This week's Fresh Catch features Harrison Duvall and his catch on Ulmstead Beach in Arnold.
Submit your own Adventure of the Week or your latest Fresh Catch here and keep an eye out for your adventure to be featured in one of our next Weekly Outdoor Adventure Guides!
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)
Waxing Gibbous: "The Moon continues to wax. Once more than half of the disc is illuminated, it has a shape we call gibbous. The gibbous Moon appears to grow fatter each night."
Discovery Packs (Click Here)
It’s your time to explore! Parks throughout the state are providing free to borrow backpacks loaded with gear to make your adventure unforgettable.
Pick up your pack and enjoy the contents as you travel the forests and fields of the park (backpacks must stay on site).
Each Discovery Pack includes:
- Insect/butterfly nets
- Monoculars for wildlife viewing
- Trail Guides
- Mid-Atlantic Field Guide
- Tape measure
- Magnifying glass/observation jar
- Nature notebook for journaling
- Colored pencils for sketching
- And much more!
Maryland Fishing Report - July 16th, Composed by Lyndsie Pratt (Click Here)
Rockfish season is closed until July 31st. Per DNR regulations, you are not permitted to target rockfish during this time. There are MANY other species to target during time such as…
White Perch & Spot: White Perch and Spot are all over the bay! You can catch large perch and spot around the bay bridge pilings using a Chesapeake Sabiki Rig or a bottom rig with bloodworms, lugworms, razor clams, pieces of soft crab, or fish bites. Razor clams seem to be working the best out of everything!! We also received reports of huge perch being caught on the Seven Foot and Six Foot Knolls. You can catch large perch in the lower bay as well around structure and rocky shoreline. Try using a 3/16 or 1/4 oz jighead with a 3-4 inch paddletail to really target the big ones! Perch are, of course, in all of the rivers too around docks and over oyster beds! Use spinners like perch pounders or Bust’em Baits spinners, or Chesapeake Sabiki Rigs over hard bottom. Now’s the time to figure out your fishing spots for the White Perch Open!
Catfish: Sandy Point, the piers on the Eastern Shore and areas north of the bridge up the Susquehanna Flats are great places to target catfish with fresh alewife or powerbait! They’re in the rivers as well, as are always a fun alternative for the family!
Speckled Trout: You don’t have to go all that far south to get on a great Speckled Trout bite! They are all around the mouth of the Choptank as indicated above! You can also, of course, catch them around the island in the Tangier Sound. In addition to paddletails on 3/16, 1/4 or 1/8 oz jig heads, you can also catch them on soft crab or peeler crab. It’s important to remember that they may be in deeper water a little bit out form the shoreline during this heat.
Bluefish: Bluefish are making their way up the bay! We caught them as far north as Breezy Point and the mouth of the Choptank this week, and they will definitely continue to move north! Mackerel will hopefully not be too far behind them. Look for breaking fish and use a 1 oz metal jig such as a rain minnow. Cast it out and let it sink, then reel it in as fast as you can. Pause occasionally, let it sink again and give it a few twitches, then reel as fast as you can again! Have you ever tried bluefish? You don’t have to smoke it! If you cook it super fresh, it’s delicious on the grill!
Cobia: Cobia are in Maryland waters in the Point Lookout area and around the target ship! There are several different ways to target them. If you don’t mind to spend the time riding around looking for them, you can sight cast 1, 1.5 oz 2 oz jigs or bucktails to them. You can also troll surgical hoses on #2 planers, or anchor up on a point and chunk for them with fresh alewife. Eels work too! Remember when you are chunking that you will have to reel in some rays to get to the cobia!
Red Drum: There are puppy drum in the shallows up to Chesapeake Beach and the Mouth of the Choptank, with scattered reports of them being even further north! Small paddletails work great for them. The big bull reds are beginning to school up in southern Maryland waters as well. Use 1, 1.5 or 2 oz jig heads with 7-10 inch plastics, or try peeler crab!
Snakehead: The Snakehead bite on the Eastern Shore and around Blackwater continues to be pretty consistent. Early to mid morning seems to be the best bite, and most reports are on white weedless paddletails. Topwater frogs are always popular as well though, along with live minnows!
Crabbing: Crabbing has consistently been pretty productive on both the eastern and western shore rivers and is another great alternative to fishing for rockfish. A lot of our staff has been successful handlining from piers with razor clams in a bait bag, chicken necks or chunks of alewife. Also a fun thing for the kids to do!
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 7/21:
Low tide starting at 10:41 a.m. and again at 8:54 p.m.
High tide starting at 3:19 a.m. and again at 3:16 p.m.
Sunrise: 5:58 a.m.
Sunset: 8:27 p.m.
Thursday 7/22:
Low tide starting at 11:34 a.m. and again at 9:54 p.m.
High tide starting at 4:15 a.m. and again at 4:18 p.m.
Sunrise: 5:58 a.m.
Sunset: 8:26 p.m.
Friday 7/23:
Low tide starting at 12:22 a.m. and again at 10:55 p.m.
High tide starting at 5:10 a.m. and again at 5:17 p.m.
Sunrise: 5:59 a.m.
Sunset: 8:25 p.m.
Saturday 7/24:
Low tide starting at 1:07 p.m. and again at 11:55 p.m.
High tide starting at 6:02 a.m. and again at 6:12 p.m.
Sunrise: 6:00 a.m.
Sunset: 8:24 p.m.
Sunday 7/25:
Low tide at 1:49 p.m.
High tide starting at 6:52 a.m. and again at 7:06 p.m.
Sunrise: 6:01 a.m.
Sunset: 8:24 p.m.
Animal Cams (Click Here)
This week tune in to watch the Hummingbird Feeder Cam in La Verne, California.
Beach Cam
In the winter months we all long for the beach. Take a look at whats going on at your favorite East Coast beaches right now.
