Freshwater Fishing Reports

Freshwater Fishing Report, June 19 Update:

The cooler weather that has been persistent in our region for the start of summer seems to be coming to an end as the extended forecast is calling for temperatures to soar into the 90’s. Cooler water temperatures had freshwater fish feeding throughout the majority of daylight hours, but once the water temps get hot, bite windows will begin to shrink. During the heat wave, try to fish during low light hours, or fish areas that are shaded with cover, as fish will be looking for places to hide out from direct sunlight. Contributor Eric Packard reports that bass continue hitting pumpkinseed/white wacky worms in the area ponds. He also said a stick bait produced hits early this week.

Snakehead are moving into the peak of their spawn and fry balls have now been spotted across the tributaries in Maryland and Virginia. Hotspots have included the areas around the Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Blackwater, and tributaries off the Potomac River. Apex Predators guide service has been finding several snakeheads on most trips while on the Rappahannock, and they are reporting an increase in mating pairs and fry balls this week. This offers a unique opportunity to sight cast. If snakehead parents don’t bit on your first cast over a fry ball, keep pestering them, because they will usually get protective and bite your lure out of defense for their fry.

The central Maryland Reservoirs will be great options to fish now that the heat is setting in as they offer deeper water to fish with great ledges that are ambush spots for hungry gamefish. Largemouth bass, pickerel, crappie, striped bass, white perch, and even some musky can be found in these bodies of water. Up at Deep Creek Lake, boat traffic is increasing now that we are moving further into summer with vacationers spending more time on the lake. Fish can still be caught, but the early and late hours will be best while the waters are still calm. Once boats get more active, fishing along shorelines with docks is a good way to catch smallmouth bass. Crankbaits, football jigs, and creature baits are all top lure choices when targeting these fish.

Freshwater Fishing Report, June 12 Update:

Bass fishing is moving into prime summer form as the fish are wrapped up with their spawn and are in a consistent feeding pattern. Contributor Eric Packard reports a solid bass bite on Mallows Bay, with a dozen fish attacking his wacky worm rig during an afternoon of fishing. We also had reader reports of good bass action from the Baltimore area reservoirs. Fry ball season is upon us and anglers are reporting the first few fry showing up in several eastern and western shore tributaries. Though this can make the snakehead bite tough, it is not impossible to catch them. Snakeheads are unique in the way they guard their fry, and parents will often attack a lure that is in the vicinity of their fry as a defensive measure. It can often take several casts of harassing a parent with fry before they bite, so patience and persistence are key. A few anglers fishing on the Anacostia River said that they have found success catching snakeheads in lilypad fields recently. Fallen trees along the shorelines have also held snakeheads and bass. They also mentioned that swimbaits have been getting more bites than topwater frogs on their recent outings.

Flathead catfish have been very active in several of our region’s tidal rivers, including the Susquehanna, Potomac, and James. The recent rains have increased flows in these rivers and the flatheads have been found sitting in pockets of slower moving water waiting to ambush bait. An angler fishing on the upper Potomac in D.C. wrote in to report that he had two successful outings for flatheads this one. One trip produced seven flatheads up to 15 pounds and on another trip, he caught his personal best, weighing in at 25 pounds and measuring 36 inches. The big fish was caught on an eight-inch Berkley grub. Some blue catfish were in the mix too. If you plan to jig for catfish from shore, be ready to lose some jigheads because the rocky bottoms of these rivers are unforgiving. The blue catfish bite is still going strong in our larger rivers as well, with the lower Susquehanna, Potomac, Rappahannock, and James being hotspots. Blue catfish are in various stages of their spawn, but recent reports show that there is still plenty biting. A boat fishing on the Potomac River reported catching 60 catfish on a trip last weekend. Most were around five pounds, but they had a few fish up to 20 pounds too.

Freshwater Fishing Report, June 5 Update:

Most largemouth bass in our lakes and ponds have transitioned to post spawn patterns and are holding close to structure in the shallows. Banks with overhanging vegetation are good laces to cast as they are looking to ambush frogs, insects, and baitfish. Reports Editor Dillon Waters ventured out on a southern Maryland lake last weekend and said the bass were fired up after the storms rolled through last weekend. He found a shallow shaded cove where bass were actively pushing baitfish up against the bank. After tying on a topwater bait, he caught several bass up to three pounds. A different area of the lake produced a half dozen fish caught on a glidebait near fallen trees. Smallmouth bass have also mostly wrapped up their spawning activity and can be found in their summer areas in the freshwater rivers. The Susquehanna, upper Potomac, and Monocacy rivers are notable locations for anglers to target smallies.

Reports of snakeheads haven’t entirely shut down for the spawn yet, and while the volume of reader reports of snakeheads wasn’t great this week, we did hear about a couple of serious dragons. A 34.5” 13.5-pounder came from a creek off Middle River on a #3 Mepps, and a 33” came out of a Pasadena waterway. Anglers fishing with topwater frogs in areas with thick vegetation are still finding good success. An angler fishing at the Tidal Basin in D.C. said snakeheads have been more active, and he caught a 10-pounder on a swimbait this week. Apex Predators reports that the snakehead bite on the lower Bay tidal rivers has been consistent, though some days are taking longer than others to find fish willing to bite. Their anglers have landed several nice fish recently. On an undisclosed Potomac tributary, an angler reported a successful day on snakeheads, catching fish up to 14 pounds. They took home eight snakeheads and also caught some bass using Tactical Fishing Company drag n pop lures. There is an upcoming snakehead tournament courtesy of Maryland DNR. The Snakes on the Dundee, fishing tournament is scheduled for June 7th at Gunpowder Falls State Park. We also encourage anglers to participate in CCA Maryland’s Great Chesapeake Invasives Count. Anglers can log their invasive species catches to be entered for a chance to win monthly drawings. The data collected also helps fisheries managers track the spread of invasive fish in our waters.