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Maryland Fishing Report – July 17

Adam Krauss holds a large Chesapeake Channa (northern snakehead) caught in Dundee Creek.

Sly and the Family Stone sang about “Hot Fun in the Summertime” back in 1969, and it seems very appropriate at the moment. As the temperatures stay high, summer fishing and crabbing is in full swing – freshwater, tidal, and Atlantic fish are providing plenty of exciting action!

The striped bass season in Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay is now closed and will reopen August 1. The purpose of this annual summer closure is to reduce striped bass catch-and-release mortalities. Water temperatures in the Bay are generally running in the 86-degree range and are rising due to the continued heat. Striped bass suffer in these warm water conditions and the added stress of catch and release can be too much for them to recuperate. 

The extremely warm water also fuels bacterial and fungal growth in Bay waters that are burdened with too many nutrients. The slime layer on fish is their protection from bacteria and fungi, and any disturbance of that layer can invite infections in warm water conditions. 

A common summer bacterial infection is called mycobacteriosis. These infections can manifest themselves as one or two red lesions or sometimes an entire fish covered with them. Anglers should release diseased fish when caught, and take precautions when handling fish to avoid infection. In many cases these fish can recuperate when water temperatures cool in the fall, at which time anglers may notice scrambled lines on a striped bass indicating an area that has healed. More information on Mycobacteriosis is found on the Department of Natural Resources website.

Forecast Summary: July 17 – July 23:

Continued scorching temperatures with low winds and a chance of T-storms on Wednesday and early next week dominate this week’s forecast. Main Bay surface water temperatures have risen to 87 degrees while Potomac and Susquehanna River temperatures are holding in the low 90s. Maryland’s part of the Bay continues to run fresher than average. Areas with suitable amounts of oxygen – 3 mg/l or higher – have moved towards typical summer conditions, but when combined with high water temperatures, current conditions are stressful for many Bay gamefish. On the Potomac River, avoid the low oxygen areas below 15 feet between the Wicomico River and St. George’s Island. On the main Bay, from Tolchester south to Bloody Point, avoid areas deeper than 20 feet, while from Bloody Point down to the state line, avoid areas deeper than 35 feet. 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. 

Expect average water clarity for the Maryland portion of the Bay. 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 the full moon on July 21. Expect average flows for the Maryland rivers and streams.

For detailed and up-to-date fishing conditions in your area, check the Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ Click Before You Cast website.

Anglers who fish the Conowingo Dam pool have seen a shift in the power generation schedule lately. The power generation water releases have been occurring from the early evening into late night. The target for anglers fishing in the pool will now be flathead and blue catfish. The striped bass season in Maryland waters closed July 16 and will not reopen until August 1, in an effort to reduce striped bass catch-and-release mortalities. 

Willie Davis holds up a whopper of a blue catfish he caught in the upper Chester River. Photo by Lora Davis

Blue catfish will be a popular target for upper Bay anglers during this time, and these fish can be found in a wide variety of areas. They are more widely disturbed not due to warm water temperatures and will be prowling shallow waters, especially at night. Daytime anglers would do well to target channel edges, nearby shelves, and shallower flats near the channels. Cut menhaden is the easiest bait to obtain and a smell that blue catfish are used to pursuing. Channel catfish will also be part of the mix.  

A mix of white perch and spot can be found on many of the shoals, knolls, and bars in the upper Bay. The west side of the Bay Bridge to the waters in front of Sandy Point State Park is a good place to look. Structure in the form of old piling fields from ancient piers in the Patapsco River area, rock groins, and bridge piers in the upper Bay are great spots to check for white perch. Grass shrimp make a great bait as an alternative to expensive bloodworms, as does peeler crab and small minnows for white perch. 

Some of the best white perch fishing is reported to occur during the early morning and late evening. Casting small spinnerbaits or little soft plastic jigs near shoreline structure is a fun way to catch the larger white perch on light tackle.

The NOAA Buoy stationed near the Gooses recently registered a water temperature of 86 degrees, and the salinity has risen to 10 ppt. Sea nettles have been moving into the middle Bay for a couple of weeks now and as salinity values rise, there will be more. Our colleagues at the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences provide a view of sea nettle movement and where they prefer to reside. 

