Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, 12/28/2018 Update:
Hey there FishTalkers, and welcome to the final fishing report of 2018! Don't worry - despite the chilly weather and difficult conditions the next few months will hold, we'll keep bringing you current reports right through the winter. They may be shorter at times and the options may be a bit more limited, but we know there are plenty of die-hard anglers out there who will want to wet a line whenever the opportunity presents itself. Come rain, sleet, or snow, let's keep on casting!
The attention of most anglers has switched to… Christmas! We heard very little from Middle Bay anglers this week. The warm water discharges now have more and more disparity to the surrounding temps, and therefore should be attracting fish, but we don’t yet have any solid reports of good success. Jigging at these underwater exhaust points can have some great results, though, often for those jigging BKDs in grey and purple.
As this was Christmas week we can’t say we’re terribly surprised to have a lack of intel, last season it was one of the thinnest weeks of the year as well. We did hear of some catch and release action in the western shore tribs for 20 to 24 inchers, but just a fish or two on jigs, and the few other reports we heard about came from anglers traveling over the bridge to hit the Eastern Shore for pickerel, which have been putting on a good show recently. See the Freshwater Report, for the details.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, 12/21/2018 Update:
Happy Holidays, anglers! The best news we have this week is that there's some catch and release action on schoolie fish going on, but overall, as expected the general fishing action in the Middle Bay has really dropped off and shifted to species like perch and pickerel in tributaries. That said, angler Kevin Thomas has already proved that winter fishing is a "go" in the Severn, reporting three 20-something fish in an hour of casting this week. Be on the lookout for upcoming editions of FishTalk - we managed to twist Kevin's arm a bit (read: we begged him) to share his winter tactics with us, and we have a two-part series on winter catch-and-release fishing in the works.
White perch anglers are having some success at the Bridge rockpiles, dropping worms and tandem rigs with small streamers or tubes. We also heard tell of some perch being caught near warm water discharges, including up near Baltimore. However, at least one reader visited the CCNPP and casting for stripers produced zero action. That said, all the warm water zones now hold some potential and should be good areas to prospect in the coming weeks.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, 12/14/2018 Update:
December 15th is right around the corner, and the fish certainly know it. Surface temps have dropped all way to the lower 40’s and high 30’s in some sections. The deepest parts of the bay are going to be the only spots to try if you’re trolling this weekend. The deep channels around Eastern Bay and Poplar Island have some of the best waters to drop some single or tandem shads with inline weights due to their depths, bouncing bucktails in bright colors can tempt some fish into biting, and we heard from one angler who scored three fish over 30 inches (biggest at 36) trolling the depths near Bloody Point this week. Chartreuse and pearlescent have been the popular colors this week. Checking the depth finder while trolling will be the best way to locate where the fish are holding, so don’t be afraid to hover over it while making your rounds. We also heard of a handful of fish taken by trollers near the False Channel, and off the mouth of the Patuxent.
Light tackle angler Kevin Thomas has started his winter river fishing with success (multiple times this week), proving that there are some stripers holding along the deep channels of the tributaries, as well. An eight-inch ZMan on a two ounce Hard Head did the trick. The Bay Bridge has been one of the best places to try jigging, with the pilings and the rockpiles having some fish down deep, including some perch. The white perch can be brought up with tandem rigs and bloodworms, while the rockfish are biting on large plastic tails in purple fleck, and also on live eels. Note that it’s been easier to find the fish than to tempt them into biting.
Lastly, we’re hearing some chatter of fish at the Calvert Cliffs discharges... but nothing that’s been photo-documented or confirmed, at this point in time.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, 12/7/2018:
The fish in the Middle Bay have been scattered and often tight-lipped recently, so finding them is only the first hurdle to get over. Trolling is going to be the easiest way to locate the fish that are still meandering about, especially in Eastern Bay. The mouth and the south-west side of Poplar on down to the mouth of the Choptank are some places to troll. Deep tandems, shads, and umbrellas with inline weights - get some lures down deep, at least to 30 feet and deeper because those fish are often hugging bottom - are a good jumping off point. The popular colors of the week are chartreuse, white, and pearl, but the fish really seem to be hit or miss when it comes to deciding whether or not to bite. If you find a section of water with plenty of fish on the bottom but no takers, don’t be surprised. Many boats are reporting a fish or two, and some are coming home empty-handed.
Light tackle anglers may be better off either running north to hit the Bay Bridge pilings, or heading south to Point Lookout. (There’s been a much better bite down that way; check the Lower Bay report for the details). Those jiggers who are sticking around are finding purple or flecked plastics are doing the job when you can’t stand to see another chartreuse lure. Vertical jigging can be effective when near the rock piles or deeper sections around the bridge. There’s also been some talk of taking nice fish on eels.
Lastly, it should be no surprise that the perch are still doing their thing as December hits. The white perch are hanging tight to the bottom around the 25 to 35 foot mark, and can be caught with bloodworms or tandems, the former working significantly better when clarity becomes an issue.