Maryland Fishing Report – March 12

Forecast Summary: March 12 – March 18:

With spring a week away, the signs are everywhere – peepers are peeping, trees are budding, and the crocuses are blooming. As the days grow longer and increasingly warmer, Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay waters are also warming for gamefish moving to spawn. Main Bay surface water temperatures are holding in the mid 40s. River temperatures are holding in the upper 40s. However, smaller streams and downwind areas on a sunny day will warm faster and will often hold water temperatures closer to 50 degrees. Such waters in low salinity areas will be prime locations to look for yellow perch as they move up from their wintering areas in the downstream portion of rivers, preparing to spawn in the next couple of weeks in Maryland waters.

Expect average flows for most Maryland rivers and streams. However, recent flows to Maryland waters are running below normal so salinity is slightly above normal for this time of year.  Expect average clarity for most Maryland portions of the Bay and rivers. 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 all week as a result of the upcoming full moon on March 14.

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.

Thomas Dembeck was fishing in the deep waters of the lower Susquehanna River in early February for yellow perch when he pulled up a new Chesapeake (tidal) division state record yellow perch. Photo by Lee Haile

The vanguard of pre-spawn striped bass in the Susquehanna Flats catch-and-release area are just beginning to arrive, and the catch-and-release season is open from March 1 through March 31. Arrival of pre-spawn striped bass depends on warming water temperatures which are now in the low 40s. The smaller male striped bass will be the first to arrive. Casting soft plastic jigs, crankbaits, and Rattle-Trap lures will be popular choices. 

Striped bass should be released quickly and if you want a picture, have a friend ready with a camera before the fish is landed, because holding fish for a noticeable period of time is a violation of our conservation laws. Anglers are warned not to fish above the upper boundary of the Susquehanna Flats catch-and-release area, which is heavily patrolled by the Natural Resources Police. The larger pre-spawn striped bass are under a lot of stress when transitioning from ocean salinities to freshwater so long fight times or extended time out of water is very detrimental to their survival. Anglers are urged to review proper catch and release procedures. 

The Susquehanna Flats catch and release boundaries are: upstream of a line from Sandy Point to Turkey Point and the Susquehanna River downstream from a line connecting the Susquehanna State Park boat ramp at Lapidum (defined by Lat. 39°35.86′ N and Long. 76°07.67′ W) to Twin Rocks (defined by Lat. 39°36.17′ N and Long. 76°07.56′ W) to Tomes Wharf in Port Deposit (defined by Lat. 39°36.23′ N and Long. 76°06.99′ W); and the Northeast River. Note: The “Tomes Wharf” coordinate is closest to Lee’s Landing Dock Bar. 

Catch and release of striped bass is not allowed below the lower boundary line of the Susquehanna Flats designated area to the Brewerton Channel. Catch and release of striped bass is allowed below the Brewerton Channel to the Virginia state line, including Tangier and Pocomoke sounds. The DNR website contains a map of Maryland’s striped bass fishing areas and seasons. 

Blue catfish are beginning to stir in the upper Bay as water temperatures slowly warm. The mouth of the Susquehanna is always a great place to fish for them as is the Chester River and all the way south to the Bay Bridge. There was a substantial cold-water die-off of gizzard shad in January, so large opportunistic blue catfish will be searching for those dead fish drifting along the bottom of channels. Because of this, gizzard shad would be a preferred bait to catch the blue cats, but cut menhaden, white perch, or chicken liver and breast will work also.

Yellow perch are moving out of the deep waters of the Susquehanna and headed for the tidal spawning rivers. The North East River is a very popular area to fish for yellow perch and the marina area in the town of North East is an excellent place to fish from shore for them. Lip-hooked small minnows are the bait of choice but small bladed jigs and small soft plastic jigs designed for crappie and panfish can be a good alternative. The Bush River near the Route 40 Bridge crossing area will also soon come into play for yellow perch anglers.

Angelina Watts enjoyed good fishing for white perch in the Greensboro area of the Choptank River this past weekend. Photo by Rich Watts

The middle Bay will be open to catch-and-release fishing for striped bass through March 31. Most anglers will be jigging with large soft plastic jigs along channel edges. The Calvert Cliffs Power Plant warm water discharge is always a popular place to fish this time of the year and will often be crowded. Observe the boats in the drift line before moving in and never anchor or hold your spot with a GPS operated trolling motor. 

Although trolling with six rods or less and no stinger hooks is allowed, few will find any point in this type of fishing if it is catch-and-release only. Soft plastic jigs of 8-10 inches will be popular and anglers are urged to use heavy spinning or conventional tackle to reduce the fight time. These arriving striped bass are making the difficult transition from ocean waters of high salinity to the relatively low salinity Bay waters. Fortunately, cold water temperatures help with minimizing the stress of catch and release for the fish. If you want to get a picture, make sure someone on the boat is ready with a camera to lessen the time the fish is out of the water, and always cradle the fish since the females are full of eggs and hold the future of your striped bass fishing. Anglers are urged to review the catch-and-release recommendations on the DNR website. 

The Choptank River is now off limits to all catch-and-release fishing because it is a spawning river for striped bass. Right now the smaller male fish are moving up the river to be followed by the larger females towards the end of the month. The water temperature in the lower Choptank is about 45 degrees and middle Bay temperatures are about 42 degrees right now.

Yellow perch are moving up the Choptank River and Tuckahoe Creek this week and should have arrived at Hillsboro on the Tuckahoe and the upper Choptank. White perch are moving past the Denton area and anglers this past Sunday were catching them at the Greensboro area of the Choptank.

