Maryland Fishing Report – June 18

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Forecast Summary: June 18 – June 24:

Continued warming fishing weather is ahead for this upcoming week with moderate conditions for Maryland Bay waters. There is a chance of rain from Saturday through Tuesday. Main Bay surface water temperatures have increased to about the mid 70s with river temperatures slightly cooler in the low 70s. 

Due to recent rains, expect above average flows for most Maryland rivers and streams. However, except for the upper Bay, the long-term rain deficit continues to result in salinities that are still currently above average. There is also plenty of oxygen down to at least 35 feet for gamefish. Keep an eye out for horseshoe crabs spawning on Bay beaches around the full moon.

Expect reduced water clarity for the upper Bay from the Susquehanna Flats to the Patapsco River, as well as the Potomac River down to Colonial Beach, due to the recent heavy rains. To see the latest water clarity conditions, check Eyes on the Bay Satellite Maps. There will be above average tidal currents all week as a result of a full moon on June 11. 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.

Upper Chesapeake Bay

Anglers wishing to fish the Conowingo Dam Pool for striped bass this week continue to deal with large releases of water and an unpredictable schedule. There are striped bass in the dam pool and if one can deal with high and turbulent waters striped bass can be caught. Farther down the Susquehanna, anglers are having better success fishing along the shorelines and especially near the mouths of Octararo and Deer creeks. Casting a mix of soft plastic jigs, paddletails, and crankbaits are popular ways to target them. Live-lining small white perch and spot are also a viable tactic.

At the mouth of the Susquehanna River anglers casting topwater lures, paddletails, and jerkbaits near the edges of the Susquehanna Flats are catching striped bass during the morning and evening hours. Jigging and live-lining spot are excellent ways to fish for striped bass along the deeper edges of the channel drop-offs.

Blue catfish abound at the mouth of the Susquehanna River and anglers live-lining spot, are unintentionally tangling with them. If blue catfish are your target, most any kind of cut bait fished on the bottom will get the job done.

Anglers looking for striped bass are enjoying fun shallow water fishing along the shorelines of the upper Bay and the lower sections of the region’s tidal rivers. This is mostly a morning and evening fishery and casting topwater lures makes it a very exciting way to fish. Paddletails are a second option, especially when the morning hours advance.

Live-lining spot is very popular, there are plenty of spot available at several locations. In front of Sandy Point State Park, the shallow end on the western side of the Bay Bridge, in front of the Podickory Point Marina, and the mouth of the Magothy River to name a few. The mouth of the Patapsco near the Key Bridge is a popular place to fish, as is Love Point and Podickory Point.

Trolling is always an option and umbrella rigs festooned with spoons are popular when pulled behind inline weights, as are tandem rigged bucktails and swimshads. The main channel edges near Swan Point, Love Point, and Podickory Point are always worth exploring.

White perch can be found in the tidal rivers and can be caught on bottom rigs baited with grass shrimp or pieces of bloodworm. During the morning and evening hours, casting small spinnerbaits and small jigs along promising shorelines is always fun and a great way to target the larger white perch. Chesapeake Channa are being caught in the upper most sections of the tidal rivers in thick grassy areas.

Middle Bay

Anglers fishing for striped bass at the Bay Bridge report mixed results on any given day. Drifting live spot or soft crab baits to the pier bases on a good running tide is the standard tactic. Others are jigging deep at the rock piles with heavy jigs due to stiff currents. Lighter jigs and paddletails can be used when casting to the shallower bridge pier bases.

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

During the morning and evening hours anglers are having a fun and successful time casting topwater lures such as poppers and spooks along the shorelines of the Bay and the lower sections of the tidal rivers. Rock jetties, reinforced shorelines, large piers, and prominent points are all good things to keep in mind when selecting areas to fish. Water temperatures in the middle Bay region are holding around 78 degrees.

Live-lining spot is perhaps one of the most popular ways to fish for striped bass. There is a ready supply of spot to be found in the shallower and hard-bottom areas of the Bay. Once a supply of spot is gathered, channel edges are usually the target, and a good depth finder can help lead the way. The channel edges at Hacketts Bar, the Gum Thickets, Thomas Point, Buoy 83, the Clay Banks, Sharps Island Light, the Diamonds, and False Channel are all good locations to check out.

Trolling along the region’s channel edges is a very viable fishing option this week. A mixed spread of umbrella rigs with spoons or swimshads for teasers and trailers, tandem rigged bucktails and now that bluefish are in the region, surge tube lures should be included. All need to be pulled behind inline weights. It is not uncommon for cownose rays to get snagged while trolling.

White perch are entertaining anglers in the lower sections of the region’s tidal rivers. They can be found near larger deepwater docks and piers and oyster beds. Bottom rigs baited with grass shrimp, peeler crab, and pieces of bloodworm will do the trick. During the morning and evening hours casting small spinnerbaits, spin-jigs, and spinners along shorelines with structure or current flows is always a fun way to target the larger white perch.

The lower Potomac River seems to be the place to be this week if you’re targeting striped bass, both sides of the channel are good places to look for striped bass whether one is jigging, trolling, or live-lining. The steep channel edge from St. Georges Island to Piney Point is always a good place to start looking. Jigging with soft plastics and live-lining spot along this channel edge and the opposing one on the Virginia side are excellent ways to fish. 

