Mid-Atlantic Freshwater Fishing Report, 12/28/2018 Update:
Hey there FishTalkers, and welcome to the final fishing report of 2018! Don't worry - despite the chilly weather and difficult conditions of the next few months, we'll keep bringing you current reports right through the winter. They may be shorter at times and the options may be a bit more limited, but we know there are plenty of die-hard anglers out there who will want to wet a line whenever the opportunity presents itself. Come rain, sleet, or snow, let's keep on casting!
Anglers doing their best to keep up with fishing through the chilly conditions after the holidays will be pleased to find that most of the species that are out and about at this time of year are still eager to bite. Pickerel and crappie are the stars of the show this week, pleasing those willing to cast in these frigid temperatures. Minnows (smaller for the crappie and larger for the pickerel) and bobbers are a deadly combo for both, and when it comes to the pickerel in specific spinnerbaits and Mepps keep getting chomped off. Lipless crankbaits and stickbaits erratic enough to cause a ruckus have also been effective for these fellas. The upper tributaries of the Western shore are always a good bet for these pike-like critters and on the Eastern front, the upper Choptank has been one place to scope out, especially in the three- to five-foot depth sections. Tuckahoe State Park has also been a good choice for kayak access where you’ll find plenty of pickerel both in the pond and in the creek.
The crappie have been more inclined to tend to their deeper retreats as of late, preferring the bottoms of docks and bridge pilings as opposed to overhanging structure near the shoreline. Minnows and the usual marabou crappie jigs are doing the trick. Good bites we’ve heard of ranged from ponds and small lakes in the southern PA region to the bridges at Lake Anna. (Jiggers working spoons in Anna have also reported a mix of stripers, bass, and perch in deep water, but little surface action recently). A few anglers have also reported a mysterious lack of crappie encounters in the Eastern Shore millponds, even while pickerel tore through their minnow with abandon.
The ice that formed to date is melting over Deep Creek Lake as we speak, alluding to a bit more time until the dedicated ice fishermen can begin their craft out on the ice sheet. Until then, largemouth bass are actually still in motion despite the winter conditions. Unlike the crappie or pickerel, you’ll find these guys near the shore during the midday sun hoping to scrounge up any heat they can find. A variety of jigs and soft plastics and even worms will be great to use, but one method some anglers have taken to is trying out big-bladed spinnerbaits near the channels that cut in. Anglers casting big shiner from shorelines with deep drop-offs also have a good shot at walleye and yellow perch.
Last but not least, the Gunpowder and Savage rivers have been doing phenomenal for trout on the fly. Those who are nymphing are doing a lot of catching as well. The winter has led to clear waters and the temperatures have increased after the holidays as well, which helps a bit. The Gunpowder is flowing at 184 cfs, leading to some great streamer fishing alongside the tiny white midge hatch. Check out Backwater Angler for any help and advice for where to cast along the Gunpowder, as well as the best flies to use. Reports from the Shenandoah complex indicate that the water’s still a bit riled up from the rain, but at least up until today’s daily deluge, remained reasonably fishable. The trout fisheries in the western parts of our region go year-round, so be sure to check it out when other fisheries are winding down!
Mid-Atlantic Freshwater Fishing Report, 12/21/2018 Update:
We hope all you freshwater anglers have a great Fishmas. That said, the recent rainfall has continued to hamper action in many rivers and streams. (Recent? As in, continual). In fact, it’s been so incessant that even many still-water areas are being affected. One angler reported pickerel fishing at the Idylwild ponds but he had to depart because the ponds were overflowing and merging with the Marshyhope River. Occurrences like this will indeed make fishing tough. We also heard of entire reservoir arms being off-color due to runoff, including at Liberty, St. Mary’s Lake, Buggs Island, and Lake Anna. We also got word that the striper bite in the VA lakes was a bit off-kilter, with fish on the meter but not necessarily the end of your line.
Pickerel have been the saving grace for many anglers, particularly in the tidal rivers due to the vegetation failing under the colder temperatures. They’re able to hunt about without much cover, and do well in areas of weed die-off. (Look for the stalks of dying lily pads and collapsing weedbeds). The Magothy, Tuckahoe, Wye Mills, Unicorn Lake, and the Choptank are all prime places to seek out those toothy critters.
The crappie, on the other hand, have been pretty clever at evading some hopeful anglers as they’ve moved deeper with falling temperatures and increased runoff. Slip bobbers are doing the trick since they let you get a bit deeper, with minnow on marabou jigs underneath the bobbers.
