Freshwater Fishing Report, June 25 Update:
Though the continual scattered thunderstorms keep anglers guessing as to where water conditions will be prime, Contributor Eric Packard reported from the Catoctins this week that the waters was beautiful and running at high enough levels for the trout fishing. He noted that sneaking around and walking slowly was a must to prevent spooking the mix of brook, brown, and rainbows, but wooly buggers and nymphs were productive. We also had a reader report of similarly good conditions and trout biting nymphs in a creek in the Winchester, VA area.
The freshwater bite has been stellar in lakes, ponds, and lochs across DelMarVa. With bass in their typical summer mode, casting topwater for them in the mornings and evenings is proving productive. Midday and in the afternoons, hitting areas with shade-providing structure such as docks with soft plastic worms, crayfish, and other soft plastics is a good move. Deep Creek is having a great largemouth bass bite right now, with plenty of fish hitting around the docks and points especially early in the day before boat traffic and the sun both gather up a head of steam. We also had a reader let us know the bass and some stripers were biting at Bugg’s Island, but high water early this week was again an issue. We also had a reader check in after hitting Piney Run, to let us know that crappie were biting on minnow fished around the deeper brushpiles near the boardwalk.
Snakehead anglers had good results this week, as it seems that the spawn is done and fry balls are now visible in many areas. One kayak angler hitting the Blackwater checked in to let us know that he did well fishing frogs deep in the weeds, going four for seven. We’ve also gotten word that there are now “No Parking” signs posted in some of the traditional shoreline spots. While we haven’t been told of any ticketing thus far the signs are legit, so we’re guessing it’s just a matter of time. That means getting to the legal spots early or you may have to choose a different location, depending purely on the availability of a parking spot. On the western side, we had two reader reports of good action, one from the Potomac and the other from the Rap. We also got word of another sighting (just one fish) in the Magothy.
Freshwater Fishing Report, June 19 Update:
Solid crappie fishing is carrying on well into June, with ponds and lakes throughout DelMarVa providing action. A reader let us know that going after them in shady areas has been the trick to getting them to bite recently. We heard from a second one fishing small streamer flies in one of the Eastern Shore ponds, who said lures placed in the shade got bit while lures that landed six inches outside of it went unmolested. The Tackle Box noted that the bite has been good in St Mary’s Lake around near-shore structure, although accessing the lake requires quite a hike due to the ongoing construction that has closed down the main parking lot. Bass fishing remains steady around the dial, as they’ve moved into their summer mode of behavior. In the lakes that have them docks and piers have been good spots to look for them, and in the Baltimore reservoirs, anything that provides shade is worth checking out.
Snakehead continue to provide for anglers targeting them. On the Western Shore, they’re hitting good and look to be past spawning and into feeding. One reader had four and another six up to 12 pounds on weedless frogs, fishing an undisclosed location slightly north of Baltimore. On the North East, a reader spotted a fry ball and caught two nice snakeheads off of it. On the Eastern Shore, fry balls have been spotted and one reader who checked in with us caught six early in the week. We also heard from a reader who braved the difficult conditions mid-week and managed to pull one out of the weeds of the Little Blackwater despite high winds and threatening skies.
Anglers heading for the western rivers and streams have been reporting that the water conditions are still good but the unsettled weather did have an effect this week. Mossy Creek is reporting good trout and smallmouth fishing with 30 to 40 fish days but that’s down from catching twice the number; they’re also saying crawfish and hellgrammite patterns remain top picks. We had a reader who fished the Gunpowder call out nymphs as producing the best results, and another who had a “great day” on the Casselman say the same.
Freshwater Fishing Report, June 11 Update:
As we heard last week, by all reports warming waters are changing the bass scene a bit, as they’ve moved into their typical summer mode. Oppressive heat is keeping them lazy from mid-day on, so most of the bite right now is taking place early in the morning and at dusk. Overcast days have been better than sunny ones. They’ve been hanging around structure as well as in grassy or shaded areas, and can be tempted with crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and swimbaits. This pattern is holding true across many of the area lakes and reservoirs. Although summer weather has slowed down the bass, it’s bringing out pleasure boaters, water skiers, and jet-skis, which has also created less-than-ideal conditions on lakes like Deep Creek and Anna which tend to see a lot of non-fishing recreation. Contributor Eric Packard fished some Western Shore ponds this week and found that finding shade was key, with bass, bluegill, and pickerel all willing to bite when he placed a green shaky head plastic worm into waters under overhanging trees.
Snake alert: while most of the reports from the Eastern Shore snakehead grounds this week were still of a sometimes difficult bite due to spawning, the spawn on the western side may be a bit further along. Apex predators checked in to let us know that they had some solid action this week, in the creeks on the Virginia side of the Potomac. We also had reader reports of good snake action in the upper Rap, and the first report of a fry ball sighting came in as well (that from the Eastern Shore).
River anglers enjoyed a good week for smallmouth and trout fishing in the western portions of our readership zone but considering the weather forecast, that may be about to change—it looks like we’re in store for another drenching. All bets are off, until we see how right or wrong the weatherman is.
Freshwater Fishing Report, June 5 Update:
Correspondent Eric Packard reported that he hit a number of farm ponds this week, raking in the bass. He was catching on a shaky head jig with a six-inch green and white wacky worm, as well as Mepps Spinners. Bass have been thick in most local reservoirs and lakes. Packard also reported catching crappie and bluegill in the farm ponds on Beetle Spins. Trips to Mallows and Mattawoman have resulted in bass as well, but the snakeheads were difficult to come by this week.
The reports from other snakehead hotspots were similar, with readers saying that it seems like the snakes are in spawning mode right now an are less interested in attacking their offering than they are in finding mates. The good(?) news is that means that very soon we’ll be spotting fry balls, and have easy targets to cast at.
Trout fishing is in good shape, as readers this week reported catching brook trout and browns in southern Pennsylvania streams and western Maryland creeks with clear, stabilized water levels. Last night’s rains may affect some localized areas but for the most part, this should remain true. June 6 Brief Update: We had a couple reports today that some spots in the northern parts of our coverage area got hit pretty hard and today had riled waters. We also had several readers let us know that the smallmouth bite (Shenandoah and upper Potomac) was solid on Wee Craws and crayfish patterns.