Now that the striped bass season is closed through July 31, anglers looking for panfish can direct their efforts to fishing for white perch and spot. The white perch can be found in every tidal river and creek, often near old docks and submerged structure. In more open waters, oyster reefs are a good location to look. Grass shrimp, peeler crab, small minnows, and pieces of bloodworm on a bottom rig work well. Large white perch can also be found during the early morning and late evening along promising shoreline structure. Casting small spinnerbaits and jigs are light-tackle favorites. If targeting spot, pieces of bloodworm or artificial bloodworm baits work best. Spot are being found near Tolly’s Point, Black Walnut Point, and in front of Chesapeake Beach. 

A mix of channel and blue catfish can be found in most of the tidal rivers within the region, with the Choptank River offering some of the best opportunities for blue catfish. The catfish can be found in a wide variety of water depths and some of the best fishing has been occurring from the Dover Bridge area to Denton. Cut menhaden is a very popular bait, because it is easy to obtain from bait and tackle shops and it produces a good scent trail. Brined chicken livers tend to be tough enough to stay on a hook and offer a good alternative to fresh cut bait.

Anglers in the lower Bay are now shifting to species other than striped bass, as the Maryland fishery is now closed through July 31. The Potomac River waters under the authority of the Potomac River Fisheries Commission is closed until August 21. 

During the early morning and late evening, anglers are finding speckled trout and puppy drum in the shallower waters of the lower Potomac near Point Lookout, the Hoopers Island area, Tangier Sound, and Pocomoke Sound. Casting a variety of topwater lures over grass beds and paddletails and soft plastic jigs in deeper waters near promising looking shoreline structure areas.

Christina Ziegler caught and released this black drum near Hoopers Island. Photo by Dave Ziegler.

Flounder are being caught near Point Lookout, Tangier Sound and Pocomoke Sound in hard-bottom shoal waters near channels. Drifting and working Gulp baits in white and pink with a strip of squid has been a popular tactic. 

Large red drum are being caught and released in the Tangier Sound area and near the Target Ship. Many schools are being spotted by depth finders or by slicks. Jigging with large soft plastics has been the most popular way to fish for them. Dropping soft crab baits to spotted fish is also a good tactic. Black drum are also being found along the eastern side of the Bay.

Large sheepshead are being caught near the Target Ship on peeler crab baits. Bluefish are being found out in the main channels and caught by trolling a mix of Drone spoons and surgical tube lures behind inline weights and planers. Black sea bass can be found near reef sites and although many are undersized, with a few exceeding the minimum length of 13 inches. 

Fishing for cobia is improving with better catches each week. Anglers are having the best success by anchoring up and chumming near the Middle Grounds, Smith Point, the Target Ship, and Mud Leads. Many are drifting cut menhaden baits or live eels to the back of the chum slick. Cownose rays are keeping anglers drifting baits in their chum slicks busy and they will always be attracted to chum slicks and a few anglers have reported medium-sized bull sharks in the region. 

Recreational crabbers are reporting a noticeable slump in blue crab catches, as the bounty of heavy extra-large crabs tends to be a bit sparse this week. Recreational crabbers looking at slightly smaller but legal-sized crabs need to take notice that the minimum size for blue crabs has bumped up to 5.25 inches through December 15. 

The best crabs are being caught in deeper waters of 12 feet or more. Catches of legal crabs are reported to be best in the lower Eastern Shore waters and fair in the middle and upper Bay. Crabbers using trotlines or collapsible traps report that large numbers of small crabs are covering baits. The presence of large numbers of sublegal crabs holds a promise for the future.

As the heat wave continues, many vacationers are finding relief on and in the cool waters of Deep Creek Lake. Anglers are finding the best times to be out fishing are in the early morning before boat traffic becomes too heavy. Rocky points are usually a good location to fish for smallmouth bass but also a pathway for personal watercraft and other powerboats, so be careful. Quiet coves can often provide less boat traffic as does the upper end of the reservoir. Floating docks are always a good target for flipping wacky rigged worms near and under the docks to smallmouth and largemouth bass holding there in the shade. Deep grass edges are good places to drift minnows for a variety of fish, and trout can be found deep along the dam face. 

