The Maryland Department of Natural Resources reported that anglers are experiencing excellent striped bass fishing this week, particularly in the upper and middle Bay areas. The report noted that cooler water temperatures are enhancing fishing action, with various techniques such as casting paddletails and trolling being effective.

Additionally, the agency highlighted that fishing for blue catfish and channel catfish is also good, with anglers using cut bait and live bait to target larger fish. The full report includes detailed fishing conditions and forecasts for the upcoming week.

Press Release: Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Published November 4, 2026. Reproduced in full from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

Maryland Fishing Report, November 4

Franklin Roloson was out fishing on Liberty Reservoir on Halloween and no tricks were experienced, just a wonderful treat in the form of this 17-inch crappie. Photo courtesy of Franklin Roloson

The calendar says November, but Maryland is still experiencing some mild weather, all the better to enjoy fishing surrounded by beautiful fall colors.

Forecast Summary: November 4 to November 10

Main Bay surface and river mouth water temperatures are holding in the low 60s. Temperatures in smaller rivers and streams are hovering in the low to mid 50s. Currently there is adequate oxygen in most Bay bottom waters. Due to the continued dry conditions, Bay salinities are running higher than normal throughout Maryland waters.

Expect average flows for most Maryland rivers and streams. Expect average clarity for most Maryland portions of the Bay and rivers. To see the latest water clarity conditions on NOAA satellite maps, check Eyes on the Bay Satellite Maps. There will be above average tidal currents Thursday through the rest of the week because of the new moon on November 9.

As always, the best fishing areas could be further refined by intersecting them with underwater points, hard bottom, drop-offs, and large schools of baitfish.

For more detailed and up-to-date fishing conditions in your area of the Bay, be sure to check out Eyes on the Bay’s Click Before You Cast.

Upper Chesapeake Bay

Lucy Moore holds up a pair of striped bass she and her dad caught while fishing the Susquehanna Flats over the weekend. Photo by Nick Perez

Cooler water temperatures are turning up the fishing action for striped bass anglers casting paddletails and topwater lures in the shallower waters, especially near the edges of the Susquehanna Flats and structured shorelines along the Bay and tidal river shores. The best action occurs during the morning and evening hours when a good tide is running, and a flood tide is always an advantage. Upper Bay water temperatures are holding around 60 degrees this week.

Baitfish in the form of juvenile menhaden are moving out of the major tidal rivers into the upper Bay, and into a gauntlet of hungry striped bass hoping to put on some weight after a long hot summer. Jigging with soft plastic or metal jigs along channel edges where schools of bait are being swept along by strong currents is a good tactic. The Patapsco, Chester, and Gunpowder are just a few of the rivers where baitfish are exiting. Diving gulls mark the way when striped bass push bait to the surface. This is everyone’s dream situation, but slicks and seagulls resting on the water offer an invitation to take a better look with a depth finder to discover striped bass holding deep.

Trolling is another way to target striped bass during November and a good way to cover a lot of water when the striped bass are spread out. Umbrella rigs and tandem-rigged bucktails or swimshads are pulled behind heavy inline weights, which are needed to get down to 30 feet or more. The channel edges are the most common target for this type of fishing.

Fishing with live eels has always been a tradition in the upper Bay. Bridge piers, the waters near Pooles Island, and the Love Point rocks are just a few popular locations.

Fishing for a mix of blue catfish and channel catfish is good this week. The cooler water temperatures are causing the catfish to be active and feed aggressively. The lower sections of the tidal rivers offer some of the best fishing opportunities. Anglers are using various types of cut bait, and some anglers are using live bait to target the largest blue catfish. Small white perch and bluegill sunfish are common choices for live bait.

White perch are heading deep and can be found in the middle to lower sections of the tidal rivers this week. Dropper rigs fitted with small soft plastics or bottom rigs baited with pieces of bloodworm are popular offerings. Large yellow perch can be part of the mix at times.

