Bergen Kline recently caught this 41-inch northern pike in Deep Creek Lake while fishing with his father, which made him very excited. Photo by Sean Klein
This week is an exciting time for family and friends to go out fishing and enjoy outdoor activities, as the temperature during the day becomes milder, and as the sea cools, various fishes become more active.
This is another great week out to enjoy the autumn leaves and bay waters in Maryland. The weather will be relatively stable, sunny and calm days-except for a windy Thursday-and cool nights throughout the week. The surface water temperature in the Gulf has dropped to more than 60 years old. Improving oxygen and water temperature conditions will continue to provide anglers with excellent opportunities to fish in shallower waters and estuaries, moving bait from colder rivers to warmer main bay waters. In addition, the deeper traditional places in the water column, such as the edge of the channel, the underwater point, the hard bottom, and the drop will also be productive.
With the advent of cooling water, the oxygen conditions in the bay have greatly improved the game fish. Suitable oxygen conditions can be found at all depths from the Susquehanna Plain to Steele Pond, Swan Point, and the Potomac River from Colony Beach to Piney Point. Avoid fishing below these depths in the following locations: Bay Bridge to Bloody Point, 20 feet to 35 feet; and Choptank River to Point No Point; 25 feet to the bottom. The conditions in these areas vary from day to day, so be sure to check the deep oxygen content of your specific location online.
The flow of most rivers and streams in Maryland is expected to be normal. The water level of the Susquehanna River is higher than normal. Due to the full moon on October 20, there will be above-average tidal currents throughout the week.
With the exception of the Bush and Buck Rivers, many Maryland parts of the bays and rivers are expected to reach average clarity. To check the latest water clarity, check the eye on the satellite map of the Gulf.
For more detailed and up-to-date fishing conditions in your bay area, please check "Click Before You Throw" on the Maryland DNR website. Through our Eyes on the Bay newsletter, regularly get the latest information about the waters of Maryland and send it to your inbox. Sign Up Online.
William Anthony caught this big catfish while fishing on the dock. Photo courtesy of William Anthony
The lower reaches of the Susquehanna River and the uppermost part of the Chesapeake Bay show clearer water conditions, which creates a better fishing environment. Conowingo Dam recently started generating electricity in the early morning, causing the dam's water level to rise.
Striped bass are caught in the dam pond by top water bait and paddle tail fish. Sizable proportions tend to be below the 19-inch minimum, but provide a lot of catch and release movements. In the morning and evening, anglers can also use top water bait, paddletail, jerkbait and soft plastic jigs on the edge of the Susquehanna Plain. Along the edge of the channel away from the mouth of the Susquehanna River, anglers also live among small white bass and eels.
Blue catfish and catfish were caught by cutting bait in the dam pool, the lower Susquehanna River and the Susquehanna Plain waterways. The Shanghai Bay and other tidal rivers in the area also caught a mixture of blue catfish and channel catfish. Anglers fishing in Upper Bay using eels, speckled and small white bass reported that the catfish were feeding on the bait of striped bass. Good places for the site lining include Poole Island and Key Bridge Pier. Catfish provide ample opportunities for shore anglers and can be caught from multiple locations.
Sooner or later, I was fishing in the tidal estuary and caught a nice striped bass. Most anglers throw a mixture of top water bait and paddle tail fish, crank bait and jumping bait near the shoreline structure. Jigging along the edge of the channel where floating striped bass can be found is also effective for anglers. Love Point rock, Magothy River estuary, the sewer north of the Bay Bridge, and the edge of the channel at Podickory Point have always been particularly good places for jigs along the bottom.
In the lower part of tidal rivers and creeks in the area, white bass can be found living on the hard bottom. Using a bottom rig that uses bloodworms, fish bites, fresh wild shrimp or skinned crabs as bait is a great way to target them. A mixture of blue and channel catfish can also be attracted by the bait.
The results of the 2021 annual striped bass juvenile survey have been released. The survey sampling sites are located at 22 sites in 4 spawning rivers, and the same equipment and locations have been used since 1954. The striped bass population in Maryland was also monitored through recreational and commercial intercept surveys and adult spawning population surveys. To learn more about the Streak Bass Monitor program, please visit the DNR website.
