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Maryland Weekly Fishing Report Overview | December 01, 2010
Chesapeake Bay
Fishermen have been out in force when wind conditions have been favorable and most are catching striped bass to some degree. Many have been focusing on trolling for the large fall migrant striped bass that are cruising up and down the shipping channel edges. Large parachutes and bucktails dressed with sassy shads have been the most popular choice for lures often rigged in tandem. Fishermen are using planner boards and trying to cover all depths. Umbrella rigs are being used as are spoons and most everyone is running medium sized lures within their spread looking for striped bass under 28". The shipping channel edges from the Bay Bridge south to Thomas Point and Buoy 83 and the edge in front of Buoy 86 have been producing some nice fish this week. Farther down the bay the western edge from Breezy Point to Cove Point has been good as is out in front of the HS Buoy.
School sized striped bass are still very much in play this week even though water temperatures are beginning to dip below the 50-degree mark. Fishermen are picking up fish by trolling and light tackle jigging. Striped bass can be found from the upper bay south to the Virginia line. At times diving birds will mark the way and other times a keen eye on a depth finder holds the key to finding fish. Deep channel edges are a good place to look for fish holding now out in the bay and in the tidal rivers. Fishermen are reporting finding good jigging opportunities in the lower Choptank, Patuxent and Potomac Rivers this week.
White perch can still be found responding to jigs with dropper flies where they are holding deep. Fishermen are now starting to see yellow perch in the upper bay moving towards the lower Susquehanna/Northeast River area. Fishermen have been picking away at them along the shallower areas with 2" grub jigs with somewhere around a 1/8-ounce jig head.
Freshwater
Walleye and yellow perch are beginning to school up at Deep Creek Lake and the crappie are already schooled up and holding deep under the Route 219 and Glendale Bridge piers. Walleye and smallmouth bass fishing has been good on the upper Potomac and the Baltimore County Reservoirs continue to offer good fishing. Some are closed to boating now and others will be closed to boating by the end of the month so be sure to check local regulations. Rocky Gorge and Triadelphia are open to boating till the 15th of this month; Prettyboy and Liberty till the 31st. Largemouth bass can be found holding along drop-offs and near deep sunken wood or structure. Grubs, small crankbaits, jigs and slow rolled spinnerbaits would be good choices to use for lures.
Crappie are reported to be schooled up in 6' to 12' of water in the tidal Potomac and the marinas near the Fort Washington area are usually a good bet when looking for them. Fishermen have also been catching blue catfish in that area and largemouth bass fishermen report the bass are holding deep along channel edges, rocks and bridge piers.
Oceanside
Perhaps the brightest note in the Ocean City fishing scene is the wonderful fishing for large striped bass and bluefish off the beaches. Small boat owners have been trolling large parachutes, bucktails and Stretch 25's or jigging when a mass of fish can be found under diving birds and bait. The Isle of Wight, Fenwick and Little Gull Bank have been three of the hot spots for finding fish.
Some notable sized striped bass are being caught in the surf by fishermen using bottom rigs baited with fresh menhaden along the Assateague and Ocean City beaches. A few striped bass are also being caught at the inlet by fishermen casting bucktails and swim shads. Tautog season is unfortunately closed now so the only bottom fishing game in town right now is black sea bass until the end of the month. Catches have been good on many of the wreck sites.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Keith Lockwood has been writing the Fishing Report since 2003 and has had a long career as a fisheries research biologist since 1973. Over the course of his career he has studied estuarine fishery populations, ocean species, and over a decade long study of bioaccumulation of chemicals in aquatic species in New Jersey. Upon moving to Oxford on the eastern shore of Maryland; research endeavors focused on a variety of catch and release studies as well as other fisheries related research at the Cooperative Oxford Laboratory. Education and outreach to the fishing public has always been an important component to the mission of these studies. Keith is an avid outdoorsman enjoying hunting, fishing, bird dogs, family and life on the eastern shore of Maryland.
Father's Day Puppy Drum
Type: Tidal
Region: Southern
Location: Breton Bay
Tags: Red Drum
My son Luke caught this nice puppy drum on Sunday. Father's day could not have ended any better way.
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What Happened To This Catfish?
Type: Tidal
Region: Central
Location: Swan Harbor Farm
Tags: Channel Catfish
I was fishing at Swan Harbor Farm in Aberdeen MD on June 15 and I was fishing with a friend catching Channel Catfish and he caught two with some strange marks on them and I was wondering what it is?
DNR Response: The marks on the fish are ulcers in the skin of the catfish. Ulcers are holes or erosions in the skin that are caused by physical damage such as rough handling, punctures or net abrasions, or by a fish disease such as a bacteria or a parasite. Often, a fish may be damaged initially and the wound may then become infected or inflamed. Although we cannot determine the cause based on pictures, I suspect that the skin on these fish were damaged initially by handling and then became infected. We recommend that fish with ulcers or other signs of disease be discarded and not eaten. Although there is generally little risk to people, there are several bacterial fish pathogens that can also infect humans. Make sure you wash your hands thoroughly after handling any diseased fish. The waterless hand cleaner is pretty handy to keep on a boat or in a tackle box and is effective.
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Fish Survey Results
Type: Freshwater
Region: Western
Location: North Branch Potomac River's Zero Creel Limit (C&R) Trout Fishing Area
Tags: Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass
The Western Region Fisheries crew recently conducted a fish population survey in the North Branch Potomac River's Zero Creel Limit (C&R) Trout Fishing Area from Westernport downstream to the McCoole Fisheries Management Area. The river is chocked-full of Rainbow Trout, from fingerling size to about 15 inches (and we did see a couple in the 20 inch range that we were unable to net). The Brown Trout population is dominated by large fish, as most of the Brown Trout we collected were in the 16 to 19 inch size class. Smallmouth Bass were also common, and the larger size Smallmouth Bass were found within this section of the river. The river is big water, with a very slippery boulder substrate. The best way to fish here is to float from the Westernport access at the mouth of Georges Creek downstream four miles to the McCoole Fisheries Management Area. This stretch is not for novices as there are a few drops and boulder-strewn rapids. There are local float-fishing guide services that I would recommend for the first-time angler.
Pictured is Fisheries Technician Jon Folk with 1) Brown Trout 2) Brown Trout 3) Brown Trout 4) Smallmouth Bass 5) Rainbow Trout
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