Hot temperatures and low flows in streams and rivers in the western and central regions are placing stress on trout in many areas. In the water they are holding their own but when exposed to catch-and-release stress, they can suffer. Catch-and-release trout anglers are urged to limit fight time and release the fish without removing them from the water. The Department of Natural Resources website has posted some  guidelines put together by our trout biologists . 

The upper Potomac River flows remain low this week and water temperatures are warming. The best fishing for smallmouth bass occurs during the morning and evening hours for anglers who are carefully wading into the river. Casting drop shot rigged soft plastic shads, minnows, and tubes near large boulders in the main current of the river, current breaks, and submerged ledges works to catch smallmouth bass.

Largemouth bass provide plenty of summer fishing action in ponds, reservoirs, and tidal waters across Maryland. The largemouth bass are in an activity mode of mostly feeding at night and seeking cool shade during the heat of the day. The shallower waters with grass and structure hold baitfish and crayfish, and during the low light periods that is where largemouth bass prowl for food. Casting buzzbaits, chatterbaits, frogs, and lipless crankbaits is a great way to work these shallow grassy waters. 

During the heat of the day, largemouth bass will seek cool shade wherever they can find it. Shade from overhanging shoreline brush, fallen treetops, sunken wood, old docks and floating grass matts are all good places to look. Although these largemouth bass tend to be lounging the day away, a properly worked wacky rigged worm dropped in front of them will often entice to strike what looks like an easy meal. 

Anglers fishing in the thick grassy areas of the tidal rivers are finding surprisingly large Chesapeake Channa, known also as the northern snakehead. The tidal rivers on the western shore of the upper Bay have been producing large fish for anglers. The tidal rivers and creeks of the lower Eastern Shore and of course the tributaries of the tidal Potomac are all excellent places to fish for Chesapeake Channa. Frogs, buzzbaits and chatterbaits are all good lures to use when fishing grass. 

During the summer let us not forget bluegill and other sunfish species that provide so much fun fishing for adults and our younger anglers. The fun ranges from fishing rubber-legged poppers and ants with light weight fly rods to sitting on the bank of a community pond and watching a bobber rigged with a worm. 

Surf anglers are reporting good fishing for a mix of kingfish and spot in the surf. Morning hours tend to produce the best catches. A few bluefish are being caught on finger mullet and anglers casting Gulp soft plastic jigs tipped with a piece of squid can catch a flounder in the troughs between sand bars.

At the inlet there is plenty of action with bluefish, which are being caught by casting jigs or Got-Cha lures, or by drifting cut bait during the morning and evening. Sheepshead and tautog are being caught near the jetty rocks and Route 50 bridge piers. The sheepshead are being caught on peeler crab and sand flea baits and the tautog on crab or sand fleas. 

Black sea bass, photo by Monty Hawkins

The back bay channels are providing good flounder fishing for those drifting with traditional minnow/squid baits or white or pink Gulp soft plastic baits on a jig head. Bluefish are part of the mix in the back bay areas as are striped bass during the early morning and late evening hours. 

Fishing for black sea bass continues to be good at the offshore wreck and reef sites. Anglers are using traditional squid or clam baits, and many are also jigging with butterfly jigs with good success. The Department has published a new public notice which includes a drawing  on how to properly measure a black sea bass . The tassel-like filament on the caudal fin is not included when measuring total length. The minimum size is 13 inches (again, excluding the tail filament)  and the bag limit is 15 sea bass per person per day.

The boats and anglers heading out to the canyons are bringing a mix of yellowfin, bluefin, and bigeye tuna to the docks this week along with dolphin and flags indicating white marlin releases. Deep drop fishing is supplying anglers with good catches of blueline and golden 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 . 

Click Before You Cast is written by Tidewater Ecosystem Assessment Director Tom Parham.

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