October 8
Cayla Beam found tranquility and a Chesapeake Channa (northern snakehead) on the Transquaking River recently. Photo courtesy of Cayla Beam
October presents a wonderful opportunity to spend some time fishing in the comfort of mild temperatures and the beautiful settings of fall foliage and peaceful waters.
Forecast Summary: October 8 – 14:
Expect partly cloudy weather and relatively stable conditions for fishing in Chesapeake Bay waters all week. There is a chance of rain Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. As reported by the NOAA buoys, main Bay surface water temperatures are currently in the low 70s but continue to slowly cool. River temperatures are slightly cooler in the mid 60s.
Salinities are above normal for most Maryland waters this time of year. Oxygen conditions throughout the main Bay are much improved and suitable to the bottom in most places.
Expect average water clarity for Maryland’s streams, rivers, and main Bay waters. 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 Saturday as a result of the full moon on October 7.
Upper Chesapeake Bay
Richard Pace caught this large blue catfish on a foggy morning at the Conowingo Dam pool recently. Photo courtesy of Richard Pace
Anglers at the Conowingo Dam pool continue to see very low flows coming out of the dam – seems like just enough to keep the turbines slowly moving. Cooler water temperatures have made for better fishing for striped bass, smallmouth bass, and the season’s first walleye. The low flows have also made fishing for blue catfish and flathead catfish easier.
The reports from the edges of the Susquehanna Flats tell of a slow pick during the early morning for those casting topwater lures and paddletails. Fishing for a mix of blue catfish and channel catfish is very good at the mouth of the Susquehanna, Elk, and North East rivers.
Anglers are seeing some of the better striped bass fishing in the upper Bay near Pooles Island this week. Live-lining with spot and eels has been popular. There has also been striped bass action near the Love Point rocks and the Sandy Point lighthouse. Trolling umbrella rigs along the main channel edges is becoming more popular as striped bass begin to suspend along steep channel edges.
Spot are still available on hard bottom areas in the Chester River, the mouth of the Magothy River, and various shoals and knolls in the Bay. White perch are also found on these same knolls and shoals.
Middle Bay
Frank Neitzel was able to fish the bridge piers on a running tide while casting jigs and caught this striped bass. Photo by Frank Neitzel
Anglers have been lining up on the east side of the Bay Bridge to live-line spot and eels or drift cut spot back towards the bridge piers. The best action is occurring early in the morning on a good running tide. The same can be said for those casting jigs near the pier bases. A moving tide is always important, and anglers are best to time their fishing on the tides. To find the tides throughout the Bay, visit DNR’s Tide Finder on the website.
Striped bass are being caught in the shallow waters of the Bay, Eastern Bay, and the lower Choptank to name a few areas. Any promising looking shoreline is worth a try by casting poppers, jerkbaits, and paddletails. A few speckled trout are also being reported in the mix. Thomas Point has been a good place to cast jigs and paddletails or even try some live-lining along the deeper ledges.
Bluefish continue to have a presence in the middle Bay and can be caught by trolling surgical tube lures or spoons behind inline weights or planers. Umbrella rigs are also a good choice when trolling along channel edges. The channel edge from Bloody Point, south past Buoy 83, Sharps Island Light, and past the False Channel has been a good place to troll.
White perch are being caught at the shallow ends of the Bay Bridge, Eastern Bay, and the lower sections of the region’s tidal rivers this week. Grass shrimp have been a very popular bait when fished on a one or two hook bottom rig. Kent Narrows is a good place to look for large white perch this time of the year.
Lower Bay
The lower Potomac and Patuxent rivers are the go-to places to fish for striped bass this week. The channel edge from the Route 301 bridge south past St. Georges Island has been a great place to live-line spot, jig, or troll with umbrella rigs. The same goes for the Patuxent River below the Route 4 bridge. Striped bass and a mix of speckled trout, slot-sized red drum, and bluefish are being caught throughout the lower Bay. The areas near Point Lookout, Cornfield Harbor, Cedar Point, and Tangier Sound are just a few of the excellent places to fish with paddletails and soft plastic jigs.
