Weekend Fishing Report

It appears the big ocean stripers have started to visit the Chesapeake Bay as they’re heading south along the Atlantic Coast. The Tackle Box store in Lexington Park (St. Mary’s County, Md.) reported that local angler Tom Allwine came into the store over the weekend with two rockfish, one a 50-incher, the other a mere 27 inches. Both displayed the tell-tale sea lice found in the gill plates of only ocean-run striped bass. Allwine also had a 34-incher, but it appeared to be a resident rockfish.

In Virginia, James River anglers are hooking stripers by simply casting and retrieving jerkbaits, bucktails and Sassy Shads clear up to the I-95 highway overpass in Richmond, while the Chickahominy River has been surprising bass fishermen with sudden strikes from rockfish, as well.

Locally, the mid- to upper tidal portions of the Patuxent, Potomac, Pocomoke and Rappahannock rivers have been quite good as far as bass catches are concerned. Despite unusually high tides over the past week, topwater lures — worked across grass patches and spatterdock fields in the mainstem of the rivers, as well as the tributaries — can deliver fish.

Crankbaits worked around wood or rockpiles in the rivers also produce largemouth action. Best of all, the crappies are beginning to school in some of the local lakes and ponds, forming tight bunches of willing fish that will snatch up a tiny white/chartreuse shad dart simply fished under a small, plastic float. But be certain to do such fishing in flooded brush or downed trees.

Ocean fishing hasn’t been the greatest, but that’s primarily because of strong winds that again kept many of the boats in safe harbors. Tunas and albacores are out in the canyon waters of the Middle Atlantic, with sea bass hanging tight against offshore wrecks and man-made reefs.

(Ratings key: ****=excellent fishing; ***=Good; **=Fair; *=Poor.)

AREA 1: D.C. AND VICINITY

POTOMAC RIVER: 0-35 miles (***) — In the District, Fletcher’s Boat House portion of the river (off Canal Road, 202/244-0461, fletchersboathouse.com) will give up catfish, some bass, an oddball striper and occasional walleyes — particularly up toward the bridge abutments. The river is very fishable now, showing good color. Bass guides Andy Andrzejewski (301/932-1509) and Dale Knupp (301/934-9062) find fair to good topwater action in main-stem grass beds, as well as around marsh banks and spatterdock in the feeder creeks. Sunken wood and brush piles can be good for producing bass that will jump on scented worms or crawfish-pattern crankbaits. Already, there’s some limited Mann’s Sting Ray grub fishing going on. As soon as the weeds all disappear, the grub fishing will begin in earnest. In the more saline parts of the Potomac, trollers are finding a few rockfish going up and down the river between the Route 301 bridge and downriver areas, including the Wicomico, St. Clements Island, St. George’s Island and Tall Timbers, and when you reach the Point Lookout vicinity the fishing can get very productive some days.

MATTAWOMAN CREEK: 40 miles (***) — Bass and a few early morning stripers (most of them small specimens) are seen around the creek mouth’s northern points, including Deep Point. Inside the creek, the sunken wood along the slow zone’s banks, as well as parts of the upper creek’s marsh and spatterdock shorelines, will give up bass to crankbaits and plastic worms. Some fish are jumping on surface lures.

SOUTHERN MARYLAND LAKES: 40-50 miles (***) — Gilbert Run Park’s Wheatley Lake (Route 6, east of La Plata) has sunfish, a few decent bass and stocked trout. Worm baits under a bobber can catch all three species. I was disappointed with St. Mary’s Lake (Route 5 south of Leonardtown, on Camp Cosoma Road) earlier this week when only one bass and four crappies decided to look at my little white jig. However, you might do a lot better. The fish can’t leave; they live here year-round.

LITTLE SENECA LAKE: 30 miles (***) — Black Hill Regional Park (off Route 117, near Boyds, 301/972-9396) and the nearby Seneca Creek Lake (Clopper Road, Gaithersburg, 301/924-2127) delivers a few decent bass to users of jigs, grubs and plastic worms. Catfish and sunnies also are available and, yes, some lucky stiffs find a tiger muskie now and then.

WSSC RESERVOIRS: 20-30 miles (***) — (Triadelphia, off Route 97, or Route 650, in Montgomery County; Rocky Gorge, off Route 29 in Montgomery County) The DNR’s Keith Lockwood passes along how local angler Chris Peloquin found bass to be deep, in water from 10 to 30 feet down around offshore structure such as long points, humps and falling ledges. Jigs, dropshot rigs, crankbaits and heavy spinnerbaits seem to do well. Peloquin also hooked a 15-pound, 10-ounce landlocked striper that hit a spinnerbait down deep.

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