Herb Floyd recently won the Chesapeake Bay Foundation Fishing Rod and Reef Championship by capturing 15 different species on some coral reefs. Herb also caught this beautiful sea trout. Photo courtesy of Herb Freud
This fall, the water temperature in Central Bay fell below 70 degrees for the first time, and the water temperature in tidal rivers was about 65 degrees. The bait fish is leaving the tidal river and heading to the bay in search of warm waters. Flocks of striped bass await them at the steep edges of tidal estuaries and waterways. The mouths of the Choptank River, Severn River, Thomas Point, and Eastern Bay are great locations for bass fishing or smashing fish. There are quite a few small blue fish mixed with striped bass bait, so the soft plastic may be hit and eventually bitten off. It is common to see smaller striped bass chasing the bait on the surface, while larger striped bass can be found deep in the overhead motion.
White bass can still be found in tidal rivers and creeks, but now a considerable proportion of white bass inhabits the bottom of oysters in the lower reaches of tidal rivers in the area. Bottom fishing tackle with bloodworm flakes, fresh wild shrimp flakes, peeled crabs, or fish bite bait is a good choice. The artificial reefs of the Chesapeake Bay provide anglers with a wide variety of fish.
Bottom rigs that work around piers in deeper waters can still produce some good results; casting beetle rotations or small jigs around shoreline structures can also work well. There are a large number of catfish in tidal rivers, which can be caught by various fresh-cut baits, nightcrawlers and clam mouths. Blue catfish inhabit the lower reaches of the Choptank River from Dover Bridge to the Bilburton Fishing Pier, and can be caught with freshly cut herring or shad.
This beautiful autumn striped bass fell in love with surface popper. Photo by Keith Lockwood
The Lower Bay seems to be full of broken fish and various fishing opportunities. Bait fish in the form of juvenile herrings and bay anchovies are leaving the tidal river and entering the bay, heading for warmer waters. Some small and medium blue fish, smaller striped bass, and some Spanish mackerel inhabit the edges of some steeper channels and near the channels that lead to tidal rivers. They feed on baitfish, which often bring them to the surface of the sea, where seagulls point the angler.
Entering on the upwind side of the action, cutting off the engine and entering the action is the best way to throw a broken fish. More bold methods can usually overwhelm the fish and cause the movement to stop. When the fish looks deeper, nothing is lost. It's time to break the clamp and braided thread, put a thread down deeply, and start jigging. Oil slick may be found, and they will also inform the following operations.
Matt Riley held up a big blue crab to take a picture. Photo submitted by Gary Nasuta
Trolling is a good choice when fishing for blue fish and striped bass in the fall. When the fish is suspended very deep, an umbrella drill dragged behind a heavy inline weight is a popular way to reach the location of the fish. Bucktails, hose decoys, and small drone spoons are good choices for trailers. If trolling in the shallower waters of the tidal estuary, the most popular baits are small spoons, herrings, and deertails wrapped in soft plastic. The edge of the channel, the edge of the channel of the lower Potomac from St. George’s Island south to Cape Pine, and the channels leading from the Patuxent and South Tiacock Rivers are good places to check for striped bass.
Putting top water bait, paddle tail, crank bait, and jumping bait along what seems likely to be a shoreline structure is a fun and productive way to fish for striped bass. Stone piles, deep-water long piers, and prominent points are all good places for bays and the lower reaches of tidal rivers. A depth of 8 to 12 feet seems to be the best position reported by anglers.
On the east side of the bay, the cutting and under-bridge area of Hoopers Island is the production site where soft plastic jigs are processed along the bottom. Blue fish, speckled trout, and slot-sized red drums can be part of this. Some people use soft crabs and fresh wild shrimp bait to fish for spotted trout and red drum fish on the tidal tide at the mouth of some creeks that flow out of the marshes on the east coast.
In the lower part of the Patuxent River, spots and yellow croaker become very scarce, but in the lower part of the Patuxent River, the St. Mary River and the Wicomico River there are a large number of white bass inhabiting oyster pens. There are reports that small spots have been found at the mouth of the South Tycok, with many white bass on the bottom of oysters.
The lower water temperature in the upper reaches of tidal rivers forces blue crabs to descend to the lower reaches of the river. This provides some good options for anyone who wants to catch another crab or two before the water gets too cold. Crabs tend to be deep, usually 10 to 15 feet deep in water, and many of them are quite large. Trotlines and collapsible traps tend to have the same productivity. Most of the bullnose rays have left, so the razor clams tend to last longer. Chicken necks are also very productive.
Fhinn Zeender-Lawrence caught this big carp while fishing in Takaho State Park. Photo by Nathan Zind
Trout stocking personnel continue the fall stocking program, transporting fish to trout management waters throughout the state. Due to the abundant rainfall and the smooth flow of water, the hatchery produces high-quality trout this season. It was noted that the production of brown trout was excellent. Don't miss to go out to experience the wonderful autumn weather and fish for trout in the waters near you. Be sure to check the DNR trout stocking page and other links to see where trout stocks are stocked, including areas designated for children and the disabled.
