Maryland offers a wide variety of fishing opportunities, as this happy angler found on a party boat out of Ocean City, fishing for black sea bass. Photo by Monty Hawkins
One of the most wonderful things about fishing is that anyone can do it anytime and almost anywhere.
Forecast Summary: June 11 – June 17:
Continued warming fishing weather is ahead for this upcoming week with moderate conditions for Maryland Bay waters. There is a chance of rain from Saturday through Tuesday. Main Bay surface water temperatures have increased to about the mid 70s with river temperatures slightly cooler in the low 70s.
Due to recent rains, expect above average flows for most Maryland rivers and streams. However, except for the upper Bay, the long-term rain deficit continues to result in salinities that are still currently above average. There is also plenty of oxygen down to at least 35 feet for gamefish. Keep an eye out for horseshoe crabs spawning on Bay beaches around the full moon.
Expect reduced water clarity for the upper Bay from the Susquehanna Flats to the Patapsco River, as well as the Potomac River down to Colonial Beach, due to the recent heavy rains. To see the latest water clarity conditions, check Eyes on the Bay Satellite Maps. There will be above average tidal currents all week as a result of a full moon on June 11. For more detailed and up-to-date fishing conditions in your area, be sure to check out Eyes on the Bay’s Click Before You Cast.
Steven Nance caught this fine-looking Chesapeake Channa recently in the Susquehanna River. Photo by Stacie Nance
Anglers fishing the Conowingo Dam Pool are dealing with high discharge rates this week, which can make it very difficult and sometimes dangerous to fish there. The Susquehanna River is also high during these high discharge events and water clarity conditions are not good. Despite these conditions anglers are catching a mix of Chesapeake Channa and striped bass in the river and to a lesser degree in the dam pool.
Casting paddletails has been a popular choice for lures while others are having good luck by slowly trolling crankbaits. Live-lining small white perch in the river has been a very productive way to fish for striped bass in the river. Large channel and blue catfish are also part of the mix when live-lining or trolling. Fishing cut bait is of course a very popular way to fish for blue catfish and there are plenty of them in the lower Susquehanna River.
Striped bass anglers are urged to report their catches and fish they release on the DNR Volunteer Angler Survey. The information from anglers is very important to the Striped Bass Program biologists.
The Key Bridge piers are getting a lot of attention from striped bass anglers lately. Casting paddletails and soft plastic jigs near the pier bases has been a popular tactic for anglers. Live-lining spot is also popular along the channel edges near the mouth of the river, and drifting the spot to the pier bases is also very effective. Others are having good luck trolling tandem rigged bucktails and swimshads along the channel edges. Water quality may be an issue for anglers fishing the mouth of the Patapsco River this week due to a large diesel spill upriver and a nearby large raw sewage spill.
The steep channel edges of the main shipping channels are good places to troll this week and a good way to cover a lot of water when searching for striped bass. Jigging and live-lining spot can also be a great way to fish at the Love Point and Podickory Point edges. Water temperatures in the upper Bay are holding around 72 degrees this week.
Spot can be found in front of Sandy Point State Park, the mouth of the Magothy River, and a few selected lumps and shoals. White perch can be found in the same areas as well as the tidal creeks and rivers. Fishing for Chesapeake Channa – also known as northern snakehead – in the upper Bay tidal rivers remains good this week despite the predicted spawning activity.
The Chesapeake Channa fishing tournament that was scheduled for June 7 at Dundee Creek Marina has been rescheduled for June 14. The DNR website calendar provides information for the tournament called Snakes on the Dundee. These tournaments can provide fun fishing opportunities and educational information for anglers.
Joe Marquat caught this slot size striped bass near the Naval Academy Bridge by casting soft plastics. Photo by Joe Marquat
The striped bass fishing at the Bay Bridge has been unpredictable recently, and only a few anglers seem to be testing the waters. In the mornings and evenings anglers can be seen casting a mix of paddletails and soft plastic jigs to the pier bases. A few boats can be seen positioning up-current of the bridge piers in the evenings, and at night drifting live spot or soft crab baits towards the pier bases.
