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Fishing Conditions Forecast

Weekly Fishing Conditions Forecast Summary

December 1 - 7, 2021

forecast iconFor the first week of December, expect sunny and cool weather all week with windy conditions on Thursday and Friday. Surface waters and Bay rivers continue to cool faster than the bottom waters. As reported from the NOAA buoys, main Bay surface water temperatures have dropped to the upper-40s (°F). Baitfish have moved out of the rivers in search of the deeper, warmer waters, with Bay gamefish nearby. Focus on the warmer, deeper bottom waters such as river mouths, channel edges, underwater points, hard bottom, and drop-offs from the Bay Bridge south to the MD/VA State line.

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 all week (day: 40-50s / night: 30-40s) with a chance of rain on Monday. Expect windy conditions on Thursday and Friday with winds 10-20kt and gusts higher. Sunrise next week around 7:09am and sunset at about 4:44pm.

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

  • Oxygen –  Recent oxygen conditions for early November are as follows:
    • Stateline up to Point Lookout: Adequate oxygen to bottom
    • Point No Point up to the Gooses: Adequate oxygen to bottom
    • Little Choptank up to Choptank River: Adequate oxygen to bottom
    • Bloody Point: Adequate oxygen to bottom
    • Bay Bridge: Adequate oxygen to bottom
    • 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-40s. Most Bay rivers are holding in the low-40s/upper-30s. 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): 43⁰F
      • Tolchester: 45⁰F
      • Baltimore/Patapsco River: 51⁰F
      • Annapolis NOAA Buoy: 47⁰F

    • For the mid/lower-Bay:
      • NOAA/DNR Gooses Reef buoy (surface): 48⁰F
      • Bishops Head: 44⁰F
      • Choptank, Cambridge: 44⁰F

    • For the Potomac River:
      • Point Lookout NOAA buoy (surface): 49⁰F
      • Lewisetta: 46⁰F
      • Mallows Bay: 45⁰F
      • Near Washington DC at Little Falls (USGS): 42⁰F

    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 poor water clarity for the Bush and Back River from algal blooms. Expect good water clarity for other Maryland rivers and main Bay areas. 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.  There will be above average tidal currents conditions all week as a result of the upcoming new moon on Saturday, December 4th.

  • 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.