The Catch of the Week is Alan Barrios with the 22-inch rockfish he caught in Easton.
Submit your own catch of the week here and keep an eye out for your catch to be featured in one of our next Resource, Reports, and Fun Fish Fact articles!
Did You Know?
Striped Bass gained their nickname ‘rockfish’ because they spend a lot of time nestled in the nooks and crannies of reefs and ledges.
Weather (Click Here)
Along with checking the tides before you hit the water, take a last second look at the most updated weather report.
Today's Moon Phase according to NASA (Click Here)
Waxing Crescent- “As the Moon moves eastward away from the Sun in the sky, we see a bit more of the sunlit side of the Moon each night. A few days after new Moon, we see a thin crescent in the western evening sky. The crescent Moon waxes, or appears to grow fatter, each night.”
Public Angler Access (Click Here)
Use the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Angler Access map to find new fishing spots in Maryland. Here's an example:
Millington Water Front Park: Queen Anne’s County (Millington) on the Chester River; open year-round to fish for Bluegill, Crappie, Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, White Catfish, White Perch, Yellow Perch, and Chain Pickerel
Turners Creek: Kent County (Kennedyville) on Turners Creek and the Sassafras River; Open 5 a.m. - 10 p.m. Year-round to fish for Bluegill, Crappie, Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Striped Bass, White Catfish, White Perch, Yellow Perch, Chain Pickerel, Northern Snakehead, and Blue Catfish
Maryland Fishing Report- September 18th compiled by Lyndsie Pratt from Anglers Fishing and Hunting (Click Here)
Rockfish: The best Rockfish bite has been north of the bridge around the mouth of the Chester River, the Patapsco River, Belvedere Shoals and Tolchester. However, we’ve also gotten good reports from the Mouth of the Severn, down to Eastern Bay, Poplar Island and Tilghman Island. Trolling is a good way to cover a lot of ground in these areas! Troll lighter, smaller profile tandem rigs or spoons. The topwater bite has really picked up in shallow water at first light and in the evening. Look for points, structure or of course, breaking fish. A Rat-T-L trap is also a great lure to throw at breaking fish. Try a Rat-L-Trap around the Love Point and Bay Bridge rockpiles as well!
Mackerel and Bluefish: Bluefish and Mackerel are still in the area the whole way to up to the mouth of the Severn. While bluefish are still plentiful, the mackerel are a bit more scattered. But if you are moving from one area to another, fast trolling some spoons on the way is a fun way to do it. It certainly doesn’t hurt, and you might catch one of them! If you really want to try for a larger harvest of mackerel, your best bet will be to head south to the Little Choptank or Chesapeake Beach.
Perch and Puppy Drum: Perch and Puppy Drum are still being caught in all of the rivers around our mid-bay area! A small paddletail will target the puppy drum and catch large perch as well. Soft crab is also a great bait to use!
Cobia and Bull Reds: Cobia fishing is hot anywhere from Solomon’s down south into Virginia waters, and we are also getting reports of schools of bull reds in the area! Troll surgical hoses or spoons, or sight cast for Cobia using a bucktail or heavier jig head with a larger plastic. For Red Drum, you can also cast a metal jig beneath breaking fish.
Keep an eye on this weekend’s tide schedule. These are the predicted tides for the Western Shore of the Chesapeake from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Wednesday 9/23:
Low tide starting at 5:41 a.m. and 10:27 p.m.
High tide starting at 10:27 a.m. and 11:32 p.m.
Sunrise: 6:55 a.m.
Sunset: 7:01 p.m.
Thursday 9/24:
Low tide starting at 6:50 a.m. and again at 5:20 p.m.
High tide starting at 11:30 a.m.
Sunrise: 6:56 a.m.
Sunset: 6:59 p.m.
Friday 9/25:
Low tide starting at 7:54 a.m. and again at 6:30 p.m.
High tide starting at 12:37 a.m. and again at 12:37 p.m.
Sunrise: 6:57 a.m.
Sunset: 6:57 p.m.
Saturday 9/26:
Low tide starting at 8:50 a.m. and again at 7:41 p.m.
High tide starting at 1:44 a.m. and again at 1:44 p.m.
Sunrise: 6:58 a.m.
Sunset: 6:56 p.m.
Sunday 9/27:
Low tide starting at 9:39 a.m. and again at 8:47 p.m.
High tide at 2:45 a.m. and again at 2:47 p.m.
Sunrise: 6:59 a.m.
Sunset: 6:54 p.m.
