Freshwater Fishing Report, December 29 Update:
Old Saint Nick visited us this week and hopefully you found some new fishing gear under your Christmas tree to try out in the New Year. 2024 is just around the corner but there is still time to catch the last few fish of 2023. The Chesapeake Bay tidal rivers and tributaries offer some great pickerel fishing during the winter. The Magothy, Sever, and Pocomoke rivers are all regarded as top productive tidal waters for these fish. Shiny lures such as spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, and jerkbaits work very well and often produce reaction bites. Pickerel anglers should consider entering the CCA Pickerel Championship which runs until the end of February. The yellow perch have also started to return to their hangouts in the upper Bay tidal creeks. Recent reports have indicated fish being caught in the upper reaches of the Severn, Magothy, lower Susquehanna, and the North East River.
Heavy rainfall the past few weeks have replenished many of our streams, creeks, and rivers that have been suffering from drought conditions. Mossy Creek Fly Fishing reports that most of the mountain streams are flowing nicely and the spring creeks are flowing a tad above normal with some color. Trout anglers should prepare to streamer fish the next few days with the increased water levels. Split shots, indicators, and big nymphs should work well too. Mossy Creek also mentioned that the bigger rivers are just about perfect right now for musky and big winter bass. The upper Potomac should provide good fishing for smallmouth bass and walleye during the coming months. Unfortunately, at the moment conditions may be tough with high water and debris flowing from all the recent rains. The Susquehanna River is another river that can offer great fishing for these two species in the winter, but again, bites are often dependent on current conditions. It may be a few days before water levels return to normal, so it is a good idea to check the USGS stream gauges before fishing.
Freshwater Fishing Report, December 22 Update:
Freshwater fishing can offer many opportunities during the winter months. One of the most popular freshwater fish, largemouth bass, have slowed down, but can still be caught in cold water. Largemouth can be caught in a variety of tidal and nontidal waters during the winter. The one pattern that will remain consistent among water bodies is that the fish will be holding in deeper water during the winter in a variety of waters, tidal and nontidal. channel drop-offs, structure, and warm water discharges are all favorite hangouts for bass right now. Bladed baits and craw style jigs are good choices for lures, but it is important to work them slowly and close to the bottom to entice a bite.
Contributor Eric Packard has been enjoying a mostly steady bite in stocked trout areas, though he noted that on one occasion on the Middle Patuxent in Gorman Park an abundance of weekend dog-walkers had spooked the fish. Although the trout were visible, bites were nonexistent. Fly casting nymphs has been a regular producer. Crappie are also still plenty active throughout the region, and we heard about good catches from several unidentified ponds as well as in area reservoirs where they’ve stacked up in large schools around deepwater structure. Blade baits and minnow have proved effective.
Mossy Creek gave us the latest report from the western trout areas. They said that the good news is that creeks and rivers are on the rise once again after the weekend rainfall. One to two inches fell locally with upwards of three inches east of the Blue Ridge. Local brook trout streams are flowing nicely at the moment and the spring creeks are running near bank full. The larger rivers are swollen with some suspended debris but most have started falling as we progressed through the week.
Freshwater Fishing Report, December 15 Update:
Winter is less than a week away and fishing opportunities are becoming tougher to take advantage of in our region, but dedicated anglers can still find fish to catch and opportunities will arise as the trout stockings commence. Washington, Allegany, and Garrett counties have received stockings this month and there will likely be more stockings soon. Contributor Eric Packard reports catching some this week on the fly rod, using dropper rigs with bead-head nymphs. Make sure to check the Maryland DNR trout stocking website for up-to-date information. Virginia has also been busy stocking fish throughout the state so also tune into the Virginia DWR trout stocking website for their information. The extended forecast looks to have favorable daytime temperatures for fishing, so break out the trout gear and go enjoy catching fish in some beautiful scenery.
Largemouth bass are less active this time of year, but they can still be caught if you have the patience to pursue them. The warm water discharge at the Blue Plains Advanced Water Treatment Plant on the Potomac River is a hotspot for winter bass fishing. The fish school up near the discharge and are there in good numbers throughout the winter. Fishing a deep diving crankbait slowly is a popular way to catch them. The bites will be more subtle this time of year, so using braided line will help you know when to set the hook. Bass will also be more active on sunny days in the afternoon after the water has had a chance to warm up a bit. Spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and lures with flash are effective to throw right now since most water bodies have cleaner water. They will usually be holding near deeper structure or transition zones where there are ledges going from shallow to deep water.
