ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Fishing is always better in the company of family or friends, and when an angler is successful and has their friends to cheer them on and offer encouragement it makes all the difference when battling a fish of mammoth proportions.
As a reminder to all Maryland anglers, please participate in the Department of Natural Resources’ Volunteer Angler Surveys by reporting your catch of any number of species. This allows citizen scientists to contribute valuable data to the monitoring and management of several important fish species.
Forecast Summary: August 21 – August 27
Moderate weather with no rain predicted will make for comfortable fishing conditions this week in Maryland’s waters. As a result of the recent rains, main Bay surface water temperatures have continued to cool to the upper 70s. Maryland’s part of the Bay continues to run fresher than average. Areas with suitable amounts of oxygen (>3mg/l) have greatly increased again this week. Combined with the cooling water temperatures, current conditions have improved and have provided expanded habitat for many Bay gamefish.
Expect average water clarity for the Maryland portion of the Bay. However, expect reduced but improving water clarity in the lower Susquehanna River and upper bay. To see the latest water clarity conditions on NOAA satellite maps, check Eyes on the Bay Satellite Maps.
Following the rains from Tropical Storm Debby, expect some elevated but dropping flows for the Susquehanna River and some other Maryland rivers and streams. There will be above average tidal currents through Saturday as a result of the full moon August 20.
As always, the best fishing areas could be further refined by intersecting them with underwater points, hard bottom, drop-offs, and large schools of baitfish. For more detailed and up-to-date fishing conditions in your area of the bay, be sure to check out Eyes on the Bay’s Click Before You Cast.
Upper Chesapeake Bay
The Conowingo Dam continues to release a lot of water, but levels have dropped a measurable amount and continue to decline. There is a lot of stained water coming down the Susquehanna River, and combined with increased flows it has put a damper on fishing until you clear the mouth of the river.
Fishing for blue catfish is as good as it can be at the mouth of the Susquehanna, the Elk River, and surrounding tidal rivers and areas. Cut menhaden is one of the most popular baits being used but items such as chicken liver and other chicken parts can work well also.
Most likely due to run-off from the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby, water temperatures in the general area of Pooles Island and the mouth of the Patapsco River have dropped to 80 degrees this week. The general area is the focus of striped bass anglers and they are catching fish in a variety of ways. Using spot for live-lining is a popular way to fish along the channel edges and lumps near the mouth of the Patapsco River and near Pooles Island.
Structure in the form of bridge piers, old piling fields and piers within the Patapsco River and Baltimore Harbor are excellent places to find striped bass. In the early morning and late evening hours casting topwater lures, paddletails and jerkbaits near promising structure is a very good tactic.
Although water temperatures in the region have dropped slightly, anglers are urged to reduce fight time when catching and releasing striped bass that measure over the legal slot size of 24 inches. These larger striped bass tend to be the most vulnerable to heat related stress, forgo the pictures and release the fish without removing them from the water as quickly as possible.
White perch have been putting on some heft this summer and the larger white perch that everyone calls “fileting size” are readily available in the upper Bay. The tidal rivers are an excellent place to target them. In the early morning and late evening hours, casting small spinnerbaits, spinners and small jigs to promising looking shoreline structure is a fun way to catch them on light tackle. Fishing small minnows and grass shrimp near the same types of shoreline structure is also a great way to target them.
White perch can also be found holding on many of the shoals and knolls out in the bay and using peeler crab or pieces of bloodworm is a good way to fish for them on a bottom rig. When using pieces of bloodworm, spot may be part of the mix. The best fishing for spot tends to be coming from in front of Sandy Point State Park beaches, and the mouth of the Magothy River.
Middle Bay
Anglers in the middle Bay continue to enjoy good shallow water fishing in the Eastern Bay area, around Poplar Island, the mouth of the Choptank, the Little Choptank, and near the mouth of the Severn and South rivers. The best action is occurring in the early morning and late evening for anglers casting a collection of topwater lures, spinnerbaits, paddletails and jerkbaits. These efforts are catching striped bass and puppy drum.
