Maryland Fishing Report: August 8

August 8, 2018

It is often said that summertime is for kids, and truer words could not be spoken this month. August will be gone in a flash so don’t delay getting any youngsters you know out or near the water to enjoy some fun fishing. Two fish that are always ready to accommodate our young anglers are bluegill sunfish and white perch. Kids need plenty of action to keep them interested and these two species can provide that if you take the steps to ensure success. It is pretty hard to beat worms and a bobber for bluegills at a local pond or fishing under a dock with grass shrimp and a simple one-hook bottom rig for white perch. And for you photographers out there, the Maryland Natural Resource photo contest wraps up this month. Enter your best shots showcasing Maryland’s great fishing and outdoors by midnight Aug. 31. Winners will be featured in the 2019 wall calendar; additional prizes include cash and park passes. Enter today! Forecast Summary: Aug. 8-14



This upcoming week in Chesapeake Bay will be defined by warm waters and poor water clarity resulting from the high river flows. The bright spot is the recent oxygen conditions, with the bay experiencing some of the best on record. Since most of the water column has been recharged with oxygen, expect striped bass to move deeper toward cooler waters during daylight hours. As of July 27, the coolest waters from surface to bottom are from the Susquehanna Flats down to Still Pond. The temperature break appears to be near the Gunpowder Neck area, with cooler areas north of this point and warmer waters south. The current water temperatures are 83 degrees at Annapolis, 84 degrees at Gooses Reef and 84 degrees at Point Lookout. Remember, rockfish will avoid waters above 84 degrees! From the Bay Bridge north, most areas have adequate oxygen from surface to bottom. For anglers, continue to seek the best combination of clear, cool, oxygenated waters. This means fishing deep or early in the morning. There will be above average tidal currents all week as a result of the upcoming new moon Aug. 12 For the full weekly fishing conditions summary and more detailed and up-to-date fishing conditions in your area of the bay, be sure to check out Click Before You Cast.

Upper Chesapeake Bay

A good portion of the floating debris that was so prominent last week has slowly worked its way down the bay by wind and tide. It has choked coves and harbors, littered shorelines and washed up into marsh areas. A very high tide may cause it to drift elsewhere. All boaters are on high alert as they keep a diligent watch for floating debris. The Conowingo Dam flows are still high but nothing like last week. Locals reports found good fishing in the mouths of the creeks feeding into the lower Susquehanna River and catching a mix of striped bass and smallmouth bass. Most of the floating debris has moved out of the region and locals are just dealing with stained water conditions. Water temperatures are climbing back up again into the low 80s due to warm daytime air temperatures and bright sunlight. Some striped bass have moved off the shoal areas near Tolchester and holding near 20-foot edges at Swan, Love and Podickory points and some of the knolls and shoals east of Baltimore Harbor. Chumming is still very popular but live lining spot is accounting for larger fish and fewer throwbacks. The spot can be found near the Bay Bridge in about 15 feet of water and the southwest side is a very great place to gather up some live spot on bloodworm baits. There has been plenty of action around the Bay Bridge piers and live lining spot, small eels or jigging have been the preferred methods. The striped bass tend to be holding in 25 feet of water. White perch are also holding close to the piers in 15 feet of water or less and can be caught on bloodworms or grass shrimp on a bottom rig or small jig head. Fishing for white perch in the tidal rivers has been exceptional lately. Large white perch are plentiful this year in most areas and offer some fun and fruitful fishing opportunities. Casting small spinners and spinnerbaits along shallow shoreline structure or fishing deeper with bottom rigs baited with bloodworms or grass shrimp is the ticket. Channel catfish are also very abundant in the upper portions of the bay and its tidal rivers, and cut bait tends to be the best bait option. There is also a shallow water fishery for striped bass in the early morning hours along the shorelines of the bay and tidal rivers. Topwater lures and crankbaits tend to be favorite choices for casting.

Middle Bay Striped bass tend to be spread out over a wide area this week. They are holding as deep as possible during the day looking for the coolest water that still has enough dissolved oxygen so they can breathe. Surface water temperatures have climbed back into the low 80s and the salinity values are still low due to runoff. Floating debris will continue to be a problem in the middle bay region this week so be careful out there. Scattered schools of striped bass can be found along main channel edges, but it will take some poking around with depth finders to find them. Most any edge has the potential to hold some striped bass in about 20 to 25 feet of water. They are holding as deep as they can as long as there is sufficient dissolved oxygen at those depths. Some locations worth checking out include the Brickhouse Bar off Kent Island, Thomas Point, Tilghman Point in Eastern Bay, the False Channel and the Diamonds, as well as the shipping channel edge near Parkers Creek. Chumming is of course popular but with the availability of live spot, live lining can be a much better way to catch a larger size striped bass and eliminate a lot of throwbacks. Spot can be found on the inside of Hacketts Bar and just east of Black Walnut Point in the Choptank River. The lower sections of other tidal rivers in the region may also produce spot, look for hard bottom areas in about 15 feet of water. Pieces of bloodworms, #4 or #6 hooks and just enough sinker is all you need to catch them. A large trash can or live tank will ensure keeping them lively on the trip to your fishing destination. White perch fishing has been stellar in the region’s tidal rivers and creeks. They can be found in relatively shallow water along shoreline structure in the early morning or late evening hours. Light tackle and small spinnerbaits or spinners is a great way to catch them. Those holding deeper near dock piers can be caught on grass shrimp on a simple one hook bottom rig. The abundance of large white perch this year presents some wonderful fishing opportunities for small boat and shoreline anglers, both young and old. The shallow water striped bass fishery is alive and well, but it means getting out on the water before dawn for the best fishing. The action tends to close down once the sun clears the horizon. Topwater lures are a favorite when fishing over grassy areas and jerkbaits can be used in slightly deeper waters near shoreline structure.