8/24/2017 Mid-Atlantic Freshwater Fishing Report Update:
Too much rainfall and plenty of heat have put a bit of a damper on much of the river fishing in our area. As mentioned in the Northern Maryland & Delaware Report, the Susquehanna has been pretty mucked up lately. Without going from locality to locality it's almost impossible to give a reliable report, as one river or creek may be off-color and running high while the next is clear, depending on the track of last week's thunderstorms. The best advice we can give it to not be too married to any one spot or river; if you see discolored water when you arrive, move on to a different area. You may well discover crystal-clear water just a short drive away.
The eastern shore millponds in Delaware and Maryland are still fairly slow, suffering from the head (and vegetation) of summer. However, early and late in the day there's a shot at largemouth. Crappie anglers are best off finding the deepest structure in the pond or lake, and focusing their efforts there.
Reservoirs are a bit more insulated from the rain and the reports from Deep Creek Lake are good, with a solid bass bite early in the morning particularly along the docks. Once boat traffic picks up and the thermometer rises the fish move deeper. Reports from Lake Anna are essentially the same, with the addition of relatively steady striper action for trollers working along steep drop-offs and points. Lipped crankbaits run from planers have been getting the job done.
The Western Shore tidal tributaries from the Potomac down through the James are all producing bass in their upper reaches, though the unsettled weather has had an effect in these rivers, too. However, cat fishing remains more or less unaffected. Deep holes and channels remain riddled with blue cats, with the stretch from the DC beltway all the way up to Fletcher's Boathouse being a hot zone. Same goes for the James River from Hopewell up to Richmond. Cut fish or chicken livers fished dead on bottom are the best bet.
8/18/2017 Mid-Atlantic Freshwater Fishing Report Update:
Rain this week has disrupted trout fishing in some local streams and rivers, high water levels making it nearly impossible for anglers to fishing topwater to catch the fish's attention below surface. In other areas, the rivers are running clear (see our 8/15 update, below). If you go to one area and find muddy water, don't be afraid to pull up stakes and drive somewhere else because just a few miles away it can be a completely different ballgame.
The Potomac is still providing a steady bass bite, and has cleared some since the rainfalls. Cat-fishing in the channels and holes remains productive for anglers using cut herring, menhaden, and chicken livers.
Meanwhile, reservoir largemouth bass fishing has improved throughout the region as those same rains have cooled water temperatures a bit. Deep Creek Outfitters noted that the fish have been more active in Deep Creek Lake due to cooler temperatures the past week, allowing them more time to stay and feed in shallow waters before moving deeper as the day moves on and heats up. Anglers fishing the Baltimore-area reservoirs have also seen an up-tick in bass action.
We weren't able to reach any of our usual VA freshwater folks (sorry - we know that's lame but no one picked up the phone this time!) but the largemouth, striped bass, and crappie action in the southern reservoirs should only have improved with the cooling temperatures.
8/15/2017 Mid-Atlantic Freshwater Fishing Report Update:
This past weekend two members of Team FishTalk took a kayak fishing trip 20 miles down the Potomac River from Paw Paw, West Virginia to Little Orleans, Maryland. Even after considerable amount of rain, the water depth was only 2 to 4-feet on average and the visibility was quite clear. It was difficult to locate some of the larger grade of fish that were there last year and the largest smallmouth bass caught was 12-inches. But the lack of size was made up for in numbers, as close to 40 smallmouth and bluegill combined were caught over the course of the weekend. The most productive lure was a Chartreuse/White Strike King Micro-King Spinnerbait.
8/11/2017 Mid-Atlantic Freshwater Fishing Report Update:
A new Delaware state record 36 pound blue catfish has been approved and is now official. The fish was caught in the Nanticoke on a bunker chunk, by Jordan Chelton in late June. More recently much of Delaware's freshwater has been muddied by heavy rain, but most of the local ponds are still producing some bass and panfish.
Deep Creek Outfitters let us know that the bass bite at Deep Creek has picked up with cooler water temperatures this past week. Many bass have been active longer due to shallow water staying cool longer in the day. Frogs, soft plastics, Bass Assassins, and buzzbaits have been the lures of choice. In deeper parts of the lake, rainbow trout and walleye have been hiding.
In both Maryland's and Virginia's mountain streams and creeks, large amounts of rain this week has made it difficult to catch trout due to high water levels. However, the rain has also cooled much of the water and up-river sections of the Potomac, Shenandoah, Rappahannock, and James are providing a better bite as compared to the recent past, in areas where the water has cleared up. The Potomac from the Nation's capitol down to Indian Head and the creeks down to Nanjemoy have been particularly good for largemouth fishermen. The best bite is still at daybreak and dusk but cooler waters have extended the productive fishing times a bit. As more areas go from muddy to clear the bite in western shore rivers should only get better.
8/6/2017 Mid-Atlantic Freshwater Report Update:
FishTalk contributor Jim Gronaw reports that the thunderstorms have had an impact on many creeks in the northern MD/southern PA area and made conditions tough, but if you can find water that's only slightly stained, the fishing is still quite good. He recently had a 60-fish day on a Monocacy tributary for smallmouths up to 15 inches, and reminds anglers that in these small, fragile waterways it's best to release the fish. Jim also notes that post-spawn bluegills and some largemouth are benefiting from the high water levels of local ponds, as they have access to flooded grassy areas. Small brown and black hair jigs and live worms are a good choice, and at low-light, try topwater for the bass. Some of the bluegill are impressive, and some large channel cats have showed up in the Mason-Dixon area recently, too.
8/3/2017 Mid-Atlantic Freshwater Report
Largemouth bass fishing at Deep Creek Lake has been stellar, according to Deep Creek Outfitters. Largemouth bass have been hiding along shoreline structure and along floating docks on the lake. Most are taking frogs, poppers, buzzbaits and chatterbaits in shallow water. Bass have been hiding in shady areas during the day, avoiding warmer daytime waters.
Jakes Bait and Tackle reports that high water levels due to the rain this week has made trout fishing tough, however as water levels go down the bite should return to normal. In addition, the bite at Loch Raven has picked up dramatically, with fish moving to the shorelines to avoid summer heat.
Lakes and ponds in Delaware and along the Eastern Shore of Maryland enjoyed a bit of a cool-down with the front that moved through last week, and both bass and crappie fishing is on the up-swing. Look to find both species around deadfall and shoreline structure. But that same front brought a lot of rain, and many of the rivers on the Western Shore were spotty for a few days. Look for fishing to return to normal as the flows drop, which in many areas, is already occurring.