Forecast Summary: August 14-August 20

Cooler weather with limited rains Saturday through Monday will make for comfortable fishing conditions this week in Maryland’s waters. As reported from the NOAA buoys, main Bay surface water temperatures have cooled to 82⁰F. Potomac and Susquehanna River temperatures have cooled to between 75⁰F and 80⁰F as a result of the recent heavy rains. Maryland’s part of the Bay continues to run fresher than average. Areas with suitable amounts of oxygen (>3mg/l) have greatly increased, however, when combined with the cooling water temperatures, current conditions have improved for many Bay gamefish. 

Expect average water clarity for the Maryland portion of the Bay. However, expect declining water clarity in the upper bay because of the elevated flows from the Susquehanna River. To see the latest water clarity conditions on NOAA satellite maps, check “Eyes on the Bay Satellite Maps.” As a result of recent rains from tropical storm Debby, expect increased flows for the Susquehanna River and some other Maryland rivers and streams. There will be above average tidal currents conditions Friday through Tuesday as a result of the full moon on Tuesday, August 20th.

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.

Kai Morgan has a good grip on this 14.5-inch white perch. Photo by Rick Morgan

Anglers in the lower Susquehanna River and surrounding waters will see increased flows coming out of the Susquehanna due to the floodgates being open at the dam. The flows are decreasing with each day and should be back to normal conditions by the end of the week. Anglers will find it difficult if not impossible to fish the dam pool and the lower Susquehanna River at this time. The good news is the volume of water may help improve water quality conditions down the bay in the Tolchester Lumps and Pooles Island areas. 

Right now Pooles Island, the mouth of the Patapsco, and Baltimore Harbor are very popular with anglers fishing for striped bass. Live lining spot is perhaps the most popular and successful way to fish along channel edges and lumps. Spot are readily available at the mouth of the Magothy River and in front of Sandy Point State Park.

Jigging with soft plastic jigs near structure and channel edges can be a good tactic. During the early morning and late evening hours casting topwater lures, jerkbaits and swimbaits has been very popular in the Baltimore Harbor area near piling fields, rocks and old piers.

White perch can be found during those same low light times along shorelines. Casting small spinnerbaits in white or chartreuse and small jigs work very well for catching the larger white perch. Fishing channel edges in the harbor or shoal and knolls out in the upper bay are good ways to catch white perch by using peeler crab baits on a bottom rig. Bloodworms work well but tend to be very expensive this season.

Blue catfish tend to be everywhere this time of the year. They are spread throughout the entire upper bay region and can be found in waters as shallow as 8’ during the day and even shallower during the night. Usually fishing with cut bait or chicken along channel edges and shelves is a good bet in the bay and tidal rivers. Some of the blue catfish being caught are remarkably large and put up a hard fight so use heavy tackle. A bait with a circle hook and a sliding sinker is the most popular rig being used.

Herb Floyd takes one last look as he releases a Choptank speckled trout. Photo by Herb Floyd

At the Bay Bridge anglers are finding good fishing for white perch along the shallower western side of the bridge in about 15 feet of water. Most are fishing with bottom rigs baited with peeler crab when targeting white perch. Bloodworms will work also, but are a lot more expensive and will also catch spot. During the early morning hours there is some striped bass action on the eastern side of the bridge for anglers drifting live spot or soft crab baits back towards the bridge pier bases. Others are catching striped bass by casting soft plastic jigs at the pier bases. 

The Eastern Bay area continues to be an excellent area to cast a variety of lures during the early morning and late evening hours. Poppers, jerkbaits, paddletails and spinnerbaits are all good lures to use for a mix of striped bass and puppy drum. A good portion of the puppy drum are within the 18-inch to 27-inch slot limit. The Poplar Island rocks has been a popular area to fish as well as the Kent Island and Tilghman Island shorelines. 

The lower section of the Choptank and western shore rivers have also been good places to fish for a mix of striped bass and puppy drum during the early morning and late evening hours. Water temperatures in the middle bay region are holding at about 83-degrees this week and a salinity of 11.5 ppt.