The lower Patuxent River below the Route 4 Bridge is another good place to look for striped bass holding along the channel edges. Jigging and live-lining are very productive ways to fish; a good depth finder helps put one on the fish.

Trolling is an option in the lower Potomac, Patuxent, and channel edges out in the main Bay. Tandem rigged bucktails, Drone spoons, and surgical tube lures are all good choices for a trolling spread when pulled behind inline weights, especially now that bluefish are part of the mix. Some of the best areas to troll for bluefish are the east side of the main shipping channel below Buoy 72, the Target Ship, Tangier Sound, Pocomoke Sound, and Smith Point.

Large red drum continue to build up their numbers on the eastern side of the lower bay region. Pocomoke Sound, Tangier Sound, the Middle Grounds, and areas near the Target Ship up to Hoopers Island are excellent places to look for them. The shallower water has been a good place to look for them recently. Anglers have been fishing with soft plastic jigs, topwater lures, and drifting peeler crab baits. Trolling with large chrome spoons behind inline weights is another good way to fish for them.

Speckled trout are being found along the eastern side of the Bay, often in the shallower waters. Casting spook type lures or fishing with paddletails or soft plastic shrimp under a popping cork is a great way to fish over grass beds. Other anglers are having good luck drifting peeler crab baits in swift current areas. Watch out for cownose rays, there are a lot of them out there.

White perch can be found with a mix of spot and small croaker in the lower Patuxent, Tangier Sound, and Pocomoke Sound. White perch have also moved up into the region’s tidal rivers and creeks, providing fishing opportunities. White perch catches have been reported to be a little off lately.

Blue Crabs

Recreational crab catches continue to improve in all regions of the Bay this week. The lower and middle Bay tidal rivers and creeks offer some of the best catches this week. The upper Bay has improved significantly. Water depths of 8’ to 12” tend to be the best depths reported by crabbers and drop-offs of just a few feet can make a positive difference in catches.

Freshwater Fishing

The western region received another significant rain event over the weekend, and the upper Potomac River showed another rise in river levels. Anglers pursuing smallmouth bass and walleye on the upper Potomac River should always exercise caution when water levels in the river are elevated.

The western region’s trout streams are in great shape due to the recent rain runoff. The Delayed Harvest waters are providing some fishing for those wishing to keep the trout they catch, which is 5/day. The catch and release and gear restricted trout management waters are providing excellent fishing for fly anglers using a variety of terrestrials and dry flies.

Deep Creek Lake is providing plenty of fishing opportunities for a variety of species this week. Smallmouth and largemouth bass can be found during the day seeking shade under floating docks. Casting wacky rigged stick and soft plastic worms as close to skipping under a portion of the docks is a great tactic. Smallmouth bass can also be found near deep grass lines and sunken structures. Spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and jerkbaits can be good choices for lures and fathead minnows never fail.

The reservoirs of the central region are real gems when it comes to fishing for largemouth bass, chain pickerel, crappie, and in some waters white perch and landlocked striped bass. Most of the reservoirs used for Washington and Baltimore drinking water require permits for boats and have minor restrictions. Boats can be rented at Loch Raven Reservoir and Piney Run Reservoir.

Largemouth bass are in a post-spawn mode of feeding behavior and have moved into various areas where they find structure and feel comfortable for the summer months. They are moving into an evening mode of feeding behavior in the shallower waters where they reside. This means that the best time to fish for them will be the morning and evening hours in the shallower waters where baitfish can be found holding near grass beds. topwater lures, spinnerbaits, lipless crankbaits, and jerkbaits are great lures to use. Deeper waters or what are often called transition areas often hold largemouth bass lurking under thick floating grass mats, sunken wood, lily pad fields, overhanging brush, and in some cases docks, all in an effort to have an ambush point and to find some shade. Wacky rigged stick or soft plastic worms are a good choice, but paddletails and grubs can also be a good choice. In tidal waters anglers will encounter Chesapeake Channa in these same habitats.

Atlantic Ocean and Coastal Bays

The weatherman dished out some nasty weather over the weekend for inshore anglers. Surf anglers put up with the rain and there were good catch and release reports of large red drum at Assateague. Cut mullet and menhaden have been the most popular baits.

At the Ocean City Inlet and Route 50 Bridge area, anglers are catching striped bass and bluefish in the early morning and late evening hours by casting soft plastic jigs and paddletails. Once boat traffic picks up, the fishing success tends to drop off. Most of the striped bass fail to meet the 28” minimum and there are reports of a few exceeding the 31” maximum.

Flounder fishing was poor over the weekend due to churned up waters in the back bays. The best option is to fish at the end of the incoming tide. The weather forecast holds some promise this week and hopefully the bay waters will clear up. Clear water is very important for good flounder fishing.

The boats taking anglers out to the offshore wreck and reef sites have been finding good fishing for black sea bass. A few boats have been targeting some of these areas for flounder and anglers are making some impressive catches of large flounder.

The big news this past weekend was that the first white marlin of the season was caught and released during a ladies’ tuna tournament. A lot of large yellowfin tuna were brought into the docks during this tournament and offers much promise for the beginning of the Ocean City canyon fishery. Deep drop anglers are enjoying good fishing for blueline and golden tilefish.