Maryland Fishing Report – April 30

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Forecast Summary: April 30 – May 6:

Wet fishing weather is ahead with stable, warm conditions for Maryland Bay waters. Main Bay surface water temperatures have jumped to the low to mid 60s. River temperatures are slightly warmer. Due to our region’s rain deficit, expect average to slightly below average flows for most Maryland rivers and streams. Correspondingly, expect Bay salinities to be slightly above normal for this time of year. 

Despite likely rain this week, expect average clarity for most Maryland portions of the Bay and rivers. However, expect reduced clarity due to algal blooms on the Gunpowder and upper Choptank rivers and also the Potomac River between the 301 Bridge and Colonial Beach. To see the latest water clarity conditions on NOAA satellite maps, check Eyes on the Bay Satellite Maps. There will be above average tidal currents through Friday as a result of the new moon on April 28.

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 are enjoying fun catch-and-release fishing for hickory shad this week in the lower Susquehanna River, at the Conowingo Dam pool, in Octoraro Creek, and the mouth of Deer Creek. A combination of brightly colored sinking flies, small shad darts and chrome or gold spoons. The action is not expected to last much longer as water temperatures in the lower Susquehanna reached 67 degrees yesterday, so don’t miss it. 

Based on first-hand observations, the which perch have arrived in the lower Susquehanna River, and anglers won’t be alone pursuing them. A collection of 35-to-40-pound blue and flathead catfish that were electrofished from the lower Susquehanna last week were delivered to the Cooperative Oxford Lab in Oxford last week, While residing in 500-gallon tanks, they disgorged about a dozen medium to large white perch, various mystery pieces of partly digested fish parts, brackish water clams, and even a few rocks.

Casting small shad darts in tandem will be a good way to fish for the white perch and putting a little enticement on the shad darts in the form of tiny Gulp baits, grass shrimp, and pieces of bloodworm can help win over white perch. Dropper rigs fished from boats is a great idea, some like the two-hook sabiki rigs, shad darts, or small soft plastic jigs. Using a high, low-bottom rig baited with grass shrimp or pieces of bloodworm always works well. 

Blue catfish are active and hungry for anything they can fit in their mouth; almost any type of cut bait will work just fine on them. White perch are plentiful, and many tackle shops are now carrying gizzard shad as well as menhaden. A variety of scented baits will work well, and blue catfish are noted for chasing down crankbaits. The lower Susquehanna and Elk rivers are good areas to fish for blue catfish, and channel catfish can also be part of the mix. Tidal rivers along the western shore all have blue catfish as does the Chester River.

Fishing for Chesapeake Channa (northern snakehead) in the lower Susquehanna River and in the middle and upper sections of the tidal rivers can offer some exciting fishing opportunities. Grass beds are steadily growing in size, and that is the best place to look for them. Anglers are catching some impressive large ones by casting chatterbaits rigged with white soft plastics, white paddletails, and soft plastic frogs.

Striped bass fishing remains closed in the Bay until May 16, except above the line from the south corner of Hart-Miller Island to Tolchester, which opens on June 1. DNR’s online striped bass season regulation map site can help striped bass anglers understand seasons and boundaries.

Middle Bay

Water temperatures are holding around 63 degrees in the middle Bay and 66 degrees in the Choptank River; most tidal rivers are holding approximately the same water temperatures. The striped bass spawn in the Choptank River is about over, all we can do now is wait for the young of year survey results. The same applies to white perch, yellow perch, and river herring which were all spawning in the rivers. So many factors enter into the success of a spawn, including weather and water conditions.  

White perch have been moving down the tidal rivers where they spawned and usually, they reach their summer habitats by the middle of May. At that time, they provide lots of fun fishing off a dock or over oyster beds with grass shrimp or pieces of bloodworm on a bottom rig. Casting spinners and small soft plastic jigs near shoreline structure is always a favorite evening pastime. 

Anglers can find plenty of action this week fishing for a mix of blue and channel catfish. They can be found in every tidal river within the middle bay region. The Choptank River holds the greatest number of blue catfish which can be found from the town of Choptank to Denton. Blue catfish are responding to warmer water temperatures and moving freely along channel edges and flat shelves alongside channel areas. 

Cut bait is usually the first choice for most anglers and fresh white perch are readily available at this time. Many tackle shops carry frozen menhaden or gizzard shad and anglers also report good luck with chicken parts and scented baits. A Santee type catfish rig is a popular option with a circle hook with a small float nearby and a sliding sinker. It is important to keep baits off the bottom for the best success. 

Fishing for Chesapeake Channa, (northern snakeheads) is good this month in the backwaters of Dorchester County. The most popular way to fish for them is casting white paddletails, chatterbaits rigged with white soft plastic baits and soft plastic frogs. Shoreline sunken brush and emerging grass beds are good places to target. 

There are still some hickory shad being caught in the upper Choptank River near Red Bridges, and likely the action will not last more than a week. For this catch-and-release fishery, bright colored flies, shad darts, and gold or chrome spoons are often rigged in tandem.

Catch-and-release fishing for hickory and American shad is an option in the Potomac River within the confines of the District of Columbia up to Little Falls. Anglers are catching and releasing American shad on large shad darts while fishing from small boats and kayaks that allow them to reach the main channel. There is still a spawning run of hickory shad in Mattawoman Creek near Mason Springs this week, but the run is slowing down. Shad darts and small chrome spoons rigged in tandem are a popular presentation with spinning gear. There is also a smaller hickory shad spawning run in the upper Patuxent near Wayson’s Corner. 