The upper reaches of the Potomac River have good water temperature. The water temperature was in the 1960s. This is a good time to fish for smallmouth bass in the river. Pipe, little crow, little crank bait. Small baits are good baits for throwing near water breaks, underwater ledges and boulder bags.
If it hasn't happened in the past day or so, the autumn volume of Shenxi Lake will definitely happen next week. The mixing of surface and deeper waters always prompts the autumn fishery to enter the high-speed fishing of largeeye, smallmouth bass, yellow perch and northern pike. Along the edge of the deep grass, you can find walleye and yellow perch. At night, the walleye will begin to explore the rocky coast. Bonefish is often found in the mouths of various bays, while smallmouth bass inhabits rocky spots.
The water temperature is almost ideal for largemouth bass. They can move comfortably in various water depths, and can actually find a little warmth in shallow, sunny areas-a far cry from the summer pattern that seeks cool shade during the day. The grass bed is decreasing, but there are still many largemouth bass that can hold their attention and look for bait fish and other food.
Casting bait on the grass is a great way to attract attacks from largemouth bass or northern snakeheads. Jerkbait, spinnerbaits, and small lipless crank baits are good choices for working edges, and worms work well in straw mats. Diving crank bait, reptiles, and larvae work near the landing point and in deeper sinking wood, and are a good choice for targeting deeper largemouth bass.
The autumn months may be the most productive time for carp fishing in many tidal rivers and reservoirs in the state. They provide anglers with plenty of fighting and excitement.
On the boat ramp on Lake Smithville, an investigator has completed work and is expected to remove cranes and other equipment on October 20. Their work will extend the fishing activity near the boat ramp for another day.
Catfish and blue catfish are good because they are in tidal rivers. The tidal Potomac above Indian Head, the Patuxent River in Jug Bay, the Choptank River near Dover Bridge, the Chester River near Crumpton, and the Susquehanna River downstream are all good places to catch blue catfish. They also appear in almost every tidal river in the Chesapeake Bay system at any time. Freshly cut herring or herring, nightcrawler, clam mouth, and chicken liver are good baits for blue catfish and channel catfish.
Crappie is studying and maintaining approximately 10 to 15 feet of water near the piers, piers, and fallen treetops. Using small live minnow or stork fishing rods, silver carp fishing is a very popular fishing method. The Tidal Potomac near the Wilson Bridge and Fort Washington Wharf is a good place to look for crappie. The fishing bridge pier of Liberty Reservoir and the many small ponds and lakes dotted in the Maryland landscape are rich in crappie. Look for deeper water and certain structures, such as fallen treetops or sunken wood.
David Moore raised a huge red drum, then put it back into the sea. Photo courtesy of Scott Lenox
For the past week and a half, the big red drum run, which has been busy catching and releasing surfers, is showing signs of slowing down, as most of the fish traverse Maryland waters on their way south. Heavy surf fishing gear and big bait on the bottom equipment to cut herring or mullet has always been the most popular fishing method.
Those who catch bloodworms, fish bites and fresh wild shrimp bait are fishing for goldfish and spots. The cut point will attract the little blue fish in the waves. Sand fleas are the preferred bait for the few Pompano and Black Drums that can be found.
The recent wind has stirred up the waters of the Back Bay, and flounder fishing may slow down a bit until it clears. Flounder and a few yellow croakers were trapped in the passage leading to the entrance. At the entrance and the Highway 50 bridge area, striped bass was caught with some slit-sized red drums and sea trout. Sheep's head fish and triggerfish can be found near the pier rocks and bridge piers.
Outside the entrance, bass fishing at shipwrecks and coral reef sites is still very good, and it is not uncommon to limit catches. Flounder can also be found near shipwrecks and coral reef sites. Despite recent harsh ocean conditions, special yellowfin tuna bites continue in the waters farther away from the canyon. Anglers have been fishing in Washington and other canyons, bringing a limited amount of yellowfin tuna to the dock. Those trollers also reported catches of dolphins and white marlins. The drop in depth of the square head fish is still strong.
"Every morning I see all the truths I need in the newspaper. Whenever I have a chance, I go fishing, or exchange stories with fishermen, and tell them from my mouth." — Ed Zern
The Maryland Fisheries Report was written and edited by Keith Lockwood, a fisheries biologist at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
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