The Maryland Department of Natural Resources released its fishing report on October 28, 2026, detailing current conditions and fishing opportunities across the state. Water temperatures in the Bay have dropped to the low 60s, with anglers reporting good catches of striped bass and blue catfish in various locations.

The report includes information on fishing techniques and areas where anglers can expect success, particularly in the Upper Chesapeake Bay and Middle Bay regions.

Press Release: Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Published October 28, 2026. Reproduced in full from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

Maryland Fishing Report, October 28

Dan Megahan caught this large blue catfish in the Sassafras River. Photo courtesy of Dan Megahan

As October comes to an end and our little Halloween characters roam the night in search of sweets and other surprises, we hope our readers find a treat waiting for them at their favorite fishing haunts.

Forecast Summary: October 28 to November 3

Main Bay surface and river mouth water temperatures have dropped to the low 60s. Temperatures in smaller rivers and streams have dropped to 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. However, due to algal blooms, there will be reduced water clarity in the Back and Sassafras 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 through Friday because of the October 26 full moon.

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

Mark Hanson caught this large blue catfish while fishing live bait in the lower Susquehanna River. Photo courtesy of Mark Hanson

Water temperatures have dipped into the upper 50s in some of the upper Bay tidal rivers this week, and 60 degrees in the main portion of the Bay. These cooler water temperatures are making for good fishing for striped bass. In the tidal rivers casting paddletails and a variety of other favored lures is producing good fishing during the morning and evening hours along shorelines. Jigging with soft plastics along channel edges can extend the action into the daytime hours.

The Baltimore Harbor area and the mouths of the Gunpowder, Bush, Chester, Magothy, and Susquehanna rivers are reported to be providing good casting and jigging action. Anglers are reporting more bait schools are exiting the rivers and striped bass are holding along channel edges. This is the fall jigging that every striped bass angler looks forward to.

Fishing at the Conowingo Dam pool continues to be good for a mix of blue catfish and striped bass. The power generation flows have mostly been low lately. Cast cut bait into the tailrace for blue catfish and striped bass, and a mix of lures if only targeting striped bass. Fishing with live bait in the lower Susquehanna River is a good way to fish for flathead catfish. Anglers report fair to good fishing for striped bass along the edges of the Susquehanna Flats during the morning and evening hours. Jigging along the channel edges is another option.

Blue catfish are very active this week and anglers are enjoying catching them in the region’s tidal rivers. Most cut baits or a variety of scented baits work well. Anglers who are targeting the large blue catfish have been known to use live bait in the form of bluegill sunfish or small white perch.

White perch are moving into the deeper waters of the tidal rivers as water temperatures drop. Using dropper rigs or fishing spin-jigs, Beetle-spin type lures, and small soft plastic jigs is a good way to target them. Anglers are also excited about catching large yellow perch in the same areas.

Middle Bay

Chris Madden holds up a nice striped bass he caught recently while casting. Photo by Matt Warner

At the Bay Bridge charter boats have been anchoring up-current of the bridge piers near the 30-foot dropoff on the eastern side of the bridge. and anglers are drifting live spot or cut bait back to the pier bases. Other anglers are having luck casting soft plastic jigs to the pier bases and drifting live spot and cut baits. A good running tide is always important, and the morning hours tend to offer the best action. Anglers are still able to find a few spot at the west end of the bridge in shallower waters. White perch are also being found along the shallower sides of the bridge and are being caught on pieces of bloodworm.

Striped bass are being found throughout the middle Bay this week and anglers are exploring promising locations with good success. Structure is always important to attracting striped bass, hence the nickname rockfish. It can manifest itself as ballast stone piles, submerged shoreline riprap, artificial reefs, piers and prominent points to name a few. A good moving current is also important and is a primary reason the Kent Narrows provides good fishing. Focusing on these two important factors can help narrow down fishing location choices.

Water temperatures in the middle Bay are currently around 60 degrees and the tidal rivers are slightly cooler. The schools of young of the year menhaden seem to be taking their time coming down the tidal rivers. There has been action at the mouth of the Choptank River and Eastern Bay, where anglers are locating striped bass and either jigging or trolling. Soft plastic or metal jigs provide an exciting light-tackle method to catch striped bass. Trolling involves umbrella rigs or tandem bucktails pulled behind heavy inline weights, which are needed to get everything down to the depths where striped bass are holding.

White perch are beginning their move to deeper water as temperatures drop. They can still be found near some of the deepwater piers or bridge piers, but they’re moving to deeper waters in the lower sections of the tidal rivers. Oyster bars are often their first stop, and they’ll hold there until winter temperatures arrive. At that time, they’ll move to even deeper waters out in the Bay.

There is good fishing for blue catfish this week in the Choptank River from below the Dover Bridge up to Denton. Cooler water temperatures have them feeding non-stop, so this is a good time to catch a bunch and freeze them for some winter meals. The meat is mild and they freeze well, just remember to remove all the red meat and silver skin from the fillets. DNR’s blue catfish webpage has information and a short video on how to clean blue catfish.

