Mid-Atlantic Freshwater Fishing Report 4/27/2018:
While fishing the bay and its tributaries has been relentlessly slow so far this season, anglers who have been spending their time on lakes, reservoirs, and fishing mountain streams have been enjoying action-packed days during the warm weather spring has (finally!) brought us. Taylored Tackle in Laural, DE, weighed in a 1.35 pound crappie this week, caught by Caroline Blackburn on a shiner at Broad Creek. Broad Creek has also been producing some great blue cats this week, including an eight and a half pound blue caught by Bradford Jones on cut bait. As far as trout fishing goes, Sheppard Meyers has been experiencing some amazing fly fishing. The best flies have been Wooly buggers. Area angler and FishTalk contributor Jim Gronaw says that with the slow-to-get-going spring, in-season trout stockings in the Catoctin area streams and lakes as well as the waters of nearby York and Adams county PA have provided good action. The best success has been with small 1/64th oz dark-patterned hair jigs fished either plain or tipped with a half a meal worm and suspended below a small float. Where permitted, Berkley Gulp Minnows one inch in size will also take stocker trout, on a small jig head. Standard tactics with small spoons, spinners and the Power Bait options remain effective, with each having their day.
Jim also says crappie fishing has good and bad days depending on the weather patterns. Along the Mason Dixon Line fish are yet to bed, but will do so as soon as the water temps hit the 60 to 62 degree mark. Try to hit Piney Run, Lake Marburg or the Baltimore area reservoirs as these fish move shallow to spawn. Time-honored tactics with 1/16th ounce jigs or minnows below bobbers around beaver huts and fallen wood are productive until the fish commence spawning and then move back out to deeper waters. Notice, too, that bass anglers with occasionally catch a giant crappie while tossing bass-intended crank baits. Fish steeper, sun-warmed shorelines for those mombo crappies that don't hang with the dinks. Bluegills as well are moving shallow and will be at the top of angling efforts in the coming months.
Crappie have been especially active up and down the area according to Clyde's Sport Shop, which reported some great crappie fishing at Loch Raven and Piney Run, where small shiners and bull minnow have been the bait of choice. Bluegill have also been mixed in with the catch, although they're gravitating more towards wax worm than minnow. Just over the PA line at Lake Marburg, crappie have been mixed in with a great bass bite - B&B Tackle is reporting that swim-baits and power baits have been working best, along with minnow.
Tochterman's reported that the Gunpowder is stocked full of trout, with the best catches on Mepps spinners, and Powerbait. But anglers throughout the region have enjoyed the steadiest action on blue catfish, which haven't ceased biting in the Western Shore rivers. The Potomac near DC and the James River from Richmond through the Hopewell area have provided excellent bites for anyone sinking cut gizzard shad, chicken livers, or similar baits to the bottom in holes and channels.
In the area reservoirs bass are beginning to move a bit shallower as the waters warm. Jerkbaits and swimbaits fished at mid-depths in pre-spawn areas are reportedly providing the most action on largemouth.
Mid-Atlantic Freshwater Fishing Report 4/20/2018:
Trout stocking and trout fishing has been moving ahead full-force this week, and is one of the few fisheries not being adversely affected by the chilly weather. Gobs of Berkley Trout Powerbait molded on a hook and tossed out with a split-shot on the line, and small spinners, remain top offerings. See last week's report for links to the stocking schedules for the different states in our region.
Freshwater fishing has been stellar this week for trout anglers in the western areas of the region, as water levels have resumed their normal patterns, producing perfect conditions for flyfishers. Mossy Creek Fly Fishing reported that as trout stocking programs have continued, fishing has been consistently good. Wooly Buggers have been popular, as well as nymphs. Some anglers out west in Maryland have been heading for Deep Creek, where walleye re-opened April 15, but the weather has still been less than ideal and the fishing rather difficult most of the week.
DelMarVa anglers on the Eastern Shore are finding good action on bass, crappie, and pickerel in the Eastern Shore millponds, which tend to warm quickly thanks to their shallow nature. Small minnow lip-hooked on a shad dart or marabou jig suspended two to three feet under a bobber are a top offering. FishTalk team member Zach Ditmars hit the Blackwater complex, and learned that the snakeheads there were ready and willing to eat minnow slow-trolled behind a kayak. He also encountered white and yellow perch, plus a nice largemouth. Delaware anglers take note: the state has created a new interactive online pond map that's pretty darn cool, and includes satellite views of each public pond in the state plus a fairly extensive explanation of the fishing there.
Reports from reservoirs throughout the region, including Pretty Boy, Loch Raven, St. Mary's Lake, Lake Anna, and Kerr are all similar with the cool weather keeping the fish more or less in a holding pattern. Although some bass have moved a bit shallower, most are being caught on swim baits around drop-offs from four to six feet, down to deeper water. Fewer fish are being caught from just a couple feet of water, mostly when it's been sunny and the shallower areas have warmed a bit. With water temperatures mostly in the upper 50's to lower 60's throughout the region, expect more of the bass to shift into shallower water very soon. (If, that is, a "real" spring ever gets started!) There have also been a few stripers reported from the VA reservoirs, plus good numbers of crappie being caught on small minnow around bridge pilings and timber in 10'-plus depths.