Contributor Eric Packard fished a southern Maryland lake midweek and reported that the bass were hitting bladebaits. He caught five plus some crappie, bluegill, and perch. He noted that a small Beetle Spin also produced some hits. Crappie are active this time of year and are a popular winter target as they school up near sunken wood, rock piles, and bridge structure. They can be caught in most of the reservoirs, larger lakes, and rivers in our area. Jigging small shad darts or twisty tails works, but the cold water sometimes requires dropping down live minnows to get the crappie to bite
Freshwater Fishing Report, December 8 Update:
Contributor Eric Packard reports a fair bite on pickerel in the Eastern Shore millponds this week, with two big fish (24.5”) hitting trolled jerkbaits and another angler fishing minnow catching eight pickerel up to 22.5” plus a perch. The millponds will be a go-to for pickerel anglers throughout the winter and they are known for producing some of the biggest fish in the state. The pickerel bite is also good in the upper Bay tidal rivers and a reader fishing up the creeks of the Magothy mentioned that both perch and pickerel are biting. A day of fishing with minnow and darts produced about a half-dozen of each species. We also got some initial reports of cold-weather yellow perch that are starting to come in from the lower Susquehanna. A reader noted catching a 14-incher this week, along with some crappie.
Trout fishing in many of the Maryland specialized trout management waters are providing good action right now. The preseason stockings in Maryland should start in January so keep a close eye on the stocking schedule for when and where fish are being stocked. Virginia DWR is still actively stocking so also check their website for up-to-date information. We also checked in with Mossy Creek who gave us their latest reports. Mossy Creek says the best trout fishing is still occurring on the spring creeks, tailwaters, and creeks and streams over in West Virginia. Some of the local lakes are still fishing well with great dry fly opportunities in the afternoons when the small blue wing olives and midges are on the water. Warm afternoons last week allowed for some big bass to be caught and the musky fishing has become easier with the overcast days, bumps in flow, and a little color added to the water. Right now is a great time to float the bigger rivers and stick a trophy bass or musky.
Freshwater Fishing Report, December 1 Update:
We had reader reports from the Eastern Shore millponds the past week of decent but not red-hot pickerel action on suspended jerk-baits. Contributor Eric Packard had a similar experience hunting pickerel at St. Mary’s Lake but reports that the crappie were stacked up and feeding. Another reader checked in after finding a slow crappie bite at a different southern Maryland lake. He said the fish were more inclined to hit live minnows under a bobber and were mostly uninterested in small Rat-L-Traps and crankbaits. Both crappie and pickerel are two or the more popular species to target in the winter for freshwater anglers. The CCA Pickerel Championship is a great opportunity to compete against fellow anglers in a few different divisions and calcutta’s. Crappie, pickerel, perch, and bass are all species eligible for prizes, too The tournament runs until the end of February, so there is still plenty of time to sign up.
Some much-needed rain has finally replenished our rivers and streams that have been running low for quite some time now. The smallmouth bite on the upper Potomac has been good this week with crawfish imitations, tube jigs, and small crankbaits doing the bulk of the catching. In the tidal Potomac, anglers are enjoying good fishing for largemouth bass by targeting moderate depth waters near drop-offs and the deeper waters beyond the drop-offs. A mix of spinnerbaits, craw jigs, and jerkbaits are all good choices for lures. The warm water discharge near Marbury Point is a popular winter bass fishing location and it tends to hold some quality fish. We also checked in with Mossy Creek who let us know that it is a great time to load up on midges and blue wing olive patterns. Size 18-20 flies on the spring creeks and lakes have been working well. They also recommend fishing a size 16 caddis and drop a zebra midge or small nymph off the back for picky fish. There are some overcast and rainy days ahead and the streamer fishing in the rain last week was tremendous. This is a good time of year to find some giant trout so if you have your pick of days try to find those blanket overcast days.