Maryland Fishing Report – May 21

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Forecast Summary: May 21 – May 27:

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.

To see the latest water clarity conditions on NOAA satellite maps, check Eyes on the Bay Satellite Maps. 

Upper Chesapeake Bay

Anglers trying to fish at the Conowingo Dam pool and lower Susquehanna River this past weekend found high flow conditions due to large water releases from the dam. Heavy rains from the upper Susquehanna River watershed reached the dam on Friday and are only beginning to moderate this week. Given a few more days, water releases should return to a more normal volume and schedule. 

White perch fishing is good this week in the lower Susquehanna, all the way up to the dam pool. Casting tandem-rigged shad darts or fishing with bottom rigs baited with grass shrimp or pieces of bloodworm. Some anglers are having good results using artificial bloodworm baits on bottom rigs and it doesn’t hurt to put a little more enticement on those shad darts. 

Although blue catfish are beginning to spawn, there are still some out there willing to take baits. The lower Susquehanna River and nearby tidal rivers in the upper Bay all have populations of blue catfish. The lower Susquehanna and the Chester River tend to have the greatest numbers. Gizzard shad, white perch, menhaden and scented baits all work well on a fish finder type rig with a 5/0 -7/0 circle hook. 

Anglers have been probing the backwaters of the upper Bay’s tidal rivers and fishing for Chesapeake Channa, also known as northern snakeheads. Grass beds are filling out and this is where anglers are finding the fish. Casting a mix of soft bodied frogs, chatterbaits, buzzbaits, and paddletails near the grass beds has been the ticket to success. Check the Maryland DNR calendar for Snakes on the Dundee, a Chesapeake Channa fishing tournament scheduled June 7 at  Gunpowder Falls State Park. Tournaments like these can provide fun fishing opportunities and educational information for anglers. 

The 2025 striped bass season got underway last Friday, May 16 and many anglers were out pursuing striped bass. The Chesapeake Bay striped bass season opened downstream from a line drawn from the south corner of Hart-Miller Island Dike to the end of MD Route 21 at Tolchester and south to the MD/VA line, excluding all bays, sounds, tributaries, creeks and rivers. The Chester River and its tributaries downstream of a line drawn from Hail Point to Long Point to Ferry Point is open to fishing for striped bass. 

An unfortunate northwest wind blew for three days at the season’s outset, but many anglers were able to find a lee on the western side of the Bay. Most reported the best success jigging and casting close to shore in shallower waters, others trolled along drop-offs and channel edges with good luck. Fortunately, the winds calmed down on Monday and calmer conditions are forecast for the rest of the week. 

Striped bass anglers are urged to report their catches and fish they release on the DNR Volunteer Angler Survey. The information from anglers is very important to striped bass program biologists. Some anglers may be interviewed dockside by fisheries personnel about their day of fishing; and a new pilot catch card program is underway. Catch cards will be distributed to anglers this year as part of the program.  See more about the program on DNR’s website . 

Middle Bay

Striped bass is on every Chesapeake Bay angler’s mind this week and despite strong winds and rough bay conditions, anglers enjoyed good success over the weekend and can look forward to calmer conditions this week. The Choptank River and its tributaries downstream of a line drawn from Holland Point to a point of land at the west entrance of Chapel Creek are open.

Many anglers reported they were able to tuck in to a leeward shore and enjoy good fishing for striped bass on light tackle by casting and jigging. Casting a mix of paddletails, jigs, crankbaits and topwater lures presented a fun way to catch striped bass. Trolling is always a popular option and the channel edges on the western side of the bay offered good fishing and some protection from the wind. The weekend was a good time to be in a large boat. 

Striped bass anglers are urged to report their catches and fish they release on the DNR Volunteer Angler Survey. The information from anglers is very important to the striped bass program biologists. 

Water temperatures in the middle Bay are holding around 70 degrees this week and offer near-perfect conditions for striped bass. They can be found in the shallower waters near points and submerged rock jetties during the morning and evening hours and offer fun light tackle topwater action with poppers or anglers can choose to cast paddletails and jerkbaits. The rocks at Poplar Island, the Naval Academy, and the lower Choptank are excellent places to fish. 

Jigging soft plastics along the steep channel edges where striped bass can be located suspended close to the bottom will be a great option when concentrations of fish can be found on depth finders. The mouth of the Choptank River, Buoy 83, and any channel edge where fish can be located can offer good fishing.

Trolling is always a popular way to fish, especially on the larger charter boats. Umbrella rigs towed behind inline weights with bucktails, and soft plastic swimbaits will be used as trailers. Tandem rigged bucktails and swimshads will be popular also and the bucktails are usually dressed with a soft plastic shad or twistertail to attract the attention of fish in the 19-24 inch slot. Steep main channel edges are usually the target for those trolling. 

White perch are steadily moving into their summer habitats in the lower sections of the region’s tidal rivers and creeks. They will adhere to structure in the form of dock piers, breakwaters, and oyster reefs. When fishing off docks a simple one hook bottom rig and a one-ounce sinker is all that is needed for a straight down drop near a dock. Grass shrimp makes a wonderful bait, and pieces of bloodworm are also welcomed by white perch. In the morning and evening hours, drifting along a promising shoreline and casting small spinners and soft plastic spinnerbaits is a fun and exciting way to catch white perch on light tackle. Spot and small croakers have arrived in the middle Bay region and the tidal rivers. The spot are the perfect size for live lining for striped bass; the croaker are only about 6 inches long.

