Mid-Atlantic Freshwater Fishing Update, 11/30/2018:
Between the chill and the rain, freshwater fishing took a bit of a hit in many areas the past week. Contributor Jim Gronaw noted that the temperatures and high, muddy water has made fishing tougher in the Mason-Dixon zone recently. Persistent fly anglers have had some success using indicator/nymph tactics when they can find clear portions of the upper Gunpowder, Morgan Run, the Codorus complex, and in Catoctin streams. Hatchery fish in put-and-take ponds have been a bit less impacted and spinners, spoons, and PowerBait bottom rigs are productive.
We had some readers check in to let us know they encountered the first skim ice of the year on some local ponds in Maryland this week, including all the way down to Calvert County, so this may now present an additional impediment after cold nights. They also found that the bass bite had slowed in these areas. Deeper reservoirs which haven’t given up all their warmth just yet may provide a better shot at this point. We heard from anglers at the Baltimore reservoirs who tied into pickerel, pike, and a few bass this week, and in southern Maryland, who found some pickerel on the feed in St. Mary’s Lake. That lake, however, has become high and cloudy in many areas due to runoff. Out at Deep Creek the word is of walleye and yellow perch on rocky points for anglers dropping live minnow, and a bit of sparse bass action on drop-offs. Reports from the Virginia reservoirs are mostly focused on stripers, which have still been triggering bird action from The Splits down in Anna, but with weather conditions also causing a shut-down in the bite at times this week. Same goes at Kerr, but there’s less bird action and trollers pulling plugs, and live-bait anglers, have been having the most action. Crappie are also biting, but have moved into deeper waters and are now being found mostly in 15 foot-plus depths.
Last but not least, pickerel fishing is now in full swing on the Eastern Shore, in the millponds and upper tributaries. The Pocomoke keeps getting mentioned as a good bet, with bull minnow fished on a dart or a bare hook the best way to get them biting.
Mid-Atlantic Freshwater Fishing Update, 11/22/2018:
Happy Thanksgiving, anglers! The trout fishing throughout the region remains strong, with both stocker and wild rainbow trout out in full force, willing to bite any nymph that’s the appropriate size.The Gunpowder and Savage up north, as well as the Shenandoah region down south, continue to provide good action. Larger than usual brookies continue to be reported by trout anglers, as well. They’ve benefitted from the above normal water levels all year and one of the highlights of 2018 for many fly fishermen will be fighting the biggest local brookies in recent memory. Trout anglers more focused on fish for the frying pan may want to check out lakes like Cunningham Falls, Blair’s Valley, Piney Reservoir, and other areas that has substantial fall stockings. Check out the 2018 Fall Schedule, to see which lakes and rivers in Maryland benefitted from the program.
On Delaware’s portion of the Eastern Shore many anglers are focusing on the spillways, where crappie and some pickerel have been biting. Throughout the Eastern Shore millponds pickerel are also now in prime form, striking small spoons or jigs and big bull minnow. Bass are hitting jigs and swimbaits worked along points and drop-offs, too. The topwater bite is mostly done for the year in these ponds, though, which cool off quicker than deeper reservoirs on the Western Shore. Speaking of reservoirs: the Baltimore area lakes are giving up bass and a few pike have been reported by shoreline anglers fishing jumbo shiners in Loch Raven and Liberty. Down at St. Mary’s Lake, crappie, bass, pickerel, and yellow perch are all hitting. Last week blue/white tubes were hot, with Angler in Chief Lenny Rudow reporting that the fish have mostly departed shallow water structure but a strong mix of crappie, perch, and bass could be found hovering over bottom at transition points with eight to 15 foot deep drop-offs. Farther west reports indicate that Deep Creek Lake is another great place to be if you’re looking for freshwater action. Crappie, bluegill, and smallmouth are all biting on worms and minnows fished off points and drop-offs. Those using large minnow are also encountering yellow perch and some walleye.
In Virginia’s reservoirs, meanwhile, dropping temps have triggered plenty of action. At Lake Anna reports of suspended stripers (at the Splits, often marked by bird action) and crappie at the bridges are strong. There’s dirty water in some of the feeders and above Scott’s Branch, so if the water's off where you start out, cruise down-lake until you find clear conditions.
Another good option is to throw some baits for the catfish that are surely still puttin’ around during this time of year. Channels and blues have been active particularly in the upper Potomac and James rivers, for anglers putting chunks of gizzard shad or sunfish, and chicken livers, on bottom in holes and channels.
Mid-Atlantic Freshwater Fishing Update, 11/16/2018:
The temperatures are dropping quick, and the fish are certainly feeling it. With winter patterns showing, anglers will need to change up the pace and approach for those targets. The trout streams of Maryland and Virginia are doing extremely well at this point in the season for those anglers looking to brave the cold for some fly rod action. However, contributor Jim Gronaw made it out last week and reported that conditions are iffy in many areas due to all the rain. He noted that ponds, lakes, and other stillwater options get a green light and Cunningham Falls is full of trout now, while sporadic catches of crappie, yellow perch, and some walleye have come in from Marburg. As the water levels settle the Gunpowder and Savage are also fantastic spots to hit with a buggy whip since they’ve just completed their stocking programs. The rainbow trout are in full force, and will bite any nymph that’s in season and at the appropriate size. Check in with Backwater Angler for info on what to swing. Down south they’re still putting the hurt on larger than usual brookies where water conditions allow; Mossy Creek is going to be the place to stop by if you’re planning on fishing the VA or Shenandoah region.