Bluefish of various sizes are found throughout the lower Bay, and some of the largest are found near the Target Ship and Point No Point. Anglers are trolling with umbrella rigs or surgical tube lures and spoons behind inline weights. At times the bluefish are pushing bay anchovies and juvenile menhaden to the surface and anglers are enjoying fun casting into the breaking fish.
Fishing for spot is at the zenith of the season – they are plentiful and about as large as they’re going to get before they head south in the next couple of weeks. The lower Patuxent, Cornfield Harbor, and Tangier Sound are good places to fish for them. White perch can be found near the piers of the Route 4 bridge, the cuts through Hoopers Island, and dock piers along the Bay shore and in the tidal rivers. Blue catfish can be found in large numbers in the tidal Potomac River up to the Wilson Bridge; the Patuxent, Nanticoke, Wicomico, and Pocomoke rivers also have large numbers of blue catfish.
Blue Crabs
Recreational crabbers are still enjoying good crabbing this week in all regions of the Bay. The crabs are going deep and crabbers report that contour edges in 12-15 feet of water are offering the largest and greatest numbers of crabs. As water temperatures in the tidal rivers dip below 70 degrees this week, the crabs will go even deeper.
Freshwater Fishing
Nathan Fernandez caught and released this nice largemouth bass at Lake Needwood recently. Photo by Nathan Fernandez
The fall trout stocking program has begun and put-and-take anglers can now enjoy some good fishing as the month progresses. The recent rain may give a little bump to the smaller streams and creeks within the central and western regions, but many are far below acceptable levels to sustain stocked trout, so trout anglers need to be patient. The latest stockings are posted each day by the crews at the DNR trout stocking website.
Cooler water temperatures are making for better fishing opportunities at Deep Creek lake for walleye, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, northern pike, and numerous other species. The upper Potomac is still experiencing below average flows, but cooler water temperatures are making for good smallmouth bass fishing. The central region reservoirs are providing plenty of good fishing now that largemouth bass are more active through the day.
Largemouth bass are often a favorite target for anglers and whether one is fishing nontidal or tidal waters, October offers some of the best fishing opportunities of the year. Casting frogs over existing grass is an exciting way to fish and in tidal waters Chesapeake Channa can be in the mix. Working spinnerbaits, paddletails and jerkbaits around the edges of grass and spatterdock fields is another good tactic for roaming largemouth bass. Dropping wacky rigged worms through floating grass mats or near sunken structure is another good option.
Atlantic Ocean and Coastal Bays
William Sonneman caught this sheepshead last weekend. Photo by William Sonneman
Surf conditions are unsettled, and strong northerly winds later this week will make surf fishing tough. The large red drum are passing through our area offering some exciting catch-and-release action, so use a heavier sinker and cut mullet for bait.
The wave action at the inlet may be rough so be careful along the jetty rocks if you’re fishing for sheepshead. Striped bass and bluefish are in the mix for those casting soft plastic jigs or drifting cut bait. Flounder are being caught in the inlet and the channels leading to the inlet, but cloudy water conditions can make flounder fishing difficult.
The black sea bass season reopens on October 10 and if ocean conditions allow, boats will be headed out to the wreck and reef sites. During the closure many private and charter boats have been targeting large flounder at various inshore wreck and reef sites.
The largest boats of the sportfishing fleet continue to make the long 150-mile run to the Hudson Canyon for multi-day trips. They have been returning to Ocean City with limit catches of yellowfin tuna and a mix of bigeye tuna, longfin albacore, and dolphin. The boats heading out to our local canyons are catching yellowfin tuna, dolphin and reporting white marlin releases. The deep drop anglers are catching blueline and golden tilefish.
“The fisherman fishes. It is at once an act of humility and a small rebellion. And it is something more. To him his fishing is an island in a world of dream and shadow.” – Robert Traver, 1960
Maryland Fishing Report is written and compiled by Keith Lockwood, fisheries biologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Click Before You Cast is written by Tidewater Ecosystem Assessment Director Tom Parham.
A reminder to all Maryland anglers, please participate in DNR’s Volunteer Angler Surveys. This allows citizen scientists to contribute valuable data to the monitoring and management of several important fish species.