Water temperatures in the middle Bay are holding around 71 degrees this week. Anglers continue to work the shorelines of the Bay and tidal rivers where contours and structure offer promise of holding striped bass. This is mostly a morning and evening endeavor for anglers casting a mix of paddletails, topwater lures, and jerkbaits. The Kent Island shoreline, the Poplar Island rocks, the mouth of the Choptank, Little Choptank, and the Severn and Rhode rivers are locations worth exploring. Looking for grass beds, hard structure, and clear water can help narrow searches for areas where striped bass are holding.
Trolling along the region’s main channels is a good way to search for striped bass suspended off the bottom. Tandem rigged bucktails and swimshads are two of the most popular offerings. Slowly trolling diving jerkbaits can be productive along the channel edges near the mouths of the tidal rivers.
Live-lining spot is a productive way to fish for striped bass this week. The 30-foot edges out in front of Hacketts Bar, the Gum Thickets, the Clay Banks, and Thomas Point are just a few edges worth exploring, and depth finders are very helpful in this task. Spot can be found in front of Chesapeake Beach and behind Black Walnut Point on Tilghman Island, and they can be caught on pieces of bloodworm or artificial bloodworm baits.
White perch are being found in the region’s tidal rivers and creeks this week and they are offering some fun fishing from docks and piers. White perch offer easy fishing near dock pilings; a simple one hook rig with a No. 4 hook baited with grass shrimp and a one-ounce sinker will put you in connection with any white perch lurking underneath. In the evenings drifting along shorelines and casting small spinnerbaits, spinners or jigs is a fun ultra-light tackle way to fish.
One last note, cownose rays seem to be everywhere, and they’re bothersome when fishing the shallows. It is no fun to snag one while trolling and a mess when they take a bait meant for some other fish.
Lower Bay
Christopher Bishop holds up a beautiful speckled trout for a photo. Photo by Christopher Bishop
The lower Patuxent and Potomac rivers are excellent places to fish for striped bass this week. Anglers are enjoying good fishing along the 30-foot depth of the channel edges below the Route 4 bridge, the steep channel edges in the Potomac River from St. Georges Island to Piney Point, and on the Virginia side as well. Most anglers are trolling tandem rigged bucktails and swimshads behind inline weights; chartreuse is a favorite color.
Live-lining spot is very popular this week wherever striped bass can be found suspended along channel edges at about the 30-foot depth. The channel edges in the lower Potomac and Patuxent are good places to try, as is the 30-foot edge off Cove Point or anywhere in the lower Bay where striped bass can be spotted on depth finders suspended near the bottom.
Trolling along the channel edge below Buoy 72 and near the Target Ship and reef sites has been good for a mix of striped bass and bluefish. The bluefish range 2-4 pounds and can also be seen occasionally chasing schools of bait.
Jigging is a good tactic for striped bass along the channel edges of the lower Potomac and Patuxent rivers and 30-foot edges of the main channel out in the Bay. The areas around the Target Ship are also good places to trying jigging with soft plastics when fish can be found suspended off the bottom. Casting jigs and paddletails across the tidal currents in the Hoopers Island cuts is a great way to fish for striped bass with the possible bonus of speckled trout and red drum.
Large red drum are moving into the eastern side of the lower Bay from Pocomoke Sound up past Hoopers Island. Most are found in shallower waters where the red drum seem to be seeking out warmer waters. Casting paddletails, spoons, jerkbaits and topwater lures is an exciting way to enjoy shallow water catch-and release action for these large fish. Fishing soft crab or peeler crab baits will work wonders for red drum and speckled trout if they can get to those baits before the cownose rays that tend to be everywhere.
Casting topwater lures and paddletails is a very popular way to fish this week in the shallower waters of Pocomoke and Tangier sounds, the shores of the lower Potomac and Patuxent and bay shore waters. Grass flats and stump fields on the eastern side of the bay are favored areas for speckled trout and striped bass. On the western side of the bay, the St. Marys River, the Point Lookout area, and the Cedar Point Rocks are excellent places to cast topwater lures and paddletails in the morning and evening hours.
