American Shad

Alosa sapidissima

1 min read Spring

The shad run was once one of the great events of the Atlantic coast. Enormous numbers of fish pushed up the Susquehanna and every other major river each spring, and the fishery supported entire towns.

Dams changed that. Blocked from hundreds of miles of spawning habitat, the runs collapsed, and American shad have been under a fishing moratorium in Maryland for decades. Fish lifts and passage projects on the Susquehanna have helped, and the runs are monitored closely each spring, but recovery has been slow and uneven.

The hickory shad that anglers catch and release in spring are a related species and a genuine light-tackle pleasure — hard-fighting, acrobatic, and taken on small darts and flies. Know which one you have on the line: American shad must go back, and telling them apart is part of fishing here responsibly.

Gear for this fish

War Eagle Jiggin Spoon 1/2 Nickle

Trolled or cast for fast, open-water feeders.

$9.19

War Eagle Jiggin Spoon 7/8 Nickel

Trolled or cast for fast, open-water feeders.

$9.19

Strike King Sexy Spoon 4in Green Gizzard

Trolled or cast for fast, open-water feeders.

$10.99

Strike King Sexy Spoon 5.5in Green Gizzard

Trolled or cast for fast, open-water feeders.

$11.99

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Striped Bass

Morone saxatilis

2 min read Spring and fall

Channel edges, rips, and the Susquehanna Flats

White Perch

Morone americana

1 min read Spring run, then all summer

Tributary mouths, piers, and hard bottom

Blue Catfish

Ictalurus furcatus

2 min read Year-round

Tidal-fresh rivers, deep holes and channel bends

Northern Snakehead

Channa argus

1 min read Late spring through fall

Grass, pads, and shallow tidal-fresh creeks

Red Drum

Sciaenops ocellatus

1 min read Summer into fall

Lower Bay shoals, sand bars, and the inlets

Speckled Trout

Cynoscion nebulosus

1 min read Late summer and fall

Grass beds, marsh drains, and the lower Bay

Tautog

Tautoga onitis

1 min read Spring and late fall

Wrecks, rock piles, and bridge rubble

Largemouth Bass

Micropterus salmoides

1 min read Spring through fall

Tidal-fresh rivers, pads, docks, and grass

Bluefish

Pomatomus saltatrix

1 min read Summer

Open Bay, inlets, and the surf

Summer Flounder

Paralichthys dentatus

1 min read Late spring through summer

Sandy bottom near inlets and channel edges

Black Drum

Pogonias cromis

1 min read Late spring

Lower Bay shoals and shell bottom

Cobia

Rachycentron canadum

1 min read Summer

Lower Bay, around buoys and structure

Spanish Mackerel

Scomberomorus maculatus

1 min read Mid to late summer

Open Bay, warm clear water

Yellow Perch

Perca flavescens

1 min read Late winter into early spring

Upper tidal rivers and creeks

American Shad

Alosa sapidissima

1 min read Spring

Susquehanna and major tributaries

Blue Crab

Callinectes sapidus

2 min read Late spring through fall

Grass beds, shallows, and piers Bay-wide

Oyster Toadfish

Opsanus tau

1 min read Year-round

Oyster bottom, pilings, and rubble

Atlantic Menhaden

Brevoortia tyrannus

1 min read Spring through fall

Open Bay, in vast schools