seeking shade under floating docks, overhanging brush, fallen treetops, and deep sunken wood. Flipping a variety of plastics that are wacky-rigged is a popular way to fish for them.
The upper Potomac River is reported to be running strong with slightly stained waters. Fishing for smallmouth bass has been good for anglers casting tubes, swimbaits, and small crankbaits near current breaks and large boulders. During the early morning and late evening, topwater lures cast near grass beds are an exciting way to fish for smallmouth bass.
Fishing for largemouth bass is the most popular freshwater fish target and especially during the summer’s warmer months. Anglers are enjoying good fishing from the morning hours into the midday hours by casting a variety of soft plastics near grass, sunken wood, and other structures that provide a little shade for largemouth bass.
In the tidal waters, Chesapeake Channa can make an exciting catch when fishing grass beds with topwater lures. Chatterbaits, soft frogs, and buzzbaits are popular weedless lures fished over or near grass beds. When fishing along the edges of grass beds the ever-popular white paddletail is hard to beat for attracting Chesapeake Channa. If you’re looking for these fish near you, Maryland DNR published a recent article about some hotspots for Channa.
Vinny Airtrip caught this impressive sheepshead last weekend. Photo courtesy of Vinny Airtrip
Anglers are enjoying some excellent summer fishing in the surf this week. They are catching a nice mix of spot, croakers, and kingfish on small baits of bloodworms, artificial bloodworm baits, and small strips of cut bait. Those fishing slightly larger cut baits are catching bluefish; squid strips on a jig head with a Gulp bait can entice flounder in the surf. A few pompano are also being caught on sand fleas.
At the Ocean City Inlet, striped bass are being caught during the morning and evening hours by anglers casting soft plastic jigs and bucktails, and bluefish are also part of the mix. At night, drifting cut bait is an effective way to catch bluefish. Good flounder fishing is occurring in the inlet and sheepshead fishing near the jetties has been excellent.
Flounder fishing in the back bay channels has been good this past week, water clarity is good, and some impressive flounder are being caught on live bait and Gulp baits. Those fishing with squid will see a mix of croakers and small sea bass added to the mix.
Outside the inlet and nearshore waters, anglers who are trolling are catching bluefish, false albacore, and Spanish mackerel at times while trolling spoons behind inline weights. The inshore lumps and wrecks sites are providing some good flounder fishing.
Farther offshore at the deeper wreck and reef sites, fishing for black sea bass has been excellent with limit catches being common. Large flounder and triggerfish can also be in the mix. Anglers can also be treated to small dolphin being attracted to the boat.
NOAA has issued a closure for bluefin tuna for all size categories and all areas for recreational anglers. At the canyons a summer mix of white marlin, blue marlin, yellowfin tuna, and dolphin are being caught by trolling a variety of lures and ballyhoo dressed with plastic skirts. Anglers are also enjoying fun fishing for small dolphin around the lobster pot buoy areas by casting with spinning tackle. Deep drop anglers are catching limits of blueline tilefish.
“At the altar, I little realized I was pledged to love, honor and obey three outboard motors, the ways of the river, the whims of the tide and the wiles of the fish, as well as Bill, the man of my choice.” – Beatrice Cook 1949
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.
