MARYLAND FISHING REPORT Chesapeake Bay, Inshore and Offshore Fishing: Updated January 28, 2012

Maryland Fishing Reports sponsored by Solomon's Charter Captain's Association and Tri State Marine.

While it’s been mayhem in Virginia with huge numbers of giant striped bass and an invasion of big bluefin, it’s still been quiet on Maryland’s portion of Chesapeake Bay. When the weather has been decent, or at least “decent” by January standards, freshwater anglers have put the hook to yellow perch, pickerel and crappie.
(Photo: A wonderful sight for winter-weary eyes! A big, fat yellow perch is battled to boatside. They’ve been caught in Maryland streams, and a highly-anticipated run of sassy perch is expected to get underway any time now in the lower Susquehanna River.

TidalFish poster doublemaster reported catching about 25 total yellow perch with seven over 9 inches recently in his kayak. “I was between the 95 bridge and the flats on the Susky. Biggest was only 10-1/4 inches, but still good dinner. The biggest fish was a male, but two of the keepers were ripe females. All the fish were caught in 20 to 25 feet of water.”)

What’s going on. Fishing Shows, Fishing Seminars and other Fishing Happenings

January 28th & 29th
MSSA Kent Island Chapter 2nd Annual Fishing Flea Market
American Legion Post #278
$3 (16 yrs and under FREE)
Sat 8 - 4; Sun 8 – 3
(410) 643-3970 / (410) 979-0715

January 27th-29th
NRA Great American Outdoor Show
E-ventplex at the Frederick Fairgrounds
http://www.americanhunter.org/articl...-outdoor-show/

January 31
CCA Maryland, Baltimore Chapter meeting
6:30 p.m. at Nick’s Fish House, 2600 Insulator Drive in Baltimore. Lure-making presentation by well-known local angler Dave Gobeli.

February 3rd–5th
MSSA Annual Convention
Ocean City - Princess Royale
Packages Starting at $350
Speakers, Dinner, and Show - $100
Saturday 9 - 10 (speakers, dinner, show)

February 4th
Tri-State Marine Fishing Flea Market
Tri-State Marine - Deale, MD
7:30 - 2

February 4th
Salt Water Sportsman National Seminar Series
Annapolis
Presentations by Captains “Walleye” Pete Dahlberg, John Oughton, Brady Bounds, Chris Dollar and others.
www.nationalseminarseries.com.

February 17th – 19th
OC Seaside Boat Show
Ocean City Convention Center
$9 per person ($15 weekend pass)
Fri. 11 - 7; Sat 10 - 7; Sun 11 - 5

February 18th – 19th
PSG Fishing Flea Market
Earleigh Heights Fire Hall
$3 each day
Sat 8 - 2; Sun 8 - 2

February 18th
8th annual Chesapeake Bay / Delaware Bay Fishing Workshop
Quarryville, PA, 9am-3pm
Presentations on Chesapeake Bay rockfish trolling, jigging and live-bait fishing; Delaware Bay black drum, and better understanding your depthfinder / GPS. Call Keith Kaufman at (717) 284-3385.
February 25th
MSSA Annapolis Chapter Saltwater Fishing Expo
Annapolis Elks Lodge #622
$5 per person
8am - 3pm

February 25th
MSSA Dorchester Chapter Fishing Flea Market
American Legion Post #91 (Cambridge)
$3 (12 yrs and under FREE)
8am opens

March 3rd
MSSA Carroll County Chapter Bull Roast
WCVFD Social Hall
$40 per person
6pm - 11pm

March 17th – 18th
MSSA Essex/MR Chapter Fishing Flea Market
Commodore Hall
$3 per person
Sat 9 - 4; Sun 9 - 2

March 24th – 25th
MSSA Southern MD Chapter Fishing Fair
Solomons Firehouse
$3 (12 yrs and under FREE)
Sat 8 - 3; Sun 8 – 3

