Freshwater Fishing Reports

Freshwater Fishing Report, January 1 Update:

Happy New Year folks! We hope that everyone has made one of their resolutions to get out and fish more in 2026. FishTalk’s kayak sharpie, Zach Ditmars, says he launched at the Smithville millpond in search of pickerel this week, but only lasted for a few hours before turning numb. For the effort, he had three bites, resulting in one pickerel landed. In many areas, ice is likely to become a problem in the coming days, while in others anglers are waiting for it—we had our first report this week of hard water fishing from Deep Creek, where some of the protected coves (but not the larger sections of the lake) have hardened up enough to venture out. A couple of walleye and yellow perch were reportedly caught. In the central Maryland Reservoirs, largemouth bass are spending most of their time along drop-offs and deep-water cover. Bass are less active this time of year, so a slower approach is often required when targeting them. Deep diving crankbaits, football jigs, swimbaits, and glidebaits are all great lure options.

There are likely some hold over stocker trout from the fall trout stockings, especially in the larger lakes or streams. As long as the cold weather doesn’t freeze over the lakes, there should be some trout that can be caught. Fishing with Berkley Powerbait is a popular tactic. Anglers wanting a more interactive experience can opt to cast small spinners or trout magnets. These lures will also give you a good chance at catching largemouth bass and panfish too. Mossy Creek Fly Fishing reports that most of the mountain streams are still flowing, which is giving the brook trout some space to move around and feed. The spring creeks are also in good shape and the larger freestones have decent water levels for Virginia DWR to continue their stocking efforts. Anglers can view the latest trout stocking information on the Virginia DWR trout stocking website and the Maryland DNR trout stocking website.