With the chill in the air pickerel are moving into full view in local ponds and waterways, and we heard of nice catches from around the Pocomoke, Elk creek, the Eastern Shore millponds, St. Mary’s Lake, and the Severn River. As water temps continue to fall, pickerel will fill in the gap left by other species that slow down with the chill. These guys are great to after with large baitfish flies and swimbaits, but the easiest way to tempt them would be some bull minnows wobbled along the surface in shallow water near any remaining weeds or structure, on a bare hook or tipping a jig.
Deep Creek Lake is a great place to be if you’re looking for freshwater action. Crappie, bluegill, and smallmouth are all biting on bloodworms and minnows under bobbers. Lake Anna reports good action for Virginia freshwater anglers, too, with some stripers hitting and crappie on the bridges. Largemouth are still available but have slowed slightly as water temps have dropped below 60 degrees and some up-lake areas are stained from all the runoff. Another good option is to throw some pack baits for the catfish that are surely still puttin’ around during this time of year. Largemouth all over DelMarVa, meanwhile, are getting ready to hibernate with this cold front signaling the last call for dinner. Whopper Ploppers and crankbaits offer up a sizeable and appetizing meal, and pulling these guys near structures such as docks and fallen trees will entice a few bucketmouth before the next snowfall. Another think that’s been on everyone’s mind has been the crappie bite, which has been phenomenal. Several very large crappie have been caught on small spinnerbaits, particularly the upper Potomac, where many reports have come in.
Mid-Atlantic Freshwater Fishing Update, 11/9/2018:
The winter is closing in, with temperatures dropping into the 40s at night now. The freshwater species around DelMarVa are starting to pick up on the notion that they’ll be hibernating soon. Crappie remain a top target and will continue feeding hard until water temperatures go down another 10 degrees or so. Stick with structure in 10 or more feet of water, with small tube jigs and twisters, and small minnow, the top baits.
In the tributary sections of the Susquehanna the water quality is very poor for the time being, since it doesn’t seem to get a break from the rain these days, but, some smallmouth are being preyed upon with grubs and worms. Catfish are always an option, too. Try sticking to natural bait in that region to help you out with the murky waters. Water quality is also still an issue in many of the upper tributaries.
Pickerel are becoming a prime target for almost all anglers that are willing to tie on a few larger baits in order to sacrifice a busy day fishing for some of the larger set of jaws in the lake. Bull minnows under a bobber has been the weapon of choice, but larger crankbaits and spinners in black or gold have been doing great as well. Reports of the pickerel bite have started coming in from Wester Shore tribs including the Magothy and the Severn, and more reports are coming from down south on the DelMarVa Peninsula, the millponds, and some of the freshwater areas near the Pocomoke have been getting a few of these toothy critters, including some reportedly on the fly.
Speaking of fly, the DNR has finally finished up their stocking program of the Savage and Gunpowder rivers, meaning that the put-and-take, as well as the catch and release, sections are filled with brand new trouts. If you go there to enjoy to great winter nymphing, you’ll be glad to see more than just brown trout. Rainbows have seen an uptick recently in the Savage. Moving down towards the Shenandoah valley, brook trout are becoming more prevalent, and big too - this is the year of big brookies and the fishery will go down as one of the true freshwater highlights of 2018. Some anglers are sending in pics of their brookies nearly reaching 16 or 18 inches. It’s looking like a great time to get in some cooler fly fishing before the winter becomes downright cold.
If you’re going for bass, you may want to look south. Many anglers around Deep Creek Lake were having trouble locating the bass bite since the cooler temps hit us this week, and in this and other colder areas species like walleye and pike are taking over as prime targets. This species is still biting pretty well in Maryland reservoirs, but even in Maryland’s more southern freshwater areas, does seem to have slowed a bit. We had some reader reports from the Potomac and St. Mary’s Lake indicating a rather slow week; this could, of course, get a bit better as the waters clear from last week’s latest deluge… if it doesn’t rain yet again in the near future. But down in Virginia’s reservoirs, the largemouth are smacking left and right at Whopper Ploppers and worms and grubs in the latest hot color from GULP – salmon red. Check those baits out, since they seem to be getting chewed on by bucket-mouths all over the area.
The crappie bite in our region is phenomenal right now. Live minnows under bobbers are a great option to catch a lot of fish in a short amount of time for this month of the year. Many of the crappie are holding over structure in 10 or more feet of water, and as usual for the fall, bridge pilings in the area reservoirs are a great place to locate stacks of them. They’re also active in the DelMarVa millponds right now (we heard the pickerel were feeding hard in those ponds, too), although the lack of deep water in the millponds means the crappie are sometimes biting best late in the afternoon as the water warms up a bit. Look to find them around fallen trees and there’s also been reports of some crappie action in the spillways.
Up north and out west the walleye bite (reports of them hitting in Deep Creek and Liberty on large shiners), has been satisfying anglers, as well as the occasional pike making its rounds. Other than that, the trout stocking program has been making anglers happy as well, with anglers throughout the region doing well on Powerbait and spinners. Maryland added over 32,000 trout to the population so check their stocking schedule and see where all those fish are, waiting to be caught. Tip: while heavy rains may have the rivers and streams roiled, the stocked ponds will still be killer. Reports from the creeks in Virginia’s western areas were excellent prior to the last rain but now much depends on location, however, as many rivers and streams are currently running high with low visibility.
Catfish are still on the prowl in just about all the local waterways. Stinky bunker, herring, or gizzard shad, a weight, and a large circle hook is all you need to nab a giant cat, with all of the western shore tributaries offering a good shot at near-constant action. Keep an eye on where the incoming rain fall, though, as high water could make conditions a bit difficult in some areas this weekend.