Maryland Fishing Report – September 2

The 2026 striped bass season is open and anglers are wasting no time fishing for them in the Conowingo Dam pool and to a lesser degree along the edges of the Susquehanna Flats. The best time to fish during this time of the year is early in the morning and evening hours. Casting paddletails, poppers, and crankbaits are a popular way to fish. 

Blue catfish and flathead catfish are being caught in the dam pool and in the lower Susquehanna River. The blue catfish can be found in all tidal rivers in the upper bay region with the Susquehanna River and the Chester River holding some of the highest populations. In most areas, higher salinities and warm waters in the Bay and lower sections of the region’s tidal rivers have blue catfish moving into the upper sections of the tidal rivers. The cooler waters coming from the Conowingo Dam are very inviting to blue catfish as well as the fish treats coming from the power generation turbines. Channel catfish will always be in the mix. White catfish are one of Maryland’s few native catfish. They can be found in most of the tidal rivers and provide fun fishing.

Anglers will be out looking for striped bass this week and a few traditional locations will be first on their list. The Swan Point area, Love Point, and the edges of the main shipping channel will be good places to check. The waters around Pooles Island and the mouth of the Patapsco will also be worth checking into. Live-lining spot and fishing with live eels will be popular ways to fish. There are still plenty of spot in the upper Bay. The lower Chester River, the mouth of the Magothy, and near Sandy Point State Park have been good places to catch them. 

Casting soft plastic jigs near the Love Point rocks and similar bottom structure is always a proven strategy. The early morning and late evening hours tend to be the best times to fish since water temperatures are still in the low 80s and the sun is bright. Casting paddletails and topwater lures near promising shorelines is always a fun way to fish. 

Fishing for white perch in the region’s tidal rivers offers some fun for light-tackle anglers. Casting small spinnerbaits or spin jigs is an effective way to fish along shorelines during the early morning and late evening hours. Using grass shrimp, peeler crab or bloodworms on a bottom rig can work well in deeper waters.

There is exciting catch-and-release action with large red drum erupting as they push baitfish to the surface. Anglers are casting large soft plastic jigs into the mayhem and enjoying tussling with these large fish. Care should be taken in releasing the fish as quickly as possible. Everyone wants a picture of these large and beautiful fish that are not always available in the middle Bay, but keep the welfare of the fish in mind. Anglers should approach the action from upwind, shut the motor off, and slowly drift towards the action. This proper method does not always work out with competing anglers who feel the need to quickly get closer to the action. This type of behavior results in driving the fish deep and curtailing the action. Anglers trolling for bluefish and Spanish mackerel are reporting knockdowns by large red drum, which causes an unexpected struggle.

Trolling for Spanish mackerel has been spotty for many anglers this week. Most anglers are focusing on the main channel edges on both sides of the bay south of Buoy 83 and Thomas Point. The False Channel area at the mouth of the Choptank is also producing Spanish mackerel. Trolling small gold Clark spoons and Drone spoons of various colors behind planers and inline weights is the most popular way Spanish mackerel are being caught.

Bluefish are being caught in the same manner, and it often is a good idea to place a couple of surge tube lures in a trolling spread. If anglers are lucky enough to encounter a mix of bluefish and Spanish mackerel chasing a school of bay anchovies, both can be caught by casting metal jigs into the melee. Bluefish can also be caught by chumming and drifting cut spot in the slick. They are often part of the mix when live-lining spot for striped bass. The Sharps Island Light area continues to be a good location for bluefish. Bluefish are being found throughout the middle bay region but the channel edge from Buoy 83 south past the False Channel has been one of the best places to find them. Trolling surge tube lures behind inline weights or planers is another popular way to target them.

Anglers are quick to start where they left off last month when looking for striped bass this week. The channel edge from Bloody Point past Buoy 83 to the Sharps Island Light will be a good place to start for anglers who are live-lining spot. Thomas Point will be another location worth a look, as well as the mouth of the Choptank and Eastern Bay. Water temperatures are holding around 82 degrees. The shallower waters will be holding striped bass, but the action is generally limited to the early morning hours at dawn and late evening for anglers casting poppers or paddletails. Jigging along channel edges where fish can be found is also a good option for striped bass anglers.

Spot are still available in many locations throughout the middle Bay. Whitehall Bay, Eastern Bay, the mouth of the Choptank near Black Walnut Point and Cooks Point, the mouth of the Little Choptank, and Chesapeake Beach. Hard bottom is often the key to finding them.

Fishing for white perch could certainly be better, but anglers can find them if they persist. Fishing with grass shrimp around old piers and docks with at least 8’ or more of water under them is a good tactic. Older pier pilings with plenty of biofouling tend to be best and a good moving current is always important. The white perch will be right under the dock or pier. Casting spin jigs or small spinnerbaits along promising looking shorelines with some structure is also a good way to target white perch, especially the larger ones. The early morning and evening hours offer the best results.

