Freshwater Fishing Reports

Freshwater Fishing Report, August 5 Update:

We have a new Fishing Reports editor, folks! FishTalk welcomes Dillon Waters to the team, an angler who has sent in reader photos in the past that have made us thoroughly jealous — stripers, specks, and reds that any of us would be thrilled to catch. Dillon says:

“I’m a lifelong resident of Maryland. What an awesome state for fishing, right? I’m an avid outdoorsman and my main hobbies include fishing, hunting, and photography. If I have any free time, you will either find me on the water or in the woods! I graduated from St. Mary's College of Maryland in 2021 with a B.S. in Biology and Environmental Studies and currently have a full-time position with the Department of Natural Resources Wildlife and Heritage Service working as a wildlife response technician. My favorite freshwater fish to catch is crappie (St. Mary's Lake has been very reliable) and my favorite saltwater fish to catch are speckled trout (the Tangier Sound is a beautiful place to target them). One of my other big interests is baseball — go O's! I look forward to being able to provide detailed and accurate reports to FishTalk’s readers moving forward.”

Welcome aboard, Dillon!

Just as we are doing most of our outdoor work in the morning or evening hours, most freshwater fish are doing the same. The intense late summer heat has many fish feeding at night and loafing in shaded areas during the better part of the day. Contributor Eric Packard reports that the bass are still biting strong at St. Mary’s Lake, however, he also encountered bunches of an odd bluish-greenish algae that has sprouted up in the lake. Later in the week Packard hit the Little Patuxent near Savage with a chartreuse/red plastic worm rigged wacky style and a Rooster Tail spinner, which produced a great smallmouth bite plus sunfish and a fall fish during an afternoon of walking the banks.

Bass and snakehead fishing has been best EARLY in the morning with poppers, buzz baits, and frogs getting blowups over grass and lily pads. Anglers targeting snakeheads in the tidal Potomac, Patuxent, and lower Dorchester County have had plenty of catches this week with some reports of 30” fish. Topwater baits early followed by white paddle tails as the sun comes up are safe bets to throw. Fishbones reports the snakehead bite has picked up in the rivers of the Mid to Upper Bay but bow fishermen have been very active in targeting them at night.

Most of the area rivers are running at base flow and the mid-summer fishing has been great. Mossy Creek reports that all flies are in play while bass fishing. Starting off with baitfish, crayfish, hellgrammite, or frog patterns early then moving to popping bus once the insects are out in full force has provided steady catches of smallies. Carp are also moving up into the shallows to feed. Brook trout fishing is for the most part on hold until there is a decent pulse of rain up in the mountains.

D & B sport shop at Deep Creek Lake reports slow fishing due to the amount of summertime vacationers on the water. Fishing the early morning hours before the boat traffic and mid-day heat set in has been essential for giving anglers the best chance at hooking up. Coves off the main stem of the lake have been providing sunfish, perch, and pickerel. Some walleye have been being caught in deeper water around the bridges on live minnows. Again, the first and last hour of daylight will provide the best chances for hook ups! These patterns will persist at our larger destination lakes throughout the dog days of summer.