Middle Bay

Mark Hanson sent in a report and a picture from Kent Point, where he mentioned the gulls were going crazy and the breaking fishing action seemed nonstop. Photo courtesy of Mark Hanson

It is all about striped bass this week as the fall fishery kicks into gear. Anglers are enjoying excellent fishing along the shores of the tidal rivers and Bay this week. Casting paddletails, crankbaits, and topwater lures during the morning and evening hours has been very successful. This is a wonderful time of the year to get out for a short trip to the lower sections of the region’s tidal rivers for some evening casting for striped bass.

A few anglers are magically finding the last of the spot and live-lining them along channel edges and the Bay Bridge piers with good success. Using live eels and cut bait also works well. Casting soft plastic jigs and bucktails to the pier bases is always a fun way to fish. Kent Narrows is another good place to check for striped bass and white perch this time of the year.

At the mouths of the major tidal rivers and out in the Bay along steep channel edges, anglers are encountering schools of striped bass feeding on bay anchovies and juvenile menhaden. Eastern Bay and the mouth of the Choptank are two excellent locations to explore. The sight of diving seagulls is enough to excite any angler when the striped bass push schools of bait to the surface. Most likely you will not be alone when this happens, so try to be patient with your fellow anglers, as everyone gets excited. Casting a mix of soft plastic and metal jigs is the basic tactic and if the fish are deep, then vertical jigging is the chosen way to fish.

When the striped bass fishing is not so hot and heavy, trolling can be a good alternative if you want to take a striped bass home for dinner. Heavy inline weights are needed to get tandem-rigged bucktails dressed with sassy shads or umbrella rigs down to where the striped bass are holding. Chartreuse tends to be the go-to color in fall.

White perch are leaving their shallow summer quarters and heading for the deeper waters in the lower sections of the region’s tidal rivers. Structure in the form of oyster bars will be a good place to look for them. Dropper rigs outfitted with small soft plastic jigs (2-inch Gulps are a favorite, or bottom rigs baited with pieces of bloodworm) is a good way to target them.

Lower Bay

Mike Thompson holds up a large 13-inch white perch for a photo. Picture by Mike Thompson

Anglers in the lower Bay are enjoying the excellent striped bass fishing they’ve been patiently waiting for. Striped bass are being caught in a widespread number of locations from shallow water to deep water and everywhere in between.

The lower Potomac River from Ragged Point to Piney Point and a few locations upriver have been providing excellent striped bass fishing for anglers casting and jigging. The lower Patuxent River is offering the same good fishing. Casting a mix of paddletails, topwater lures, jerkbaits and crankbaits are all working well in the shallow waters during the morning and evening hours.

Out in the more open and deeper waters, striped bass that are holding along channel edges and are either actively engaged in feeding on bay anchovies and small menhaden or waiting for the next school of bait to come along. The scene of diving seagulls and breaking fish is something anglers dream about from spring to fall and now it is happening. Casting into the melee or jigging underneath is something that will be remembered for months to come.

Trolling is an option for anglers and a common one on charter boats. Heavy inline weights and stout tackle are needed to get tandem-rigged bucktails and umbrella rigs down to the depths where the striped bass are holding. The steeper channel edges and anywhere fish activity is taking place are favored locations. Trolling can be a real asset when the striped bass are spread out.

The Eastern Shore of the Bay is not to be left out; there is plenty of action from Hoopers Island south through Tangier Sound. Anglers there are catching a mix of striped bass and the last of the speckled trout. Herb Floyd was fishing there last weekend and besides enjoying excellent fishing for striped bass and a few speckled trout, he noted that the water clarity was incredible.

White perch are headed for deep waters this week and they will often congregate near deep structure in the lower sections of the tidal rivers. Structure in the form of the Route 4 bridge piers in the lower Patuxent River or oyster bars in the other tidal rivers within the lower Bay all serve as magnets for white perch in fall.

