Maryland Fishing Report – March 25

As the days grow longer and increasingly warmer, Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay waters will continue to slowly warm up for gamefish moving up to spawn. As reported from the buoys, main Bay and river mouth surface water temperatures are now holding in the upper 40s. Smaller rivers and streams temperatures are holding in the 50s. However, smaller streams and downwind areas on a sunny day will warm faster and will often hold water temperatures closer to the mid 50s. Such areas in low salinity areas will be prime areas to look for white perch as they move up from their wintering areas in the downstream portion of rivers and prepare to spawn in the next couple of weeks in Maryland waters. Using light and water temperatures as cues, striped bass are moving from overwintering areas or from the Bay mouth to spawning areas in low salinity (0 to 2ppt) portions of the Bay and tidal rivers. Focus on channel edges as fish move towards spawning areas in low salinity portions of the Bay and tidal rivers.

Expect average flows for most Maryland rivers and streams. Expect average clarity for most Maryland portions of the Bay and rivers. 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 Sunday through Tuesday as a result of the April 2 full moon.

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.

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Upper Chesapeake Bay

The lower Susquehanna River and waters at the very top of the Bay continue to show stained water conditions, and much of the wood debris there has washed up on shorelines. Anglers are fishing the Susquehanna Flats area for striped bass during the catch-and-release season with spotty results. Large paddletails and crankbaits containing rattles are popular lures to use along the channel edges. Some anglers may try using cut bait in the form of gizzard shad or menhaden, which will attract the attention of large blue catfish that will be a bonus you can take home. Remember you must use non-offset circle hooks, a 9/0 is a good size for large striped bass and blue catfish. 

Catch-and-release anglers are urged to stay within these boundaries of the upper Bay: Susquehanna Flats, upstream of a line from Sandy Point to Turkey Point and the Susquehanna River downstream from a line connecting the Susquehanna State Park boat ramp at Lapidum (defined by Lat. 39°35.86′ N and Long. 76°07.67′ W) to Twin Rocks (defined by Lat. 39°36.17′ N and Long. 76°07.56′ W) to Tomes Wharf in Port Deposit (defined by Lat. 39°36.23′ N and Long. 76°06.99′ W); and the Northeast River. Note: The “Tomes Wharf” coordinate is closest to Lee’s Landing Dock Bar.

Anglers in the lower Susquehanna River are also finding smallmouth bass and a few walleye when fishing with jigs and crankbaits in the waters below the dam, where the water still runs fast over rocky bottom. In the Susquehanna Flats the grass beds are beginning to emerge and fishing for largemouth bass is good.

Blue catfish are presenting lots of fishing opportunities in the upper Bay. They can be found from the Bay Bridge to the Conowingo Dam. Right now some of the largest blue catfish can be found in the Bay. The tidal rivers also have populations of blue catfish, and all are active due to warming water temperatures. Most types of cut bait or scented bait on a traditional single hook bottom rig or sliding sink rig, teamed up with an 8/0 or 9/0 non-offset circle hook is all that is needed. 

This is an exciting time for white perch anglers seeking to target them in the tidal rivers where they spawn. The Bush, Gunpowder, Magothy, Chester, and Sassafras rivers are all good places to target this week. The Susquehanna River due to the cold-water influence of the Conowingo Dam will be later. Small 1/16-ounce to ⅛-ounce jig heads rigged with a lip hooked minnow or a grass shrimp is one of the best ways to catch them. 

Middle Bay

Striped bass catch-and-release anglers can fish the waters out in the main part of the middle Bay; the tidal rivers remain closed. The DNR website has maps outlining the open and closed areas. Bay water temperatures are holding in the upper 40s this week. Trolling will be one of the ways anglers will fish along the steeper channel edges. Several rules include making lure hooks barbless, no stinger hooks and no more than six lines may be fished at any one time. Jigging will be a fun way to fish along channel edges or when fish can be spotted on depth finders. Large soft plastic jigs of 6 inches or more will be popular.

Anglers are reporting that white perch are moving up the Choptank River and Tuckahoe Creek this week. The vanguard of the white perch spawning runs are usually the smaller male white perch and they are being seen as far upriver as Greensboro and below Hillsboro on the Tuckahoe. Water temperatures are 58 degrees at Denton and 52 degrees at Cambridge. Small jig heads or shad darts with grass shrimp or small minnows attached or a bottom rig baited with grass shrimp, minnows or pieces of bloodworm work well. 

