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Fishing Conditions Forecast

Weekly Fishing Conditions Forecast Summary

October 20-26, 2021

forecast iconAnother great week to get out and enjoy Maryland’s fall foliage and Bay waters. Bay conditions relatively stable all week with sunny and calm conditions (except for a windy Thursday) during the day and cool nights for the week. As reported from the NOAA buoys, main Bay surface water temperatures have dropped to the upper 60s (⁰F). The improving oxygen and water temperature conditions will continue to provide anglers great opportunities to catch fish in shallower waters and river mouths ambushing bait moving out of cooler rivers into the warmer main Bay waters.  In addition, the traditional places deeper in the water column such as channel edges, underwater points, hard bottom, and drop-offs will also be productive.  

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.

Fishing Condition Details:

  • Pattern Stability -  Sunny and moderate temperature all week (day: 60s-70s / night: 50s-60s). No rain expected. Expect low wind conditions at 5-15kt all week, except for Thursday and Friday with wind up to 20kts. Sunrise next week around 7:24am and sunset at about 6:15pm.

  • Salinity –  Maryland upper Bay waters down to Tilghman Island are running fresher than normal.

  • Oxygen –  Recent oxygen conditions for mid-October are as follows:
    • Stateline up to Point no Point: Adequate oxygen to bottom
    • Point No Point up to the Gooses: Adequate oxygen to ~35ft
    • Little Choptank up to Choptank River: Adequate oxygen to ~25-bottom
    • Bloody Point: Adequate oxygen to ~10-30ft
    • Bay Bridge: Adequate oxygen to ~30-35ft
    • Swan Point: Adequate oxygen to bottom
    • Still Pond up to the Susquehanna Flats: Adequate oxygen to bottom
    • Point Lookout up to Colonial Beach: Adequate oxygen to bottom

    For information on Maryland’s main Bay oxygen conditions, see Maryland’s latest hypoxia report.
    For oxygen forecasts, see VIMS Depth to 3 mg/l.

  • Temperature (⁰F) –  Main Bay surface temperatures have dropped to the upper-60s. As recorded at the real-time NOAA and DNR buoys, daytime Bay water temperatures are as follows:

    • For the upper/mid-Bay:
      • Susquehanna River at Darlington (USGS): 67⁰F
      • Tolchester: 64⁰F
      • Baltimore/Patapsco River: 71⁰F
      • Annapolis NOAA Buoy: 68⁰F

    • For the mid/lower-Bay:
      • NOAA Gooses Reef buoy (surface): 68⁰F
      • Bishops Head: 65⁰F
      • Choptank, Cambridge: 65⁰F

    • For the Potomac River:
      • Point Lookout NOAA buoy (surface): NR
      • Lewisetta: 66⁰F
      • Mallows Bay: 68⁰F
      • Near Washington DC at Little Falls (USGS): 64⁰F

    To see water temperature by depth, check out our interactive “Water Temperature by Depth map.” For water temperatures in some of Maryland’s smaller rivers and streams, check “NOAA’s Mid-Atlantic Water Temperatures.”

  • Clarity – Expect average clarity for many of the Maryland portions of the Bay and rivers, except the Bush and Back Rivers. To see the latest water clarity conditions on NOAA satellite maps, check “Eyes on the Bay Satellite Maps.”

  • Habitat – To see locations of key Bay bottom habitat, see the ”Bay Bottom Habitat Mapper.”

  • Moving water – Expect normal flows for most Maryland rivers and streams. Susquehanna River is running higher than normal. There will be above average tidal current conditions all week as a result of the full moon on Wednesday, October 20th.

  • Putting it all together – The best fishing areas could be further refined by intersecting these prime areas with underwater points, hard bottom, drop-offs, and large schools of baitfish.

For a step-by-step way to find the best fishing areas based on water conditions, be sure to check out Eyes on the Bay’s Click Before You Cast. Have a safe and enjoyable fishing trip, and as always, drop us a line with comments or suggestions.