Anglers fishing the shallow areas with smaller lures in the form of small spinnerbaits, spinners and soft plastic jigs are enjoying excellent fishing for white perch and small red drum under 18 inches and often in the range of 12 inches to 14 inches. Fishing with peeler crab baits on bottom rigs in deeper waters is another good way to fish for white perch. 

Fishing for blue catfish can be good this week in the tidal rivers of the middle bay region, all the tidal rivers have blue catfish in them to varying degrees. When fishing in the middle sections of the tidal rivers, blue crabs can be pesky bait nibblers so many who are targeting blue catfish are moving farther up the rivers into fresher waters. The Choptank River holds the greatest number of blue catfish in the region. Anglers are having good results in the Tuckahoe and the Choptank River above the confluence of the Tuckahoe up to the Denton area. Blue catfish tend to be spread out this time of the year, but channel edges and nearby shelves are excellent places to fish in the evening hours. Most any cut bait will work but due to their availability and strong oily scent, menhaden are at the top of the list.

Colton Fisher recently managed to get in on the puppy drum action with his dad. Photo by Jeremy Fisher

Anglers in the lower bay region are enjoying a wide variety of fishing opportunities this week. Perhaps the fish providing the most fun for light tackle anglers is the abundance of slot size puppy drum. They can be found in the shallower waters throughout the lower bay region, with the mouth of the Potomac, Patuxent and the Eastern Shore providing some of the best fishing. The puppy drum are mostly being caught by anglers targeting striped bass and speckled trout with paddletails and topwater lures, but some are switching to targeting the puppy drum, by using spinnerbaits. 

The puppy drum can also be caught by drifting soft crab or peeler crab baits at the mouths of tidal creeks and the cuts through Hoopers Island and out in the bay on promising looking bottom. Speckled trout will be part of the mix and some of the larger speckled trout are being caught by live lining spot. Larger red drum continue to roam through the lower bay region and when spotted on the surface or by slicks and side scan sonar, anglers are jigging with large soft plastics or fishing with bait.

The word has spread through the angling community of a pod of tarpon spotted last week off Hoopers Island. This is an unusual sighting but not beyond the realm of possibilities during the late summer months. The many seashore inlets of the eastern shore of Virginia have long been noted to harbor a few tarpon during the late summer months and it would appear some decided to take the bayside route up to visit us. There are no specific regulations on catching tarpon in Maryland or Virginia but due to the longevity needed to reach large sizes and that they are not edible, catch and release should always be observed if you’re lucky enough to tangle with one. 

Trolling for a mix of bluefish and Spanish mackerel has been popular this week, the numbers of Spanish mackerel tend to be less than the hungry bluefish that are being found in the lower bay region. Trolling speeds are faster when trolling for Spanish mackerel using planers and small spoons, slower speeds will allow bluefish to catch up. The mouth of the Potomac and the east side of the main shipping channel have been good locations to troll. 

Cobia fishing continues to be slow in Maryland waters and better as one heads south through Virginia waters. Chumming is very popular but during calm conditions sight fishing is good. Smith Point and the Target Ship area are two of the most popular places to look for cobia. Large sheepshead are being caught at the Target Ship on peeler crab baits.

Fishing for a mix of white perch, spot and croakers continues to be good in several locations this week. The lower Patuxent and Potomac as well as Tangier Sound are at the top of the list. Peeler crab baits work well for the white perch and croakers. Anglers are now seeing croakers large enough to keep, the minimum size is 9” and 25 per day. If spot are your target, pieces of bloodworm are the bait of choice. 

Recreational Crabbing

Recreational crabbers are enjoying good to excellent crabbing opportunities this week in all regions of the bay. In the upper bay the western shore rivers are providing a half bushel or more per outing, the Chester River is doing much better with a full bushel being common per outing. The Wye, Miles, and the Kent Island area are holding some extra-large crabs that are full and heavy, a bushel of these gems is common per outing. The western shore rivers are also good places to catch up a bushel. The lower bay region crabbing opportunities are excellent. Waters in the range of 12 feet to 15 feet tend to offer good crabs and shallower waters are full of a lot of small crabs. Collapsible traps or trotlines, both are doing well, and razor clams continue to be the bait of choice.