Maryland Fishing Reports:
From Captain Walt on the Pocomoke:
“Well we went from breaking ice to get out on the Pocomoke River last week to fishing in short sleeves this week.” Captain Walt at Light Tackle Charters said his anglers are “still catching more than our fair share of crappie, yellow perch and pickerel with a few largemouth bass thrown into the mix. We're using ultralight tackle (6-pound gear) and having a lot of fun fishing the reddish sweetwater of the Pocomoke River. We'll continue to launch out of the historic town of Snow Hill on Maryland’s Eastern Shore right into the second week of March.” Open dates are available by calling 410-957-1664.

Potomac River Fishing Reports:
POTOMAC RIVER - D.C.: The warm water discharge of the Alexandria Power Plant
is producing good catches of catfish, carp and white perch when the power plant is operating. Night crawlers, doughballs and live minnows are the ticket. Blue Plains Sewage Treatment Plant outflow is giving up lots of large gizzard shad to anglers jigging Silver Buddies, and bass to anglers fishing live minnows, jig 'n pig and plastic baits along the shoreline. Anglers fishing the Spoils are taking numbers of largemouth bass and crappie from drop-offs, on Silver Buddies, small dark-colored grubs, live minnows and crappie jigs.

POTOMAC RIVER - BELOW WOODROW WILSON BRIDGE: Bass are holding on the bottom
along steep-dropping banks. Yo-yoing a spinnerbait, tipped with a Big Daddy pork frog, will take some of the larger bass. Better numbers of fish will be taken on small plastic grubs, fished on 1/8-ounce jig heads. Cast the bait into shallow water and fish it back to the lip of the drop-off. Most hits will occur on the lip. When the bait falls off the lip, allow it to sink on a taut line. Should the line move at all during the fall, set the hook. Fish the bait very slowly and watch the line intently. Pickups will be very soft, and often the only indication of a fish will be a little heaviness on the line. Some of the better creeks are Mattawoman, Nanjemoy and Aquia, as well as Gunston Cove and the Occoquan River. Crappie are schooled up around submerged brush in the major creeks and coves.

POTOMAC RIVER - MORGANTOWN BRIDGE (ROUTE 301): Anglers braving the cold and windy weather can catch small stripers off and on in the outflow from the Morgantown Power Plant. Tip a 1/2-ounce or ¾-ounce jighead with a 4- to 6-inch Sassy Shad, cast into the uptide, outside edge of the outflow, and allow the tide to carry the bait along the bottom. The stripers will do the rest. Just be ready for the line to start moving. Medium heavy bass tackle will do the job.

Ocean City Maryland Fishing Reports:
Captain Monty Hawkins from the Morning Star fishing out of Ocean City reported on the tog action:
1/27/12 Hi All, What a nice stretch of weather. Really wasn't bad for late October ..which made it incredible for January. I even had guys walking around in flip-flops.

The fishing, unfortunately, wasn't all that. Sure saw some dandies though with fish up to 15 pounds, its just that we were short a boat limit a few days.
Ehh, had we kept what we tagged we'd have crossed that line everyday. Bob even put a 12 1/2 pound bull back among several good tags. Going again Sunday, looks like Thursday too.

Sue Foster from Oyster Bay Tackle in Ocean City Reported:
Tautog and stripers offshore. Few stripers reported at Indian River Inlet.
Besides that, not much going on.

I saw some anglers fishing the Rt. 50 Bridge for tautog. With the water
temps still relatively warm for winter, it's possible to catch them on the
last of the incoming tides.

That's it for this weeks report, new fishing reports coming on Friday, have a great fishing week!

You can get daily updated Maryland Chesapeake fishing reports on TidalFish.com's Maryland fishing forum by clicking here , Ocean City, MD Offshore Fishing Reports on the Mid Atlantic Offshore Fishing Forum and Ocean City inshore fishing reports on the Mid Atlantic Inshore Fishing Forum.