Weekend Fishing Report

Wonderfully tasty Atlantic croakers are being caught all over the Chesapeake Bay region. It starts in the Northern Virginia area’s Great Wicomico River stretch up toward Smith Point and into the lower Potomac River, where they’re taken in 20 to 30 feet of water. Drop bloodworm, squid, shrimp or crab baits on the Virginia or Maryland side, including the free Point Lookout State Park pier. Also check out the croakers in the mouth of the Patuxent River. They’ve been hooked at Hog Point, the O’Club rocks, Green Holly and the Solomons pier.

Our friend Ken Lamb of the Tackle Box in Lexington Park (St. Mary’s County, Md.) says the trophy rockfish season is off and running. In some areas, the fishing has been spotty, but Lamb said Solomons charter captains John Montgomery and Bernie Shay are finding limits of rockfish and are back in port by 11a.m. And here’s the best part: They won’t keep a rockfish under 40 inches.

Shad, white perch, fat stripers and channel catfish headline the action in the Potomac River around Fletcher’s Boat House, off Canal Road in Georgetown. “We’re renting our boats again. The river is fishable. Come on down and enjoy a day on the water,” Ray Fletcher said yesterday.

In the tidal Potomac, the bass fishing can be quite good if you put together a winning pattern. For example, yesterday I fished with guide Andy Andrzejewski and it seems the largemouths wanted only spinnerbaits and then only around some kind of flooded wood on the main stem of the river and in Mattawoman Creek. We also tried plastics, hard crankbaits and rattle baits, but the white/chartreuse spinnerbaits were the lures the fish seemed to like best.

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

AREA 1: D.C. AND VICINITY

POTOMAC RIVER: 0-35 miles (XXX) — The Fletcher’s Boat House stretch (off Canal Road, 202/244-0461) is back in good fishing shape. Ray Fletcher said his boats are now being rented and that white perch, hickory shad, white shad, fat channel catfish and catch-and-release rockfish are available — and, yes, some of these fish can be caught from the rocks on the river shoreline. Downstream, one angler who fished from the Hains Point park railings hooked a big rockfish while he was waiting for a catfish to bite his cut bait. The bass boaters are doing quite well if they work hard and check the seemingly daily lure preference changes. Some days the largemouths like spinnerbaits (as they did Tuesday), then it’s Power Worms, Senkos, Mann’s grubs, crankbaits and rattle baits. So be prepared. Not only that, we’ve had days where they stayed mostly on wood, and some days when they hung around emerging grass beds. Guide Andy Andrzejewski (301/932-1509) has had no trouble finding fish, but he admits that some days the catching is better than others. Currently, he prefers main stem waters that can be as far north as the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and as far south as Aquia Creek. Meanwhile, expect the first croaker catches around the Route 301 bridge. Pontoon boat captain Steve Riha (804/224-7062) will find them. Call ahead and get his make on things. One thing is certain: The croakers are in the Wicomico River at Bushwood and elsewhere. Boat renters at Quade’s Store in Bushwood score on croakers. Some of the fishermen manage to hook 40 per outing, with recent action coming near the river mouth.

MATTAWOMAN CREEK: 40 miles (XXX) — Bass will slam a spinnerbait around sunken wood. At least that’s what happened Tuesday. But also check out the edges of spatterdock fields, along the drops, where medium depth crankbaits in shad or firetiger colors will do well. Can’t find the crappies. Don’t know where they are.

SOUTHERN MARYLAND LAKES: 40-50 miles (…) — Gilbert Run Park’s Wheatley Lake (Route 6, east of La Plata) should be good for sunfish, crappies and a few bass, while St. Mary’s Lake (Route 5 south of Leonardtown, on Camp Cosoma Road) has shown good numbers of crappies and bass in flooded brush and tree stumps

LITTLE SENECA LAKE: 30 miles (XXX) — Black Hill Regional Park (off Route 117, near Boyds, 301/972-9396) and the nearby Seneca Creek Lake (Clopper Road, Gaithersburg, 301/924-2127) will deliver sunfish, crappies and bass, maybe a large catfish now and then. The weekend will be great for the whole family. Fix the kids up with a rod and reel, a bobber on the line and 3 or 4 feet below the float, tie on a small hook and bait it with a cut piece of nightcrawler or garden worm. Use a ½-inch piece, no more. The bluegills and crappies will suck it in if you fish around weed edges or sunken brush.

