Maryland Fishing Report – September 3

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Forecast Summary: September 3 – September 9:

Expect warm and sunny fishing weather and relatively stable conditions for Maryland Bay waters all week. Chance of rain Thursday and Saturday. As reported by the NOAA buoys, main Bay surface water temperatures are currently in the upper 70s but continue to slowly cool. River temperatures are slightly cooler in the upper 60s. 

Salinities are below normal for most Maryland waters this time of year. From the bottom of the Susquehanna Flats to the Bay Bridge, there is adequate oxygen down to between 15-20 feet; conditions throughout the rest of the main Bay are much improved and suitable to at least 35 feet. In the Potomac River, there will be adequate oxygen down to less than 15 feet in the Colonial Beach area but improving downstream towards Point Lookout. Recent breezy conditions, cooler nights, and shortened days have cooled Bay surface waters and improved low oxygen conditions in the main Bay waters. 

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has developed a striped bass habitat conditions mapping tool that uses our newly developed water temperature and dissolved oxygen-based thresholds for Maryland’s resident striped bass. This tool can help you identify your local fishing hotspot (Swan Point Bar, Summer Gooses, etc.) and the current conditions so you can find the best locations to fish.

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 all week as a result of the full moon on September 8.

Upper Chesapeake Bay

Anglers continue to enjoy good fishing for striped bass at the Conowingo Dam pool by casting swimbaits and paddletails near the turbine wash. The cool water coming from the bottom of the Conowingo Reservoir and the attraction of crippled baitfish coming through the turbines keeps the striped bass holding there. There are always flathead catfish in the dam pool and large numbers of blue catfish in the lower Susquehanna River. 

Blue catfish can also be found in the Chester River and other tidal rivers in the upper Bay. Due to the lack of rain and higher salinity values, some of the better fishing for blue catfish is occurring farther up the tidal rivers. It is also a good way to get away from pesky blue crabs that fuss with cut bait. 

Striped bass fishing tends to be a mystery for a lot of anglers this week. The good live line fishing that was occurring in the Patapsco River has dropped off, but anglers are finding some excellent shallow water action inside the harbor and river shorelines. The best action has been occurring during the morning and evening hours with topwater lures and paddletails. Recent algae die-offs have caused fish kills and low dissolved oxygen waters in several areas of the Patapsco River.

Striped bass anglers will be exploring various traditional locations in the upper Bay this week and the shallower waters may hold the key to success. The water temperatures have cooled to a more comfortable temperature for striped bass in the shallows during this transition period from summer to fall patterns. 

Spot are still readily available in the Chester River and in front of Sandy Point, a cold snap could change everything as the spot begin to think about heading south. Fishing for white perch is still being reported as slow in the tidal rivers and anglers report using grass shrimp for bait near pilings and similar structure is the best way to target them. Out in the open waters of the Bay, white perch are being found on various knolls and being caught with dropper rigs.

Middle Bay

Striped bass anglers continue to find some action on the east side of the Bay Bridge near the 30-foot drop-off contour by drifting live spot, live eels, and soft crab baits to the bridge pier bases. Casting soft plastic jigs to the pier bases has also been a good way to fish the bridge piers during the morning and evening hours. Thomas Point has been another location that is providing striped bass action whether one is casting soft plastic jigs or live lining spot. The Sharps Island Light has also been providing some striped bass action. 

The shallow-water striped bass fishery in the Eastern Bay area, the lower Choptank, and near Taylors Island has been offering good fishing for anglers casting a mix of topwater lures and paddletails during the morning and evening hours. 

Anglers are catching a mix of spot and croakers at several hard-bottom locations in Eastern Bay and Tolly Point. Fishing for white perch has been fair, with the best catches coming from deepwater docks and piers and fishing close with grass shrimp.  

