Freshwater Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, July 29 Update:
Anglers: with both sorrow and joy, we inform you of the departure of our Fishing Reports Editor Mollie Rudow. Mollie has begun a different chapter in her life with a new full-time job and will no longer be the driving force behind our angling intel. We wish her all the best, and thank her for four years of compiling the FishTalk fishing reports. We do have a new die-hard angler lined up to step in and fill the void – stay tuned for next week’s big announcement!
It’s cool, it’s super-hot, then it’s cool again… that can make it tough for us to decide what to do, and same goes for the fish. Contributor Eric Packard paid a visit to St. Mary’s Lake and found the bass, crappie, and yellow perch were all willing to bite, and an orange crawfish-pattern square-bill was doing the trick. A reader report also came in from the Sea Colony ponds in Delaware of active bass and sunfish smacking a small bug fished on a fly rod. But a reader tossing spoons in Lake Anna said the striper bite was super-early, and three good bites just after daybreak on fish to 23” were followed by hours of inactivity.
Snakehead anglers also provided mixed reports this week. We heard from a couple of folks who struck out entirely, one who caught a five-pounder on the east side, and one who caught five just before the end of the heat wave. Herb’s Tackle did report a pair of very nice ones over 30” were caught in the Sassafras.
Despite all the recent storms most of the rivers are running at reasonable levels, and Mossy Creek was reporting early in the week that water levels out west were low enough that the brook trout bite was slow. Not so for smallmouth, however, reported to also be good in the upper Potomac. As usual, crayfish patterns are a good bet for smallmouth in the rivers.
Freshwater Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, July 21 Update:
Snakeheads have been putting on a show for anglers tossing topwater plus subsurface baits like flukes, paddle-tails, and chatterbaits. The Blackwater seems to have the best fishing around, and seemingly the largest snakes. A few 30-inch snakes came from the area this week. High Octane Custom Baits Poppin’ Frogs are a favorite. In all cases, anglers noted a good topwater bite early but a bit of a lull once the sun became high, with the subsurface lures then picking up in productivity.
With oppressive heat bearing down on the region, depth has become the name of the game. Finally, summer patterns have really kicked in. There’s been a bit of a slow-down in the area reservoirs for anglers who aren’t shifting away from the shallows once the sun has cracked the horizon. (Though there is still a dawn bite on topwater, for early risers). Still, bass fishing has remained excellent if you’re adjusting to the conditions. Whether you’re targeting bass, crappie, or perch, all the fish are looking for cooler pockets where there’s structure in the depths. Underwater points, standing or submerged timber in deep water, and deep bridge pilings are all go-to spots to try no matter which reservoir you're fishing. The Baltimore area reservoirs, St. Mary’s Lake, and Lake Anna had particularly good bites this week, and are all worth checking out
Freshwater Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, July 15 Update:
Reservoirs continued to produce above seasonal expectations this week, with Contributor Eric Packard enjoying still more big-number days (13 bass, three crappie, and a pair of perch on one of his quick afternoon trips) casting crawfish-color crankbaits. He said a three-inch green swimbait tempted the fish into biting, too. Reports for freshwater across the board seem to be doing well, with bass anglers especially pleased at how this season is going. Reports from the Susquehanna Flats are also calling in good largemouth bass days in the grassy shallows along with some snakeheads. Crankbaits and chatter baits are exciting the fish.
Snakehead sharpies are getting into some whoppers, with many in the 30-plus range reported this week. The Blackwater remains the best location for catching big numbers of them, although they can be found throughout DelMarVa. Topwater frogs and mice dragged through heavy cover are the best bet recently, especially on high tide in tidal zones.
The rivers had been starting to run low and clear, but the recent storms moving through early in the week gave many areas a bit of a recharge. One reader hitting the upper Potomac said it had become hot enough that he found the smallmouth biting in shady areas. Catfish anglers in the rivers report no such need to seek out particular hotspots; find a channel or hole, drop down baits, and you’re likely to hook up in little to no time at all. Readers checked in with good catches this week from the Susquehanna, the Patuxent, and the James, but truth be told you can pick your waterway without much to worry about, in this case.
Freshwater Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, July 8 Update:
Evidently no one’s told the bass and crappie that the heat of summer has set in yet, as the reservoir dwellers continue to bite as though it were late spring—no doubt due to the pleasantly cool June we just had. Contributor Eric Packard paid a visit to St. Mary’s Lake early this week and in three and a half hours cranked up 15 largemouth bass, nine crappie, three yellow perch, two pickerel, and a bluegill. A white/chartreuse paddle-tail and a square-bill crankbait both proved effective. Similarly, a reader fishing Liberty said that under cloud cover he had bass hitting topwater literally all day long. With water temps still in June range as we’re well into July, this is a great time to take advantage of the situation—another reason to get out there and FISH asap!
Catfish are biting in the rivers... well, everywhere. Reports of fish over 30 inches and dozen-plus catches came in this week from: the Conowingo dam pool, Port Deposit, multiple creeks on the Potomac plus the river itself in the DC area, the upper Rappahannock, and the James. In the rivers farther out west Mossy Creek is reporting that areas hit by the thunderstorms have higher water levels but not so much that they’re negatively affected, and the western brook trout streams are fishing better where higher. A reader hitting the upper Patapsco noted that water was low but smallmouth were biting north of Baltimore.
Snakehead anglers on the west side are reporting mostly onsies-twosies-threesies and we didn’t hear about many banner catches from the east side this week, either, though one angler did check in after hitting the Blackwater to report five snakes in the boat. Topwater did the trick and a Whopper Plopper was the choice of the day.
Freshwater Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, July 1 Update:
There was word of good snakehead action in the Transquaking this weekend, including a 33-incher for rarely-spotted University of Utah student/angler Max Rudow, plus a couple other 20-somethings hitting High Octane topwater frogs. We also heard from several anglers hitting the Blackwater who said it was a tough bite over the weekend and one to three fish was the norm. Casting Beetle Spins and a whopper plopper on the Marshyhope throughout this week produced many, many bass. Blue and channel catfish in the area were happy to be offered the Beetle Spin or chicken livers.
Reservoir and pond anglers looking for bass have been enjoying a steady bite, and this week we heard of success from Prettyboy, St. Mary’s Lake, the Occoquan, Lake Anna, and Ocean Pines with fish topping the five-pound mark in the mix. Topwater success was reported early in the day, with spinnerbaits also getting a mention as effective. FishTalk correspondent and contributor Eric Packard reports largemouth bass biting strong in the reservoirs, with green jerkbaits and shad-colored square bills proving productive. Most fish this week were in four to six feet of water around stumps, lily pads, and grass beds.
Trout anglers are now finding summerish, low water conditions in many areas. Mossy Creek is reporting that the smallmouth bass fishing is still good with crayfish, hellgrammite, and baitfish patterns all working to fool the fish. We had a reader report from the Potomac in the DC area that catfish were biting as strong as ever and in a few hours of fishing a dozen blue cats to 15 pounds inhaled cut bunker.