Freshwater Fishing Report, February 28 Update:
It was a beautiful week to get out and fish in our region and many anglers took advantage of the weather to get out on the water. Contributor Eric Packard has continued catching stocker trout but says a large number coming out of the ponds in southern Maryland’s Calvert County are quite small. He also tried catfish fishing in the upper Pax recently and drew a skunk while the Angler in Chief enjoyed reeling in one blue catfish after another, one time. As in, they only caught one… The AIC said the fishfinder was lit up with marks and they had numerous nibbles, but the fish just refused to commit, bumping menhaden baits one to three times then swimming off. The one they did catch was on a live minnow in 20’ of water. The warming trend this week seemed to have chain pickerel biting and we had two decent reports come in. One angler fishing an eastern shore mill pond said he caught around a half dozen fish up to 22 inches while fishing with live minnows. Another angler fishing at Loch Raven Reservoir reported catching three pickerel and a bass while fishing with a senko. Bass fishermen should be on the lookout for warmer days as the prespawn bite can offer the chance to catch some of the biggest fish of the year.
Freshwater Fishing Report, February 21 Update:
Spring spawning runs in the tidal tributaries are right around the corner and will be starting at the end of the month. Yellow perch and white perch usually kick things off followed by hickory and American shad. The weather has been very cold, but days are getting longer and warm weather is on the way. When we start to see some warming trends, the action will surely pick up. Don’t wait until the action is hot to get your gear ready. Doing prep work now will allow you to hit the ground running when the bite gets hot.
Trout fishing season is also upon us and things are starting to ramp up across the region. Contributor Eric Packard says the recently stocked trout were willing to bite this week in southern Maryland ponds and he caught 10 or so in an afternoon of fishing, however some were unusually small for stockers. Beetle Spins, spinners, and Power Bait all proved effective. Another reader checked in after hitting one of the stocked ponds in central Maryland and said the trout were eager to bite this week. He and three other anglers caught their limit of trout while throwing spinners. Eastern Shore anglers should be happy to know that they finally have some trout opportunities close to home as several counties were stocked. There are now trout that can be caught throughout the entire state of Maryland along with an abundance of opportunities in Virginia. These initial stockings in Maryland are just the preseason stockings and there will be more on the way in the coming months.
Mossy Creek Fly Fishing recommends stocking up on streamers and big nymphs and load heavy on split shot, tippet, and indicators. A popular way to catch fish this time of year is fishing a size six, eight, or 10 rubber legged crystal bugger or golden retriever style fly under a strike indicator dead drifting them through a hole or run and then allowing them to swing at the end of the presentation. If the fish are eating on the dead drift, you can fish upstream like nymph fishing with larger patterns. If they are picking up the fly on the swing, you can fish downstream with or without an indicator and swing and twitch your flies through the runs. Water in most streams and creeks had been running high but should be dropping now to fishable levels. The forecast is calling for warmer weather next week, so it should be great conditions if that holds true. The most up to date stocking information can be found on the Virginia DWR trout stocking website and Maryland DNR trout stocking website.
Freshwater Fishing Report, February 14 Update:
Winter is dragging on as the shortest month of the year starts to feel like the longest. Late last week before the wind and snow moved back in, we had a couple reports of good action on the freshwater front, including one reader who scored a four-pound, 14-ounce winter bass. Another reported scoring a pair of 22-inchers at Loch Raven Reservoir. Contributor Eric Packard reported a good bite at his local lake with a mix of species hitting minnow fished near old weedbeds in six feet of water with close access to deeper water. With the recent shift in the weather, we’d expect those fish to have moved back to deeper areas again, but areas in proximity should hold potential. There is a new state record that was caught out of the Marshyhope. David Confair caught the 20.5-pound, 49.5-inch fish on February 8 while fishing in Marshyhope Creek with pieces of cut gizzard shad. You can read more about this impressive catch on the Maryland DNR website. Congrats on an amazing fish!
As trout stockings have continued across the state of Maryland, many anglers have been going out to take advantage of this new opportunity. Several locations in southern Maryland and even Unicorn Branch in Queen Anne’s County on the Eastern Shore were stocked this week. Several readers have checked in saying that this batch of fish has been willing to bite. Lure fishing with spinners and super dupers has been on the slower side, but Berkley PowerBait, Floating Mouse Tails, and Gulp! Salmon Eggs are all working great. Mossy Creek Fly Fishing checked in with the latest for the trout areas out west. They anticipate big water levels in most streams and rivers by the weekend and continuing into next week. The Virginia DWR was able to stock several sites recently including Piney DH, Back Creek, Bullpasture, Spring Run, Rose, Robinson, Tye, Hawksbill, Cub Run, Maury, North Fork Shenandoah, Slate Lick, Dry River, and a bunch of other regular put and take waters. Mossy Creek recommends having plenty of big attractor patterns, strike indicators, and split shots for upcoming trout fishing excursions.
Freshwater Fishing Report, February 6 Update:
As the ice is melting off, bass, pickerel, and many of our other favorite freshwater species have been willing to bite. Contributor Eric Packard said the bite on the Eastern Shore millponds was fair early this week, though gusty winds cut his trip short. Mostly pickerel plus a couple of bass took his lures. Stickbaits out-fished minnows surprisingly. Packard also revisited St. Mary’s Lake this week and said the fish were a bit more willing to bite than in recent trips, though only on live minnows. Artificial lures went untouched, but bass, pickerel, yellow perch took the live bait. The Angler in Chief says the bite up the Pocomoke was okayish earlier this week, the action wasn’t hot but there was a great mix of species with a few bass, pickerel, crappie, and catfish all willing to bite. The bass came on minnow on shad darts suspended under a bobber and all the other species hit the same baits jigged on bottom in the channel in 10’ to 12’ of water.
Trout stockings are ramping up throughout Maryland and several locations in the central and southern regions of the state received stockings this week. That includes Carrol, Frederick, Charles, and Prince George’s counties along with some areas out west. We heard from a reader who fished Greenbelt Lake the day after it was stocked who caught his limit of trout in two hours. The fish weren’t willing to hit spinners, but when he started using pink and white mouse tails, they were eager to bite. All fish were right around one pound. Mossy Creek Fly Fishing reports that recent rains have bumped up flows in creeks and streams in the western trout zones. They suggest getting big nymphs, streamers, split shot, and sink tip lines ready for the next couple of months. The Virginia DWR has been busy stocking and most recently stocked the Jackson Special Reg, Cowpasture, Spring Run, and all sections of the Roanoke last week. More information for trout stockings can be found on the Virginia DWR trout stocking website and the Maryland DNR trout stocking website.