Lower Bay

This happy father and son enjoyed a fun day fishing for striped bass in the Patuxent River together. Photo by Travis Long

Light tackle anglers are enjoying exciting shallow water fishing along the shorelines of the lower Bay and the major tidal rivers. The early morning and late evening hours provide the best fishing with topwater lures and paddletails. This is a great time to take advantage of the late sunrise before Daylight Savings Time ends on November 1. Recent sunrises have been as late as 7:26 a.m. and sunset as late as 6:07 p.m. The lower Potomac, St. Marys, and the Patuxent rivers and the waters of Hoopers Island and Tangier Sound are just a few of the good places to fish.

Jigging along channel edges is a great option in the fall as striped bass begin to congregate along channel edges, usually somewhere around 30 degrees this time of year. In December they will most likely go deeper depending on colder temperatures. Trolling is a popular option, especially for charter boats. Umbrella rigs with heavy inline weights are the ticket to get down to the striped bass.

Anglers are still live-lining spot along channel edges this week. There are some spot in the Patuxent River and most likely at other locations, but it will take some exploring to find them. Anglers who are bottom fishing for spot are also catch gray and speckled trout in the process. White perch can still be found in the creeks and tidal rivers this week. They tend to be in deeper waters as water temperatures decline.

The tidal Potomac, Patuxent, and Nanticoke rivers are providing excellent fishing for blue catfish this week. Water temperatures are ideal for the catfish, and they are moving freely outside the deepest channel areas and feeding aggressively. This is a great time to get out and stock up on some blue catfish. They freeze well and can provide good eating through the winter months.

Freshwater Fishing

Ronald Scribner caught this beautiful 21-inch smallmouth bass in the upper Potomac recently. Photo by Ronald Scribner

The fall trout stocking program will end this week after many waters were stocked to provide some fun put-and-take fishing for anglers. There are also several delayed harvest and catch-and-return trout management waters that will provide plenty of fun fishing throughout the winter. Trout anglers can also look forward to the pre-season trout stockings that will begin in early 2027. The trout stocking website contains all the information and location maps you need.

The western and central region reservoirs are providing some exciting fall fishing opportunities this week. Cooler water temperatures have spurred many species of fish into increased activity and a broader range of areas where they can be found. Largemouth and smallmouth bass are moving freely and feeding on a variety of baitfish and crayfish. Many of these prey items are moving from the shallower waters and headed for deeper structure. Smallmouth bass in particular focus on crayfish, so select your lures to mimic them. Largemouth bass also prey on crayfish. Lures in the form of spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, tubes, and paddletails will entice both largemouth and smallmouth bass preying on baitfish.

The upper Potomac is providing excellent fishing for smallmouth bass this month, and walleye are becoming a greater part of the mix due to cooler water temperatures. The lower Susquehanna River holds some large smallmouth bass and walleye, and few anglers know to target them there.

Fishing for crappie is especially good in the fall as they school up near deeper structure. Bridge piers, deep sunken wood, fallen treetops and marina docks all provide the structure crappie are looking for. Small Gulp soft plastics, minnows, and marabou jigs under a slip bobber work well.

The fall months present a golden opportunity to target landlocked striped bass in some of the central region reservoirs that have been stocked. The striped bass are periodically stocked as fingerlings. Liberty, Triadelphia, and Piney Run are a few of the reservoirs that contain large landlocked striped bass. During the summer months the striped bass lay in deep waters but in the spring and fall they move up higher in the water column. A popular way to fish for them is to troll Rapala type lures while paddling a canoe or kayak.

Atlantic Ocean and Coastal Bays

Surf anglers are picking away at the last of the red drum fall migration passing by the Maryland and Virginia beaches this week. A few striped bass have also been caught. At the Ocean City Inlet and Route 50 bridge area fishing for tautog has been good. Live sand fleas and pieces of green crab are popular baits. Anglers are now catching a higher percentage of tautog that measure over the 16-inch minimum. Starting November 1 the daily limit increases from two tautog per day to four tautog per day.

Anglers who are catching a ride out to the wreck and reef sites off Ocean City are catching black sea bass and porgies. The porgies are a welcomed addition, and supplementing black sea bass catches. The fishing for black sea bass is good; most anglers are catching good numbers, but limit catches are not common yet. The wreck sites farther offshore are producing larger black sea bass and some limits. December is usually a great month for black sea bass fishing.

The deep waters of the canyons are providing good fishing for swordfish this week and stopping at the lobster buoys is providing some late season small dolphin. Deep drop fishing for blueline and golden tilefish remains good.

“A friend of mine, an ardent purist, was challenged once by a golfing acquaintance as he turned loose a large trout he had just netted. ‘Why go to all that trouble to catch a fish,’ the exasperated golfer demanded, ‘if you don’t want to eat it?’ ‘Do you eat golf balls?’ my friend inquired.” Corey Ford, 1958

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.