Western Region:

Summer time at Deep Creek Lake fishing and dodging jet skies, speed boats and pontoon boats has settled in for fishermen. Most serious fishermen are getting out early before vacationers stir and enjoying some peaceful time on the lake fishing for a variety of fish. Drifting over deep grass beds with minnows or leeches is a great way to catch walleyes, smallmouth bass and large yellow perch. Slow trolling swimming plugs such as Rapalas down deep is another good way to catch walleyes. The coves are holding largemouth bass and bluegills; especially in the thick grass.

During the day skipping soft plastics or spinnerbaits under floating docks or moored pontoon boats is a good way to catch largemouth bass loafing in the cool shade. Smallmouth bass can often be found just outside the areas in deeper water or on deep rocky point. Soft plastic jigs or crankbaits the resemble crawfish is a sure bet.

Trout fishing in the regions streams and rivers remains good this week especially since many areas have received additional stockings of large rainbow trout from the Freshwater Institute. Levi Kennell certainly has plenty to smile about with this nice rainbow trout he caught while fishing in Wills Creek with his neighbor Jon Folk.

Central/Southern Region:

It is getting a bit toasty out there this week for both freshwater fishermen and fish alike. Both are in a summer pattern of activity to beat the mid-day heat so most serious largemouth bass fishermen are out on the water before dawn and finish up before noon or head out just before dusk. Casting surface lures such as scum frogs or similar soft plastic frogs, buzzbaits and poppers near or over shallow grass is where the action is early in the morning; whether one is fishing the tidal waters or the large reservoirs. As the sun gets higher in the sky the largemouth bass will retreat to deep shade; which is often thick grass or deep sunken wood. Old docks and piers that provide cool shade or even fallen tree tops are also good places to cast soft plastic jigs, worms, grubs, or spinnerbaits.

The Conowingo Dam has been releasing water for power generation during the later half of these warm days and the cool water discharges are creating some good fishing for smallmouth bass, largemouth bass and walleye below the dam. A variety of jigs, crankbaits and spinnerbaits are all good choices when working some of the deeper holes and eddies.

The large reservoirs in the central region are often deep and have the cool water to hold some big fish such as this big largemouth bass that was caught and released at Piney Reservoir by Brian Morgan.

Eastern Region:

 Let there be no doubt that both fish and fishermen are now in a summer mode of behavior. The mid summer heat has fish and fishermen most active in the early morning hours or evening hours. This is the time when largemouth bass move into the shallower waters to feed and casting surface lures such as plastic frogs and buzzbaits can drive bass to strike. Once the sun starts to rise in the sky; largemouth bass retreat to deeper cooler shaded water; often under grass, old docks or treetops that have fallen into the water. Small crankbaits, soft plastic grubs and worms or spinnerbaits can often entice these lounging fish to pickup a bait. Chain pickerel are another fish that doesn’t like the heat and tend to loaf around under thick mats of grass in ponds and lakes and only venture out during the low light conditions of early morning and evening hours.

Fishermen are working the shaded portions in the upper tidal rivers such as the Choptank, Tuckahoe, Nanticoke and Pocomoke where the water is cooler with good results. Recent rains have helped water levels in the upper and mid region rivers but traditionally water levels begin to drop due lack of rain and water being drawn off for agricultural watering. The large areas of thick grass at the Susquehanna Flats and rivers such as the Sassafras are excellent places to drop weedless soft plastics through the vegetation to largemouth bass lurking underneath.

Click here to view recent bay satellite images at mddnr.chesapeakebay.net/NASAimagery/EyesInTheSky.cfm

• Latest real time stream flows on the Casselman.

• Latest real time stream flow for Gunpowder Falls near Parkton.

• Latest real time stream flow for Gunpowder Falls At Glencoe.

• Latest real time stream flows on the Potomac at Paw Paw, WV

• Latest real time stream flows on the North Branch of the Potomac at Barnum.

• Latest real time stream flows on the Savage River near Bloomington, MD.

• Latest real time stream flows on the Youghiogheny near Oakland, MD.

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