Forecast Summary: August 28 – September 3

Cooling weather with limited rain predicted will make for comfortable fishing conditions this week in Maryland’s waters. As a result of the recent warm spell, main Bay surface water temperatures have warmed to the low 80s. Maryland’s part of the Bay continues to run fresher than average. Larger areas with suitable amounts of oxygen – greater than 3mg/l – have continued to be available again this week. For finding the best combination of well oxygenated, cooler water preferred by many Bay gamefish, focus on fishing deeper during the daylight hours.   

Expect average water clarity for most of the Maryland portion of the Bay. However, expect reduced but improving water clarity in the lower Susquehanna River and upper bay from recent rains. In addition, expect reduced water clarity in the Bush, Back, Rhode and West Rivers due to algal blooms. To see the latest water clarity conditions on NOAA satellite maps, check Eyes on the Bay Satellite Maps. 

Expect average flows for the Susquehanna River and some other Maryland rivers and streams. There will be above average tidal currents Thursday through Tuesday as a result of the new moon on September 3.

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.

Blue catfish, photo courtesy of Mark Hanson

The water releases from the Conowingo Dam have returned to normal flows following the previous heavy rains from Tropical Storm Debby. The water releases are now on more of an evening power generation schedule. Water clarity has improved in the immediate area but some spots in the upper bay region may still see cloudy water conditions. Water temperatures had dropped to below 80 degrees for the first time this summer, down to 77 degrees at the Patapsco NOAA buoy, but the temperature recently rose back up to about 80 degrees. Temperature should fall again after the current warmer weather passes. 

Anglers fishing in the Conowingo Dam pool, the lower Susquehanna River, and the waters near the Susquehanna Flats are catching a mix of largemouth bass, Chesapeake Channa (northern snakeheads) and a mix of blue and channel catfish. The largemouth bass can be caught in the river and the edges and in the grass on the flats, and the Chesapeake Channa are usually entrenched in the thick grass. There has not been much reporting of good fishing for striped bass in the general area. 

Fishing for a mix of blue and channel catfish is very good at the mouth of the Susquehanna and nearby tidal rivers this week. The catfish can be found along channel edges and fishing with cut bait is the most popular way to fish for them, although anglers often report them chasing down crankbaits.

Fishing for striped bass has been very good in the Pooles Island area, the mouth of the Patapsco River, and Baltimore Harbor. Live-lining spot is a very popular way to fish along channel edges, and cut bait can also work. Unfortunately, floaters in the form of striped bass measuring over the 24-inch slot maximum have been too numerous lately; hopefully with cooler water temperatures and better catch-and-release tactics by anglers, we’ll see less of this. 

Striped bass anglers are also having good luck casting soft plastic jigs and paddletails in the Baltimore Harbor area near bridge piers, shoreline rocks, and old pilings. The early morning and late evening hours offer the best fishing opportunities. 

Casting small spinnerbaits, soft plastic jigs, and spin jigs during the early morning and late evening is a great way to fish for large white perch that can often be found near promising shoreline structure. Some anglers up their game by placing a little piece of peeler crab on the hook of a jig or spin jig. The tidal river shorelines of the upper Bay offer many places to explore.

Craig Roberts holds up a pretty pair, a slot size striped bass and red drum, both caught while live-lining spot. Photo courtesy of Craig Roberts

Now that water temperatures in the middle Bay have fallen to the upper 70s, fish are responding in a big way in the shallower waters. Casting a mix of paddletails, spinnerbaits, topwater lures, and soft plastic jigs in the shallower waters is still best during the early morning and evening, but fishing success has greatly improved from a few weeks ago. Puppy drum, striped bass, and speckled trout can be found in a wide range of locations. Eastern Bay, Poplar Island, the Choptank, Little Choptank and South River are just a few spots where anglers are having good success. More than a few anglers are also learning that spin jigs can be a great asset when fishing for striped bass, puppy drum, and large white perch. 

Bluefish are in the middle Bay and anglers getting most of the action are trolling Drone spoons and surgical tube lures behind planers. The channel edge from Buoy 83 south to the Diamonds has been a good place to troll. A few Spanish mackerel are also being reported in the mix with faster trolling speeds. 