In the lower Bay tidal rivers, it seems there will always be blue catfish. This is a wonderful time of the year to enjoy anchoring up in a channel and casting out several baits and sit back and enjoy the action. The fillets from your catch will do well in your freezer to provide plenty of mild-tasting fish. Blue catfish meat is very versatile for a variety of recipes. From shore, anglers can get in on the action from fishing piers, docks, and convenient riverbanks.

Freshwater Fishing

Harrison Moroz holds up a 21-inch largemouth bass he caught and released from Deep Creek Lake this past weekend. Photo courtesy of Harrison Moroz

Although the fall trout stocking program has reached its end, there are still plenty of opportunities for put-and-take anglers in the many community ponds and reservoirs that were stocked. If anglers try switching from Powerbait and work the waters distant from the usual stocking locations with spinners, they might be surprised with the trout that are still there. The delayed harvest and catch-and-return trout management waters will provide catch-and-release fishing from now until June. At that time there will be dates when they revert to put-and-take for the summer months. More information about the special trout management areas is on the DNR website.

Anglers are enjoying exciting fishing for smallmouth bass in the upper Potomac River, Deep Creek Lake, and several central region reservoirs this month. A variety of baitfish and crayfish will be major items on the menu for these fish so pick your lures accordingly. Largemouth bass will be doing the same in the many nontidal and tidal waters throughout the state.

Maryland DNR fisheries biologists Ryan Gary and Joseph Love collaborated with Major League Fishing to publish a research paper on live image sonar (LIS) and its use when largemouth bass fishing. The results were somewhat predictable, and science helps clarify the topic.

The study evaluated how live-imaging sonar, also known as forward-facing sonar, affects black bass catch across eight professional Bass Pro Tour events in 2025, including the Potomac River. Tournament rules limited LIS use to one of three daily competition periods. This allowed staff to compare catch with and without LIS for the same highly skilled anglers, separating the effect of the technology from angler skill.

Across 12,324 catches by 73 anglers, LIS increased catch rates at six of eight fisheries, but it did not generally increase the size of bass caught. LIS provided no significant advantage on the Potomac River or Lake Guntersville, where anglers primarily fish shallow, vegetated, and shoreline habitats. Anglers catching bass in water deeper than 10 feet were nearly three times more likely to be using LIS. These results suggest the risk of increased exploitation from LIS depends on a fishery’s depth and habitat, and they give managers and tournament directors an objective baseline as the technology becomes more widespread. More information about the LIS study is on the DNR website.

Atlantic Ocean and Coastal Bays

Captain Jeff Weeks and Dave Weller headed outside the bass grounds off Ocean City. Using cut squid and sand fleas they made a nice catch of black seabass, a nice tautog and some triggerfish this past weekend. Photo courtesy of Captain Jeff Weeks and Dave Weller

Anglers fishing in the Ocean City Inlet and Route 50 bridge area are experiencing good fishing for tautog near the jetty rocks, bridge piers, and dock piers. Live sand fleas or pieces of green crab are popular baits.

Flounder are still being caught in the inlet as the flounder make their way offshore for the winter. Striped bass are also being caught in and around the inlet and at the Route 90 and Verrazzano bridges. Casting paddletails and soft plastic jigs are popular lures. This is mostly a catch-and-release fishery, but now and then a striped bass measuring in the 28-inch to 31-inch slot can be caught.

The fishing for a mix of black sea bass, tautog, triggerfish, and flounder has been good at the wreck and reef sites this week. Anglers are catching increasing numbers of black sea bass limits.

The anglers headed out to the canyons are catching swordfish and tilefish while fishing in the depths of the canyons. There are also some small chicken dolphin to be caught at the lobster buoys.

“Rivers and the inhabitants of the watery elements are made for wise men to contemplate and for fools to pass by without consideration.”, Izaac Walton

Maryland Fishing Report is written and compiled by Keith Lockwood, fisheries biologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

The Forecast Summary is written by Tidewater Ecosystem Assessment Director Tom Parham.

A reminder to all Maryland anglers, please participate in DNR’s Volunteer Angler Surveys.