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Freshwater Fishing Reports

Freshwater Fishing Report, February 6 Update:

As the ice is melting off, bass, pickerel, and many of our other favorite freshwater species have been willing to bite. Contributor Eric Packard said the bite on the Eastern Shore millponds was fair early this week, though gusty winds cut his trip short. Mostly pickerel plus a couple of bass took his lures. Stickbaits out-fished minnows surprisingly. Packard also revisited St. Mary’s Lake this week and said the fish were a bit more willing to bite than in recent trips, though only on live minnows. Artificial lures went untouched, but bass, pickerel, yellow perch took the live bait. The Angler in Chief says the bite up the Pocomoke was okayish earlier this week, the action wasn’t hot but there was a great mix of species with a few bass, pickerel, crappie, and catfish all willing to bite. The bass came on minnow on shad darts suspended under a bobber and all the other species hit the same baits jigged on bottom in the channel in 10’ to 12’ of water.

Largemouth bass fishing
Eric Packard enjoyed some bass and pickerel action on the Eastern Shore this week. 

Trout stockings are ramping up throughout Maryland and several locations in the central and southern regions of the state received stockings this week. That includes Carrol, Frederick, Charles, and Prince George’s counties along with some areas out west. We heard from a reader who fished Greenbelt Lake the day after it was stocked who caught his limit of trout in two hours. The fish weren’t willing to hit spinners, but when he started using pink and white mouse tails, they were eager to bite. All fish were right around one pound. Mossy Creek Fly Fishing reports that recent rains have bumped up flows in creeks and streams in the western trout zones. They suggest getting big nymphs, streamers, split shot, and sink tip lines ready for the next couple of months. The Virginia DWR has been busy stocking and most recently stocked the Jackson Special Reg, Cowpasture, Spring Run, and all sections of the Roanoke last week. More information for trout stockings can be found on the Virginia DWR trout stocking website and the Maryland DNR trout stocking website.

January 2, 2025
Freshwater Fishing Report, January 30 Update: Fishing hasn’t been easy by any means, but the weather may be shifting in our favor. Lake Anna has been fishing well on the warmer side of the lake and we had a report from an angler that fished near… Read more...
December 6, 2024
Freshwater Fishing Report, December 26 Update: We hope that everyone enjoyed the Christmas holiday and got some new fishing gear to try out. The cold weather and family holiday obligations must have kept a lot of people off the water because our… Read more...
November 1, 2024
Freshwater Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, November 29 Update: The weather warmed up briefly this week, but the winds kept on blowing which has seemed to be the norm this fall. Contributor Eric Packard reports solid action when the weather isn’t… Read more...