Freshwater Fishing Reports
Freshwater Fishing Report, July 2 Update:
Freshwater anglers are enjoying excellent summertime action, with snakehead fry balls creating prime sight-fishing opportunities across Chesapeake Bay tributaries. Largemouth bass continue to feed around grass beds, fallen timber, and shaded cover, while western rivers are providing quality topwater action for smallmouth bass. Whether targeting bass, snakehead, or panfish, anglers are finding productive fishing across a wide variety of freshwater habitats.
FishTalk contributor Eric Packard sent us a few reports from his freshwater trips to St. Mary’s Lake this week. One day, he took his fly rod to cast poppers and streamers into the shade around downfalls. He caught 27 bluegill and four largemouth bass in three to five feet of water. Two of the bass were caught in five to seven feet of water over grass while casting streamers. The other trip to the lake was with his son-in-law Dale, on kayaks. They caught a total of 28 largemouth bass, five yellow perch, eight crappie, four pickerel, and one bluegill. Dale caught the biggest bass of the day, which was a 22.5” fish. They caught fish on a variety of baits, including four-inch white swimbaits, wacky rigs, beetlespins, jerkbaits, and ned rigs. Their day started slow fishing the middle of the lake, then they headed to the upper end of the lake where they had a good bite in six to eight feet of water over grass.
Mossy Creek Fly Fishing checked in with a report before the heat wave. Many anglers are focused on smallmouth bass fishing, but they had some good news from the spring creeks. Japanese beetles have emerged, and it looks like it is going to be a good season as there a lot of them on the vegetation. Tricos, beetles, and hopper patterns are going to be the most productive until fall. Streamer fishing will be limited to overcast days or until we get some more rain. The bass fishing can stay good during the hot weather, so there is still a reason to get out on the larger rivers. When the water is low, bass tend to move into deeper holes and shady areas. The conditions this week shaped up to offer some excellent topwater conditions.
We are moving into the heart of fry ball season for snakehead fishing. The fry balls are popping up all over the Chesapeake Bay tributaries from the Susquehanna Flats down to the Potomac River and over to the Eastern Shore. Snakehead are spawning and guarding fry balls, which is mostly concentrated around areas with thick vegetation. The SAV grasses are the perfect areas to cast topwater frogs for snakehead and largemouth bass. On clear sunny days, sight fishing is a great way to locate snakeheads guarding fry balls or just hanging out in the vegetation, as they will often times sit just below the surface of the water. In ponds and lakes, bass are in their typical summer pattern of hanging out around fallen trees and shade lines to get some relief from the hot temperatures. Banks with overhanging brush and dead falls will likely be holding some fish. On the tidal Potomac, we did see a report from an angler who caught a bass slam, catching a smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, and striped bass which fishing at the Tidal Basin In D.C. That is a cool accomplishment!
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