Anglers in the lower Bay are experiencing good fishing for a mix of bluefish and Spanish mackerel. Trolling a mix of surge tube lures and small spoons behind inline weights and planers has been a very popular way to fish. At times anglers are encountering breaking fish chasing bay anchovies and casting metal jigs is the best way to target the bluefish and Spanish mackerel. The main channels in the Bay and Tangier Sound south to the Virginia state line and beyond provide the best trolling results. 

Striped bass fishing has been best this week in the shallower waters of the lower Potomac and Patuxent rivers, Cedar Point, and structure locations along the Bay shorelines. Casting paddletails and topwater lures have been very popular ways to fish. Anglers are live-lining spot at steep channel edges in the lower Potomac River. 

Fishing for cobia has been a tough game to play lately, the few cobia being caught tend to fall short of the 43-inch minimum. Large red drum are starting to move into shallower waters on the eastern side of the bay as water temperatures cool.

Fishing for spot is very good this week and many are large enough for table fare, and croakers measuring larger than 9 inches are part of the mix. Anglers do report that there has been an influx of small croakers and some nice legal-sized flounder.

Blue Crabs:

Recreational crabbers continue to catch good quantities of crabs this week in all regions of the Bay. In the upper Bay catches range from a half bushel to a full bushel per outing, while the middle and lower Bay regions offer full bushels of 6 inches or better crabs per outing. Crabbers are reporting catching some of the largest crabs in 12-15 feet of water, but shallower waters are also producing good catches of large crabs, but crabbers will contend with sooks and small crabs chewing up baits. Salinity values are high in the tidal river due to the month-long lack of rain.

Freshwater Fishing

Summer’s warm temperatures are fading away, and the cooler nights are causing water temperatures to drop into more comfortable conditions for a wide variety of freshwater fish. The western region’s trout management waters are experiencing low flow conditions but if one uses a stealth approach and careful presentations the trout are in the mood.

The upper Potomac is running low, clear, cool, and anglers are enjoying good fishing for smallmouth bass. The low water conditions allow anglers to enjoy wading and getting closer to where the smallmouth bass are holding. Current breaks, large mid-stream boulders, underwater ledges, and grass edges are all good places to fish. Long casts with light lines and a variety of tubes, paddletails, swimbaits, poppers and small crankbaits all have a place when fishing for smallmouth.

Largemouth bass are active, and the good fishing is lasting more into the daylight hours now that water temperatures are cooler. Largemouth bass are holding close to cover in the form of lily pad or spatterdock fields, grass beds and sunken wood. Wacky rigged soft plastics are always a good bet when fishing tight to structure or under floating grass mats. Spinnerbaits and jerkbaits work well along the outside edges of spatterdock fields and paddletails tend to work near grass, lily pad fields or transition zones between deeper waters and shallower waters.

Atlantic Ocean and Coastal Bays

Surf conditions have calmed down and anglers are finding a mix of kingfish, croakers, blowfish, flounder, and a few pompano when fishing with small baits. Bluefish are being caught on cut bait and finger mullet. Anglers report there are plenty of sting rays and inshore sharks when fishing large baits.

At the inlet there continues to be good fishing for sheepshead close to the jetty rocks. Fiddler crabs and sand fleas are good baits to use. Striped bass and bluefish are being caught by casting soft plastic jigs, paddletails and drifting cut bait. 

Fishing for flounder has been good in the back bay channels and the channels close to the inlet are some of the best places to drift for flounder. Live bait and gulp baits tend to attract the largest flounder. 

Flounder fishing at the inshore wreck and reef sites has been very good for anglers looking to catch larger fish. The boats taking anglers out to the offshore wreck sites are finding good fishing for black sea bass when fishing with squid baits and metal jigs. 

Anglers heading out to the canyons are enjoying good fishing for white marlin with multiple catches per boat. Dolphin catches have been good and there has been a mix of yellowfin and bigeye tuna in the mix. Deep-drop fishing for blueline tilefish has been excellent with most boats returning to the dock with limit catches.