Fishing Report

AREA 1: D.C. AND VICINITY

POTOMAC RIVER: 0-35 miles (…) — At Fletcher’s Cove (Georgetown, off Canal Road; call 202/244-0461) go for white perch and shad, while some herring dippers will find action on the Virginia shore. Catfish and a few bass are biting, along with slowly growing numbers of rockfish. River guides Andy Andrzejewski (301/932-1509) and Dale Knupp (301/934-9062) haven’t enjoyed the wind and sudden weather changes, but they’re finding bass. Most of them continue to come from emerging underwater grasses and sunken wood. Plastic worms and rattle baits are productive lures. White perch are found up and down the river, but not in the numbers likely found next month when they’re finished with up-river spawning chores.

WICOMICO RIVER: 55 miles (.) — No fishing stories from this river. It’s still too cold.

MATTAWOMAN CREEK: 40 miles (…) — The bass bite can be good if casting four-inch finesse worms across emerging grass beds. With a little warming, Rat-L-Traps and baby 1-Minus lures will be struck by the largemouths.

SO. MARYLAND LAKES: 40-50 miles (..) — Gilbert Run Park’s Wheatley Lake (Route 6, east of La Plata) sees anglers hook a bass now and then, while worm baits under a bobber will find sunfish. St. Mary’s Lake (south on Route 5, past Leonardtown, to Camp Cosoma Road) has turned up bass and crappies, but the wind has played hardball with anglers.

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) should deliver bass and catfish action, but cold temperatures have slowed down humans and fish.

WSSC RESERVOIRS: 20-30 miles (..) — (Triadelphia, off Route 97, or Route 650, in Montgomery County; Rocky Gorge, off Route 29 in Montgomery County). Enjoy Family Watershed Day on Triadelphia Reservoir, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., April 21, when children can try their hand at paddling a canoe or kayak, or learn the basics of fishing. These Earth Day activities for kids are free and will be held at the WSSC’s Supplee Lane Recreation Area, 16904 Supplee Lane (off Brooklyn Bridge Rd.), Laurel. A Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World professional will conduct the fishing workshop. Call 301/206-8100 for more information.

PATUXENT RIVER: 25-60 miles (..) — Upper river shows some fair numbers of white perch and even a few shad. Lower river has charter captains and private boaters preparing for the April 21 trophy rockfish opener. White perch are beginning to head for deeper water now.

OCCOQUAN RESERVOIR: 25-30 miles (..) — At Fountainhead Park (Route 123, Fairfax County) ranger Smokey Davis said, “Few fishermen were out this past week due to the weather, but those who braved the elements did very well on bass. Rock walls and deep blowdowns produced some nice fish for bass hounds who pitched soft plastics. Deep-running crankbaits in the mouths of coves and inside points also scored well. The bass were in the same general areas they were in last week. They simply moved to the nearest deep-water structures as the cold front came through. The reservoir is clear, with water temperatures hovering around 50 degrees.”

BURKE LAKE: 29 miles (..) — (Ox Road, Route 123, Fairfax County). The fishing has slowed somewhat, but that’s only because not enough people have been trying.

AREA 2: CENTRAL, WESTERN MD.

UPPER POTOMAC RIVER: 35-100 miles (..) — Cold front hurt chances for smallmouth bass. Water temperatures in the upper river have dropped down to 43 degrees. But small jigs hopped across center river rock beds will draw a look from the bass.

DEEP CREEK LAKE: 179 miles (…) — Fine chances for walleyes, pickerel and a few northern pike, perhaps a smallmouth or largemouth bass now and then. Walleyes will jump on rattle baits, colorful plastic grubs and jigs especially around lake points that hold up to 12 feet of water around the drop-off edges. Not many floating docks have been set up yet. It has been too cold and windy.

SUSQUEHANNA RIVER: 65-100 miles (…) — The hickory shad are in Deer Creek and Octoraro Creek, with some fishermen reporting up to 50 shad an outing. The Susquehanna Flats, meanwhile, have been windblown and tough to fish, but some hardy souls are connecting on rockfish, including some exceptional whoppers.

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