We look back at the past years of FishTalk's fishing reports to put this forecast together, and it does not include the latest angling intel. For current reports please visit our Reports section which is updated weekly. Current reports will be published every Friday by noon and you can sign up for our email list to get an alert as they publish. BTW, it's free!
COASTAL FISHING FORECAST
As summer enters its final phase billfish anglers will be getting ready for an early fall push and with a little luck, those white marlin will give us a few double-digit days before the month of September is out. Back inshore, meanwhile, everyone from surf anglers to inlet junkies will be finding easier fishing conditions as the summer crowds thin out. The sheepshead bite has been a highlight during this month for the past few years, so hopefully tossing fleas and crab up near the rocks and pilings will prove productive.
FRESHWATER FISHING FORECAST
Has it begun to cool off yet? Many fish will still be in the summer doldrums at the beginning of this month, but after a few cool nights expect the action to heat up for bass, crappie, snakeheads, and more. Just cross your fingers we don’t get a water-muddying hurricane passing through, because that can shut things down in a heartbeat.
WAY NORTH FISHING FORECAST
As long as no big storm systems rile the waters this is usually a great time to hit the dam pool and lower Susquehanna, where blue cats will be in abundance, smallmouth will be feeding hard, and slot rockfish may well also be in attendance. Also remember that in recent years the Flats and the Northeast have provided excellent late summer snakehead action.
UPPER CHESAPEAKE BAY FISHING FORECAST
Count on the first few chilly evenings to spike the striper action, and let’s hope we get a few before we get too far into September. If past is prologue, the mouth of the Patapsco, the mouth of the Chester, and the Rock Hall area should all be good bets. Hopefully the white perch bite will accelerate as summer wears away, too.
MIDDLE BAY FORECAST
Considering how the Middle Bay bite has been thus far this year it’s tough to say what September will bring, but there should still be croaker around and we can usually count on the presence of bull redfish and maybe even a few cobia to spice things up between casts to rockfish. Keep your eyes peeled for birds, because this is the time of year when blues, rock, and maybe Spanish mackerel will begin mixing things up and busting on top.
LOWER BAY FORECAST
Get in your shots at cobia before the clock runs out, but also remember that we get a few more days to give it a try this year as the season has been extended to September 20. With a little luck maybe last year’s run of scary-big chopper blues will rematerialize, and remember that the bite for slot reds in the shallows of the Lower Bay was also excellent last September.
TANGIER, POCOMOKE, AND LOWER SHORE FORECAST
Anglers in this zone are undoubtedly waiting for the peak of the heat to pass so specks and reds return to the shallows of the Sound’s islands and creeks. Expect those fish to remain in slightly deeper water until we get a few cool nights, but you can still get ‘em if you probe structure in 10’ or 15’ of water. Meanwhile, there’s a good shot of finding big bull reds and maybe some cobia as well out in the open water.
WAY SOUTH AND VA FORECAST
The slightly longer cobia season will keep anglers busy a little later into the month, but after the 20th it’ll be catch and release action, only. That can make it a tough call: do you crank on cobia, or set your sights on the monster bull redfish that will almost certainly be swarming the CBBT at this point in time? Oh, and you can count on the specks and slot reds to pick up the pace a bit once the heat of summer begins cooling off, too.
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