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Fishing Reports
Weekly fishing reports for the Chesapeake Bay and Mid-Atlantic and surrounding region. If you would like to be notified via e-mail when our weekly fishing reports are updated, click here to sign up.
FishTalk fishing reports are presented by Anchor Boats, Brown Dog Marine, CCA MD, Riverside Marine, Suzuki Marine, and Tri-State-Marine
Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, March 6 Update:
The black sea bass bite during the special February season was good when boats could get out. The season is now closed until May 15th. Tautog season runs until May 15th, allowing four fish per person per day with a minimum size of 16 inches. Water temperatures around 50 degrees turn on the nearshore tautog bite, which we should be approaching this month. The larger fish will still be hanging at wreck and reef sites offshore, but keepers and… Read more from Coastal...
Freshwater Fishing Report, March 6 Update:
Pre-spawn bites are starting to shape up, but the up and down weather patterns have made for a finnicky bite at times. Contributor Eric Packard reports that a recent trip to St. Mary’s Lake produced a mix of pickerel, crappie, and bass. A jerkbait and a tandem rig with small bucktail jigs and plastics proved effective in the chilly water, which ranged from 42 to 46 degrees. The eight to 16’ of water range was best, with many fish holding deep.… Read more from Freshwater...
Way North Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, March 6 Update:
The lower Susquehanna River is a hotspot this time of year. The two most active fisheries are yellow perch and blue catfish. The yellow perch bite has been good for the past few weeks, and anglers are still catching them in the deeper holes near Havre De Grace in depths of 30’ to 50’. We had some rain this week that made the river run a little dirty, which affected the perch bite. The water should clean up, and the bite should pick back… Read more from Way North...
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, March 6 Update:
Water temperatures are still very cold in the Upper Bay waters of the Chesapeake. We should get some help to bring these water temperatures up thanks to a warm front starting this weekend. This should get some of the spring bites going. Yellow perch are starting to move into shallower tributaries in areas south of the Upper Bay, and they are likely moving into the upper reaches of creeks on the Magothy River. They can be found schooling near… Read more from Upper Bay...
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, March 6 Update:
March is the migration month for striped bass to make their way up the Chesapeake Bay for their spawning run. Temperatures in the main stem of the Middle Bay are still in the mid to upper 30s, but the warm front in the forecast starting this weekend should warm them up enough to get these fish on the move. A pair of readers who visited the power plant recently said there were good numbers of rockfish, including some 40-plus-inch trophy… Read more from Middle Bay...
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, March 6 Update:
We heard the first peepers of the year this week as the first signs of spring start to reveal themselves. FishTalk contributor Eric Packard visited Mason Springs on the upper Mattawoman this week. Eric caught a bunch of yellow perch and a few sunfish while bouncing around small panfish jigs. He said that about half the perch were keeper size while the others were small males. The yellow perch bite should pick up as we head into next week.… Read more from Lower Bay...
Tangier, Pocomoke, and Lower Shore Fishing Report, March 6 Update:
Spring peepers were singing their songs this week as the first signs of spring are starting to show themselves. FishTalk’s Zach Ditmars spent a couple of days at the Eastern Shore millponds in the Salisbury area last weekend, and said the fishing was surprisingly slow in multiple ponds. He had to work hard to catch a couple of bass and four pickerel up to 24” while fishing minnow on underspin jigs and Tin Man shad darts. X-… Read more from Tangier and Lower Shore...
Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, March 6 Update:
Fishing is still slow in the Way South region of the Chesapeake Bay. The good news is that we are right on the brink of several bites kicking off. Water temperatures are in the low to mid 40s, but once they reach that magical 50-degree mark, several species will offer excellent opportunities. There are puppy drum in Lynnhaven and Rudee Inlet, but anglers are reporting that these fish are still very lethargic. We had two skunk reports… Read more from Way South...