WSSC RESERVOIRS: 20-30 miles (XXX) — (Triadelphia, off Route 97, or Route 650, in Montgomery County; Rocky Gorge, off Route 29 in Montgomery County) It’s a great time for bass fishing with spinnerbaits, plastic worms, grubs, crankbaits — all around rock formations, lake points, sunken brush and trees. Crappies are in the same areas and prefer a 1/16-ounce white hair jig under a bobber, or a live minnow or piece of worm.

PATUXENT RIVER: 25-60 miles (XXX) — The Tackle Box’s proprietor, Ken Lamb, says, “The mouth of the Patuxent is loaded with croakers. Patuxent Naval Air Station personnel find great action at night and very early in the morning as they fish from their base’s beach. Hot spots for catches include Hog Point, the TPS Pier, the O’Club rocks and the hole at Green Holly.” Lamb figures the Solomons pier should deliver the croakers as well.

OCCOQUAN RESERVOIR: 25-30 miles (XX) — In the Fountainhead Park (Route 123, Fairfax County) to Bull Run stretch, park ranger Smokey Davis says the reservoir is still high and discolored, but the water temperature has risen to the low 60s. The bass bite has improved. By the way, a 40½-pound flathead catfish was checked into Fountainhead Marina last Sunday.

BURKE LAKE: 29 miles (XXX) — (Located on Ox Road, Route 123, Fairfax County) Lake points and flooded brush, as well as gravel banks can hold bass that will look at shallow crankbaits or a soft plastic bait, such as 4-inch Power Worms. Tiny darts, jigs, or live minnows will find crappies in underwater brush piles.

AREA 2: CENTRAL, WESTERN MARYLAND

POTOMAC RIVER: 35-100 miles (XX) — Still not in the best shape, but there’ll be some smallmouths, walleyes and catfish hooked from Washington County’s Dam No. 4 area down toward Frederick County and into Montgomery County. The real topnotch smallmouth fishing hasn’t started yet.

DEEP CREEK LAKE: 210 miles (XXX) — The bass fishing can be pretty good. Shallow water lures around lake points and rocky shorelines can see bites from the bass. Walleyes are definitely cooperating as slow-trolled minnow or nightcrawler rigs are attacked.

SUSQUEHANNA RIVER: 65-100 miles (XX) — The fish catches went downhill after a heavy runoff from the upper Susquehanna due to rains. A few rockfish will be caught on the Flats, but I wouldn’t count on a whole lot of other action.

AREA 3: CHESAPEAKE BAY

MARYLAND: 45-75 miles (XXX) — “The rockfish season is off and running with catches up and down the Chesapeake and inside the Potomac River,” said Ken Lamb of the Tackle Box in Lexington Park. For example, charter captains Bernie Shay and John Montgomery, who come out of the Solomons area of the Patuxent River to fish the middle and lower Maryland parts of the Chesapeake, have been catching limits for their customers, sometimes being back in port by 11 a.m. — and hear this: they won’t keep a fish under 40 inches. Elsewhere, similar stories are heard, but some of the captains also admit they’re having a tough time. The trollers do find fish from around Bloody Point on the eastern side of the bay down to Point No Point on the western side — a huge stretch of water. Trolled umbrella rigs with pink, white, or chartreuse sassy Shads have been best. As far as the croakers are concerned, oil your fishing reels. The croakers are biting from the Virginia state line up to and past the Patuxent River mouth.

VIRGINIA: 75-150 miles (XXX) —Croakers are everywhere, from the James River up to the Rappahannock and Great Wicomico rivers. There are also rockfish, and word has it that a couple of bluefish were hooked on the eastern side of the bay near Cape Charles. Cape Charles, of course, will be the headquarters for black drum anglers within the next couple of weeks as the huge drumfish show up.

AREA 4: EASTERN SHORE/MARYLAND

CHOPTANK RIVER: 120 MILES (XX) — (Route 50 east to Cambridge) The water is still a bit murky, but expect some croakers to show up in the mouth this weekend. Rockfish are possible in deeper layers. Upper river has been poor for bass.

POCOMOKE RIVER: 140-170 miles (XX) — (From Snow Hill down to Shad Landing) Croakers will take squid and shrimp baits at Roaring Point and inside the mouth. Upper river bass fishing is slow.

