Freshwater Fishing Report, April 2021

Freshwater Fishing Report, April 28 Update:

Fantastic spring action continues around the dial. On the trout front stockers are still out there in good supply and the rivers farther to our west have been in prime condition, so wild trout are an excellent target as well. Mossy Creek is reporting solid action on trout plus excellent smallmouth action on the Shenandoah, and we had readers check in from the Gunpowder and the upper Patapsco all with solid catches.

trout anglers catch fish
Brian and Marcus enjoyed a nice trout bite in the Patapsco.

One the Eastern shore the millponds continue to provide steady action with bass and crappie headlining solid bites. Multiple readers finger minnow under bobbers as a good bet for a mixed catch and swimbaits and spinnerbaits for the bass, while AIC Lenny Rudow reminds folks that red/white two-inch tubes were driving the crappie nuts last week.

Some of the area reservoirs slowed up a bit with the unsettled weather last week and over the weekend (Packard hit St. Mary’s Lake had a slow bite with just a bass and a perch to show for his efforts) but the glorious weather this week has gotten the fish right back on track (three days later, Packard’s bass count was 13; square-billed crayfish-pattern crankbaits fished in four to 10 feet did the trick). Plus, the Tackle Box noted that they’d heard from their customers that crappie, bass, and pickerel have been active both in the lake and in area ponds most days. Reader reports jibe, with large numbers of largemouth being reported from all around the dial after we got through the stretch of chilly weather.

Speaking of chilly weather — whether it was due to a drop in temperatures or a spawning distraction, the snakehead bite which had slowed significantly last week already seems to be on the upswing. The Angler’s Sport Center Monster Snakehead Hunt ended with the top three anglers all over the 30-pound mark (winner Joey Cover hit 32.3 pounds with second-place winner Sean Duffy close on his heels at 32.1 pounds). And this week we had a couple reports of five to 10 fish days from the eastern side, after hearing about zeros and onsies-twosies last week. Angler in Chief Lenny Rudow reports targeting them in Jug Bay this week with limited success (just one in the box) but also noted that they had four on through the course of the afternoon and tip-wraps, botched hook-sets, and general snakehead escape artistry was a bigger limiting factor than the fish’s willingness to hit big bull minnow and white spinnerbaits.


Freshwater Fishing Report, April 23 Update:

AIC Lenny Rudow reports that crappie action is at its spring peak in the millponds, and a venture to Salisbury early this week produced over two dozen fat crappie plus smalls, plenty of pickerel action, and bass and bluegill. The fish were hitting minnow on darts under bobbers, but better action came casting two-inch red and white tube jigs. Silver produced as well, but red/white was the bomb. Both casting and slow-trolling were very effective and most of the nice fish were out in three to four feet of open water with smaller fish on shoreline structure.

freshwater fishing for crappie in the millponds
Despite a steady downpour, those crappie were in a feeding mood in the millponds this week.

Reports from the area reservoirs range from great to excellent, with the spring bite in full swing. Contributor Eric Packard hit Tridelphia mid-week and caught lots of northern pike and bass on swimbaits and spinnerbaits; reports from the Baltimore reservoirs, Lake Anna, and Kerr all indicate great conditions for largemouth as many of the bass are beginning to transition to post-spawn. Shoreline structure and beds are holding fish, and Ned or Wacky worm rigs, swimbaits, and topwater are all good bets.

Catfish continue to provide nonstop action for anglers hitting the western shore Bay tribs. As per usual, the Susquehanna, Potomac, Rappahannock, and James are the perennial producers. One reader checked in after soaking gizzard shad in a branch off the Rap near Haymount and hooking into a 40-plus-pounder.

As of last weekend the shad run was still going strong. Contributor Eric Packard enjoyed hot action at Mattawoman, we had three reader reports of good action at Fletcher’s, and one from Deer Creek. In all cases, shad darts, small silver and gold spoons, or a combination of the two rigged in tandem (dart up front, spoon two feet behind it) were the ticket. Packard was also catching ‘em on the fly. This bite won’t last a whole heck of a lot longer, though, and is already slowing to some degree in the southern rivers, so if you want to give shad fishing a shot make it happen sooner rather than later!

Snakeheads! Well, yikes. The epicenter of the universe (yes of course we are talking about Blackwater) hit a huge spring slump last weekend, which most anglers blame on spawning lockjaw. Any way you cut it things got ugly, with only one angler in three or four catching and those finding success mostly taking just a single or double. Of course, this could change overnight. But as of compiling these reports we hadn’t yet heard of a change. Things have been better on the western side the past week but still fairly slow, with most of the catches we heard of being one to four fish. The Gunpowder had top honors.

Trout! Spring stockings continue and there are plenty of stockers to be had by all. Check out the state webpages to find out where they've been planted near you:


Freshwater Fishing Report, April 16 Update:

The snakeheads are getting more and more active throughout the region, including on the west side. Contributor Eric Packard made a couple of productive trips to Calvert Cliffs using white swimbaits this week, though we have been receiving some contradictory information from that location with some people saying rangers told them they were no longer allowed to fish for snakeheads there(!?!) However, Packard says he didn’t see any “no fishing” signs – and for Pete’s sake we at FishTalk can’t imagine a valid reason why it would be eliminated; the viewpoint of complaining joggers and bikers (who have correctly argued that fishing from the boardwalk, in specific, makes it impossible to socially distance) will we hope be respectfully matched by anglers. Restricting fishing from the boardwalk makes sense; eliminating fishing in the public space entirely would be a failure to respect our rights. Meanwhile, on the east side Blackwater continues to produce fair to middling catches with FishTalk kayak sharpie Zach Ditmars reporting a couple fish on white paddle-tail swimbaits, but overall a relatively slow bite last weekend. Through the week reports picked up a bit with some dragons coming in, and five fish have now broken the 10-pound mark for anglers fishing in the Angler’s Monster Snakehead Hunt.

freshwater fishing catching snakeheads
Jack got his first snakehead, one of two on his first trip targeting them while fishing in the Angler’s Monster Snakehead Tournament.