Catfish continue to provide steady action in the Potomac near DC, and the James from Richmond to Hopewell. Cut gizzard shad and herring are top baits. In these same areas (as well as the other western shore rivers that maintain a population) the shad are present and have begun running. While the action has picked up from last week, it still isn't in full-swing just yet but should pick up as the water continues to warm up a bit. A few good reports also came from Deer Creek this week, and a couple warm, sunny days should have this action breaking loose.
Mid-Atlantic Freshwater Fishing Report 4/13/2018:
The warming weather has the fish just as excited as the fishermen, with stocked trout and the first appearances of shad grabbing the headlines this week. In Delaware in New Castle County, throughout Maryland and down into Virginia the stocked fish are being caught up just about as fast as they can be released. Check the state sites for Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia, to see the different trout stocking schedules and locations. Trout anglers will also be happy to hear that Mossy Creek is reporting that out in their area, water levels have stabilized and streams are running clear. As far as the stockers go, the fish usually aren't incredibly picky about what they eat but fishing a wad of Berkley Trout Powerbait on a hook weighted down with a split-shot is very tough to beat. You can also catch them on earthworms, and small spinners or grubs. While this is a fun fishery that's easy to enjoy, anglers looking for a more challenging will be excited to hear that the shad run has begun!
Small darts fished in tandem with inch-long spoons, twisters, and tubes will get these fish biting. We've heard reader reports (verified with photos) from multiple anglers hitting Deer Creek, the Potomac near Fletcher's, and the James near Richmond. No one's been "tearing them up" just yet but anglers seem to be averaging four or five fish in an afternoon. Considering the recent warming trend, however, this fishery should utterly explode in the coming days.
In the area reservoirs, crappie continue to bite willingly on minnow and small tube or twister-tail jigs, particularly near bridges and standing timber. Again, there are lots of reader reports coming in for this species, with the best bite being reported in six to 12 feet of water. Pre-spawn bass are also being caught in good numbers but mostly a bit shallower, in four to six feet of water. The Eastern Shore ponds are also a good bet right now as these shallow bodies of water warm up very quickly; reports and pics indicate Wye Mills and the Salisbury ponds are top picks for anglers drifting small minnow under a bobber, for crappie.
Blue cats in the tidal rivers remain another option, on the Western Shore throughout our region. One angler fishing the upper Potomac yesterday dropped anchor on the channel edge and reported catching the first blue cat within about five minutes - it was the first of many to come and seemed like the fish "paved" bottom.
Anglers fishing upper tributaries also reported they are still having some success on white perch, with most of the fish holding in deeper holes down-river from spawning areas, though the incoming blast of warmth may well change that. Angler in chief Lenny Rudow reported that on the upper Patuxent, the whites were balled up in holes of 20 feet or more and in number so great that even he managed to luck into a cooler full of fish. He suggests bringing several bait choices because during the incoming and slack tides the fish wanted nothing but grass shrimp. Yet strangely, as the tide shifted to an outgoing, bloodworms began out-performing the shrimp by a mile.
Mid-Atlantic Freshwater Fishing Report 4/6/2018:
While wind and tough weather have scuttled most saltwater options recently, freshwater anglers have fared a bit better. Bill's Outdoors reported the opening of trout season a success, with fish plentiful due to the efforts of trout stocking teams this winter. Contributor Jim Gronaw backs this report up noting that trout fishing in the Catoctin creeks and many stocked ponds and streams in central Maryland has been great, thanks to the efforts of the MD DNR. Not only do catch rates appear to be up, but the average size of the trout are larger than in past seasons, with many foot-long fish and occasional trout to 16 inches. Of course, the giant brood trout are showing up here and there as well. Standard issue lures such as KastMaster spoons, #1 Mepps spinners, Joe's Flies, and PowerBaits will all take stocker trout and provide much relief to those anglers who are anxiously looking forward to the spring. Don't forget about the unheralded "in-season" stocking efforts by the DNR, which greatly extends the spring trout season.
Jim also noted that crappie are still biting steadily. Clyde's Sport Shop is also reporting a crappie bite, at Liberty and Loch Raven around the bridges, on minnow. Bass fishing is also improving and largemouth and smallmouth will be entering a pre-spawn phase and will take a variety of lures such as chatterbaits, Rat-L-Traps and swim jigs. Don't overlook windy, rainy days that can be surprisingly productive during April.
On the Eastern Shore the white perch bite has held up in the headwaters of tidal rivers including the Choptank, Tuckahoe, and Wicomico, with bloodworms and grass shrimp the best baits. Most anglers are fishing them on shad darts and some are having plenty of success casting two-inch tubes and twisters. This action should be winding down soon, so anglers who enjoy the white perch run should make an effort to get out there asap.
The tidal rivers remain a great option for catfish anglers, with numerous reports coming in from readers this week. The upper Potomac in and near DC seems to be the hottest zone, with huge numbers of blues in the five to 15 pound range and a few bigger ones mixed in here and there. The upper James has also been producing plenty of big blue cats for anglers soaking cut gizzard shad in holes and channel edges with snags and structure.
Mossy Creek Fly Fishing reported water levels have begun to return to normal, however water clarity is still poor in some areas due to runoff from the past weeks rain. Fishing has picked up in Lake Anna, especially for crappie and largemouth bass, with Jake's Bait and Tackle reporting that fish are being caught on small soft plastics and spoons. Many of the bass are still relatively deep but a few warm, sunny days should change this quickly. There were also a few reports of stripers being caught in Bugg's Island, as well as crappie and bass.