Those trolling along the channel edge from Buoy 83 south to Sharps Island Light are catching Spanish mackerel and a few bluefish. Small spoons are catching the mackerel and the bluefish are being caught by trolling surgical tube lures; both are being pulled behind planers. There is also some action reported down by the CP Buoy. Spanish mackerel have been scarce in the middle bay region and the recent slug of freshwater most likely did not help. Water temperatures have dropped a couple of degrees and salinity values did also. Hopefully more Spanish mackerel will move into the middle bay region this week.
White perch are providing plenty of fun action this week in a variety of locations and anglers report the large size of the white perch is very welcoming. White perch along with some spot are holding on the western side of the Bay Bridge in about 15 feet of water. Most anglers are targeting the white perch with peeler crab and spot with pieces of bloodworm.
During the early morning and late evening, the shores of the Bay and tidal rivers provide excellent fishing for large white perch. Casting small spinnerbaits, Roadrunner type spinner jigs and small jigs is a fun way to fish for them. Anglers are also catching small red drum in the 12-inch to 14-inch size range. Casting out a bobber rigged with a small minnow, or a grass shrimp is another way to enjoy the action. Fishing off docks with a simple one hook bottom rig baited with grass shrimp or peeler crab is another excellent way to fish. Fishing over oyster reefs in the tidal rivers works well, and Kent Narrows will always be a great place to fish for white perch.
Lower Bay
A mix of Spanish mackerel and bluefish is a major focus of anglers in the lower Bay this week, at least those who like to troll or cast into breaking fish. Reports are that the bluefish outnumber the Spanish mackerel but there seems to be enough to go around to satisfy anglers. The Spanish mackerel are being caught on small Drone and Clark spoons and the bluefish on surgical tube lures, both are being pulled behind planers. The mouth of the Potomac, the east side of the shipping channel below Hoopers Island, and Tangier Sound are good places to troll. Anglers are reporting catching a few cobia on the surgical tube lures so it pays to have a varied trolling spread.
The lower Potomac River, the lower Patuxent River, the Hoopers Island area and Tangier Sound are all wonderful areas to cast a variety of topwater lures or paddletails for a mix of striped bass, speckled trout, and puppy drum this week. At times the puppy drum are the most common fish being caught and many of them are falling within the 18-inch to 27-inch slot size. Drifting soft crab baits is another great way to fish for puppy drum on an outgoing tide from the many tidal creeks emptying the Eastern Shore marshes in the Tangier Sound area. Live-lining spot is also a great way to catch large speckled trout.
Large sheepshead are being found at the Target Ship and most are being caught on peeler crab baits fishing close to the ship. Bottom fishing for a mix of white perch, spot, croaker, and kingfish is good in several locations this week. Tangier Sound and the mouth of the Patuxent are at the top of the list. Anglers are now seeing croaker over the 9-inch minimum and some exceeding 12 inches. The spot are getting larger also and the kingfish are a welcomed addition. Those who are targeting them are finding flounder near Point Lookout and Tangier and Pocomoke sounds.
Freshwater Fishing
The upper Potomac River has settled down this week and flows are within the normal range. Anglers will be out casting root beer-colored tubes, small crankbaits, spinnerbaits and swimbaits in search of smallmouth bass.
Fisheries biologists have begun the annual upper Potomac River juvenile smallmouth bass survey. Numerous seine surveys are conducted at stations from Seneca upstream to Cumberland. A 30-ft seine net is used to collect a sample of the fish community along the shoreline. The number of smallmouth bass juveniles per seine haul is used to help monitor spawning success for a given year. For 2024, it appears that smallmouth bass were able to successfully spawn in some sections of river, but overall recruitment was below average.
Water temperatures in the world class trout streams and rivers of the western and central regions will begin to decline as we move into September and offer excellent trout fishing opportunities. The North Branch of the Potomac, the Lower Savage, and the upper Gunpowder are just a few locations.