Live-lining spot is another option this week at Thomas Point, the Clay Banks and the Calvert Cliffs Power Plant Discharge to name a few. Live spot will work well for striped bass, slot size red drum, and large speckled trout. 

Fishing for white perch is an excellent choice for fishing this week; the white perch are getting heavy shoulders and there seems to be quite a few large ones around. Casting small spinnerbaits, spinners and small soft plastic jigs is a fun way to fish for them along promising looking shoreline during the early morning and evening hours. Placing a piece of peeler crab on a jig can help entice the perch’s appetite further. 

Bottom fishing with grass shrimp or peeler crab around old docks and piers is a favorite summer pastime. Fishing over oyster reefs in the tidal rivers is another option. The west side of the Bay Bridge in about 15’ of water and the Kent Narrows are two great places to fish. When fishing with pieces of bloodworms at the Bay Bridge or tidal river locations spot can be part of the mix. 

Anglers can register now for the Rod and Reef Slam, a tournament that focuses on restoring oyster reefs throughout the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. This annual event, sponsored by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Coastal Conservation Association, starts at 6 a.m. on September 7 and runs through 11 a.m. on September 15. The grand prize is awarded for most species caught and includes powerboat, kayak, youth, and invasive species divisions. Registration, which includes food and drinks, is available on the Chesapeake Bay Foundation website.

Bluefish, photo by Travis Long

In the lower Bay, anglers are enjoying excellent catches of Spanish mackerel and bluefish while trolling. Higher trolling speeds of 7 or 8 knots with small Drone or Clark spoons behind planers has been the best way to fish for the Spanish mackerel. The main channel edges in the Bay, the mouth of the Potomac River, and Tangier Sound have been excellent places to fish for them. Anglers may be lucky enough to come upon breaking fish of Spanish mackerel and bluefish. Casting metal jigs into the fray, allowing the jig to sink, and then speed reeling can be a fun way to catch Spanish mackerel. 

Trolling small Drone spoons and medium-sized surgical tubing lures at slower speeds is a great way to fish for bluefish. A few anglers have also reported catching cobia and large red drum on the surgical tube lures. Casting into breaking bluefish with a moderate retrieve is another fun way to catch bluefish. Some anglers are setting up chum slicks focused on bluefish or cobia and catching bluefish on cut bait and a few cobia on live eels or cut bait.

Once again, the shallow water fishery for puppy drum, striped bass, and speckled trout is good this week in many locations. The lower Potomac and tributaries that feed into it are providing fun light-tackle fishing. The Hoopers Island area along with Tangier and Pocomoke sounds are also great places to fish. A mix of topwater lures, paddletails, soft plastic jigs, and spin jigs provide popular choices for casting. Other anglers are enjoying excellent fishing by drifting peeler crab baits in areas of strong tidal current movement. Peeler crab baits are also popular when fishing near the Target Ship for sheepshead. 

Bottom fishing for a mix of spot, croaker, kingfish, and a few small black sea bass has been very good this week. The mouth of the Patuxent River and Tangier Sound are two excellent places to fish for spot and croaker. The spot are becoming about as large as they can be before heading south in October, and anglers are catching croaker above the 9-inch minimum. The kingfish join in with the mix at times and the black sea bass are being caught near artificial reef structure. Flounder can be caught near Point Lookout, Tangier Sound and Pocomoke Sound for those targeting them along channel edge shelfs. 

Fishing for blue catfish in the tidal Potomac, the Patuxent and Nanticoke rivers is very good this week, with plenty of good eating catfish available. They can be a fun fishing opportunity whether fishing from a boat or from shore. A fish finder rig tied into a circle hook with cut menhaden or chicken liver for bait will get you in on the action. If fishing from shore with soft chicken liver, a hefty cast may see the chicken liver going in one direction and your sinker in another. Try brining a batch of chicken livers in non-iodized salt to firm them up. 

