Conowingo Dam One Of Best Spots For Catfish

From the Maryland Department of Natural Resources: The Conowingo Dam remains on a late afternoon power generation water release, with low flow in the mornings due to hot and dry conditions. The area below the dam is one of the best places in Maryland to target large flathead catfish; fish up to 55 pounds have been caught here in the past two years. Fishing or blue catfish continues to be very good at the dam, in the lower Susquehanna River, and other tidal rivers. Channel catfish are abundant in all of the region’s tidal rivers. Catfish can be caught on fresh cut baits, clam snouts, and a variety of other baits.

White perch are providing reliable action in the upper bay during these hot summer months. They are spread throughout the entire Chesapeake Bay and tributaries, and populations are abundant.

Many anglers are finding a lot of small perch in some areas but a few big fish can be culled from the school. The usual small spinners and 1/16 to 1/8-ounce lead heads with Mr. Twister grubs on light spinning tackle will produce results. Pieces of bloodworm, grass shrimp, wild seafood shrimp, and small minnows are all good baits. Medium-sized minnows fished under a bobber around shoreline structure will often catch a large grade of perch.

The usual bottom fishing areas for saltwater panfish — spot, perch and croaker — should be productive the next few weeks. Spot and white perch can be found on hard bottom areas or shoals off Sandy Point State Park beach, the mouth of the Magothy, and the shallow ends of the Bay Bridge. White perch can also be found at the Snake Reef, Belvidere Shoal, and the 7-foot and 9-foot knolls. A few small croaker have been caught in the Severn River, South River, and other areas, but most are sub-legal.

We are asking anglers to avoid targeting striped bass during this heat wave, with 95-100 degree air temperatures. However, if you do target striped bass, remember that you must use non-offset circle hooks at all time when chumming or livelining. We also advise using lures with single barbless hooks to make releasing fish easier, and care must be taken when handling fish. Never use a rag while unhooking a striped bass — this will rub off their protective slime layer, making them more vulnerable to the summer combination of heat stress and disease.