Freshwater Fishing Reports

Freshwater Fishing Report, August 29 Update:

The weather has been beautiful lately, and it looks like we may be past the bulk of the heat for the year. Contributor Eric Packard says the bass and crappie have been enjoying the relatively cool weather, and while fishing a pond this week he caught around a dozen of each in a morning of fishing. Bass were biting best on pumpkinseed/white Wacky Worms and purple/pink Ned rigs. The crappie responded well to micro-jigs danced under a bobber. A reader fishing in a central Maryland pond reported a decent topwater bass bite this week. They said throwing a buzzbait on the edges of lily pads worked well to get some blow ups. They caught a few bass up to three pounds on a midafternoon trip.

The cooler weather has made for a good bite in our larger freshwater rivers. The smallmouth bass are very active right now as we get ready for the transition to a fall pattern where they will be feeding aggressively. Shallow riffles and runs near deeper holes have been good locations to cast topwater lures right now. A few of our best smallmouth rivers include the Susquehanna, Potomac, Rappahannock, and James. An angler fishing on the upper Potomac reported a good trip earlier in the week. They caught over a dozen fish with half a dozen of them over the 15” mark and up to 18.5”. All fish were caught on topwater whopper ploppers. Another angler fishing on the Susquehanna reported that swimbaits have been working well at creek mouths and along rocky stretches of shoreline. If you want to try your hand at wade fishing, the Monocacy River is a great place to visit. The river is relatively shallow, making it easy to wade, and it is known for having a lot of smallmouths. Mossy Creek Fly Fishing reports that the mountain brook trout streams are running around base flow right now. They say that now will be a good time to downsize flies and lengthen leaders. The spring creeks are seeing tricos on most mornings and the hexagenia have arrived during the evening hours. They also mentioned that the hoppers are big right now, so large patterns are in play.

Freshwater Fishing Report, August 22 Update:

The special catch and release trout areas, and gear restricted zones in western Maryland are providing a good summer bite for fly anglers thanks to recent rains. Mossy Creek Fly Fishing also reports that the stream flows in their neck of the woods are at good levels for this time of year. This has led to better than average trout fishing and with safe temperatures to target the mountain fish, they encourage anglers to get out there. Their bass fishing has also been excellent, and they had reports of boats landing over 100 fish this week. Musky fishing has been off limits with the summer water temperatures, but the downward trend of water temperatures may soon bring them back into play.

The smallmouth rivers are in good shape for wade fishing this week. The cooler weather has turned on the bite, and fish have been especially willing to hit topwater. Rivers worth checking out include the upper Potomac, Susquehanna River, Monocacy River, upper Rappahannock, and upper James River. The central Maryland reservoirs have been the scene for good largemouth bass fishing. As kids return to school and summer draws to an end, anglers can expect less traffic on the water. This will be especially true at Deep Creek Lake, where the fishing can get very good once the summer vacationers head out. Smallmouth and largemouth bass will still be hanging around floating docks close to shore. Walleye and crappie will be suspended at deeper depths near bridges and rocky drop offs. Over on Smith Mountain Lake, the largemouth are following a similar pattern of cruising the shorelines near docks. Striped bass fishing has been decent on the lake, and they have been found feeding on bait fish in low light conditions. Ledges and drop-offs are where you can find the schools at this time of year.

Freshwater Fishing Report, August 15 Update:

Fishing for largemouth bass is the most popular freshwater option this time of year in our region. These fish are abundant in our ponds, lakes, and rivers, making them one of the most accessible fisheries local to us. The cooler weather this month has improved the bite as water temperatures have cooled off from their peaks in July. A reader fishing southern PA ponds said the bass were active this week, smacking Ned rigs, wacky worms, and shaky heads. The action came early in the morning and with overcast skies. Contributor Eric Packard confirms the bass are enjoying the cool-down and are willing to strike in Maryland ponds, too. Fishing a morning in Calvert County, he found them willing to hit buzz-baits and wacky worms. Another reader enjoyed catching bluegill in an Anne Arundel County pond this week. Bluegill are also found in most of our local public ponds and lakes. They can be caught using worms, panfish jigs, and small spinners.

In the western trout areas, Mossy Creek Fly Fishing reports that’s most of the trout streams are at the normal summer levels but are running on the cooler side. The afternoon thunderstorms helped with the flows and are keeping the good fishing opportunities going. The larger bass rivers are starting to clean up, which means that topwater fishing will become a great option. The upper Potomac River is an excellent river to fish for smallmouth bass this time of year. Anglers will want to check the USGS flow gauge closest to their area before heading out on the river. When the flow is low, wading is a fun way to fish for smallmouth. Many anglers choose to throw on a bathing suit and wet wade instead of using waders. Effective lures include tube jigs, crawfish patterns, swimbaits, and chatterbaits. Anglers up and down the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania waters are also reporting a good bite for smallies.

Freshwater Fishing Report, August 8 Update:

Most anglers have been enjoying the cooler weather after the July heat waves. The mild temperatures have been extending bite windows and many of our freshwater fish have become more active. FishTalk’s Eric Packard found that the cooler weather provided better midday action than we’ve been seeing recently, and on an afternoon of fishing at St. Mary’s Lake he caught nine largemouth bass up to 22.5” despite starting at 1:30. He noted that most of the fish were in five to nine feet of water over grass, and a shallow-diving XPS drew the strikes. The big fish, however, came from 10’ in a stump field where it hit a purple worm on a Ned rig. A reader fishing a private lake in southern Maryland reported an excellent largemouth bass bite late last week. They caught several bass up to four pounds using a variety of lures, including soft plastic flukes, jerkbaits, and even live worms while trying to catch bluegill. Nightcrawlers also caught a few channel catfish. The bite was best in the late afternoon along shaded banks with wood structure.

Catfish anglers have been enjoying a good bite for invasive blue catfish in both Maryland and Virginia waters. The tidal rivers, including the Susquehanna, Potomac, Rappahannock, and James are fishing well. Fish finder rigs baited with any type of meaty substance will work, but top producing bait usually includes fresh gizzard shad, eel, and chicken. Mossy Creek Fly Fishing reports that the cooler weather has been treating the trout waters and freshwater rivers well. They also have reports that the Shenandoah River bass fishing has been great recently. The public section of Mossy Creek had good reports with anglers catching fish during the early morning hours. Overcast days have also offered a good bite throughout the day. The productive patterns have been tricos in the mornings, ants, beetles, hoppers, crickets all day long, and streamers on the rainy afternoons. Brook trout are still eating just about any attractor dry fly, ants, beetles, and dropper nymphs in size 14-16.