Maryland Fishing Report – April 23

Forecast Summary: April 23 – April 29:

Beautiful fishing weather is expected for this upcoming week with stable, warm conditions for Chesapeake Bay waters. Main Bay surface water temperatures have jumped to 60 degrees. River temperatures are slightly warmer. Due to our region’s rain deficit, expect average to slightly below average flows for most Maryland rivers and streams. Correspondingly, expect Bay salinities to be slightly above normal for this time of year. 

Expect average clarity for most Maryland portions of the Bay and rivers. However, expect reduced clarity due to algal blooms on the Gunpowder and upper Choptank rivers and also the Potomac River between the 301 Bridge and Colonial Beach. To see the latest water clarity conditions on NOAA satellite maps, check Eyes on the Bay Satellite Maps. There will be above average tidal currents Thursday through Tuesday as a result of the new moon on April 28.

For more detailed and up-to-date fishing conditions in your area, be sure to check out Eyes on the Bay’s Click Before You Cast.

Cooper Goff is all smiles with this hickory shad he caught and released at the Conowingo Dam Pool. Photo by Don Goff

Water releases from the Conowingo Dam have been varying from early morning to late evenings. Hickory shad are providing fun catch-and-release action at the dam pool, the mouth of Deer Creek, and in Octoraro Creek. Brightly colored sinking flies, shad darts, and small gold or chrome spoons all do the trick when fishing for hickory shad.  

Water temperatures in the lower Susquehanna River have reached 57 degrees this week and white perch are beginning to push into the lower sections of the river. Anglers are catching white perch in the Havre de Grace area on bottom rigs baited with pieces of bloodworm or shad darts tipped with grass shrimp on a dropper rig. 

Blue catfish are on the prowl and taking any bait that is within their realm of attention. They’re feeding on the white perch that are staging at the mouth of the Susquehanna and in other tidal rivers. Cut bait of white perch can be easy to obtain and will make a good bait. Oily fish in the form of gizzard shad, menhaden, or chicken parts also make excellent baits. 

The lower Susquehanna, Elk and the middle and upper sections of the Chester River hold some of the greatest populations of blue catfish. Anglers will also encounter channel catfish and the occasional white catfish in the tidal rivers. The larger blue catfish are beginning to be more commonly found in the main stem of the upper Bay this month. They can be found roaming shelves and flats next to the main channel.

Anglers targeting Chesapeake Channa (northern snakeheads) are finding increasing opportunities in the upper sections of the tidal rivers on the western side of the Bay. The thick grass beds, which are typical of the summer months, are forming and the fish are holding close to those grass beds. Casting white paddletails that are rigged weedless is a very popular lure to use, chatterbaits rigged with a white plastic bait is another popular lure. It can be an added option to dead stick a large live minnow under a bobber in more open waters while one is casting lures. 

Striped bass fishing remains closed in the upper Bay until May 16, except above the line from the south corner of Hart-Miller Island to Tolchester, which opens on June 1. DNR’s online striped bass season regulation map site can help striped bass angler understand seasons and boundaries. Biologists report that the upper bay striped bass spawn is expected to begin later this week.

Jeremy Elmore holds up a large Chesapeake Channa (northern snakehead) he caught recently in Transquaking Creek. Photo courtesy of Jeremy Elmore

Water temperatures in the middle Bay are hovering around 56 degrees this week and have reached 64 degrees in the spawning reaches of the Choptank River. There was a striped bass spawn over the weekend, and it is continuing to a lesser extent this week. The protracted spawning of striped bass is a good thing, helping back up the spawning activity that occurred in early April, which may have been affected by the cold temperatures that occurred shortly thereafter. Researchers monitoring the striped bass spawn in the Choptank report that they are seeing good numbers of yellow perch and white perch larvae in their recent sampling. 

Anglers in the middle Bay are still watching the calendar for the opening of the 2025 striped bass season on May 16. The creel will be one striped bass per person per day, with a slot size of 19 to 24 inches. Check the DNR website for Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay striped bass season regulation maps. 

