Forecast Summary: December 11 – December 17:

Expect cool, windy weather to shape fishing conditions in Maryland’s waters during the second week of December. Salinity in Maryland’s part of the Chesapeake Bay above Cove Point is running slightly saltier than average. In addition, there is adequate oxygen from surface to bottom throughout the Bay.

Main Bay surface water temperatures have dropped to the upper 40s, with bottom waters slightly warmer and the rivers running slightly cooler. In comparison to historical Bay conditions for late November, both the main Bay and tributary water temperatures are still warmer than the long-term average. However, with the surface water temperatures in the upper 40s, bottom waters will be a few degrees warmer and provide some opportunities to catch fish at the traditional late season places deeper in the water column such as channel edges, underwater points, hard bottom, and drop-offs.

Expect average water clarity for most of the Maryland portion of the Bay. To see the latest water clarity conditions, check Eyes on the Bay Satellite Maps. Expect average flows for Maryland rivers and streams. There will be above average tidal currents through Friday as a result of the new moon on December 1. For more detailed and up-to-date fishing conditions in your area, be sure to check out Eyes on the Bay’s Click Before You Cast.

The 2024 striped bass season is over, and it sure went out with a fizzle. On the last Saturday of the season, the only two boats headed into Sandy Point Harbor weren’t fishing, but pulling their boats for the season and returning to an otherwise empty parking lot. 

At the Conowingo Dam pool and the lower Susquehanna River, anglers are targeting blue catfish, smallmouth bass, and walleye. The smallmouth bass and walleye are being caught fishing close to the bottom with grubs and small jigs. The blue catfish are moving into deeper areas of the Susquehanna and are eager to take cut bait. 

Just before the striped bass season closure, anglers were finding a few along the deeper channel edges; anyone interested in some catch-and-release fishing might give that area a try when jigging. Although trolling had been a popular and successful method of catching striped bass it does not lend itself to the fun of light-tackle jigging now that fishing is catch-and-release only. 

Fishing for white perch is a viable option for anglers not quite ready to put their boats and tackle into winter storage. The deeper channel waters at the mouth of the Chester and Magothy rivers are good places to explore for white perch. A good depth finder is essential to spot schools of white perch hugging the bottom of depths of 35-45 feet. Jigging with metal jigs is the best way to target the larger white perch.

For those not quite willing to give up fishing in the middle Bay, there are a few options this week. The first is fishing for white perch in the deeper waters of the main channels off Kent Island, the Bay Bridge rock piles, the deep areas off Matapeake, and the mouth of the Choptank River. Most of the white perch schools are being detected at depths of 35-45 feet and the perch are holding close to the bottom. Jigging with metal jigs and a small teaser tied in above is the most effective way to fish for them.

The warm water discharge at the Calvert Cliffs Power Plant is always a draw for fish and anglers when the Bay waters are chilly. Drifting through the discharge wash and jigging for striped bass is a catch-and-release activity now, but one thing about this place is that you never know who might show up – perhaps a lingering speckled trout or puppy drum?

There are blue catfish to be found in the Choptank River this time of the year. The catfish are moving farther up the river and holding in the deeper channel areas. The deeper waters from the Dover Bridge area to Denton hold the most promise for tangling with some blue catfish. Cut bait of gizzard shad, menhaden, or perhaps chicken liver on a sliding sinker and circle hook rig is one of the best ways to fish for them.

In the lower Bay, anglers can still fish striped bass in the main stem of the Potomac River (downstream of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge) until December 31, and keep one measuring between 19-24 inches. Be advised that Maryland’s tributary rivers feeding into the Potomac are closed to possession of striped bass. Trolling umbrella rigs down deep at 35 feet or more with heavy inline weights and heavy tackle are tools that are needed. Chartreuse trailers of bucktails dressed with sassy shads are the most popular offering.

When concentrations of striped bass can be located with depth finders along deep channel edges, jigging can be a fun way to fish. Both soft plastic and metal jigs are good choices to reach depths of 35 feet or more along the edges of the main channel. 

In the Maryland portion of the lower Bay, striped bass fishing is now strictly catch and release. Anglers will be testing the waters this month hoping that a run of large migrating striped bass moving down the coast might make a right turn into the Bay and come into Maryland waters for some exciting catch-and-release fishing.

Blue catfish can be found in great numbers in the Potomac River from the Route 301 Bridge to the Wilson Bridge this week. The blue catfish are starting to concentrate in the deeper channel areas and make for some easier fishing success. The Nanticoke River around the mouth of Marshyhope Creek and the town of Sharptown is another excellent location to find blue catfish. Gizzard shad or menhaden make good baits for a circle hook and siding sinker rig.

Brian Loratto holds up a beautiful brown trout from the North Branch of the Potomac before slipping it back into the water. Photo courtesy of Brian Loratto

One nice thing about freshwater fishing in Maryland, no matter the month of the year, there is always fun to be found. There are a wide variety of fish to pursue, conditions and tactics may change as waters become chillier, but the fish are still there.

The catch-and-release and fly-fishing-only trout management waters of western and central Maryland hold some exciting fishing opportunities during the winter months. The Savage, Youghiogheny, the North Branch of the Potomac River, and the tailrace of the Gunpowder River are just a few favored locations for winter fly fishing.

The flows in the upper Potomac are expected to increase this week as a fair amount of rain is expected today, and hopefully the water will stay clear. Fishing has been good for a mix of smallmouth bass and walleye recently. Casting grubs, tubes, and swimbaits have been good lure choices to cast near current breaks, deep holes, and submerged underwater ledges. 

Largemouth bass can still be found in transition areas between the shallows and deeper waters this week, but depending on the location and water temperatures they are starting to move deeper. Spinnerbaits, swimshads, crankbaits, and jerkbaits are good lure choices when fishing in the transition areas. Jigs, grubs, small crankbaits and blade lures are good choices when fishing the deeper waters.

Crappie are schooled up near deep structure this month and marina docks, bridge piers, and sunken wood are all good places to look for them. A slip bobber with a small minnow or marabou jig is a proven way to target them.

One fish that relishes cold water is the chain pickerel, and once the thick grass beds of the summer months recede, chain pickerel look for structure to wait to ambush any baitfish that move by their strike zone. Chain pickerel will hold close to any structure they can find, most often in the form of sunken wood along shorelines. The largest chain pickerel are noted for claiming the best structure in deeper waters. Chain pickerel can be found anywhere from the smallest freshwater ponds to the largest reservoirs and the upper sections of the Bay’s tidal rivers. Casting a variety of lures will cause them to strike but single hook lures in the form of paddletails and swimbaits offer less deep hooking problems than lures outfitted with treble hooks.

Bluefin tuna, photo by Monty Hawkins.

Surfcasters continue to soak large baits of cut mullet and menhaden in search of a few stray large migrating striped bass, which might venture within casting distance of the beaches on their way south. So far anglers are catching a mix of dogfish and clearnose skates.

At the Ocean City Inlet and Route 50 Bridge area there is a lot more action with good fishing for tautog near jetty rocks, bulkheads, and bridge and dock piers. A good portion of the fish being caught exceed the 16-inch minimum and gives shore bound anglers some good fishing action. Sand fleas and pieces of green crab are the preferred baits. There also continues to be action with striped bass for those casting soft plastic jigs and working them close to the bottom.

Migrating bluefin tuna have been an exciting fishery for anglers recently; most of the action is occurring within 10 miles of the beaches. Anglers are trolling ballyhoo and a variety of other favorite lures or chunking. The anglers heading out to the offshore wreck and reef sites in search of black sea bass and tautog are doing well with limits being a common occurrence.