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Friday, September 07, 2018

Maryland Fishing Report

Labor Day weekend is a fleeting memory now and although we are under an intense heat wave cooler weather is anticipated as we move through September.
There is still plenty daylight at the end of the day to spend some time in the outdoors with family and friends.
Children love adventure and when Vincent Casagrande of Frederick went crabbing for the first time with his grandfather in the South River, it was a time he’ll never forget. They managed to catch a bushel using collapsible crab traps. Vincent even got to drive the boat under grandad’s supervision.
You can read their story and others in the Angler’s Log.


Forecast Summary: Sept. 5-11
While we are now in September with “Rocktober” just around the corner, the fishing pattern this week is stuck in mid-July. Bay anglers will need plenty of sunscreen and water over the next few days as a result of very hot, sunny, calm weather conditions. After Thursday, a new weather system will roll through with slightly cooler temperatures and more chance for rain.
For now, the pattern of fishing is to continue to seek the best combination of clear, cool, oxygenated waters. This means fishing deeper during the day or early in the morning during moving water in the shallows when surface water temperatures can be about 3 degrees cooler. Very warm water dominates with the coolest water at the top of Chesapeake Bay and increasing down to the Maryland-Virginia line. At the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration buoys daytime water temperatures are warm with Annapolis at 87, Gooses at 88 and Point Lookout at 89 degrees. Expect surface water temperatures to stay very warm all week.
Monitoring data show adequate oxygen from surface down to about 16-20 feet at Swan Point down to the Bay Bridge, 23 feet at Bloody Point, and from the mouth of the Choptank down to the state line, over 30 feet.
Upper bay water clarity is still reduced from the elevated river flows from the Susquehanna down to Swan Point.  In addition, algal blooms are beginning to appear along the western shore from Chesapeake Beach to the mouth of the Potomac.
There will be above average tidal currents all week as a result of the new moon Sept. 10.
For the latest fishing conditions, please be sure to check out Click Before You Cast.

Upper Chesapeake Bay
Man holding striped bass on boat
Photo courtesy of Alex Cain

The Conowingo Dam is currently releasing water for power generation during the day with waters down river showing signs of clearing. The Gunpowder and Bush will see stained conditions from recent heavy rains adding to conditions in the upper bay. Chummingand live lining spot continue to be the most popular ways to fish for striped bass this week along channel edges. Swan, Love and Podickory points are good places to check at about 20 feet.Chumming is always a mainstay but live lining spot will often put you on larger fish. Smaller striped bass tend to swarm chum slicks and channel catfish will move into areas where the chum drifts to the bottom.
Spot can be found on hard bottom in the mouth of the Chester and Magothy rivers in about 15 feet of water. The west side of the Bay Bridge has also been a good place to find spot in about 10 to 15 feet of water. Pieces of bloodworm on a simple bottom rig with a No. 4 hook will do the trick and something as simple as a plastic garbage can will serve as a live well in a pinch. White perch can also be a welcomed part of the bottom fishing mix.
The Bay Bridge piers and rock piles, as well as the sewer pipe are holding striped bass this week in about 20 feet of water. Boats have been anchoring up current of the bridge piers near the 25-foot depth curve and drifting live spot back to the bridge piers. Jigging and live lining spot near the rock piles has also been popular.

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