Freshwater Fishing Report, January 30 Update:
Fishing hasn’t been easy by any means, but the weather may be shifting in our favor. Lake Anna has been fishing well on the warmer side of the lake and we had a report from an angler that fished near Dike 3 at night this week. He caught eight fish consisting of a mix of striped bass and hybrid stripers. The biggest hybrid was 23.5” and the biggest striper was 26”. He also mentioned that the bait is thick which is making it more difficult to get bites. The AIC reports that the freshwater lakes out west and in PA are iced sufficiently for ice fishing as of the beginning of the week with four inches at Lake Marburg, but her failed to get any bites. Another angler he talked to had caught a couple of perch. The incoming warmup may shut down ice fishing with rain and temperatures above freezing in the extended forecast.
Mossy Creek Fly Fishing checked in and reports that warmer temperatures have been melting snow and ice in the western trout areas. They expect the current shot of rain to bring up water temperatures and boost flows. Streamer fishing has been seeing some more action with the current stained water. Their anglers have been bouncing steamers off the bottom and fishing nymphs under strike indicators. They also said anglers should look for dry fly opportunities on warmer days. Blue wing olives have been around in the afternoons especially on overcast and calm days. Trout stockings in Virginia and Maryland continued this week with DWR stocking several locations and Maryland DNR crews putting more fish in the western portion of the state. We hope that the central and southern counties will start to see stockings this coming week as ice melts off ponds and lakes. Anglers can visit the Virginia DWR trout stocking website and the Maryland DNR trout stocking website for the latest information.
Freshwater Fishing Report, January 23 Update:
Ice fishing opportunities are becoming more abundant thanks to the polar vortex. There are still some areas with open water and contributor Adam Greenberg provided a report of success this week, catching a nice brown trout in an hour of fishing at a stream that was stocked back in October. He noted that if you find a creek with relatively fast-moving water it generally won’t be iced up, and the trout should still be willing to bite. Mossy Creek Fly Fishing reports that just about every piece of water in northern Virginia is frozen or freezing right now thanks to the bitter cold. The exception is faster moving water and the spring creeks which are still open. The forecast is calling for a slight warmup next week that may bring more seasonable weather for fishing. Mossy Creek recommends bouncing some streamers off the bottom if you plan on trying to catch a trout right now.
Still water, on the other hand, is now hard in many areas and we have an ice fishing season in the Mid-Atlantic region for 2025! AIC Lenny Rudow says he checked out Lake Marburg last weekend after stopping in at B&B Lures in Hanover for some minnow and found 3.75” of good ice at the second and third bridges, though much of the main lake was still open. That was prior to the latest blast of bitter cold so by now the rest of the lake may be locked up. A few hours in the afternoon produced one flag on a minnow under a tip-up at the second bridge, which was a large fish but unfortunately pulled free just under the ice. We also heard reports that Deep Creek and Cunningham Falls were both iced. Contributor Eric Packard says that even down his way ice has formed, including at the St. Mary’s Lake boat launch (although the main lake was still open water as of last weekend).
Freshwater Fishing Report, January 16 Update:
It looks like ice fishing has become a possibility in the region’s western areas, and as of early this week the south-eastern arms and protected coves of Deep Creek were said to have sufficient ice (four inches is considered minimum) for safely venturing forth, but we didn’t have any photo-confirmed catch reports. Most of the southern PA lakes still had open water midweek while some coves were ice covered, so considering the long-range forecast there should be some hard-water fishing in store for those who partake.
Larger water bodies with open water are offering some opportunities for anglers braving the cold. There was a report from a angler who ventured down to an unspecified southern Virginia lake to chase crappie. He was on the hunt for trophy fish and despite the cold and some ice on the water, he found some very nice fish. The icy conditions and fish with lockjaw made for a tough day, but his biggest fish were a 14.5” white crappie and a 17.25” black crappie that was over three pounds. Those are the type of fish that make it worth fishing in the winter. We also heard from another angler who fished dike 3 at Lake Anna this week that found a steady bite. He caught 14 fish consisting of striped bass and hybrid stripers. The warm water discharge on the lake usually keeps it a bit warmer in the winter and can be one of the more productive freshwater lakes in our region.
Freshwater Fishing Report, January 9 Update:
After some mild winters in recent years, old man winter seems to be showing up in full force for 2025. Most of the region was blanketed with a healthy dose of snow to start this week and it was followed by brutally cold temperatures. Unfortunately, this has caused most ponds and lakes to freeze up across the Delmarva, basically shutting down fishing opportunities for many folks. The larger rivers are still open, but ice is beginning to flow through them which is not great for fishing either. The only upside is that the cold weather may allow for some ice fishing opportunities this year. The generally rule of thumb is that ice needs to be at least three inches thick before venturing onto it. Always err on the side of caution and double check ice thickness before heading out. We did hear that a few areas on Deep Creek Lake are thick enough and some anglers have already started ice fishing. The forecast is calling for extended cold temps, so more opportunities should present themselves in the coming weeks if the weather holds.
Freshwater Fishing Report, January 2 Update:
Happy New Year folks! Let’s make the 2025 fishing season another great one. The recent warmup should keep ice at bay for the moment, but Contributor Eric Packard reported that late last week a venture to Stoney Creek for pickerel was foiled by ice. Hopefully temps will remain high enough that this doesn’t become more of a problem in the near future—or they’ll drop low enough that we get an ice fishing season in 2025. Packard also mentioned that pond fishing was good this week after the warmer weather hit, and largemouth bass were hitting white/pumpkinseed wacky worms and blade-baits. We don’t have a whole lot of information from trout waters as the cold weather out west has kept a lot of anglers from fishing. Trout stocking operations should be getting back underway in Maryland, but if lakes and ponds freeze over, it could complicate those operations. Virginia has a plethora of locations stocked with trout and several streams that should stay open during the forecasted cold spell. Stay up to date with the latest trout stocking information on the Virginia DWR and Maryland DNR websites.
Sea Hawk Sports Center reports that the panfish action on the Pocomoke has been hot and other freshwater species such as largemouth bass and pickerel are also very active. Sea Hawk staff have been out on the river and report that crappie and yellow perch are abundant and willing to hit live minnows and small artificial jigs. Several trips this week produced stringers of fish that will make for some delicious dinners. Bass and pickerel have been a common bycatch while fishing for panfish, but you can also target them directly if you want a little more tug on the end of your line. Plug style baits such as jerkbaits retrieved slowly can work well to entice these larger predatory fish to bite. They will be hanging around fallen wood and any structure in deeper waters of the river. Down on the Rappahannock, there was a report from an angler fishing in the Port Royal area who said several freshwater species were active at the beginning of the week. Bottom rigs baited with nightcrawlers had blue catfish, yellow perch, and bluegill biting.