What about trout anglers? The trick there is finding some clear water, which in many places is quite a feat. Fortunately the Maryland DNR announced the beginning of pre-season stockings, which you can keep tabs on at their Trout Stocking webpage, starting with 4,350 rainbows placed in Deep Creek Lake. Other than that we didn’t hear much from Deep Creek, which is in the ice/no-ice in-between phase and needs a solid cold snap before anglers will be tempted into breaking out their augers and tip-ups.
Mid-Atlantic Freshwater Fishing Report, 12/14/2018 Update:
Two targets that are hot on every freshwater angler’s radar at the moment: pickerel and crappie. The pickerel have been all over the place in many of the tidal rivers due to the vegetation failing under the colder temperatures. They’re able to hunt about without much cover, so expect them in unconventional places, such as sparse lily pads or generally close to shore. They’re being caught on all sorts of crankbaits and small spoons (bull minnows are a great option as well), and can be found in almost every part of the region. The Magothy, Tuckahoe Creek, Wye Mills, Unicorn Lake, and the Choptank are all prime places to seek out those toothy critters. FishTalk team members Zach Ditmars and Lenny Rudow hit the Eastern Shore millponds last weekend and found pickerel up to 25 inches ready to rumble (big bull minnow on a shad dart were the top offering), mostly off the weedbeds and in open water, but crappie bites were mysteriously absent.
Nymphing season is in full swing for trout anglers, and the Gunpowder and Savage rivers are both doing very well in terms of CFS discharges and currents, allowing fly anglers great winter opportunities to lay into some cold-season trout. Same goes for the western Virginia rivers although last week’s precipitation did make things a bit more difficult in some areas. The largemouth bite, meanwhile, has begun to dwindle, leading many anglers to begin switching to deeper tactics. Expect the takes to be subtle and light at times, so keep sensitive gear at the ready. Contributor Jim Gronaw notes that in northern parts of our region, skim ice is now making it difficult to fish many lakes and ponds.
Out in western Maryland there are already some reports of ice at Deep Creek Lake, but it is still nowhere near safe to walk on. If it breaks up or you go to open areas, the warmer temps coming up in the weather forecast could point to some nice walleye and yellow perch fishing when the opportunity presents itself. But don’t be too quick to break out the ice fishing gear. The walleye presently are on the bottom off points and sharp drops and biting lip-hooked minnows on small jig heads.
Reports from Lake Anna are of fish mostly hanging deep, with jigging spoons and deep-diving crankbaits taking a mix of stripers and bass. The upper western shore rivers in Virginia are also are a good bet for bending a rod right now, with strong catfish bites reported in the Potomac, Rappahannock, and James – there was word this week of a 60-plus pound blue coming from the Rap, for an angler hearty enough to go night fishing in this cold weather.
Mid-Atlantic Freshwater Fishing Report, 12/7/2018
Anglers will need to change up the pace and approach for those freshwater targets, as water temps continue to fall. Northern areas of the Susquehanna are still rather riled up from all the rain and high flows. Stillwater is a better bet, and though largemouth all over DelMarVa are getting ready to hibernate with this cold front signaling the last call for dinner, crankbaits and jigs offering up a sizable and appetizing meal will entice a few bucketmouths before the snow begins to fall. Keep your lures slow, and look deep; last week the fish were staging in eight to 15 feet of water at drop-offs and points. In Eastern Shore millponds and western shore lakes pickerel are moving into full view and becoming a prime target as these fish enjoy the cold. We heard of good bites around the Pocomoke complex, Elk creek, St. Mary’s Lake, and Deep Creek Lake (as well as your local ponds and waterways). These guys are great to after with large baitfish flies. But in most places they have abandoned the shallows for slightly deeper areas especially early in the day, where the easiest way to get them on the line is using large bull minnows (or shiners in the lakes) to allow the big predators to strike a proportionate meal.
Another species that’s been on everyone’s mind in these same waters has been the crappie bite, which is phenomenal. Several large crappie have been caught on small spinnerbaits, particularly the upper Potomac, where many reports have come in. We also heard about nice crappie showing up this week from around the bridge pilings in Lake Anna, although the striper bite around The Splits is still headlining the action, there. In the Maryland reservoirs, especially Loch Raven, we heard reports of some big pike and pickerel striking jumbo shiner and crankbaits fished from shore. And out at Deep Creek, the walleye, perch, and smallmouth bites have more or less replaced largemouth bass as main targets, as cool-water species take over the action. Again, big shiner are the ticket, especially when fished near rocky drop-offs and points.
The trout streams of Maryland and Virginia are another good bet at this point in the season for those anglers looking to brave the cold for some fly rod action. The Gunpowder and Savage are fantastic spots to hit, with rainbow trout feeding in full force and willing to bite nymphs. They’re also putting the hurt on brookies in the Shenandoah region.