Anglers in the lower Bay are enjoying an exciting run of Spanish mackerel. The numbers and size of the fish are about as good as anyone could hope for, so don’t miss it!The numbers and size of the fish are about as good as anyone could hope for, so don’t miss it! Trolling a mix of small Clark spoons and various colored Drone spoons behind planers is the most popular way to fish for them. Sometimes it can be a good idea to have at least one lure being pulled behind an inline weight to cover all depths. Some anglers are also placing a surge tube lure in their spread for bluefish. 

If you’re lucky, you might encounter breaking fish working over schools of bay anchovies, which can be a mix of Spanish mackerel and bluefish. Casting metal jigs into the foray is a fun and exciting way to catch both. Anglers should keep a watch on their depth finders for large solid marks on the bottom that can indicate large red drum attracted by the above action.

Large red drum continue to provide exciting catch-and-release action this week in the lower Bay. They seem to be everywhere and in great numbers. Anglers are catching them from shore in the morning and evening hours on cut bait. The Point Lookout area and Tangier Sound are two good places to fish for them from shore. They are being found out in the main portion of the Bay chasing bait on the surface or are being marked deeper by depth finders. These large red drum are an exciting novelty fish for many anglers, and everyone wants a picture. If you decide to take pictures, be prepared ahead of time as to who is going to take the picture and get the fish back in the water quickly. They do not do well out of the water in the hot air temperatures. 

Striped bass fishing in the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay is now open, along with the Potomac River. Channel edges will be the first place anglers will check these locations, whether they are live-lining spot of jigging. Tradition edges in the lower Potomac and the main channel in the bay and especially on the eastern side of the Bay. Fishing in the shallower areas of the Bay should be good for those casting paddletails and poppers during the early morning and late evening hours. Speckled trout and bluefish can be in the mix.

Bluefish of various sizes are spread throughout the lower Bay this week. Some of the largest bluefish are being caught along the eastside channel edge from Buoy 72 south to Buoy 68. Trolling surge tube lures, chumming or jigging are popular ways to fish for them. Smaller bluefish can be found in the lower sections of the region’s tidal rivers and along the shallower bay shores. 

Anglers have until September 20 to try and catch a cobia 43 inches or larger. Most cobia anglers are chumming near the Middle Grounds or Smith Point and now that striped bass season is open, it is legal to use live eels for bait in the back of one’s chum slick. Anglers are also drifting cut bait in their chum slicks and enjoying some action from large bluefish. When waters are calm, sight fishing for cobia can be exciting fun. When spotted, anglers will cast a live eel or a soft plastic jig; pink is a popular color.

Fishing for a mix of spot, croakers, kingfish, and small speckled trout is very good this week. The spot are getting large and many of the croakers are now measuring 9 inches or better. The fishing for spot has been very good in the lower Potomac and Patuxent rivers. The mouth of the Nanticoke and Wicomico rivers on the eastern side of the bay as well as Tangier Sound have been equally good. 

Fishing for white perch has been fair to good in the tidal rivers and creeks of the lower bay region. Anglers are catching some of the larger white perch by casting spin jigs and small spinnerbaits along shorelines. Small puppy drum measuring up to 16 inches have been providing fun catch and release action. Fishing with grass shrimp, peeler crab, or bloodworm on a bottom rig near deep structure is also a good way to catch white perch of varying sizes.

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Blue Crabs

Recreational crabbing remains good this week in most areas of the Bay. Some crabbers are reporting that the larger 8-inch crabs seem to be hard to find recently but are finding plenty of 6- and 7-inch crabs. Depths anywhere from 20 inches to 10 feet tend to produce the nicest crabs; shallower depths tend to hold a lot of small crabs. Large numbers of sooks swimming on the surface can be seen out in the bay headed towards the mouth of the Bay.

Freshwater Fishing

As we progress through September, anglers will start to see many of our freshwater fisheries begin to change as water temperatures slowly begin to drop. Largemouth bass are still in a summer mode of behavior this week. They are feeding mostly at night in the shallower areas where baitfish can be found, During the morning and evening hours they can be found in open water outside those areas. Casting paddletails, spinnerbaits, and crankbaits in those transition waters is a good tactic. During the day largemouth bass will seek cool shade, often under floating grass mats, docks. or shady areas along shorelines or deep structure. Wacky rigged soft plastics and urchins can entice them to pick up a bait.

Fishing over deep grass beds with topwater lures in the form of chatterbaits or soft frogs is a time proven tactic. Chesapeake Channa will be a major part of the mix in tidal waters and a few nontidal waters.

The upper Potomac is running steady at typical summertime levels but can change with rain events. The early morning and evening hours offer some of the best fishing opportunities for smallmouth bass. The Monocacy River is not to be overlooked since it also holds good populations of smallmouth bass. Casting root beer-colored tubes, paddletails, swim jigs and small crankbaits can all be good choices to use near current breaks and ledges. 

Justin Wilson holds up a nice kingfish he caught in the Assateague surf. Photo courtesy of Justin Wilson