Weekend Fishing Report

Trophy striper fishing seasons are under way in the Maryland and Virginia portions of the Chesapeake Bay, but catch reports are beginning to fluctuate between great and only fair.

In the upper and middle portions of Maryland’s Chesapeake, the fishing can be good one day, poor the next. But good numbers of trophy rockfish continue to be seen as you head toward Southern Maryland, the lower Eastern Shore, as well as the Northern Neck of Virginia.

Don’t worry about the biggest stripers being around. When they finish spawning, they head south. It’s a normal occurrence. Smaller specimens will take their place, but rest assured that there are plenty of fish out there.

The upper tidal Potomac River once again will be a busy place this weekend as the New Jersey State Bass Federation is holding its championship tournament. Expect to see many bass boats come out of Smallwood State Park in Charles County. That’s not counting all the many little club tournaments that will be held. Hoo boy!

Virginia’s freshwater fisheries and environmental departments are investigating findings of dead fish and fish with lesions in a 50-mile stretch of the South Fork Shenandoah River. For nearly a month now the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has received reports from river anglers about seeing some dead fish. These reports ranged from upstream of Elkton almost to Front Royal.

Though healthy populations of fish were observed, there were about 20 dead bass and sunfish. Many of the live fish captured had sores, parasites, lesions or fin rot. Roughly half of the 50 smallmouth bass collected had sores or injuries. The cause of the fish sores and deaths remains unknown.

The DEQ says the distribution and timing are not consistent with a spill, a single discharge or an incident involving a toxic chemical. The agency’s preliminary determination is that the symptoms are consistent with disease or infection. There is no information to determine whether there is a connection between these incidents and similar occurrences in April and May 2004 in the North Fork Shenandoah area.

To me, it appears that someone, somewhere, is dumping a harmful substance into the river. The investigation continues.

(RATINGS KEY: ****=EXCELLENT FISHING;***=GOOD; **=FAIR; *=POOR.)

AREA 1: D.C. AND VICINITY

POTOMAC RIVER: 0-35 miles (***) — In the Fletcher’s Boat House area (Georgetown, off Canal Road) there will be plenty of hickory and some American shad, a good number of rockfish (two a day of at least 18 inches are legal), some white perch, many catfish and maybe a bass or two. Call Ray, Dan or Duncan at the facility at 202/244-0461 for rental boat or bait availability and the latest fishing updates. Bass hounds are wise to check out the Washington Channel around the corner of Hains Point before the grass gets too thick. Medium-diving firetiger color crankbaits have been luring bass of good sizes. Actually, the entire river has been giving up fair to good numbers of bass, but tournament anglers need 15-inchers, and they’re not always readily available in great quantities. Local bass guides Andy Andrzejewski (301/932-1509) and Dale Knupp (301/934-9062) are fishing from the Broad Creek area downstream clear to the Aquia Creek and are finding some kind of bass action in all of the feeders in between. Much depends on a proper receding of the tide and the right lures. For example, scented Power Worms or Strike King’s Zero worm can deliver the goods in sunken wood or clumps of coontail and hydrilla water weeds. But there are days when you need a shallow running crankbait or a tiny 3-inch Senko worm to draw a strike. Some of the bass boaters also find nibbles, tucks and bites from white and yellow perch, catfish and bluegills. Occasionally, stripers show up. Croaker fishermen continue to visit the Wicomico River at Bushwood. However, with cold nighttime temperatures chilling down the water, the catches simply aren’t as good as they will be next week, when 80-degree weather is forecast. Quade’s Store in Bushwood (301/769-3903) on the St. Mary’s County side of the Wicomico has boat rentals, snacks, bait — you name it. Rockfish have been hooked by trollers from the river mouth in the mid-channel buoy clear up to St. George’s Island. Last week, sizes averaged 15 pounds or more.

MATTAWOMAN CREEK: 40 miles (***) — Forget fishing around Marsh Island. The DNR shocked up a bunch of roe-bearing bass there last week to replace egg stocks at the Cedarville Hatchery. As soon as the biologists finish with the bass, they will be released, very much alive, but right now, the fishing there is less than stellar. However, we found bass on short plastic worms and rattle baits along marsh edges above the slow zone and down near the mouth. Some boaters are finding slab crappies now in sunken trees and brush.

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