White perch are filtering down to the lower sections of the tidal rivers and creeks. Fishing with bottom rigs baited with grass shrimp or pieces of bloodworms works well. The deeper areas near bridge piers, docks and channels are some of the best places to fish for white perch currently. Bloodworms are an expensive bait and if you have the time and a simple fine mesh dip net you can catch your own grass shrimp and save a lot of money. To learn how, visit our online Maryland Angler’s Log and search the logs for the article, “Grass shrimp and how to catch your own.” 

Anglers have been targeting black drum in Pocomoke and Tangier sounds as well as near the Target Ship and Mud Leads. Most are slowly surveying waters with their depth finders and once fish are spotted dropping soft crab baits to the fish is a good tactic. Water temperatures in the lower Bay are currently 63 degrees and anglers are anticipating large red drum and speckled trout to arrive soon in the shallower waters of Tangier and Pocomoke sounds. 

The tidal Potomac River from the Route 301 Bridge to the Wilson Bridge continues to provide plenty of fishing opportunities for blue catfish this week. The tidal Potomac holds the greatest numbers of blue catfish in the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay’s tidal rivers. The Patuxent above Benedict and the Nanticoke near Sharptown also hold large populations of blue catfish. Many charter boat captains now target blue catfish on the Potomac, this can result in an action-filled trip with plenty of opportunity to fill one’s freezer with good eating fish. 

Chesapeake channa (northern snakehead) are very abundant in the tidal rivers of the lower Bay. The creeks that flow into the Potomac and Patuxent on the western shore and to the Nanticoke, Wicomico, and the Pocomoke on the Eastern Shore are the places to find them. Grass beds are filling out and the fish can be found close to those emerging grass beds. Casting chatterbaits rigged with white soft plastic baits, white Paddletails and soft plastic frogs over or near the grass beds is an excellent way to target them. 

Freshwater Fishing

The stocking of trout continues this week, and many put-and-take and delayed harvest trout management waters will continue to be stocked. Trout anglers will see stockings in the marginal waters of the central and southern regions taper off in the next couple of weeks as water temperatures rise beyond tolerable limits for the survival of trout. These waters often are community ponds and rivers in the southern and central regions.

In waters that were stocked previously, the trout tend to spread out from where they were placed. If anglers explore areas away from the stocking sites, there are rewards of holdover trout. Casting small spinners and spoons is an excellent way to cover a lot of water and a good way to catch the attention of trout that have evaded the traditional Powerbait offerings. 

Deep Creek Lake continues to offer good fishing for a mix of species this week. The waters are still cool enough that fishing for walleye can be good along steep rocky shorelines and deep grass edges. Smallmouth bass can be found in the same areas as well as rocky points. Floating docks are beginning to appear, and smallmouth and largemouth bass will be found seeking refuge from the bright sun under them. Swimbaits and small crankbaits are good choices for fishing for the walleye and smallmouth bass, casting wacky-rigged soft plastic worms and stick worms near cover is a good choice for the largemouth bass. 

Male largemouth bass are scouring out spawning beds in the central, southern, and eastern regions, and the cooler western region waters will soon invite the same spawning responses. The large female largemouth bass are staging outside the shallower spawning areas where the beds are located. Casting a mix of spinnerbaits, swimbaits, jerkbaits and soft plastics is a good way to entice a strike from a lurking female largemouth bass. Casting into the spawning beds may cause a smaller male largemouth bass to strike a lure threatening his spawning bed. 

The cool waters of spring continue to offer some of the best crappie fishing to be found. The crappie can be found schooled up near bridge piers, marina docks, fallen treetops, sunken wood, and brush. Small minnows rigged under a slip bobber can be adjusted to find the proper depth where crappie are holding. 

We urge parents and neighbors to consider taking our youngest would-be anglers to a children’s fishing event before the typical season for these events passes. Many civic organizations partner with DNR’s Fishing and Boating Services to provide fun and engaging fishing activities for our youngest anglers. They are often in the form of fishing contests with prizes and fun awards for the young anglers. The events are held at community ponds and lakes, which provide a safe and accessible location for families to enjoy a day together. A schedule of upcoming youth fishing events known as rodeos can be found on the Maryland DNR website. 

Atlantic Ocean and Coastal Bays

Fishing for black drum in the surf at Assateague has been good and promises to continue through this week. Sand fleas have been the bait of choice. Anglers are also catching and releasing a few striped bass that measure outside of the required slot. 

At the inlet, fishing for tautog has been good with a pleasant amount of fish measuring above over the required minimum of 16 inches. The jetty rocks and bulkheads in the inlet and Route 50 Bridge are being targeted and sand fleas are the most popular bait, with pieces of green crab a close second. 

Striped bass are being caught in the early morning and evening hours in the inlet by anglers casting soft plastic jigs and paddletails; a few small bluefish are also occasionally being caught. 

Flounder are moving through the inlet and headed for the back bay waters, so the inlet is a good place to intercept them. As they become more common in the back bays, the best fishing tends to be on an ebb tide which brings warmer water from the bay shallows. The Thorofare and similar channels leading towards the inlet tend to offer some of the best fishing success. 

Fishing for striped bass at the bridge piers of the Route 90 and Verrazano bridges continues to be a fun catch-and-release event during the early morning and late evening. Casting paddletails near the bridge piers and marsh banks has been the most popular way to fish.

Tautog fishing at the offshore wreck and reef sites continues to be very good this week. Limit catches of eating size tautog are common for anglers. Anglers are catching some very large tautog weighing in the double-digit category and many anglers are choosing to return them to the water in favor of filling out their limit with smaller fish.