In the reservoirs warming temps have the fish biting strong, and we received reader reports from Tridelphia (lots of small pike, some bass, and a few crappie), St. Mary’s Lake (mostly bass plus some crappie and yellow perch), and Kerr (bass casting lures and catfish for those soaking baits) of solid action. In all areas throughout the region, the fish are shifting shallower as the waters warm and many anglers are now fishing shoreline structure with good results.

Shad are still a thing in the upper Potomac as well as its feeder creeks that sustain a run, the Rappahannock, and the James. Shad dart/silver spoon tandems are doing much of the catching and a reader fishing Fletcher’s this week reported tiny gold spoons weighted with a split shot three feet up the line were doing the trick, too. Reports are still thin from Deer Creek and other northern runs.

Trout reports continue to be strong and there are still plenty of stockers out there. Visit the trout pages, to pick a nearby location:


Freshwater Fishing Report, April 9 Update:

Shad runs have kicked into high gear from the Potomac south and although last week’s rains had water levels up over the weekend, in most areas it had settled out enough that water quality was more than suitable for fishing. Contributor Eric Packard spent several days on the Potomac in DC this week casting tandem rigs with small spoons and shad darts (with a split shot added for weight), catching hickories by the dozens. Silver, gold, and chartreuse spoons with a split shot added a few feet up the line (and a 15-count allowed for sinking) all produced. Angler in Chief Lenny Rudow also visited the shoreline near Fletcher’s, and reported that the rod was bent almost continually. Reports from the Rappahannock in the Fredericksburg area and the James near Richmond are ranging from strong to very strong, again with catches measured by the dozens. If you’re into shad fishing, get out there NOW! And if you’re interested in this fishery but need some intel on rigs, tactics, and choosing hotspots, check out this video Packard and Rudow shot just this week:

The snakehead continue to pick up steam on the eastern side despite the slight hiccup in the spring warm-up last week, and the waters warmed back up enough over the weekend for angler to make decent if not spectacular catches. Readers report zero to six fish on paddle tails, swimbaits, and minnow, with four- to five-inch white paddle tails rigged weedless on weighted “spring-lock” hooks being a top producer recently. Two or three fish seemed to be about average. On the western side we did hear from a couple of readers who found spring snakes, but just onsies-twosies. However, as the weather warms this action should only continue to pick up. If you're headed for snake country, don't forget to register for the Great Chesapeake Invasives Count - it's free, and you can win all sorts of prizes (this month an Engel Live Bait cooler and a bunch of gift certificates to the Woolford Store are being offered up) for catching those sneks!

Trout anglers continue to enjoy the fruits of the put-and-take fisheries. Check the links to find the fish!

freshwater fishing for crappie
Fish are biting strong in the region's reservoirs. Photo courtesy of Eric Packard

In the reservoirs and lakes throughout the region, bass are in serious spring fatten-up mode. Contributor Eric Packard fished a southern MD lake this week and in just a few hours his head-count hit 14 bass, two crappie, and a yellow perch. A pumpkinseed wacky worm accounted for most of the bass and a green paddle tail and a Beetle Spin proved effective both on bass and the other species. We also had a reader check in after fishing Lake Anna and enjoying great bass action on shallow-running square-bill crankbaits and swimbaits, with the fish now right up in the shallows; he also said people back at the ramp had plenty of crappie on their stringers.


Freshwater Fishing Report, April 2 Update:

The Blackwater snakeheads are officially awake! FishTalk kayak fishing sharpie Zach Ditmars and Contributor Eric Packard both hit those waters and caught a couple-few snakes each, including a 28-incher, plus bass. Minnow and a white paddle tail did the trick, and one fish even came up top to hit a Whopper Plopper. From the west-side hotspots like the Potomac and Rappahannock creeks, we still didn’t get any exciting snake reports this week. The warm-up on this side shouldn’t be much farther behind, however, and a few more sunny days could trigger it any time now.

trout anglers with fish
The spring trout proved cooperative for Nathan and Julianne, while fishing the pond at Calvert Cliffs. Photo courtesy of Eric Packard

Trout anglers continue to enjoy the fruits of stockings region-wide. With more and more stocked areas opening up by the day there are plenty of options and opportunities no matter where you're located, so get in on the catching before they all get caught up in:

Crappie have moved from their winter haunts into shallower waters, and even out west Deep Creek Lake was producing a fair few crappie this week. Some shoreline anglers were even able to wrangle them alongside bass, whose activity has picked up as well. Pickerel remain relatively active in the millponds, although with the crappie and largemouth bass bites on the upswing much focus has shifted away from targeting the pickerel.

The perch run has quieted down quite a bite throughout DelMarVa, but areas such as the upper Susquehanna are still experiencing a bite. Angler in Chief Lenny Rudow reports that the upper Patuxent was still producing good numbers of white perch (though many were small) plus a surprisingly good catfish bite on shad darts tipped with grass shrimp last weekend.

The shad run is officially on in many of the area rivers. Contributor Eric Packard had a solid catch in the Potomac mid-week on darts and small spoons and a reader reported good luck in the Rap at the city dock. Early word from Tochterman’s is that up the Susquehanna, which does tend to run a week or two behind, just a few early birds have been caught. However, all the recent rainfall is likely wash out some areas and cause localized messes in some of the rivers. When heading for a shad spot this weekend, it might be wise to bring some catfish baits and have Plan B in mind just in case.