Maryland Fishing Reports sponsored by Solomon's Charter Captain's Association and Tri State Marine.
The waiting continues for an improvement in Chesapeake Bay rockfish action. Fish have been few and far between and the bite is much slower than it should be for mid-May.Striped bass have been reported on Susquehanna Flats. However, typical Chesapeake Bay rockfish haunts have been void of fish as stripers seem to still be up in the rivers. Hopefully that situation will change for the better at any time now. Croaker to 3 pounds have been reported at a number of Chesapeake Bay locations. Striped bass, speckled trout and a few puppy drum have been biting in the Crisfield area. Yellowfin tuna have been caught in Baltimore Canyon. Largemouth bass to 5 pounds have been reported by anglers working the Woodrow Wilson area of the Potomac River, and striped bass have also been hooked in the Potomac.
(Photo: Tidal Fish subscriber Shawn Kimbro recently caught stripers at Thomas Point Light. “Well, at least we were in the general area. The south by southwest kept building as the evening wore on, but the outgoing against the wind kept us right in the strike zone. We threw hot-rodded soft plastics until game-on topwater time just before dark. Nothing huge, but one guy on Thunder Road got really hot on the finicky fish. Eighteen to 22 feet is golden.” read this full Chesapeake Bay light tackle fishing report by clicking here )
Fishing Seminar:
Light-Tackle Flounder Presentation by angler and author Lenny Rudow
American Legion Post #175 on Manhattan Beach Road in Severna Park
Monday, May 21, 7:30 p.m.
Free and open to the public
Chesapeake Bay Fishing Reports:
This report provided by Captain Richie Gaines at Angler’s Connection Guide Service:
Ocean-migrant rockfish have left, and resident rockfish are still up the rivers and not in Eastern Bay, where there usually are at this time in May. Captain Richie said despite clear water and loads of bait, there are very few rockfish in Eastern Bay. “The fish are doing something different this year and we don’t know why.” In addition to the rivers, Captain Richie said there are still strong numbers of stripers on Susquehanna Flats.
Captain Hank DeVito aboard the Afternoon Delight reports:
Despite an occasional spurt of rockfish action in Chesapeake Bay, the bite has been very slow. Captain Hank had two recommendations for anglers: downsize your baits, and stick with it. By downsizing, he suggests fishing 6-inch baits instead of 9-inch baits, and put away the 8- to 10-ounce leadheads. Captain
Captain Sonney Forrest at Reel Relief Charters provides this information:
There’s been an improvement in rockfish action with some limits caught recently from the BR buoy to Hooper Island Light to 72A. Captain Sonney said most of the fish have been along the Western Shore in 45 to 90 feet of water. He has also caught rockfish while light-tackle jigging at Cedar Point. Speckled trout have been reported in the shallows along the Eastern Shore. The Patuxent River has provided action with 10- to 14-inch croaker for anglers dunking squid, bloodworms and small peeled shrimp on the hard-bottom areas.
Captain Walt at Light Tackle Charters in Crisfield reports:
A mix of stripers and speckled trout has been the norm with a few puppy drum (red) mixed in. We're casting light-tackle 15-pound gear to the points, flats, salt marsh, islands and jetties of Tangier Sound and Pocomoke Sound. Finding clear water with a running current has been the key to finding fish. Best lures have been red jigheads with a green plastic tail, white bucktails with a white plastic tail, chartreuse Storms, silver stickbaits, silver spoons and gold spoons. Most of the stripers have been in the 16- to 24-inch range. Specks have been in that same range with several 5-pound specks included in our catches. The puppy drum have been a rare but welcomed surprise and have been in the 24-inch range.
Ocean City, Maryland, Fishing Reports:
The following report is from Sue Foster at Oyster Bay Bait & Tackle:
Windy and rainy weather were a problem for coastal anglers last week, as unfavorable conditions some days limited the number of fishermen who ventured out. Assateague, and the Delaware beaches, have been productive locations for striped bass surf fishing action. Anglers often have to fish through a considerable number of skates before they hook stripers. Thomas Godusky pulled a dandy 19-pound, 14-ounce, 40-inch striped bass from the Fenwick surf on a clam bait. Striped bass in the surf have also had a hankering for bunker baits, which have produced stripers to 25 pounds. Sue Foster reported that “Mike Griffith caught and released a nice sand tiger shark from the beach on Ocean City.”
Captain Sean Welsh on the Restless Lady provided this report:
The Restless Lady managed to hook a mako and “popped a 42-pound yellowfin on a Fishfinder purple lantern.” Wrangler was in the Baltimore when they had 10 bites ad caught seven yellowfin. The Muff Diver trolled Baltimore Canyon recently and came up with four yellowfin on a Laceration Lure snack blue head with blue-white hair. Canyonrunner Mark reported three bigeyes in the Baltimore.
Fishing Reports provided by Charlie Taylor:
UPPER CHESAPEAKE BAY AREA - Bluefishing is slow, with scattered catches of occasional fish being taken in the bay near the 54 buoy on trolled spoons. Stripers are taking deep-trolled spoons and parachute rigs throughout the area. Chummers are taking a few fish, but the fish are smaller. Some 3- to 6-pound trout are being caught on small bucktails trolled over bars and edges of channels on the flats. White perch are taking grass shrimp, bloodworms and peelers off the piers and bridges. Catfish are biting on cut bait and soft clam snouts. Around the Bay Bridge, trout are showing up on the submerged rip-rap at the outfall on the eastern side of the bridge. A few blues are also being caught. Black drum to 92 pounds are showing in upper Tangier Sound and Hooper Straits.
