Maryland Fishing Report – October 7
Angler Amy Robison and family went on a recent blue catfish charter trip through the Reelin’ in the Blue Bonanza program, and caught this one near Fort Washington on the Potomac River. Photo courtesy of Amy Robinson.
Cooler temperatures are becoming the norm across Maryland as we move through October. It is a wonderful time to get outdoors. Most fish are showing increased activity, and the fall trout stocking program has begun.
Forecast Summary: October 7 – October 13
Main Bay surface and river mouth water temperatures have dropped to the upper 60s. Temperatures in smaller rivers and streams have dropped to the low to mid 60s and will likely continue falling all week. Currently there is adequate oxygen in most Bay bottom waters. Due to the continued dry conditions, Bay salinities are running higher than normal throughout Maryland waters.
Expect average flows for most Maryland rivers and streams. Expect average clarity for most Maryland portions of the Bay and rivers. To see the latest water clarity conditions on NOAA satellite maps, check Eyes on the Bay Satellite Maps. There will be above average tidal currents all week because of the upcoming new moon on October 10.
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.
Frankie Goff is all smiles with this nice striped bass she caught in the Conowingo Dam Pool while fishing with her dad. Photo by Don Goff
Anglers fishing for striped bass are finding increased success along the shallower shorelines of upper Bay and the lower sections of the region’s tidal rivers. Poppers and paddletails can be good choices when fishing waters shallower than 10 feet, and soft plastic jigs are a good choice when fishing channel edges. The Conowingo Dam pool and adjacent Susquehanna River waters are providing good fishing for striped bass this week.
Both sides of the Susquehanna Flats, Pooles Island, and the Love Point rocks are just a few locations good for casting shallow running lures or working soft plastic jigs. There are still a few spot to be found in the upper Bay for live lining and they will become more precious in the next week or so. Live lining eels has always been a tradition in the upper bay and the Pooles Island and Love Point rocks are favored locations. Live lining small white perch will work well also.
Water temperatures have bounced back up to about 69 degrees and slightly lower in the tidal rivers. The cooler weather predicted for the next week will push water temperatures down. The water temperatures in the tidal rivers are not quite cold enough to force the mass exodus of baitfish from the tidal rivers, but the current cooler weather will lower water temperatures due to cold nights.
The fall striped bass fishery is something every angler looks forward to when the fish fill out their shoulders, gain that beautiful purple tint, and look healthy and fat. Jigging with soft plastics or metal jigs at the mouths of the major tidal rivers or along steep channel edges in the bay will thrill every light tackle angler. Trolling deep with umbrella rigs pulled behind heavy inline weights will also get the job done.
Fishing for blue catfish is very good in the upper Bay tidal rivers this week. The cooler water has a mix of blue and channel catfish moving more freely in slightly shallower waters adjacent to the deeper river and bay channels. The lower Susquehanna River and the Chester River are two excellent places to fish for them. White perch are holding near structure in the deeper waters of the tidal rivers.
Water temperatures in the middle Bay are about 68 degrees and the Choptank River at Cambridge is about 66 degrees. The forecast for the next week is colder nights and moderate daytime temperatures, so anglers will see water temperatures drop. The fall fishery for striped bass can’t come soon enough for light-tackle anglers jigging at the mouths of the major tidal rivers. This is the time of year when the striped bass fatten up and shake off the summertime faded color and thin bodies and prepare for the winter.
Right now the shorelines of the Bay and lower sections of the tidal rivers are offering some of the most consistent fishing for striped bass during the morning and evening hours. Casting poppers, paddletails and jerkbaits along promising looking shorelines that include those with structure in the form of rocks, large docks or piers, and prominent points. The rocks at Poplar Island and Thomas Point are always worth checking.
The Bay Bridge piers and concrete abutments continue to offer good fishing for striped bass this week. Drifting live spot, small white perch, cut bait, and live eels to the pier bases offers a chance at a slot size striped bass. The 30-foot edge on the east side of the bridge continues to be an excellent location to drift baits. Casting soft plastic jigs to the pier bases is a fun way to fish. The morning and evening hours during a moving tide offers the best fishing opportunities.
The channel edges from Buoy 83 south to Sharps Island Light and the False Channel are good places to explore with depth finders to find striped bass suspended off the bottom, usually at 30 feet. Jigging and live-lining spot are good ways to target them. Trolling umbrella rigs behind heavy inline weights will become more popular as the fall months progress.
White perch can still be found in the tidal rivers and creeks where they spent the summer. As water temperatures drop, they will begin to move to deeper waters in the lower sections of the tidal rivers searching for warmer water. Fishing around large piers, docks, and oyster beds in the tidal rivers and creeks should produce white perch for those fishing grass shrimp, peeler crab, or bloodworms.