Reports from anglers tell of good to excellent fishing for striped bass this week, the winds have calmed down and the more open waters of the Bay are more accessible. Through the weekend many anglers tucked into wind-protected shores and enjoyed fun light tackle action by casting and jigging. Many fished the Patuxent River below Point Patience and the lower Potomac River. A fair percentage of the striped bass caught were a little over the 24-inch maximum but most everyone managed a fish in the 19-24 inch slot if they were keeping a fish. It was apparent in reports that everyone was happy to see such robust striped bass, well filled out and beautifully colored. 

Striped bass anglers are urged to report their catches and fish they release on the DNR Volunteer Angler Survey. The information from anglers is very important to the striped bass program biologists. Some anglers may be interviewed dockside by fisheries personnel about their day of fishing, and catch cards will be distributed as part of a new pilot program; see more about the program on DNR’s website. 

Trolling deep along main channel edges with umbrella rigs pulled behind inline weights with bucktails dressed with soft plastics as a trailer were popular for those trolling off charterboats. Tandem-rigged bucktails and swimshads were popular trolling set up when trolling shallower channel edges.

Large red drum are moving into the shallower waters on the eastern side of the Bay along with some speckled trout, sheepshead, and black drum. Soft crab baits are the most popular baits being used and when it comes to black drum and red drum the baits are usually not dropped till the drum are spotted on a depth finder. It is that time of the year when the lower bay is overwhelmed with cownose rays eager to gobble up soft crab or peeler crab baits.

The speckled trout can be found at the mouths of marsh creeks and the grassy shallows along the marshes of Tangier and Pocomoke sounds. Casting soft plastic paddletails or drifting peeler crab baits are good choices to target them. The sheepshead are being caught near the Target Ship on peeler crab. Bluefish are also moving into the region and tend to be in the two-pound size range. 

White perch are being found in the lower sections of the region’s tidal rivers and creeks this week. They can be caught by casting small spinnerbaits, spinners and small soft plastic jigs near promising looking shorelines. Fishing with grass shrimp or pieces of bloodworm off docks or near submerged rocks or oyster reefs is another good option for white perch.

Fishing for Chesapeake Channa remains good this month in the tributaries of the Potomac River, the Patuxent, Nanticoke, Wicomico and Pocomoke rivers. Grass beds are filling out and the fish are holding close to them and are in a pre-spawn mode of feeding behavior. There will be a Chesapeake Channa and blue catfish fishing tournament on June 1 at the Anacostia River, which features a fishing tournament and a list of educational activities. Check the DNR calendar for more details.

The spot and small croaker have arrived in the lower Bay and can be found in shallower areas and the lower sections of the region’s tidal rivers. The spot are a good size for live lining; the croaker are only about 6 inches long. Anglers fishing pieces of bloodworm are also catching kingfish when fishing for spot. 

Slowly the blue crab fishery is gaining traction as water temperatures warm and blue crabs shed to larger sizes. Recreational crabbers report that the best catches are coming from the lower Eastern Shore in waters 12 feet deep or less. Catches per outing range from a dozen in the middle Bay to a fair portion of a bushel in the lower Bay.

Freshwater Fishing

The freshwater areas of the western and central regions are recovering from the deluge that hit those areas last week. The upper Potomac River at Paw Paw for example was measured at 6 feet at 10 a.m. on May 13, and 24 hours later the river was measured at 30 feet. The water levels have slowly receded the past week to more fishable conditions. 

Many of the reservoirs received a lot of water, which is good and water clarity is improving. The reservoirs of the western and central regions hold a wealth of fish species for anglers to enjoy. 

Fun trout fishing adventures can be found in the western and central region trout management waters that are classified as delayed harvest, catch-and-release, or tackle-restricted. In the put-and-take waters there are still some trout that have dodged the Powerbait and casting small spinners and spoons is a great way to entice them. It is also a good way to cover a lot of water to find those trout that are lurking in hides far from where they were stocked. About 80,000 trout were stocked last month from DNR’s Albert Powell, Cushwa, and Bear Creek hatcheries. 

Largemouth bass are either actively spawning this week or have finished. As they leave the shallow spawning areas, the transition areas outside the spawning areas will be a good place to fish. The female largemouth bass will be eager to build up some body stores and should be aggressively feeding. Casting spinnerbaits, jerkbaits and soft plastics in these areas is a good tactic. Sunken wood, fallen treetops, and grass beds are excellent places to temp largemouth bass with soft plastics and whacky rigged worms.

Atlantic Ocean and Coastal Bays

Surf anglers along the beaches of Assateague are enjoying exciting fishing for large migrating striped bass this week. Most measure over the 31-inch maximum but all anglers would agree it is a thrill and for many a personal best to catch and release a large striped bass. Cut baits of menhaden and mullet have been the preferred baits; a few bluefish and of course lots of clearnose skates have been part of the mix. Anglers fishing sand fleas are catching the last of the black drum as they pass by our beaches, those fishing with bloodworms report catching a few kingfish. 

At the Ocean City Inlet and Route 50 Bridge area, anglers are reporting that the tautog bite is dropping off and an increased number of sub-legal tautog are being caught. The change of the tide is one of the best times to fish and sand fleas remain the preferred bait. A mix of striped bass and bluefish are being caught in the inlet on bucktails and soft plastic jigs. Flounder are always in play since the inlet is the pathway to the back bay areas.

The back bay waters have been churned up lately due to strong winds and it would appear more wind is in the forecast along with some rain. Clear water is needed for good flounder fishing so flounder fishing will show diminished returns during this period. Fishing for striped bass at the Route 50 and Verrazzano bridges remains good and is mostly a catch and release fishery. Casting paddletails in the morning and evening hours near the bridge piers is where the action is.

When the winds cooperate, captains are finding good fishing for sea bass on the offshore wreck and reef sites this week for their anglers. The Maryland black sea bass season is now open through September 30, with a 15 fish per day limit at a minimum length of 13 inches.