Fishing for blue catfish is getting better each week as warmer water temperatures have the small to medium sized blue catfish becoming more active. The blue catfish weighing more than 20 pounds have been active for weeks.

The lower Bay offers some of the best opportunities for striped bass catch-and-release fishing this week. Trolling will be popular as will jigging. Hooks on lures must be barbless when trolling, no stinger hooks and no more than six lines can be deployed at any one time. If fishing with bait, no-offset circle hooks are mandatory. 

Some exciting news has come from the District of Columbia waters this week – the first hickory shad were caught at Fletchers Landing. The hickory shad have moved into Mattawoman Creek and are providing fun catch-and-release fishing opportunities. Small flashy spoons, shad darts and colorful flies are good choices for lures.

The white perch movement up the spawning rivers is creating a lot of exciting fishing opportunities this week. The Little Choptank, Nanticoke, Wicomico, Pocomoke, Patuxent and Potomac are major standouts. Grass shrimp, small minnows or pieces of bloodworm are the most popular baits with white perch. They can be presented on a small jig head, under a bobber or a bottom rig, all dependent on the water depth.

Crappie are also in play this week whether you are fishing for white perch with small minnows or targeting them directly. They can be found holding near structure in non-tidal ponds and reservoirs or tidal rivers. Fallen treetops, sunken brush or wood, bridge piers, and marina docks all attract crappie. 

Fishing for blue catfish offers exciting action this week in the tidal Potomac, Patuxent, and Nanticoke rivers this week. The blue catfish have become very active, and the channel areas provide the best place to fish for them. Gizzard shad is the most popular cut bait, but menhaden, white perch, chicken liver and a variety of scented baits work well. An 8/0 or 9/0 circle hook on a sliding sinker rig is a popular way to fish for them.

Freshwater Fishing

March 28 is the big day for put-and-take trout anglers, as closure 1 trout management waters will open at 6:30 a.m. for the traditional opening. They will all have been stocked for the grand event, and every location has been seeded with some large trout that can exceed 26 inches. All other trout management waters that were not closed will continue to be open. It might be a bit chilly in the morning, but fair skies are in the forecast. Powerbait doughballs will be one of the most popular baits, with garden worms coming in second place. For those who can find a little elbow room, casting small spinners and spoons, fly anglers can use nymphs. To see where all the trout management waters were stocked, visit DNR’s trout stocking website.  

Fishing for largemouth bass is in full swing this week as largemouth are aggressively feeding to build up body stores lost during the winter months. Water temperatures are generally in the 50s in most ponds, reservoirs, and the upper sections of the tidal rivers. These are comfortable temperatures for the bass, so they can be found in a wide variety of water depths, structure is often the key factor. Soft plastics in the form of paddletails, jigs and various methods of rigging soft plastic creature baits. Lipless crankbaits, jerkbaits and spinnerbaits are good choices in transition water depths. Fishing for largemouth and smallmouth bass will be catch-and-release only until June 16.

Spring is one of the best times of the year to fish for crappie in both tidal and nontidal waters. Crappie will be found holding near submerged structure as they prepare to spawn. Fallen treetops, sunken wood and brush, bridge piers and marina docks all provide the structure crappie are looking for. Small minnows make the best and most popular bait.

The waters of the tidal waters and those of ponds and reservoirs are still cold enough and absent of summer season aquatic grass beds, so chain pickerel can be found near any structure they can find. Sunken wood usually provides that early season structure. A wide variety of lures will entice chain pickerel to strike, but anglers should consider changing out treble hooks or single inline hooks to prevent undesired damage to the fish.

Atlantic Ocean and Coastal Bays

The Ocean City area is beginning to come to life this week as water temperatures start a warming trend. Along the beaches, anglers are waiting for the first black drum to arrive and in the meantime are catching clearnose skates and spiny dogfish. 

The first flounder have been reported in the Virginia back bay areas, so the first flounder catches around Ocean City may occur this coming weekend. There has been some striped bass catch-and-release action at the Route 90 Bridge for striped bass, although they don’t quite meet the 28-inch minimum.

Offshore tautog are where the action is. The boats taking anglers out to the offshore wreck and reef sites are finding good tautog fishing for their anglers. It is not uncommon for anglers to be able to catch their limit of four hefty tautog per trip. The Maryland tautog season is open through May 15. As inshore waters warm, anglers will see tautog moving into the Ocean City Inlet area.