This forecast is built from looking back at the past eight years of FishTalk's reports, and does not include the latest angling intel. For current reports please visit our Reports section which is updated weekly. Current reports will be published every Friday by noon and you can sign up for our email list to get an alert as they publish (it's free), should you so desire.
COASTAL FISHING FORECAST
Will August give us the close-to-home opportunity we had last season with mahi-mahi on the bass pots? We don’t know as of yet, but as we go to print these blue and green missiles have certainly made their presence known farther offshore and hopefully they’ll oblige. We also can’t say if we’ll see the same midsummer doldrum in the tuna bite that made yellowfin tough to come by last August, but even if that does happen you can bet the marlin numbers will be decent by now. And inshore both the reef site flounder fishing and the sea bass season got off to great starts, so it’s a good bet there will be plenty of action this month.
FRESHWATER FISHING FORECAST
With the heat of summer in full swing expect daybreak, dusk, and heavy cloud cover with a drizzle to provide the best opportunities for catching fish in ponds and lakes. Casting to shade helps, too, because those fish are just as desperate to cool off as we are these days. If we get enough rainfall some of the river options may produce as well, though if it all comes at once and turns the water muddy it’s best to wait a few days before casting those lines.
WAY NORTH FISHING FORECAST
The northern river mouths and the lower Susquehanna can be counted on for good summertime catfish fishing, and the past few seasons this has also been a great time to target snakeheads in this zone over grasses and on the Flats. Last season swimbaits were a perennial favorite, catching a mix of snakeheads, largemouth bass, and striped bass. Fishing below the dam should be good, too, though of course it all depends on where the rain falls and just how many of those gates open up.
UPPER CHESAPEAKE BAY FISHING FORECAST
No doubt most anglers in the Upper Bay have been waiting for rockfish to reopen, and considering how the early season went there’s a good chance the Patapsco will be the hot zone yet again this summer. That said, remember that the heat takes a serious toll on fish being released; check the DNR’s Striped Bass Fishing Advisory Forecast, and when it’s in the red consider going after different species. White perch should be biting, and we’d expect bottom fishing to be excellent since there was an early push of decent sized spot and croaker this year.
MIDDLE BAY FORECAST
As we go to print with this month’s edition the redfish action in the Middle Bay hasn’t been as awesome as hoped for, but consider chasing after those bluefish—this year’s crop is significantly larger than the blues we’ve grown used to seeing, and good numbers of fish up to five pounds (with larger fish showing up) have been prowling this zone. Hopefully by the time this edition reaches you Spanish mackerel will have moved into the area as well, and with all the mini-bunker we’ve been seeing this year our fingers are firmly crossed for a better showing than 2024 provided.
LOWER BAY FORECAST
Cobia have been around ever since the season opened up and should remain a solid target through the month. We expect the blues and mackerel to be thick right about now, too, so grab those binoculars and start searching for birds. In the Lower Bay tribs look for weedbeds in two to eight feet of water, where speckled trout, reds, and rockfish will almost certainly be prowling around. Expect good action early and late but midday lulls when the sun’s shining.
TANGIER, POCOMOKE, AND LOWER SHORE FORECAST
This zone is bound to have shallow water species like specks and reds cruising around, but remember that when it gets uber-hot they might not be so shallow. Last season when the water temps spiked it became critical to find slightly deeper structure after the sun rose up in the sky and the morning bite had ended. Or, you might want to shift gears entirely and search for schools of big bull redfish. We can’t swear that action will be as good as last season, but if it is…
WAY SOUTH AND VA FORECAST
The mid-summer bite is red hot at the mouth of the Bay, and while predicting which bite will be hottest is impossible, we can say one thing for sure: you have options. Lots and lots of options. Sheepshead on the CBBT pilings, bull reds at the islands, blues and mackerel in open water, flounder on the channel edges, cobia following schools of bait, specks and reds in the shallows and the inlets—is fishing the Way South zone during the summer an angler’s dream, or what?!
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