Freshwater Fishing Reports

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.