NANTICOKE RIVER: 120 miles (XXX) — (Sharptown ramp off Route 313) Bass catches could be better, but some bass boaters score nicely inside Marshyhope Creek and the main stem above. Plastic baits and spinnerbaits are best among emerging weed and spatterdock fields, dropoffs, river ledges, and bridge abutments.

AREA 5: CENTRAL VIRGINIA

LAKE ANNA: 82 miles (XXX) — (Along Route 208, Spotsylvania County) Water temperatures are climbing into the low 60s, and that means the bass fishing will improve drastically. Carolina-rigged soft plastic lizards or drop shot-rigged finesse baits can do very well. Many of the bass are on the spawning beds or are about to settle onto them. Crappie fishing can be fine in sunken brush piles and around beaver huts.

RAPPAHANNOCK RIVER: 47-100 miles (XX) — (Fredericksburg to Leedstown) White perch bite is slowing down, but not the shad. Quite a few white shad are taken now, plus hickory shad. Of course, they’re past the Embrey Dam in some cases, so fish searches have been expanded. Blue catfish and channel catfish are active up and down the river, but we haven’t heard any good news about largemouth bass in tidal water or upper river smallmouth bass.

LAKE BRITTLE: 59 miles (XXX) — (Route 793, off Route 29) Crappies, sunfish, bass and catfish are willing if you are. The weekend will be great here.

LAKE ORANGE: 75 miles (XXX) — (Concessionaire: Darrell Kennedy, 540/672-3997; look for left turn sign on Route 20 just before entering town of Orange) Crappie, bass, catfish and sunfish will bite. Make plans to visit here. Weekends are busy, but weekdays are fine for people who like to relax.

LAKE GASTON: 179 miles (XXX) — (Route 46, Gasburg) Bass, crappies, sunfish and even a few fat walleyes are being taken. Water temperatures are in the 60s, and the fishing is good.

KERR RESERVOIR: 185 miles (XXX) — (Route 58, Clarksville) The lake levels are 4 to 5 feet above normal pool, and there’s flooded brush where the bass are ambushing hapless baitfish. Imitate the hapless baitfish by way of a slowly wobbling shallow crankbait and — bang! — a bass will slam into it. Weekends here are extremely busy, mostly due to local and out-of-state bass tournaments.

CHICKAHOMINY RIVER: 160 miles (XX) — (Williamsburg area) Stripers and catfish are the main attraction now, but some decent bass and plenty of crappies are also available. The Chickahominy Lake above Walker Dam has been good for bass, pickerel, crappies and sunfish.

JAMES RIVER: 115 miles (XXX) — (Tidal Richmond area and downstream) There’s no letup in the numbers of huge blue catfish that are hooked in this river. The past week saw catches of half a dozen that exceeded 50 pounds. Most of them are hooked between Dutch Gap and the Appomattox River.

AREA 6: WESTERN VIRGINIA

SHENANDOAH RIVER: 75-85 miles (X) — The Route 340, Front Royal, Luray and Bentonville stretch is getting better, but catches are slow. A few bass are hooked, but it’s nothing special.

SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE: 210 miles (X) — (Located on Route 122, east of Roanoke) Live shiners or herring will find stripers in the “S” Curve and other rockfish hangouts. Water near the feeder creeks is very murky.

UPPER JAMES RIVER: 130 miles (.) (Route 6, south of Charlottesville, at town of Scottsville) Smallmouth bass catches are still on hold. Water is still swift and high.

AREA 7: ATLANTIC OCEAN

MARYLAND: 153-175 miles (XX) — (Route 50 to Ocean City) Headboats find tautogs and increasing numbers of seabass. A couple of rockfish have been taken in the surf, and at least a smattering of flounder will be hooked in the back bay. The headboats: Bill Bunting Dock, 410/289-7424; Miss Ocean City, 410/213-0489.

VIRGINIA: 210 miles to Virginia Beach (XX) — Flounder should nibble drifted minnows from Chincoteague down to Oyster. Party boats will get tautogs and some seabass from offshore wrecks, but the big news belongs to hordes of bluefish that seem to travel back and forth between North Carolina and Virginia. Croakers will be hooked from the piers. Those anglers who take their boats from Virginia into Carolina waters should know that they’ll catch bluefish, with some being taken in the inlets and from the beaches. Red drum have been biting also. For charter information call the Virginia Beach Fishing Center, 757/422-5700.

Want to e-mail us? It’s gmueller@washingtontimes.com.