Chesapeake Channa are being caught in many of the tidal creeks this week of the major tidal rivers. The fish are holding near grass beds in preparation for spawning. Casting weedless rigged paddletails, chatterbaits, soft plastic frogs, and buzzbaits are a good way to work those thick grass bed areas.
Fishing for a mix of spot, small croaker and white perch is good at the mouth of the Patuxent River, near Point Lookout, the Honga River, Tangier Sound and Pocomoke Sound. Most anglers are fishing with a mix of bloodworm, peeler crab and artificial bloodworm baits.
Blue Crabs
Recreational crabbers are seeing catches steadily improve this week, but we are only in early June, and it will take successive sheds to really make a difference in catch numbers. The crabs that are being caught tend to be full and have that characteristic “rusty bottom.” Crabbers in the western tidal rivers near Baltimore, should be aware of a large diesel spill and a very large raw sewage spill.
Some of the best crab catches are coming from the lower and middle Bay tidal rivers and creeks in waters of less than 12 feet deep. Shallower waters tend to harbor a lot of small crabs that will chew up baits. Crabbers report some of the most productive sets are along edges where water depths from 8 feet to 10 feet.
Anthony Williams caught this nice walleye while fishing the upper Potomac from shore. Photo courtesy of Anthony Williams
The western region has once again received heavy rain events causing runoff to swell streams and rivers this week. Some of the smaller creeks and streams will enjoy higher flows which tend to make trout more comfortable.
The upper Potomac River is forecast to crest at 14 feet and levels will begin to decrease toward the weekend. Anglers should always be careful when fishing on the upper Potomac during the spring, and wearing a PFD is mandatory.
Check DNR’s trout fishing webpage for a list of delayed harvest areas. Some areas are already open to harvesting five trout per day; others will open June 16.
Largemouth bass are now in a post-spawn mode and busy building up body stores, so they are actively feeding. Grass beds in moderate depths outside of the shallower areas are an excellent place to target with wacky rigged worms. Fallen treetops, brush, sunken wood, and drop-offs also provide good places to target largemouth bass. In tidal waters fishing along the outside of grass beds and spatterdock fields on a low tide is a good tactic. More open areas can be targeted with spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, paddletails, and lipless crankbaits.
Chesapeake Channa can be found lurking near thick grass beds in the tidal waters of the Chesapeake as they prepare for their spawning season. They will often be part of the mix when fishing for tidal largemouth bass. White paddletails are the most popular lure used by anglers targeting Chesapeake Channa but weedless chatterbaits, soft-bodied frogs and buzzbaits work well when fishing grass beds.
Anglers report a good run of large red drum this week in the Assateague surf, and they are enjoying some exciting catch and release action. Cut mullet tends to be a popular bait. There is also a mix of inshore sharks being encountered.
Inside the Ocean City inlet, striped bass and bluefish are being caught along the jetties, bulkheads, and Route 50 bridge piers. Most anglers are having good luck with skirted soft plastic jigs and bucktails dressed with twistertails. Most of the striped bass are a little short of the 28” minimum but a fair percentage meet the 28-34 inch slot.
Flounder fishing has had its ups and downs in the past week due to cloudy water conditions. When cloudy waters conditions are present in the back bay channels, the last of an incoming tide often provides clearer water and better fishing. As of June 1, the minimum size for flounder bumped up to 17. 5 inches.
Fishing for black sea bass remains very good this week at the offshore wreck and reef sites, and limit catches are not uncommon. Some anglers are targeting flounder at some of the sites and are catching some impressive flounder.
Anglers headed out to the canyons are finding a wonderful mix of yellowfin, bluefin, and bigeye tuna. Several boats are also deep dropping and bring impressive catches of blueline and golden tilefish.
“Don’t tell fish stories where the people know you; but particularly, don’t tell them where they know the fish.” – Mark Twain
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.
