Freshwater Fishing Report, May 17 Update:
The recent rain has not made things easy for anglers, but that isn’t enough to keep us off the water. The spring fishing has been good and we are seeing that trend continue. Snakeheads, now named Chesapeake channa, are being caught in the various tidal tributaries on both shores of the Bay. These fish are in various stages of spawning, and we may start to see fry balls pop up soon which will allow for more sight fishing opportunities. The fish are pushing up into the shallows where vegetation has come up. Topwater frogs are working well on warm days, but the recent cool spell has slowed down the topwater bite quite a bit. The fish are still willing to hit chatterbaits or spinners paired with paddletails. In most locations, sunfish are spawning in the shallows near shorelines. Small panfish jigs are popular artificial lures while nightcrawler is a go-to live bait. When fishing with nightcrawlers, using small hooks floated under a bobber is a great way to be able to make precise casts.
Many freshwater species are moving into their summertime patterns as we are past many of the spring spawns. Contributor Eric Packard hit Triadelphia Reservoir late this week on his kayak and found a good bite for a few different species. He was able to catch 12 largemouth bass, a white perch, a smallmouth bass, and a walleye. All fish were caught on either jerkbaits or paddletails on 3/8 ounce jigheads. Packard noted that there didn’t seem to be much of a pattern as he caught fish in the backs of coves and out on the main lake along points at the mouth of the coves. We had a reader write in to let us know that the bass bite in a southern Maryland pond was spectacular this week. The fish were up shallow hanging close to fallen trees in the water. White and pink colored flukes caught multiple three-to-four-pound fish with the biggest of the day weighing around seven pounds. They also caught a few big crappie on the same lures. Waters are now warm enough that topwater lures are a good option for bass fishing in the shallows. Frogs, Whopper Ploppers, and spooks are all popular options to entice a surface bite.
Freshwater Fishing Report, May 10 Update:
A few showers couldn’t slow down the great spring bite we have been experiencing. If you are looking to catch snakeheads, now is a great time to get out for them. Water temperatures have warmed enough that anglers are starting to see spawning activity already. Topwater fishing is also becoming a reliable tactic to target them as they are pushing into the emerging aquatic vegetation that is coming up. Apex Predators Guide Service has had a lot of luck with the snakeheads lately on tributaries of the Potomac. Topwater baits are working in the shallow water and subsurface lures like chatterbaits are working well for casting along marsh edges. These tactics will work almost anywhere you can target snakeheads in our region.
Crappie fishing is a very popular springtime activity for anglers. These fish are a schooling species and can be found grouped up near structure. You will want to fish around fallen trees, bridges, docks, and anything else they could use for cover. An angler fishing a few southern Maryland ponds reported that the crappie bite was hot this week. They caught most of their fish using live minnows floated under a bobber but said small twisty tail grubs were also catching crappie along with bluegill and green sunfish. They also mentioned that bluegills are on beds in a few of the ponds they stopped at. You can sight fish them fairly easy while they are on beds, but it may be hard to get them to bite. They caught them using size eight hooks tipped with small pieces of nightcrawler. Casting out the worm and slowly bouncing it along the beds enticed the bluegill enough to bite.
Smallmouth anglers should be looking to hit the water as we approach their spawn. Contributor Eric Packard says the upper Potomac smallmouth fishing was great until all this rain hit, and on a trip last weekend he and a friend caught 15 in an afternoon. Crayfish-pattern crankbaits and Ned rigs were both good bets. Reservoir fishing has also been good as bass are spawning and various other fish are active. One angler reported in after a successful day fishing at Rocky George Reservoir. They caught a few largemouth bass on swimbaits, a pike, and a tiger musky. The musky hit a dead bluegill that they had cast out on the bottom. A Maryland musky is a great accomplishment!
Freshwater Fishing Report, May 3 Update:
Snakehead fishing has picked up the pace with the recent warmup, and we had reader reports of success from both the east side and the west side. Some were caught on topwater frogs, but we also heard flukes and spinnerbaits were effective. Many tidal tributaries around the Chesapeake Bay region are seeing the emergence of aquatic grasses and the snakes are moving into these areas. The tributaries of the Potomac River have been a hotspot in April with a lot of snakeheads caught on topwater frogs during this latest warm stretch. Other productive zones have been the lower Susquehanna, tributaries in D.C., and the Blackwater region. If you are fishing areas with hard structure or open water, moving baits and live minnows are a great option. When fishing in thick cover, weedless soft plastics and topwater frogs will be the best option. The snakehead bite is finally becoming more consistent with warmer weather and spawning activity has already been seen. Fry balls will start showing up soon which will offer an exciting way to target these fish.
Contributor Eric Packard reports that the reservoir bite remains in fine spring form, with excellent numbers of largemouth bass hitting on wacky worms. Jerk baits and jigs also picked up plenty of fish including pickerel and crappie. FishTalk intern Adam Greenberg opted to hit the Potomac above DC instead of reservoirs this week and said the water is getting low and slow, so wading the rivers in our region will be a good option soon. He also said that smallmouth hit jigs with crawfish trailers and white chatterbaits. Up on the Susquehanna River, Captain Kayla Haile of River Queen Guide Service reports that the smallmouth fishing has been great. Lots of fish are in pre-spawn mode and will soon be spawning as the warm temperatures are heating the water quickly. Spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, and Ned rigs have been producing best. Get out and fish this hot bite now because Captain Haile says that there is usually a lull period while the fish have their minds on spawning.