Anglers are finding a mix of white catfish, channel catfish, and blue catfish in the Choptank River this week. The best action for blue catfish tends to be near the Denton area in the deeper channel waters. Cut baits such as gizzard shad, menhaden, white perch, or American eel are good choices and chicken liver can work well also. Brining your chicken livers in salt will help stiffen them up so they stay on the hook better.

Blue catfish, photo by Eric Packard

Anglers are enjoying catch and release fishing with the influx of striped bass headed up the Bay towards the spawning rivers. Most anglers are exploring the deep edges of the main channel looking for schools of menhaden and striped bass. Anglers are interested in targeting the largest female striped bass so they’re jigging with large soft plastic jigs of 10 inches or more. Remember to handle the striped bass as carefully as possible. Take any pictures quickly and be sure to cradle the fish horizontally to support their internal organs and egg burden.

The DNR website offers information on responsible catch and release techniques with striped bass. 

The Patuxent and Nanticoke rivers are closed to the targeting of striped bass since they are spawning rivers, so no catch and release of striped bass is permitted. The Potomac River mainstem is open to catch and release from January 1 through May 15. However, please note that the tributaries on the Maryland side of the Potomac River are closed. 

Blue catfish are ready and willing to entertain anglers this month and it is an excellent idea to target them in the middle to upper sections of the region’s tidal rivers. The Potomac, Patuxent, and Nanticoke currently hold the greatest numbers of blue catfish. The blue catfish are hitting the yellow perch, white perch and river herring hard as these species move up the tidal rivers to spawn. It is not unusual to find several adult fish weighing five pounds or more in the stomach of blue catfish. As blue catfish become larger, they have an exceedingly large appetite for spring spawning fish.

Yellow perch are moving up several of the lower Bay tidal rivers that support spawning areas, and they are moving into creeks and the upper reaches of the tidal rivers. Lip-hooked small minnows and 1-inch to 1.5-inch soft plastic bodied jigs and blade jigs are excellent ways to fish for them. Online you can find a map of traditional yellow perch fishing locations. 

White perch are being found this week in the lower Marshyhope Creek, and moving up the Nanticoke, Wicomico, Patuxent,and Pocomoke rivers. Anglers are enjoying good fishing by casting small grubs and crappie lures, shad darts, or fishing with grass shrimp and bloodworms. The only limiting thing about fishing with bait is that it is easy to run out.

DNR has announced the 2025 cobia season will run from June 15 through September 20. The creel limit will be one cobia per angler per day and a two cobia limit per vessel containing two or more anglers. The minimum length for cobia is 43 inches total length.

Larry Tenant caught and released this beautiful smallmouth bass while fishing on the upper Potomac recently. Photo courtesy of Larry Tenant

Preseason stocking of trout for the past couple months has provided plenty of good trout fishing for anglers. The closure 1 schedule went into effect on March 9 and those waters will be closed to trout fishing until March 29, which is the traditional opening day of trout season. Opening day start time is 6:30 a.m. and the creel limit is five trout per day for closure 1 trout management waters. There is a special youth trout fishing day on March 22, from 6:30 a.m. until 10 p.m. in all closure 1 areas. The creel limit is two trout per day for children under the age of 16. No brook trout is allowed to be caught.

Trout hatchery staff have been dealing with record low water flows at several of the trout hatcheries and ice conditions clogging water intakes and raceways. The low water flows are a major problem and trout densities in raceways must be reduced to prevent overcrowding and proper water quality, so trout are being moved to other raceways. Operating a production trout hatchery under these conditions can be a stressful and thankless job. We owe a debt of gratitude to the hard-working hatchery staff, who work hard to raise the best trout possible. 

Anglers will see ice conditions at Deep Creek Lake decline this month and a return to open water fishing conditions. Large yellow perch will be on the short list for anglers fishing with minnows under slip bobbers. The underwater lump in front of the state boat ramp is a popular location for yellow perch. Walleye will also be a focus of many anglers fishing along steep rocky shores with small crankbaits, grubs, and jerkbaits. 

The upper Potomac River is providing excellent fishing for smallmouth bass this week and walleye can also be part of the mix. River flows rose last Thursday but quickly became more moderate. Deep river eddies and current breaks are good places to target with small crankbaits, flukes, grubs, and swimbaits fished close to the bottom. Fishing for smallmouth bass is catch-and-release only until June 16. Walleye are subject to a 15-inch minimum and a maximum length of 20 inches from January 1 to April 15.

Fishing for crappie presents good opportunities near deep structure in tidal and nontidal waters. Crappie love to hold close to structure like bridge piers, sunken wood, and marina docks. Fishing with small minnows or small marabou jigs under a slip bobber near structure is a great way to target them.

Early spring is a wonderful time to target chain pickerel in both the tidal and nontidal waters of Maryland. The thick grass beds that they love to hide in during the summer months are absent, and the pickerel often can be found holding near sunken wood. Almost any lure will attract the attention of this ambush predator and spinners, spoons, jerkbaits, and swimbaits are at the top of the list. If one is targeting chain pickerel it is very important to swap out treble hooks for single inline hooks. Chain pickerel are prone to engulf lures, and treble hooks can often become fouled in the gill rakers of the fish, causing great damage.

Fishing has been quiet in the Ocean City area this month; there is not much happening along the beaches except some clearnose skates and spiny dogfish. There are some tautog holding near the inlet and Route 50 Bridge area near jetty rocks and bulkheads. Sand fleas have been the most popular bait, but pieces of green crab also work well.

The boats headed out to the offshore wreck and reef sites are putting their anglers on good fishing for tautog when the weather allows. Some of the tautog being caught are in the double-digit size category which will put a smile on any angler’s face.