Maryland Fishing Report – December 3

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Forecast Summary: December 3 – December 9:

Expect cool and sunny fishing weather and relatively stable conditions for Chesapeake Bay waters all week. There is a limited chance of snow on Friday. As reported by the NOAA buoys, main Bay surface water temperatures are currently in the upper 40s. Warmer bay waters will be found at the deeper depths of river mouths and main Bay areas. River temperatures are slightly cooler and holding around the low 40s.

Maryland’s salinities continue to be slightly above normal for most Maryland waters this time of year. Oxygen conditions throughout the main Bay and Maryland’s tributaries are suitable to the bottom. 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 all week as a result of the December 4-5 full moon.

Upper Chesapeake Bay

The Conowingo Dam continues to be on a late afternoon/evening power generation schedule. Anglers are catching very few striped bass in the dam pool this month but fishing for large blue catfish has been very good. The large blue catfish can also be found in the lower Susquehanna River, especially near the mouth in the deep waters below the railroad bridge. Anglers working soft plastic jigs and paddletails near the bottom of the dam pool and the nearby river waters are catching walleye and smallmouth bass at times. The lower Susquehanna River near the dam pool is noted for large smallmouth bass.

Anglers are still finding a few striped bass that are willing to bite in the deep waters of the Patapsco and Chester rivers. As Bay waters dip into the 40s, striped bass are feeding less and headed for the deepest water they can find. Jigging with soft plastics and metal or trolling with umbrella rigs and tandem rigged bucktails are the most popular ways anglers are fishing. Some anglers are reporting that umbrella rigs armed with hookless spoons as teasers are performing well. Inline weights as heavy as 24 ounces are often needed to get down to 40- and 50-foot depths. 

White perch have also gone deep in the channel waters at the mouths of several of the region’s largest tidal rivers, usually at depths of 40 feet or more. Bottom rigs baited with grass shrimp or pieces of bloodworm is the best way to entice them once they can be found by watching depth finders. Anglers are also beginning to catch a few yellow perch in the tidal rivers.

Middle Bay

When the winds are not blowing anglers are exploring the water depths around the Bay Bridge. The striped bass that are holding there are deep, trying to find slightly warmer water. The striped bass at the shorter end of the slot will stop feeding as water temperatures descend further into the 40s. As water even gets colder, anglers may find striped bass stacked up on the bottom refusing to take a jig. When this happens, anglers jigging for them will often accidently snag them. The larger fish, often those more than 24 inches long, can still feed and digest their food for a while longer. Thin braid and a fast action fishing rod are a real asset when attempting to jig in depths of 40 feet or more and keeping the weight of jigs suitable.

The mouth of the Choptank, the False Channel, and the Gooses have been good places to jig and troll for striped bass in the past couple of weeks. The mouth of Eastern Bay, Breezy Point, and Chesapeake Beach are also locations to check, which can also include scattered bird action. Water temperatures in the lower Choptank River are now in the low 40s and slightly higher out in the Bay. Striped bass can be spotted on depth finders holding close to the bottom in waters as deep as 50 feet. 

White perch are also seeking deeper waters near the mouths of several of the region’s tidal rivers and out in the bay and holding over deep oyster bottom or similar hard bottom in depths as deep as 50 feet or more. Bottom rigs baited with grass shrimp or pieces of bloodworm with just enough sinker to hold bottom are the best way to target them once they are spotted on depth finders.

In the lower Bay, the lower Potomac and Patuxent rivers tend to be the places to be for the best striped bass fishing. On the lower Potomac River the waters below the Route 301 Bridge are holding good numbers of striped bass. The steep channel edges from about St. Georges Island to Piney Point has been one of the best places to jig and troll for striped bass. The deeper waters of the lower Patuxent River below the Route 4 Bridge are a good place to jig for striped bass this week. Anglers are having equal luck with both metal jigs and soft plastic jigs. Thin braid and a fast action rod make the job of jigging in deep water more efficient. 

The main channel edges near Cove Point and from Buoy 72 to Buoy 76 as well as the top of Tangier Sound have been good places to explore while trolling and monitoring depth finders. The deepest edges tend to be where striped bass are holding close to the bottom.

There have been reports of fall migrant striped bass at the mouth of the Chesapeake in the past week. The main body of fall migrants has been staged at the mouth of the Raritan Bay lately and seen 25 miles off Atlantic City on their way south. A few large striped bass have been reported to be caught and released lately in the lower Bay, and anglers hope we may see more. 

One misconception by some anglers is that the presence of gill lice indicates that striped bass have recently arrived from the ocean. Striped bass anglers can learn more on the DNR website in this informative article about gill lice. 

Freshwater Fishing

Coldwater trout biologists have been busy this fall conducting population surveys in various waters. They also have been reintroducing brook trout, many adults and sub-adults, into coldwater streams that have appropriate coldwater habitat. Biologists also initiated a brook trout propagation project by monitoring brook trout stronghold streams for redd construction and other spawning related behaviors. Once these activities are observed, staff will attempt to collect ripe brook trout eggs and milt in the field and bring fertilized eggs back to an isolation hatchery. This is the first attempt at the development of a wild trout propagation program that will raise and release trout to streams with coldwater habitat but no existing trout population. 

The warmwater biologists were busy this fall conducting population surveys at reservoirs, tidal waters, and various impoundments across the state. These surveys give biologists the information they need to better manage fish populations to be sustainable. Regional biologists also stocked thousands of small largemouth bass in upper sections of tidal waters around the state.

Anglers are enjoying good fishing at Deep Creek Lake and the upper Potomac for smallmouth bass and walleye, and also northern pike in the lake. All these fish are very comfortable in colder waters. Chain pickerel are another fish that is very comfortable in colder waters, and they provide plenty of catch and release action in tidal waters and reservoirs and ponds across the Maryland landscape. They are ambush predators and can be found holding near sunken wood and similar shoreline structure.

Atlantic Ocean and Coastal Bays

Surf anglers are keeping a constant vigil on cut mullet and menhaden baits waiting for large fall migrant striped bass to be moving along the beaches on their southern migration. Clearnose skates and spiny dogfish are doing their best to keep anglers on their toes. 

Inside the inlet there is a lot of fun catch and release fishing for striped bass that don’t measure up to the 28-inch minimum, and occasionally one does. Casting soft plastic jigs and paddletails near jetty rocks, docks and bulkheads and working them deep is providing a lot of fun action. Tautog are being caught in good numbers in the same areas on sand fleas and pieces of crab.

Striped bass are being caught in the back bay waters near the bridge piers of the Route 90 and Verrazzano bridges. Casting a mix of soft plastic jigs and paddletails is the most popular way to fish. The sedge banks that drop off to moderately deep waters are also a good place to cast paddletails. 

Outside the inlet, the anglers headed out to the offshore wreck and reef sites are catching good quantities of black sea bass and a mix of flounder and porgies. Flounder are being caught on offshore lumps and reef sites by those who target them. Fishing for tautog is very good this week on the inshore and offshore wreck and reef sites. Anglers heading out to the canyons are deep dropping and finding success with blueline and golden tilefish.