White perch are steadily moving down the Choptank River and are beginning to spread out into the many smaller creeks and tidal rivers of the middle Bay. The white perch will hold in these areas throughout the summer months, providing fun fishing off docks and shorelines. Few types of fishing provide as much fun as fishing with grass shrimp and pieces of bloodworm on a simple bottom rig fished close to a dock, or casting small spinners and soft plastic baits during the early morning and evening hours along shorelines. 

A mix of channel and blue catfish are providing good fishing in the region’s tidal rivers this month. Both species of catfish can be found in every tidal river and many creeks. The greatest populations of blue catfish can be found in the Choptank River and tidal rivers and creeks in Dorchester County. The section of the Choptank River from the town of Choptank to Denton is a good area to fish for blue catfish. A variety of cut baits work well; white perch, gizzard shad, menhaden, and American eel are excellent baits, but chicken parts and scented baits also work well. A fish finder rig or sliding sinker rig with a small float in front of a 5/0 to 7/0 circle hook is the most popular rig for fishing blue catfish. 

As we move through the month of April and warmer weather prevails, Chesapeake Channa (northern snakeheads) are more active and providing good fishing in the tidal creeks and rivers of Dorchester County and to a lesser degree in the other tidal rivers and creeks within the middle bay region. The water is warm enough now that casting white paddletails and chatterbaits near emerging grass and shoreline submerged brush is a good tactic. Often the sunny side of creeks during the afternoon hours is a good place to target fish seeking slightly warmer waters.

The main stem of the tidal Potomac River is still open to catch-and-release fishing of striped bass through May 15. Maryland’s main portion of the Bay will open to striped bass fishing on May 16, and DNR’s online striped bass season regulation map site can help you find where and when you can target them. 

The American shad and hickory shad runs at the Potomac River below Little Falls is at its zenith this week with excellent catch-and-release fishing. Water temperatures have reached 59 degrees this week. Maryland anglers will have to purchase a District of Columbia fishing license to participate in the fun. The American shad are being caught in the main channel of the river and are best targeted from a kayak or small boat. Hickory shad can be caught by shoreline anglers. The American shad are being caught on larger shad darts and the hickory shad on smaller shad darts and gold or chrome spoons. 

In Maryland waters, Mattawoman Creek is providing excellent catch-and-release fishing for hickory shad this week. Casting small brightly colored sinking flies, small shad darts or gold or chrome spoons are excellent lures to target the hickory shad. 

White perch are moving down the spawning rivers and can be found in the middle river channel areas. The Patuxent, Potomac (and its tributaries), Nanticoke, Wicomico, and Pocomoke rivers all have good fishing for white perch currently. The white perch tend to be a little deep, so dropper rigs of small shad darts tipped with grass shrimp or pieces of bloodworm are a good way to target them. 

Fishing for blue catfish is very good in the tidal Potomac River from the Route 301 Bridge to the Wilson Bridge, the Patuxent River above Benedict, the Nanticoke River near Sharptown, and the lower Wicomico River. The blue catfish are becoming more active due to warmer water temperatures, cut baits of various fish and scented chicken parts all make good baits. 

Anglers are having good success targeting black drum in the Tangier and Pocomoke sounds this week. The mouths of the Pocomoke, Wicomico, and Nanticoke rivers as well as the Middle Grounds and Mud Leads near the Target Ship are good places to look for them. Locating the black drum on depth finders and fishing with blue crab baits is a popular way to target them. 

Biologists Adam Eshleman and Dan Goetz hold up two healthy striped bass before tagging and releasing them back into Liberty Reservoir. Photo by Neal Eshleman

Trout anglers who enjoy the put-and-take trout management waters continue to see repeated stockings of trout in these areas. Anglers who focus on the delayed harvest and catch-and-release trout management waters are also enjoying the fun action there. The trout in these areas tend to revert to wilder trout behavior over time and respond well to fly fishing and artificial lures in selected waters. 