Eric Packard holds up a slot red drum for a quick picture. Photo by Eric Packard
Calm waters and weather have returned to the lower Bay, and fishing continues to be good for a variety of species. There is evidence that some of our summer visitors are starting to head south, but there is good bottom fishing for a mix of spot, grey trout, and speckled trout. The mouth of the Patuxent River, the Point Lookout area, and Tangier Sound offer some of the best bottom fishing this week.
Anglers fishing along the shorelines of the lower Bay and the tidal rivers are enjoying fun fishing for a mix of striped bass, speckled trout, slot-size red drum, and small bluefish this week. Casting a mix of paddletails, jerkbaits and topwater lures during the morning and evening hours have proven successful.
Medium to large bluefish are being caught in the channels of the Bay by trolling a mix of surge tube lures and umbrella rigs using spoons as attractors and trailers. Inline weights are needed to get the umbrella rigs down to where the bluefish are. Smaller bluefish are being caught in the shallower waters by casting lures or using cut bait.
Anglers can still find white perch in the region’s creeks and tidal rivers this week. During the morning and evening hours they can be caught by casting small spinnerbaits or spin-jigs, or using grass shrimp and small minnows for bait. Structure and current flow are important factors to narrow the search for white perch.
There are always plenty of blue catfish. The lower Potomac River to the Wilson Bridge, the middle of the Patuxent River, and the Nanticoke and Wicomico rivers have large populations of them. Cooling water temperatures are causing them to be more active, so this is a good time of the year to stock up on a winter supply of mild tasting catfish fillets. DNR’s blue catfish website is always worth a look for additional information.
Freshwater Fishing
The fall trout stocking program has begun, and more than two dozen sites will be stocked in the next couple of weeks. The put and take trout management waters will receive rainbow and golden rainbow trout. Special management waters will receive brown trout. Trout anglers should check the trout stocking website to see the latest stockings that started this week.
Curtis Nelson caught and released this largemouth bass at Deep Creek Lake recently. Photo courtesy of Curtis Nelson
Maryland is in for some chilly evenings this week and our western counties may even see the season’s first frost warnings. Fish are feeling the chillier water temperatures and are feeding more to build up body stores for the upcoming winter months. Baitfish and crayfish are feeling the colder water in the shallower waters and as grass beds which provide cover for them recede, they will move to deeper water looking for structure.
Largemouth and smallmouth bass will be waiting in transition areas to intercept them on their move. Small crankbaits and jigs resembling crayfish will be a good choice for lures. Spinnerbaits, swimbaits, tubes, paddletails and soft plastics will also be good lure choices.
The upper Potomac River is stable this week with normal current flows. Water clarity is good and cooler water temperatures should make for good fishing for smallmouth bass. Root beer-colored tubes, small crankbaits, and swimbaits are good lures to cast near current breaks and near large boulders. Deteriorating grass beds and fallen leaves are soon to come, so enjoy some of the best conditions for smallmouth bass fishing.
Lilly Eberhard holds up a nice red drum for a picture before sliding it back into the surf. Photo courtesy of John Eberhard
Although the wind, rain and flood tides have dissipated, the Ocean City area is still recovering from the storm two weekends ago. Surf anglers are catching some bluefish and enjoying catch-and-release fishing for large red drum. Large cut baits of mullet or menhaden are the baits of choice. Cownose rays are unfortunately part of the mix.
At the inlet, sheepshead and tautog are entertaining anglers fishing with sand fleas or pieces of green crab. Striped bass and bluefish are being caught near the Route 50 Bridge area by casting soft plastic jigs and bucktails. Flounder can be caught on a flood tide.
The back bay waters remain cloudy and hopefully will begin to clear up by the weekend. The East Channel has been a popular location for flounder, and a flood tide tends to bring in clearer water, which is essential for good flounder fishing.
Outside the Ocean City Inlet, anglers are finding flounder, croakers, and kingfish on some of the inshore lumps. At the wreck and reef sites fishing for black sea bass has improved with some anglers catching limits. The black sea bass fishery should improve in the coming weeks. Large flounder continue to be part of the mix.
At the canyons captains report green water so most are deep dropping for a mix of blueline and golden tilefish. One very bright spot in the offshore fishing scene are the large swordfish that are being caught.
“Fishing is a quest for knowledge and wonder as much as a pursuit of fish; it is as much an acquaintance with beavers, dippers, and other fishermen as it is the challenge of catching trout.” – Paul Schullery
Maryland Fishing Report is written and compiled by Keith Lockwood, fisheries biologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
The Forecast Summary 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 se