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Coastal Fishing Forecast
Considering how spotty midsummer tuna fishing has been the past few years it’s impossible to predict if it’ll be off the hook or like a light switch turned off. By now, however, there should be a good number of billfish around and plenty of mahi at the balls. There’s also a good chance of finding those mahi closer to home mid-summer, likely around the bass pots from 15 to 35 miles out. Speaking of the bass pots, in those same areas and at the wreck and reef sites there should be plenty of action for those dropping squid chunks on top-and-bottom rigs. Considering the throwback-to-keeper ratios we’ve seen earlier this year, heading for sites farther from the inlet will likely produce better catches as the ones 15 or fewer miles out already seemed to be picked over. As for surf fishing, if the past is any indication by now we’ll have settled into a steady summer pattern of kingfish, spot, and other small bottom fish hitting Fishbites and bloodworms with the best bites at dawn and dusk, and mostly blues and sharks hitting cut bait. Mid-day bites will vary with the tide but are generally on the slow side with the heat of summer.
Freshwater Fishing Forecast
Many freshwater fish get a bit lockjawed during August though keep an eye out for cool periods, as that led to better bass action than expected for several weeks last year. And there are a couple of species that really don’t mind the heat, especially snakeheads and catfish. Expect snakeheads to be hitting topwater in the thickest cover areas around, so reach for those weedless frogs and mice. The blue cats will likely be patrolling channel edges and drop-offs, ready to hit Fishbites catfish nuggets or cut bait.
Trout and smallmouth anglers should be keeping an eye on rainfall and water levels, as clear, low water in the rivers can make the fish extra sketchy. Plan to fish early morning or on cloudy, overcast days to enjoy the best bite.
Way North Chesapeake Bay Fishing Forecast
Blue cat fishing should be excellent in the rivers right about now, especially in the Susquehanna anywhere within sight of the 95 bridge. Note that last year during August we had several reports with dozens of fish including 30-plus-pounders in the box and chicken breast soaked in Kool-Aid serving as the hot bait. If you don’t want the mess or the hassle try the pink Shrimp flavor Fishbites catfish baits, which look about the same and proved effective this spring. We also expect we’ll hear about some snakeheads and largemouth this month, mostly from anglers throwing topwater in heavy cover or spinners and spinnerbaits at docks and structure.
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Forecast
It’s time to give the rockfish a break, which is tougher on Upper Bay anglers than on other portions of the Chesapeake, but there are still several solid summer options to check out. The white perch bite should be decent and has held up better in the open Upper Bay than the tribs and some other portions of the Chesapeake in recent summers, with shoals like Seven Foot Knoll and Belvidere providing good action on Chesapeake Sabikis tipped with bloodworm, Fishbites bloodworm, or grass shrimp. Spot and croaker should be around as well and this season started off good for these species with more keeper-sized fish than expected. From Pooles Island north blue cats may well provide a good target, too.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Forecast
With rockfish out for the month and a lackluster beginning for specks and reds in the shallows we all have our fingers crossed that the bluefish and Spanish mackerel are around. Look for bird shows and be ready to troll those spoons behind #1, #2, and #3 planers. From Poplar Island south add a hose into the mix and you might come up with a cobia, too, which have made their presence known with August action the past few seasons near the Stone Rock and the live bottom east of Solomons. This is also the time of year when the schools of big bull redfish can spring up in these same areas, and clear down to PLO. It’s an open water side-scan searching game unless they start busting water, so it can take a lot of searching to find the fish, but if you get into ‘em you’ll experience world-class action on the biggest reds in the angling galaxy.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Forecast
This should be a good month to hunt for slot reds in the tribs but considering the slow start this year we don’t have super-high hopes; same goes for the specks. On the flip side of the coin cobia started off strong and hopefully by now some of the undersized fish will have been replaced by keepers. There’s also a good chance of big blues being around and last year the Target Ship zone was hot for some serious choppers. Considering that the mackerel had already been discovered working their way up the Bay when we went to press we’d expect a good shot at them, as well, often mixed in with the bluefish. Trolling small spoons behind planers should do the trick, and if the fish are up top don’t forget that a great way to target both species is throwing a popping cork with a tooth-proof plastic three feet under it, then working it back without taking any pauses.
Tangier, Pocomoke, and Lower Shore Fishing Forecast
If this year is like last season there should be some good action for big reds in the Sound, particularly for those soaking fresh cut spot along channel edges. But keep your eyes peeled, because there’s also a chance of spotting schools of roving reds, breaking bluefish, or a cobia or two. We also note that a couple of years ago we had some reports of sheepshead around wrecks and reefs in the Sounds, last year we heard more, and in June of this year one had already been reported. Carrying some fiddlers or peeler crab might be a smart move.
Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Forecast
It’s summer at the CBBT and your options here are just about endless: sight fishing for cobia, hunting bull reds at the islands, dropping fiddlers for sheepshead at the pilings, drifting between them for flounder, trolling spoons for Spanish and blues—all have been happening bites in recent years. A hot prospect may well be the flounder bite, which was good but with many fish under the size limit last year; with a little luck they’ll have grown up and decided to come back. And while bottom fishing doesn’t usually grab the headlines, let’s remember that more and more keeper sized croaker have been showing up, kingfish have been chewing on bloodworm bits, and last season we also saw plenty of puffer fish come to town. Those funny little critters may be strange, but they do taste great!