Weather (Click Here)
Before you hit the trails or set up camp, make sure to take a second glance at the weather for this weekend!
Today's Moon Phase according to NASA (Click Here)
Full Moon: "When we see the full sunlit face of the Moon, we call it a full Moon. It rises almost exactly as the Sun sets and sets just as the Sun rises the next day. The Moon has now completed one half of the lunar month."
Maryland Fishing Report - March 29th, Composed by Keith Lockwood with Maryland Department of Natural Resources (Click Here)
Anglers in the lower Susquehanna River and the Conowingo Dam pool are beginning to see the vanguard of hickory shad and American shad arriving for some fun catch-and-release fishing. Shad darts and small flashy spoons are excellent lures to use. The pace of this fishing should pick up in the next few weeks.
Anglers can help the Department of Natural Resources track these species’ populations by filling out an easy online angler survey. Visit the department’s website and search Volunteer Angler Survey, click on Shad Survey and tell us about your fishing trip. Your participation will help state biologists track the health of these species in our area, and we will include you in our annual Shad Volunteer Angler Survey Report at the end of the fishing season. A small prize will be awarded to the angler with the most log entries. Thank you to those who participated in the 2022 season, and we hope to see your fishing reports this year!
Flathead catfish are active this week in the dam pool and just below it. A mix of blue and channel catfish can be found in the lower Susquehanna River, upper Bay, and surrounding tidal rivers. Fresh cut bait and a variety of chicken parts serve as good bait. Smallmouth bass are active in the Susquehanna near the dam pool and are providing some good catch and release fishing.
The Susquehanna Flats striped bass catch-and-release fishery has been providing some good action leading up to its closure; anglers are reminded that any targeting of striped bass ends March 31. When the fishery is open, most anglers are casting lipless crankbaits, jerkbaits, diving crankbaits. and soft plastic jigs with good results. A few anglers have been trolling the steep and deep edges of the shipping channel in the upper Bay and connecting with some pre-spawn striped bass headed for the upper Bay spawning sites. The Dumping Grounds and the channel edge near Podickory Point are two such locations. Jigging with large soft plastics at the Bay Bridge piers has also been a good light-tackle option.
Fishing for white perch is a great option this week for anglers fishing in the upper sections of the region’s tidal rivers. The Bush, Magothy, and the Chester rivers are standouts, but other rivers can have spawning runs as well. Pieces of bloodworm on a small jig head or a single-hook bottom rig are the best way to get into the action. Deeper holes and channels in the upper reaches off the spawning rivers are good places to look for white perch.
Middle Bay
The shipping channel of the middle Bay has been a good location for large pre-spawn striped bass. Trolling at depths of 50 feet or more with heavy bucktails and parachutes dressed with equally large sassy shads has been the ticket to this action. Light-tackle anglers are also finding success when they can spot schools of menhaden that the striped bass are working on and jigging with large soft plastics in deep waters. Anglers are reminded that the catch-and-release season ends March 31 and striped bass fishing in the Bay will not reopen until May 1. The tidal rivers are closed to catch-and-release fishing for striped bass.
There is evidence that striped bass are beginning to spawn in the upper Choptank River this week. It is a little early for the bulk of the spawning activity, which usually happens during the second week of April. Striped bass spawning will increase as water temperatures approach 58 degrees. It is not uncommon for some of the larger female striped bass to spawn in cooler waters in the Choptank River during late March.
White perch have been spawning in the upper Choptank River since mid-March and there are still good numbers of white perch to be found in the upper Choptank from Greensboro to Red Bridges. Hickory shad are also making a presence this week in the same areas, and blueback herring are arriving on the scene. Fishing for hickory shad, blueback herring, and alewife herring is strictly a catch-and-release affair because they are protected species. Small shad darts and flashy spoons are good lures when fishing for them. Anglers are still catching a few post-spawn yellow perch in the upper and middle regions of the Choptank River and Tuckahoe Creek this week.
Fishing for a mix of blue and channel catfish is an opportunity to enjoy some fun action from shore or out in a small boat. The Miles-Severn-West river complex and the Choptank River all hold populations of channel catfish. The Choptank River in the Dover Bridge region is providing plenty of blue catfish opportunities.
Lower Bay
Anglers are enjoying these last few days of striped bass catch-and-release fishing in the deepest waters of the shipping channel. Those who are trolling are using heavy parachutes and bucktails dressed with sassy shads in tandem at depths of 50 feet or more. Light-tackle anglers are watching their depth finders for striped bass chasing menhaden in the shipping channel. Large soft plastic jigs in the range of 2 ounces with 9-inch soft plastic bodies are being used at depths of 50 more or more by anglers using braid line.
Striped bass are now in place at the spawning reaches of the Nanticoke, Patuxent, and Potomac Rivers. The waters are warming up just enough that some preliminary spawning is taking place. The bulk of the spawning activity should take place during the end of the first week of April and into the second week; all fishing for striped bass is prohibited during April.
Fishing for white perch is good in the middle to upper reaches of the region’s spawning rivers. White perch are being found in the Nanticoke and Wicomico rivers, the upper Patuxent, and tributaries of the tidal Potomac River. Small jig heads or shad darts tipped with a piece of fresh minnow or bloodworm will do the trick, as will a simple one-hook bottom rig. White perch will often be found working their way up the deeper channels and holes where water depths start to become sparse.
A mix of hickory shad and American shad are increasing in numbers in the Potomac River within District of Columbia waters, Mattawoman Creek, and the upper Patuxent River.
This is an exciting and fun catch-and-release fishery for light-tackle anglers using spinning or fly-fishing tackle. Colorful sinking flies, shad darts, and small flashy spoons will attract the attention of both species of shad.
Anglers are reminded if they fish the Potomac outside the Maryland line, they will need a District of Columbia recreational fishing license. The District is conducting extra enforcement this year and will check for licenses.
Blue catfish are certainly in play this week and offer plenty of action for those fishing along the edges of the main river channels. The tidal Potomac River from the Wilson Bridge south to the Route 301 Bridge holds large concentrations of blue catfish. Fishing from shore or from a boat with enough lead to hold bottom, large circle hooks and cut bait is the ticket to catching them. The Patuxent River from Benedict to Jug Bay holds large concentrations of blue catfish as does the Nanticoke River in the Sharpstown area.
This Weekend's Tide Predictions (Click Here)
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 4/5:
Low tide starting at 11:57 a.m. and again at 11:51 p.m.
High tide starting at 5:34 a.m. and again at 5:49 p.m.
Thursday 4/6:
Low tide starting at 12:41 p.m.
High tide starting at 6:14 a.m. and again at 6:24 p.m.
Friday 4/7:
Low tide starting at 12:25 a.m. and again at 1:25 p.m.
High tide starting at 6:54 a.m. and again at 6:59 p.m.
Saturday 4/8:
Low tide starting at 1:00 a.m. and again at 2:10 p.m.
High tide starting at 7:35 a.m. and again at 7:35 p.m.
Sunday 4/9:
Low tide starting at 1:37 a.m. and again at 2:58 p.m.
High tide starting at 8:19 p.m. and again at 8:15 p.m.
Animal Cams (Click Here)
This week tune in to see The Return of the Predators in the Yellowstone
Beach Cam
Take a look at whats going on at your favorite East Coast beaches right now.
