This week's Catch of the Week is Ernie Rowe of Easton who caught this 30" rockfish in the Eastern Bay on 10/10/20. "We ate this fish for Thanksgiving - topped with crab imperial made from crabs we caught in the Wye & Tred Avon this summer! Life on the Shore is AWESOME!"
As the fishing season comes to an end, so will our Resources and Reports. We hope you enjoyed this one stop report this season. Let us know what you want to hear next by emailing mkotelchuck@whatsupmag.com with your ideas!
Did You Know?
Largemouth Bass fishing tournaments have become one of the most popular fishing tournaments in recent years.
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:
Truxton Park: Anne Arundel County (Annapolis) on Spa Creek; Open 5 a.m. - 8 p.m. Year-round, to fish for Sunfish, Bluefish, White Perch, Yellow Perch, and Catfish.
Matapeake Fishing Pier & Ramp: Queen Anne's County (Stevensville) on the Chesapeake Bay; Sunrise to Sunset, year-round fishing for Striped Bass, Bluefish, Spot, Spanish Mackerel, Seatrout, Flounder, Croaker, Black Drum, Red Drum, and White Perch
Maryland Fishing Report- December 11th compiled by Lyndsie Pratt from Anglers Fishing and Hunting (Click Here)
Rockfish: Rockfish season is closed all over the bay except for the Potomac, which is open until December 31st. Catch and release fishing is still allowed in the main bay though! We are still seeing fish at the mouths of all of the rivers, but they are in deep water stacked up on the bottom. A 1-2 oz metal jig will be your best bet! You can also still troll and bait fish, just keep everything deeper!
Catfish: Bait fishing for catfish is always fun in the winter! Anchor up or fish from shore just about anywhere in the main bay using cut alewife!
Pickerel: Pickerel fishing is on fire in all of the rivers! The Severn, Magothy and Patuxent have all been fantastic! Any of the Eastern shore ponds and Tuckahoe are also good spots. Use 3-4 inch soft plastics on 1/8, 1/4 or 3/16 jig heads and fish in shallow water! Suspending jerk baits also work well and you can never go wrong with a minnow under a bobber!
Crappie: Crappie are another fun fish to catch in the Eastern Shore ponds! Use small perch jigs with twister tails, or gulp!
Yellow Perch: Every week we see more and more yellow perch showing up in the upper parts of the rivers and at places like Tuckahoe. With the warm winter that we are having, there just might be an early spawn or at least early staging! Keep an eye on the Susquehanna near Perryville, which might really start to pick up soon!
Snakehead: The snakehead bite has slowed, but there still some being caught in the Blackwater area. They are plentiful in the Severn, Magothy and Patuxent too, but it’s hard to get them to bite. We have heard of some being caught with minnows or soft plastics though, so it’s certainly worth a try!
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 12/16:
Low tide starting at 12:53 a.m. and 11:29 p.m.
High tide starting at 5:44 a.m. and again at 6:40 p.m.
Sunrise: 7:19 a.m.
Sunset: 4:45 p.m.
Thursday 12/17:
Low tide starting at 1:44 a.m. and again at 12:22 p.m.
High tide starting at 6:37 a.m. and again at 7:30 p.m.
Sunrise: 7:19 a.m.
Sunset: 4:46 p.m.
Friday 12/18:
Low tide starting at 2:33 a.m. and again at 1:17 p.m.
High tide starting at 7:31 a.m. and again at 8:21 p.m.
Sunrise: 7:20 a.m.
Sunset: 4:46 p.m.
Saturday 12/19:
Low tide starting at 3:20 a.m. and again at 2:15 p.m.
High tide starting at 8:25 a.m. and again at 9:10 p.m.
Sunrise: 7:20 a.m.
Sunset: 4:46 p.m.
Sunday 12/20:
Low tide starting at 4:06 a.m. and again at 3:16 p.m.
High tide at 9:23 a.m. and again at 9:59 p.m.
Sunrise: 7:21 a.m.
Sunset: 4:47 p.m.
