Spring is Late
Spring is late this year. The 10-day weather forecast looks like March, not May, so improvement looks slow.
However, there are plenty of stripers in the 20-to-30-inch size just about everywhere. Jiggers at the Power Plant Discharge were able to come up with a couple dozen very respectable stripers in short time on opening day. There were two really big fish reported over 40 inches in the mix.
Capt. Greg Buckner is loading up every day on big blue cats in the Potomac on all his boats, Miss Susie Charters.
Eric Packard with opening day rockfish, released as not meeting 35-inch minimum.
As soon as we get some rising temperatures and calm days, I think there will be a fair amount of trophy fish taken by trollers.
On May 16 the minimum keeper size will drop to 19 inches, one per day, in Maryland portions of the bay and some river mouths (check website or regulation book}. The Potomac changes to 20-inch minimum and two per day. All waters will be open on June 1.
Damian Holden caught this 13-inch white perch at Wayson's Corner on Monday, May 1.
Blue cats are wide open in the Potomac and upper Patuxent.
White perch are now biting most everywhere.
Bass and crappie, bluegill, and pickerel are active in lakes and ponds.
Dennis Fleming and Chris found plenty of undersized stripers at the Power Plant discharge on opening day.