Freshwater Fishing Reports

Freshwater Fishing Report, May 15 Update:

Largemouth bass in both tidal and non-tidal waters are in various stages of spawning with some fish already done spawning and some still actively on beds. The stage at which they are at will depend on your location and water body type. Regardless, fishing the shallows and around structures will be a good tactic moving forward. If the water is clear enough, anglers should be able to see bass on beds which can offer sight fishing opportunities. Soft plastic creature baits and fluke style baits rigged weedless are great options to use when sight fishing as they can be kept in the strike zone. Contributor Eric Packard says the hydrilla is blooming and making fishing tough at times, but square-bill crankbaits are getting the bass to bite. He also noted that schools of crappie are now suspending in 10’ to 15’ and can be caught with micro-jigs under slip bobbers. Bluegill are also spawning and can be seen guarding beds in the shallows of lakes and ponds. The bluegill get very aggressive when guarding their beds and small panfish jigs will often get ambushed when put in their vicinity. Fishing for bluegill is a great way to introduce kids to fishing and a fun way to remind older anglers where many of our fishing careers started.

The recent deluge of rain has several of the larger freshwater rivers running in flood stage, which will keep anglers off the water for a few days until water recedes. The smallmouth bass bite has been good on the Susquehanna River, Potomac, and in the Monocacy, but conditions are just about unfishable right now. Catfish tend to get more active after rain events, so blue catfish and flathead catfish may be good targets given the current conditions. The mountain trout streams needed the rain, and they have been replenished, which should offer good opportunities once things settle out. Mossy Creek Fly Fishing reports that streamer fishing the spring creeks should be excellent. They recommend loading up on heavier sized tippet- 0-3x for large to moderate sized streamers, 3-4x for bigger nymphs, and don’t' forget your strike indicators, tippet rings, and split shot assortments. They also report that the mountain brook trout fishing was good before the rain and that pattern should continue. We have been in a fairly bad drought, so any rain is appreciated.

Freshwater Fishing Report, May 9 Update:

Ponds and lakes are very productive this time of year as several species are spawning or are transitioning to post-spawn patterns. A reader checked in after kayak fishing at St. Mary’s Lake this week. They said that small bass were willing to hit panfish jigs in the shallows, but that was not their main target. They were searching for “eater” sized bluegill. After spending a half-hour fishing the shoreline, he located an area covered with bluegill beds and said he caught 15 “eaters” in 15 casts. The bluegill were so aggressive that they were hitting his jig as soon as it hit the water. After filling his stringer, he moved areas and caught a few more bass before getting off the water. Contributor Eric Packard says it looks like the bass spawn is already done in the ponds in his area, and the fish are grouped up and actively feeding in three to five feet of water. In just a couple of hours, he had eight largemouth inhale his wacky worm. We also had a reader report of excellent bluegill action in a local pond. FishTalk contributor Adam Greenberg made it out a few times this week and had success doing some freshwater fishing. Adam reports that a trip to the upper reaches of the Miles River yielded several crappie caught on micro jigs under a bobber. He mentioned that he usually catches bass in that area too, but they were not biting. Adam also made a trip to Tuckahoe and another Eastern Shore pond where the bass were active and pushing bait at one point. A trusty Mepps spinner did the trick for the active bass, but those that were visibly on beds did not want to bite.

Mossy Creek Fly Fishing reports that dry fly fishing up in the mountains has been going very strong. Size 14 and 16 attractor dry flies such as Royal wulffs, Humpies, Stimulators, Trudes, and Caddis have been working well. They say most any nymph in size 14 or 16 will get the attention of a brookie right now. Blue, purple, and green have been particularly effective. Their staff also reported that the spring creeks are still seeing some sulphurs before dark, and they expect to start seeing the first tricos of the year this month. Streamers, sculpins, crayfish, and big rubber legged nymphs have been standard patterns out on the spring creeks. We had an angler check in after catching a native brook trout while fishing on the Savage River. The brookies may not be huge, but they are arguably the most beautiful freshwater fish on our area. Smallmouth fishing has also been good as their spawning is winding down and they are transitioning to their summer areas. The Potomac, Susquehanna, James, Shenandoah, Monocacy, and several other rivers are fishing well. Productive lures have included creature baits, football jigs, and jerkbaits. If temperatures stay on the warmer side and water levels remain low, the summer pattern will shape up quickly and wade fishing will be a popular tactic for anglers.

Freshwater Fishing Report, May 2 Update:

The weather has been more stable and is offering some beautiful spring days to get out and fish. Contributor Eric Packard says bass have been hitting in local ponds, with wacky worms producing the best bite. Packard also got out late in the week and said bass were eager to hit topwater lures on local southern Maryland ponds. A white whopper plopper produced several bites. We also had another reader send in this pic of a magnificent smallie, caught on a green pumpkinseed stickworm in the Shenandoah. FishTalk Contributor Adam Greenberg checked in after doing some pond hopping and said he scored some bass and bluegill. Interestingly, though, he did not get a bite on any traditional bass lures, including topwater frogs, Texas-rigged worms, craws, and jigs. He switched to throwing micro jigs for bluegill and caught plenty, but was surprised to find bass inhaling the tiny jig. It made sense once he looked at the bank and saw the shallows peppered with bluegill fry. Classis situation of match the hatch.

Snakeheads seem to be waking up in multiple areas. We had reports of success from both the west and east sides, and Apex Predators on Potomac Creek sent in several pics of nice catches their clients made on the Potomac. Potomac River tributaries on both the Maryland and Virginia sides have been fishing well this spring as an abundance of emerging grass flats and SAV are providing prime habitat for pre-spawn snakehead fishing. Topwater frogs are working very well right now and anglers are reporting that hydrilla fields have been holding a lot of snakeheads, and some bass too. Further up the bigger freshwater rivers, smallmouth action is heating up. Mossy Creek Fly Fishing reports that they are in full spawn mode right now with most fish already dropping their eggs. Males can be seen guarding the eggs and small fry, and they expect to see males on nests for the next two weeks. Residual spawning should continue through the middle of the month. Mossy Creek also says that musky are spawning, which can make it tricky to get bites. The fishing should improve during the later part of May.