Maryland Fishing Report

October 12th, 2018

Fall officially started a few weeks ago but now it FEELS like it! We’ve been experiencing a hot/dry Fall so far but after the storm passed through last night we’re now feeling the crisp, cool air. This cool weather will no doubt kick the Fall pattern into high gear. Trolling, Jigging and Topwater during low-light conditions will now be the pattern to look for.

Rockfish

Trolling

The pattern over the last week in the Upper Bay has been slowly transitioning to a Fall pattern. Trolling the channel ledges around the mouths of the tidal rivers like the Magothy, Chester and Patapsco have all produced fish in 25′-40′ of water. Holographic Green or White 6″ Shads on umbrella rigs have been working well. Spoonbrellas have also been used with success when getting into areas where Bluefish are mixed in.

Jigging

Jigging structure like the Bay & Key Bridge pilings has been working this week. You can also jig around schools of breaking fish with the G-Eye Jigs Rain Minnow or Lil’ Bunker vertical jigs. Look to use a 1/2oz – 3/4oz jig head with a 6″ soft plastic trailer like the Angler’s exclusive BKD Slimey Bunker color. Other good spots to target are the channel ledges in the main bay just outside the tidal rivers on an outgoing tide. The mouth of the Eastern Bay around “The Hill” or Poplar Island are good spots to jig up some nice Rockfish.

Topwater

The topwater bite has been great inside the rivers around shoreline structure like rip-rap, docks and pilings in less than 10′ of water. Some of the better spots have been inside the Patapsco River around docks/pilings, Severn River around rip-rap in 5′ of water and the rock piles under the Bay Bridge. Fish a Lonely Angler popper or spook aggressively in the mornings, late in the evenings or on cloudy, overcast days. Some hot colors lately have been chartreuse, white and black for topwater baits.

Chumming/Chunking/Live-lining

Fishing bait on the bottom has still been productive this week. Many anglers have reported catching good fish on Fresh Alewife from our shop. Some of the better areas recently have been between Baltimore Light and the Bay Bridge in 15′-30′ of water, especially on an outgoing tide. Target the mouths of the rivers on channel ledges, the triple buoys around Love Point, Podickory Point and Hacketts Point. Some other baits that are going to catch good fish are Peeler Crab, Soft Crab, or Live-lining Spot. We have all baits in stock!

Perch / Spot / Croaker

White Perch

While there are still spots where you can catch Perch in shallow water, the bite is slowly moving to deeper water. You’ll find the better grade of Perch in 15′ of water on hard shell bottom. Best baits to use are going to be Bloodworms, Razor Clams, Peeler or Soft Crab. You can either throw a top & bottom rig with 1/2oz – 1oz of weight with bait or use a tandem shad dart rig tipped with Bloodworm or Fishbites. Some of the better areas are going to be around the Bay Bridge pilings, Hacketts Point, Jonas Green Park and deeper structure in the tidal rivers.

Spot

You can still find some Spot in 15′ of water just south of the Bay Bridge but with the cool weather and fresh water runoff, the Spot are on the move South! Look to target them with Bloodworms or Fishbites on hard bottom.

Croaker

Croaker are also on the move with the fresh, cool water filling the Bay. You can find them down south around the mouth of the Pautuxent and the Potomac in 15′ of water or less. Especially around structure during an outgoing tide.

Catfish

So many kitties swimming in the Bay lately! With all the runoff coming from the Connowingo and up north, we’ve seen an increase in Catfish catches over the last two years. The thickest populations seem to be from the Eastern Bay up north. Especially in the tidal rivers and in 25′ of water or shallower. There have been more and more reports of anglers catching them with lures like spinner baits, jigs and even on topwater plugs surprisingly! Great baits to use are going to be Fresh Alewife, Peeler or Soft Crabs, Razor Clams, Bloodworms or Nightcrawlers! Pretty much anything you throw out there has a chance of getting eaten by a Catfish.

Largemouth Bass

Fall is a wonderful time for targeting Largemouth Bass. What could be more fun than watching a topwater bait get swallowed by a hungry aggressive Bass early in the morning?! The pattern has been topwater early and often, followed by jigs worked around submerged structure and something not many anglers try, the Double Fluke rig, or Donkey Rig. The Donkey rig is essentially two fluke style baits rigged up in tandem with one of the flukes able to slide up and down the main line. This mimics a couple of shad chasing each other and Bass love ambushing minnows like this in the Fall.

Show Us What You Caught!

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