The hatchery crews are not only busy stocking trout this month, but they are also busy raising trout eggs to provide future trout for anglers. The Albert Powell Hatchery, which produces the largest number of trout for Maryland trout anglers, continues to experience record low flows of water into the hatchery, making for difficult rearing conditions. Staff continue to work hard to reduce crowding in the raceways to optimize growth and health. 

The warmwater hatcheries are also busy raising walleye fry for stocking in the upper Potomac River at a later date this spring. Crews are out this month collecting brood stock of American shad and hickory shad for restoration stockings this summer.

Many civic organizations partner with DNR’s Fishing and Boating Services to provide fun and engaging fishing activities for our youngest anglers. They are often in the form of fishing contests with prizes and fun awards for the young anglers. The events are held at community ponds and lakes, which provide a safe and accessible location for families to enjoy a day together. A schedule of upcoming youth fishing events known as rodeos can be found on the Maryland DNR website.

Biologists from the central region electrofished Liberty Reservoir last month to assess the status of the striped bass fishery there. Striped bass are stocked in selected reservoirs to provide a fishery for striped bass and Liberty is one of those reservoirs. The survey revealed multiple year classes of striped bass and some were rather large, offering some exciting fishing opportunities for Maryland anglers. The best times to target these striped bass are in the spring and fall when water temperatures are cool  and the fish are roaming freely. Anglers have reported good luck slow trolling large diving crankbaits and swimbaits.  

Fishing for a mix of walleye and smallmouth bass is good this week at Deep Creek Lake and the upper Potomac River. Anglers at both locations are casting a mix of swimbaits, flukes and small crankbaits with good results. 

Largemouth bass are in a pre-spawn mode of behavior in the ventral, southern, and eastern regions of Maryland and this activity will increase in the next few weeks. Female largemouth bass are very active in transition waters between the shallows and deeper waters. Targeting emerging grass beds, the mouths of feeder creeks and sunken wood or brush are good places to work. A mix of spinnerbaits, lipless crankbaits, swimbaits, flukes, and jerkbaits are all good choices to use.

Fishing for crappie continues to be very good this week. The crappie are holding close to sunken wood, bridge piers, marina docks, and most all types of underwater structure. Rigging small minnows or marabou jigs under a slip bobber and fishing close to structure is an excellent way to fish for crappie, which can be found in nontidal and tidal waters. The area on the northeast side of the Wilson Bridge and the marina docks below the bridge to Fort Washington provides one of the best tidal areas to fish for crappie. 

Surf anglers report that they have been hampered by rough surf and churned up waters, but conditions have improved. The run of black drum took a break during the turmoil but the clearnose skates were as eager as ever to chew up baits meant for black drum. Anglers have been using sand fleas to fish for black drum.

At the Ocean City Inlet and Route 50 Bridge area, anglers are enjoying good fishing for tautog along the jetty rocks and bulkheads. Sand fleas and pieces of green crab have been the most popular baits, and the tide switch often provides the best action. Fishing for striped bass in the inlet area has also been good for anglers casting soft plastic jigs. As most anglers are aware, most of the striped bass are coming up a little short of 28 inches. Flounder are moving through the inlet, and a few have been caught in recent days.

In the back bay areas, fishing for striped bass continues to take center stage near the bridge piers of the Verrazzano and Route 90 bridges. Casting paddletails in the early morning and late evening hours is the way to get in on this fun catch-and-release action. Now and then anglers do catch a striped bass within the 28-31 inch slot. Flounder are coming into play as more flounder move into the back bay areas, Gulp and minnow or squid combinations are popular bait setups.

Outside the Ocean City Inlet and at the offshore wreck and reef sites, anglers are finding good fishing for tautog. Limit catches are not uncommon, and many anglers are releasing the larger tautog that weigh in the double-digit category so they can reproduce.