Recreational Crabbing

Recreational crabbers are enjoying good catches in most areas of the Bay. Upper Bay crabbers are doing well in the region’s tidal rivers. In the middle Bay, excellent places to catch crabs include Kent Island and the Wye, Miles, Choptank, and Little Choptank rivers. Recreational crabbers report good crabbing in the Rhode and South rivers. Water depths between 12 feet and 15 feet tend to be the best for catching larger crabs. 

There are some new crabbing regulations just issued regarding the legal limit or recreational crabbers. This allows recreational crabbers to use other containers for their crabs if they can keep count. The wooden bushel baskets are becoming scarcer, so this will be a big help, but remember to get an accurate count on those crabs – six dozen is the legal limit for recreational crabbers. 

Trevor Cockran caught and released this fine-looking largemouth bass at Piney Run Lake recently. Photo by Amanda Cockran

The fishing at Deep Creek Lake continues to follow a typical summer pattern, with anglers fishing for largemouth and smallmouth bass early in the morning and late in the evening. Main lake points and grass lines are good places to look with top water lures and spinnerbaits. Tubes and plastics in pumpkin or watermelon colors, cast under docks, moored boats, fallen treetops and stumps are good places to check during the day. Fishermen are reporting that the boat traffic is starting to slack off as the summer vacation season begins to wind down. There’s a lot better fishing ahead for sure.

This is often the time of the year for ant swarms, and fly anglers should keep watch on their favorite trout streams, rivers, and even ponds and larger bodies of water. Trout will be feasting on the ant swarms as hapless flying ants fall onto the surface of the water. The popular ant patterns can range from as small as No. 22 to as large as a No. 16. Sunfish will also get in on the action at ponds and lakes. 

The upper Potomac has calmed down and water temperatures have fallen, and water clarity is good. Casting root beer-colored tubers and crankbaits mimicking crayfish are good lures to cast near mid-current boulders, submerged ledges and current breaks. Cooler water temperatures in September should increase smallmouth bass activity. 

Largemouth bass are still holding to a typical summer pattern of feeding behavior, but water temperatures are beginning to show signs of cooling. The cooling of waters whether it is in a pond, reservoir or tidal river will have the same effect on the largemouth bass wherever they reside. They will start to feed more aggressively later in the mornings and earlier in the evenings. 

When the largemouth bass are actively feeding in the shallow waters where grass is thick, frogs, buzzbaits, and wacky rigged worms are hard to beat. In the tidal rivers, Chesapeake Channa will also challenge noisy topwater lures with explosive strikes. As the morning wears on and the sun is high in the sky, largemouth bass will look for cool shade in the form of floating grass mats, fallen treetops and brush, old docks and moored boats, and deep sunken wood. Wacky rigged worms tend to be the lure of choice in these circumstances.

The persistent south winds and churned-up surf are now just a memory, and anglers are enjoying catching a mix of kingfish, spot, blowfish, and flounder in the surf. The kingfish are being caught on pieces of bloodworm and small strips of spot. The spot want bloodworms or artificial bloodworm baits, and the blowfish and flounder are being caught on strips of squid.

At the Ocean City Inlet and Route 50 bridge area, bluefish and striped bass are entertaining anglers who are casting soft plastic jigs during the morning and evening hours. Flounder are always moving through the inlet, and drifting live spot or other small baitfish and Gulp baits will entice the larger flounder. Sheepshead are being caught here and there at the South Jetty and inlet bulkheads on sand fleas. 

The back bay channels continue to be the place to fish for flounder this week. The Thorofare, East Channel, and in front of the Ocean City Airport will always be good places to drift for flounder. Traditional baits of squid and minnows are standard and small flounder, black sea bass, and sea robins will keep you busy if you’re fishing near the inlet. Many anglers live-line spot and similar sized live fish or use Gulp baits to target the larger flounder. 

Outside the inlet the wreck and reef sites are usually providing good fishing for black sea bass, with small dolphin and flounder often thrown into the mix. At times anglers are frustrated when the black sea bass refuse to bite and often must move to another fishing site to get some action.

Farther offshore, there are plenty of small dolphin to be found at the lobster pot buoys. The anglers who are trolling the canyons are finding a mix of bigeye tuna, yellowfin tuna and white marlin this week.