MIDDLE CHESAPEAKE BAY AREA - Striped bass and bluefish are the fare here, with charter boats coming up with good catches of school stripers and taylor blues. Best success has been in the lower Potomac River. Most boats are averaging 20 stripers per day, with an occasional chopper bluefish. Grey trout to 5 pounds are taken around the Smith Point Light and Tangier Target Ships. Fair numbers of tautog are still caught from the wrecks. Flounder are showing along the Smith Point Jetty and at Blackberry Hang. Best success is on croaker to 3 pounds throughout the entire area. Some of the better areas are the Spike Buoy, R-8 and Butlers Hole, and the area from the Northern Neck Reef and Cut Channel. Speckled trout action is good at Hole-In-The-Wall. Fair numbers of flounder are available at the White Stone Bridge.
OCEAN CITY - In the back bays, snapper blues are biting on the rising tide. Seatrout are taking peeler crab, clams and squid. Some flounder are hitting on live minnows and squid strips. In the surf, 2- to 3-pound blues are taking cut mullet, while stripers are taking fresh cut menhaden. Competing for these baits are cownosed rays and dogfish. Occasional black drum are caught on clam baits. A few trout and tautog are being caught at the jetties on peelers and squid. Offshore, sea bass, tautog, ling cod and bluefish are taking squid on wrecks and artificial reefs. Mako sharks made an appearance last weekend, and are being taken along with blue and dusky sharks in the chum slicks. Most of the action centers around the Fingers. Chopper bluefish are available at the Bass Grounds, Jack Spot, 20 Fathom Fingers and Fenwick Shoal.
Potomac River Fishing Reports:
Potomac River and freshwater reports from Captain Ken Penrod:
TIDAL POTOMAC RIVER: Bass catching results were dependent upon wind direction and velocity and new moon tides which created very high highs and very low lows. WASHINGTON DC: We find very nice largemouth bass in the Washington Channel along the Fort McNair drop-off as well as in Pentagon Lagoon. Rapala DT crankbaits have been well received and Mizmo tubes and Big Mouth spinnerbaits are good alternatives. Smallmouth activity was much better during low water on the bridge foundations where Mizmo tubes in green pumpkin with complimentary flakes of red or gold are hard to beat.
WOODROW WILSON BRIDGE: This vicinity was “lights-out” much of the week when strong winds didn’t chase you away. We had more 5-pound bass in the few days that we could effectively fish here than we have caught in a long time. We targeted post-spawn bass with crankbaits and 4-inch Mizmo tubes. We did find one area that had strong spawning activity so we left it alone. Good areas to fish include Smoot Bay, Penrod Cove, Piscataway Creek and Belle Haven coves. The best producing crankbait was the Rapala DT 6 in Hot Mustard. The Penrod Special spinnerbait by Big Mouth Lure Company was a close second.
MATTAWOMAN CREEK: We find fishing success to be below expectations. Strong winds kept us here two days and we caught some in the 6-MPH zone with Penrod Special spinnerbaits. In the Occoquan complex, particularly Belmont Bay, it’s almost a shame how much fishing pressure that pod of bass is under. Captain Dave Kerrigan has been doing well in Pohick and Belmont while Captain Keith Barker stays to the north in the Woodrow Wilson bridge vicinity. Get some Big Mouth chatterbait imitations and attach a shaky-tail swim bait.
DEEP CREEK LAKE: Captain Brent Nelson and Bret Winegardner report pretty good action for spawning fish in coves uplake of the park. This is a great fishery and so much more productive than when the crowds arrive for vacation.
POCOMOKE RIVER: The recent full moon caused very low and very high water but if you were there during the later hours of the outgoing tide, you had to be catching plenty of bass on Big Mouth Spinnerbaits from spatterdock between Shad Landing and Dividing Creek. Same can be said for Nassawango Creek and above Snow Hill. You can learn so much during extreme low tides.
Potomac River reports from Charlie Taylor:
POTOMAC RIVER - D.C. - The herring run is about over. Small white perch and large catfish are the order of the day at Fletcher's Boathouse. Stripers are plentiful and fishing action is fair to good. Washington Channel has begun to produce bass along the War College Wall. Fish buzzbaits across the grass early and late in the day. Spinnerbaits and plastic worms are the ticket if the sun is shining. Rattling crankbaits, fished along the outside edge, are taking good fish from the drop-off. Stripers are patrolling the drop-offs, so be prepared for a hard strike. Bridge pilings on the main river are producing good numbers of bass and stripers on crankbaits and plastic baits. Grass-beds around Blue Plains and outside the Spoils are producing good numbers of 2- to 5-pound bass. Plastic jerkbaits and spinnerbaits are the ticket here.
POTOMAC RIVER - BELOW WOODROW WILSON BRIDGE - Largemouth bass are feeding in the milfoil beds along the main river, below Mattawoman Creek. Fish rattling crankbaits and plastic worms on the outside edges of the vegetation, and topwater baits over the beds, early and late in the day. The creeks are loaded with fish for those anglers fishing small plastics, small spinnerbaits and small crankbaits. The grass beds in the creeks have bass that are suckers for topwater frogs, floating worms and Zoom Super Flukes. These baits are best fished on braid with no weight. In the creek channels, keep the sinkers light and let the tide sweep the baits along the bottom. Watch the line where it enters the water for the strike. Small beetlespins will take good-sized yellow perch and sunfish, along with bass. Catfish are gobbling down cut bait, clam snouts and chicken livers throughout the river. Fish the bottom in the outside bends of the channel for the largest fish. Bridge pilings and flats adjacent to the channel will hold eating-size fish.
That’s it for this week’s fishing report, 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.
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