Fishing for largemouth bass remains good this week throughout Maryland from Deep Creek Lake to the Eastern Shore. Wherever you’re fishing, the largemouth bass activity model will be about the same. The bass are feeding in relatively shallow waters near grass during the night so late evening and early morning are great times to target those areas with frogs, buzzbaits and soft plastics. When fishing these grass beds in tidal waters Chesapeake Channa (northern snakeheads) will often be part of the mix with explosive surface strikes.
As the day wears on, the largemouth bass will seek cool shade wherever they can find it. Floating docks and moored pontoon boats at Deep Creek Lake, old docks, fallen treetops and floating grass mats all fit the bill. When fishing these spots, it is hard to beat a wacky rigged worm flipped or dropped in front of a lounging bass that will urge them to pick up an easy meal.
DNR crews last month stocked 25,000 largemouth bass fingerlings 1-3 inches in length in the tributaries of the tidal Potomac last month. They also stocked 6,500 largemouth bass fingerlings of the same size in Marshyhope Creek. Both were done by boat to help spread them out in suitable habitat.
Atlantic Ocean and Coastal Bays
Along the beaches of Assateague Island, surf anglers fishing small baits are catching a mix of kingfish, spot, and a few croaker and blowfish. The kingfish tend to like bloodworms or the artificial alternative but will take small strips of spot. The croaker will take strips of spot or squid as will the blowfish. Anglers using larger baits of finger mullet or cut mullet with cork float rigs are catching bluefish.
Inside the Ocean City Inlet casting soft plastic jigs during the early morning and late evenings is a great way to target bluefish and striped bass. The jetty rocks of the South Jetty, the Route 50 Bridge piers and piers and pilings are all good places to cast and work those jigs. During an outgoing tide, drifting cut bait is a good way to catch bluefish. Live lining spot is another good option when fishing in the inlet for striped bass, bluefish and large flounder and maybe a large sea trout. Sheepshead are also in play and can be caught near the South Jetty rocks or bulkheads and bridge piers on sand fleas or peeler crab.
The back bay channels are the place to drift for flounder but be careful of boat traffic, the larger boats have no where to go but to stay in the channel. Drifting traditional baits of squid and minnows catch a lot of flounder but drifting live spot or other small fish will catch the larger ones. Gulp baits are another option when targeting large flounder, white and pink tend to be the most popular colors.
Outside the inlet, boats that are trolling near some of the 30 Fathom Lumps are catching a mix of bluefish, false albacore and Atlantic bonito for their anglers. At times they may even encounter small dolphin, also known as mahi, near floating debris or weed lines.
Fishing for black sea bass has been good this week and anglers are also catching quite a few small dolphin that are attracted to the anchored boats. Flounder are also a welcomed part of the mix. Heading out farther offshore the small dolphin become more prevalent, and the lobster buoys are a favorite location to catch a limit of 10 small dolphin per person. Recently an angler fishing on a charter boat targeting offshore black sea bass caught a fish we usually see in the deep waters off New England.
A lot of boats are out trolling the canyons in the Mid-Atlantic Tournament and showing us what is out there. Some nice bigeye tuna, white marlin, blue marlin, yellowfin tuna and wahoo have come to the scales already. Other boats who are not in the tournament are loading up on small dolphin and blueline tilefish as well as a mix of bigeye and yellowfin tuna.
“It takes several years of serious fishing before a man learns enough to go through a whole season with an unblemished record of physical and spiritual anguish.” – Ed Zern, 1951
Maryland Fishing Report is written and compiled by Keith Lockwood, fisheries biologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Click Before You Cast is written by Tidewater Ecosystem Assessment Director Tom Parham.
A reminder to all Maryland anglers, please participate in DNR’s Volunteer Angler Surveys. This allows citizen scientists to contribute valuable data to the monitoring and management of several important fish species.
This report is now available on your Amazon Echo device — just ask Alexa to “open Maryland Fishing Report.”
