Fishing Reports Maryland

Gene Mueller's Fishing Report

If you enjoy saltwater fishing fun with the kids, buy a dozen bloodworms, chop them into small pieces, attach several to a high/low bottom fishing rig (think small, snelled hooks with fairly light sinkers at the end) and drop them into the tidal Potomac River, from Smith Creek north to the St. Mary’s River, and on toward St. Clements and the Wicomico. The Patuxent River offers big spot from the O'Club to Benedict, says the Tackle Box’s Ken Lamb , down in Lexington Park. The tasty spot also are found in the Hawk’s Nest and Kingston Hollow area of the river, as well as Green Holly and the Helen's Bar where croakers (hardheads) provide bonus catches.

Add the Choptank and lower Nanticoke rivers on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, and don’t overlook the feeder creeks and rivers of Virginia’s Northern Neck, plus the Rappahannock River from the mouth up toward Moratico. All are home to schools of spot and often quite a few croakers.

Chesapeake Bay rockfish trollers, chummers and sight casters find enough action to keep them smiling, but more than one Bay specialist is wondering where the bluefish are. Granted, the big slammer bluefish of years past haven’t shown up in some time, but in the summer and autumn of 2010 we experienced a welcome rash of juvenile blues, some even weighing as much as three and four pounds. Such catches now are rare.

The 143-pound blue catfish that was caught in Virginia’s Kerr Reservoir over a week ago has been approved as an official state record by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries . The angler, Nick Anderson , of Greenville, N.C., awaits word from the International Game Fish Association - the recognized keeper of all world records - with whom he filed an all-tackle record application. If the IGFA approves his catch, it would beat the current world mark by 13 pounds.

Local bass fanatics are doing quite well in spite of the recent heat and humidity. The upper, tidal Potomac’s main stem waters, from just below Hains Point to Fox Ferry Point and on toward the Broad, Piscataway and Little Hunting creeks, have been fine for largemouth bass that will charge a loud topwater lure whenever it’s overcast or very early in the day. Even the noon hour can produce fish for hardy bass boaters. They use crawfish claw-style plastics with great success along and inside the many weed beds found in the river and the feeder creeks.

Disappointment is voiced by insiders to western Maryland’s Deep Creek Lake, where the largemouth bass haven’t been cooperating as they should. That, however, is not true of the large Virginia reservoirs, such as lakes Anna, Gaston and Buggs Island. The fishing has been fine if you know how to tease a bass from its lair with soft plastics and early hour surface lures.

Outdoors Girl: Ken Penrod's bass fishing report - Maryland parks ...

Guide Ken Penrod, owner of Life Outdoors Unlimited, files his weekly bass fishing report:

UPPER POTOMAC RIVER: three stars; 68 degrees; clear; 3.5 feet at Point of Rocks. This river gets better every day as the water recedes and clears. It’s been a long time coming. The best baits continue to be Campground Special teaser tubes, Rapala DT4 crankbaits and Case Magic Stiks.

At Lander, we do best upriver, especially the deeper holes adjacent to Catoctin Creek, Sawbuck ledges, The Wall grass beds, holes and ledges below the Fence ledge and holes below Burkhart’s Riffle.

At Whites Ferry and Edwards Ferry, fish the ledges near Edwards, the mouth and short portion of Goose Creek, wood cover near the power line on the Maryland side and Balls Bluff. From Whites, motor upriver and fish the Virginia side. When you can see the power plant smoke stacks—you have about one mile of good cover. Do another drift but stay in the middle.

TIDAL POTOMAC RIVER : three and a half stars; 75 degrees water; major high tides. Clearing to clear. What a great week to fish! Except for rain on Friday and the weekend, the weather was beautiful—and I’m not used to that. The tides have been really screwed-up with major high water. Fishing has been great.

Around Washington, we like the shorelines above Three Sisters for smallmouth bass; tubes and Rapala crankbaits were favored. Key Bridge, Long Bridge, Pentagon Lagoon, Washington Channel and Blue Plains all have something to offer. Again, the Rapala DTs, Mizmo tubes, Big Mouth spinnerbaits and Case plastics are good choices. There are still some stripers on bridge foundations and in the Washington Channel.

In the vicinity of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, cast tubes and Stiks in Penrod Cove and nearby barges. The coves near Belle Haven Marina; Broad Creek barges and grass bed; south sore of Swan Creek and coves in Piscataway Creek have been the best so far. It’s hard to beat the 6-inch Case Magic Stick on a 3/0 hook.

In and around Mattawoman Creek, work the back half of the creek on falling water with Bigmouth spinnerbaits and Stiks. Near Smallwood State Park, work the grass with stiks, spinnerbaits and try a buzzbait or frog once in a while. Look for grass bass in Chickamuxen, Blue Banks, Wades Bay and Aquia Creek.

DEEP CREEK LAKE: two and a half stars; 59 degrees, clear. LOU guides Brent Winegardner and Brent Nelson say that bass fishing has been really good with pre-spawn action and even some spawning going on in the upper lake coves and creeks. Bret says to fish shallow boat docks, especially when the sun is up. He likes Big Mouth jigs and 4-inch Magic Stiks. Bret also likes the lower lake for smallmouth bass, especially points and rocky shorelines, where Mizmo tubes and chartreuse crawfish crankbaits do the deed.

Fishing Maryland, Delaware, and Washington, D.C., An Angler's Guide to More Than 100 Fresh and Saltwater Fishing Spots

Field & Stream

Field & Stream

Field & Stream

Annual report of the Conservation Commission of Maryland