Freshwater Fishing Report, November 25 Update:
Fishing for freshwater species in the late fall often provides tranquil opportunities with beautiful scenery. The weather and water are primed for trout fishing in Maryland and Virginia trout management waterways. In Maryland, catch-and-release designated waters are offering good fishing and more abundant concentrations of fish as many of the stocked lakes and ponds have limited fish remaining from their October stockings. The Gunpowder River and Morgan Run are popular spots for trout fisherman but it is important to check area specific regulations before heading out on your trip. In Virginia, the spring creeks of the Blue Ridge Mountains are popular destinations to target trout. Mossy Creek reports that streamer fishing has been excellent this past week. They also mentioned that brook trout are finishing up their spawn, so anglers should take extra caution where they walk over the next few months while the eggs are incubating until February or March.
There are many other freshwater species willing to bite this time of year so anglers willing to head out in the cold should be rewarded for their efforts. There has been a good smallmouth bite on the upper Potomac River. The smallies are very active as they search for crayfish that are moving into deeper water for the winter months. Crankbaits, jigs, and tubes worked slow and methodically close to the bottom are all baits that work well. Largemouth bass will be found near drop offs and structure in deeper water. Fishing jigs and spinner baits slow and close to the bottom will usually get them to strike. The pickerel bite has really picked up with the colder weather and the Eastern Shore mill ponds are a great place to chase after some big fish. Pickerel usually hang near shoreline structure such as fallen trees and other sunken wood. Most of the ponds, lakes, and reservoirs across the state have pickerel so there is no shortage of opportunity to fish for them. The shininess of spinner baits and paddletails with underspin’s are great to entice pickerel to bite.
This season, let’s remember to be thankful for every opportunity we get to go fishing. Regardless of our successes, it is a blessing to enjoy the beauty and bounties in the outdoors of Delmarva. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Freshwater Fishing Report, November 18 Update:
After a fairly mild start to the month, this week has brought some much colder weather to our area. The cooler temperatures are pushing bass into deeper water. Anglers should focus on drop off areas with structure nearby. Sunken wood and rock piles are great areas to target. Deep diving crankbaits and spinnerbaits worked close to the bottom often produce strikes this time of year. Contributor Eric Packard says the fishing was tough early in the week and a day at St. Mary's produced just a handful of fish. He also noted that the water levels were up noticeably after the stormy weekend. But by midweek they were biting strong, including bass, crappie, and big bluegill up to 10 inches. A shaky head with a Senko and blade baits were the effective picks. Crappie are holding close to deeper water structure and many of the region’s lakes have been producing a good bite. Small minnows or marabou jigs under a bobber work well for suspending baits close to structure. We have also received a few reports of good crappie bites near docks and fallen trees in creeks off the Potomac.
The Mid-Atlantic region has received some much-needed rain over the past two weeks. The remnants of Hurricane Nicole dropped anywhere from two to four inches of rain last weekend and another heavy shot of rain this past Tuesday added to that total. Mossy Creek reports that this has brought water levels up significantly in the mountain streams, spring creeks, and local rivers. Now that the water has settled from the rain, we have been left with ideal conditions for winter fishing. Mossy Creek gave us the latest on the trout report and says the brook and brown trout are continuing to spawn but they should wrap up in a few weeks. The Virginia DWR has been busy stocking many locations this week, providing many opportunities for anglers to trout fish. Their stocking information and schedule can be found here. The Maryland DNR fall trout stockings concluded at the end of October but many of the stocked locations will still have fish available to catch. There should still be fish stocked in the local streams and larger lakes and the recent cold and rain has created great trout fishing conditions. Maryland trout stocking information can be found here. Don’t let the cold keep you from getting out and make sure to put new fishing gear on the Christmas list this year!
Freshwater Fishing Report, November 11 Update:
Cooling weather has many of our freshwater species active and feeding before the much colder temperatures of winter set in. Bass are active in the regions ponds, rivers, and reservoirs as they feed hard to increase body reserves. Crawfish baits work well this time of year as the bass are located in transition areas where the craws and baitfish are moving to deeper water. Contributor Eric Packard says the Eastern Shore millpond bite was tepid this week, with a smattering of bass and pickerel hitting his offerings but overall slow action. A chat with another kayak angler led to a discussion of similar results. The bite in a Western Shore lake was much better a day later, with an afternoon trip lasting just two hours producing almost a dozen largemouth up to 19 inches. A bladebait did the trick.
In the far west region of Maryland, the fishing at Deep Creek Lake is very good. The summer vacationers and boat traffic have come and gone and conditions on the lake are much more suited for fishing. D and B Sport Shop says smallmouth, largemouth, crappie, pike, and pickerel are all biting. The docks around the lake provide good structure for the bass and crappie. The clean water and sharp drop-offs along shorelines make throwing crankbaits a spinnerbaits good choice. The pickerel will be hanging in the coves off of the main lake and can be caught using live minnows, jerkbaits, or any bait with a shiny blade that will trigger the pickerel to strike.
A brief warm up this past weekend seemed to slow the pickerel bite in tidal waters but anglers fishing the Severn and Magothy reported better bites after air temperatures dropped in the beginning of the week. While there is still some grass around, a popular bait to throw is a High Octane Custom Bait weedless jighead with an underspin paired with your favorite soft plastic paddletail. Focus in on shoreline structure like downed trees and docks as the pickerel are often hanging close by. The CCA Pickerel Championship is currently taking place and will be open until the end of February. There are plenty of divisions and Calcuttas for anglers to try their hand at. Information can be found here.
Freshwater Fishing Report, November 4 Update:
This time of year can be especially productive for freshwater anglers in both tidal and non-tidal freshwater locations. Freshwater correspondent Jim Gronaw gave us the latest report for some of our popular species. He reports that in central Maryland ponds and lakes, the largemouth bass and panfish action has been good. Most of his bass have come as bycatch while crappie fishing but some are reaching the three-pound range. The crappie and bass have been taking small plastics under a float and Jim recommends the Trout Magnet two-inch trailer in Heavy-D and chartreuse combos tipped with Berkley Crappie Nibble. This added enticement is sometimes needed to get neutral crappie to bite. Another technique that is especially effective this time of year is the “old school” style of worm and bobber. Jim reports that the bluegills and crappie love to take a variety of live bait right now. He recommends using number six or eight Aberdeen hooks for the panfish and a 2/0 offset worm hook with a whole nightcrawler for the bass. Float these baits under a bobber around shallow cover on windy days and be ready to set the hook!
The Maryland DNR fall trout stockings have almost wrapped up and put-and-take anglers have been enjoying the opportunity for trout throughout the state. Most of the lakes and ponds that were stocked have good water quality, making for good fishing conditions. Some of the smaller western Maryland streams have been flowing low which has made stocking operations difficult. The larger streams are flowing well and there is still plenty of opportunity for stocked and native trout fishing. The stocked trout have shown a historic liking for number one Mepps and Super Duper lures. It is good to have a few color variations as the trout may prefer one pattern over the other on any given day. Many stocked locations have been fished steadily by anglers but there should still be some trout available to catch. Make sure to check area regulations for heading out on your next trip. You can find all the trout stocking information on the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Website.
In the upper tribs of the Bay the pickerel bite has revved up with the cooling waters. We received multiple reports this week from pretty much all the usual suspects that three- and four-inch paddletails and minnow were both good offerings, and with the CCA Winter Pickerel Championship now underway, the bite is officially happening.