Jacob Pochini caught and released a whopper of a largemouth bass while fishing at Deep Creek Lake. Photo by Jason Paugh

Deep Creek Lake fishermen have been finding smallmouth bass on lake points and flats at dawn and late evenings on poppers, buzzbaits and spinnerbaits. Largemouth bass are being found at these same hours in grass bed clumps in 5’ to 10’ of water in quiet coves, also on poppers, buzzbaits and spinnerbaits. During the day, look for largemouth bass under floating docks and moored pontoon boats. Skipping wacky rigged plastic worms under the docks is a good way to tease them into striking. Walleyes and yellow perch tend to be deep this time of the year, usually just above the thermocline. Slow trolling crankbaits or nightcrawlers in a worm harness over main-lake lumps is a good way to find them. Bluegills will be found along the deeper grass bed edges, deep rocks and docks over deep water.

Anglers wishing to fish for smallmouth bass will see high water flows this week. The water levels are steadily receding, but the river is too high for wading. The western and central region streams and rivers received a lot of runoff from last week’s heavy rains. The water levels are dropping, but anglers can expect to see water clarity issues in some of the central region rivers. 

Although the opening of the traditional spring trout fishing season seems far away, the results from the 2024 youth fishing day survey are out and it seems to have been a big success for our younger anglers. The department is soliciting comments for some changes that are being considered – you can read the proposal and provide your comments on the DNR website. 

The upper sections of the tidal rivers throughout Maryland offer good fishing for largemouth bass and Chesapeake Channa when fishing near grass beds and spatterdock fields. Often the best time to fish topwater lures over and near grass is during the morning and evening hours. If the grass beds are floating over relatively deep water dropping weighted wacky rigged worms through the grass mats is a great way to entice a largemouth bass loafing in the shade. Flipping wacky rigged worms under docks and near fallen treetops and brush is an excellent way to fish for largemouth bass during the day. 

Whether fishing tidal waters of your favorite farm pond or reservoir, topwater lures are an exciting way to fish for largemouth bass. Casting spinnerbaits, jerkbaits and lipless crankbaits around the outside edges of grass beds is a very good way to target largemouth bass. Sunken wood and deeper structure are often a good place to find largemouth bass holding during the day. Whacky rigged worms, small crankbaits and soft craw jigs are good baits to work these areas.

Black Sea Bass – Photo by Monty Hawkins

There is some beautiful weather in the forecast providing a wonderful time to get out on the water or the beaches of Assateague for some fishing. Surf anglers are catching a mix of kingfish, spot and croakers on bloodworm of artificial bloodworm baits. Bluefish are being caught on finger mullet and cut mullet.

At the Ocean City Inlet, the boat traffic has calmed down a bit and early morning and late evening anglers are catching a mix of bluefish and striped bass by casting soft plastic jigs. Drifting cut bait in the outgoing tide has also been a great way to catch bluefish, especially during the evening hours. Sheepshead are being caught near the South Jetty rocks, bulkheads and the Route 50 Bridge piers on sand fleas and peeler crab baits. Flounder are always moving through the inlet and can be caught on Gulp baits or by live lining spot or other small baitfish.

The back bay channels are popular locations to drift for flounder. The East Channel, the Thorofare are always popular and in front of the Ocean City Airport is another excellent place to fish. Traditional baits of squid and minnows will always catch plenty of flounder but larger baits in the form of live spot or Gulp baits in pink or white often catch the larger flounder. 

After the seas calmed down the boats headed out to the wreck and reef sites are finding good fishing for black sea bass and a mix of flounder and small dolphin. Limit catches are not the norm lately but there are enough sea bass to provide some excellent eating possibilities.

Boats who are trolling within a few miles of the coast are catching false albacore, Atlantic bonito and bluefish by trolling. The boats heading farther offshore are finding a mix of yellowfin and bigeye tuna, small dolphin, white marlin releases at the canyons. Deep dropping for blueline and golden tilefish is also helping fill fish boxes.