Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, May 31 Update:
Despite tough weather conditions interrupting many recent trips, fishing the Middle Bay has picked up in the past week. Most tactics have been working for the fish right now, however trolling seems to be the most popular. Anglers Sport Center suggested pulling spoons, bucktails, and umbrellas. They also suggested leaving a few larger bucktails or spoons in your spread, because bigger fish are still occasionally being caught in the area. The mouth of Eastern Bay has been popular with the trollers recently, particularly from 84A down to the north side of Poplar, though catches have been sporadic and there are more throw-backs than keepers; there have been more stripers up inside E-bay but those waters were closed to catch-and-keep up to now (it opens June 1). Angler in Chief Lenny Rudow reports finding fish breaking water in the area of Hollicutt’s, but notes that it was micro-stripers up top and to catch larger fish when this is the case you'll need to work outside the school, pay attention to the meter, and get your jigs down deep. White was the top color. He also reported that running to the Stone Rock on a hunt for black drum proved fruitless, however, despite going bite-less he swears he saw them at least twice on the meter. And meanwhile back up near Poplar…
Chunking and chumming has been attempted by some Middle Bay anglers as well, however, faces the issue of attracting catfish. Reports from Hackett’s and Thomas Point included a five-to-one ratio of cats, versus keeper stripers in the low 20s. The last week there seemed to be something of a lull in the action from Thomas/Poplar down through many areas of the Middle Bay, with the bite picking up again in the zone near the Gas Docks (for open-water trollers) and the mouth of the Patuxent (for trollers and jiggers). Alltackle suggested jiggers try using six-inch BKDs in chartreuse, white, or purple. Jiggers are also catching decent numbers of keepers off the Bridge pilings and at the Sewer Pipe.
The white perch bite is hot in the rivers, and fish are eager to take bloodworms on bottom rigs off piers and docks. This isn’t limited to perch – large cats are being caught off the docks as well! In recent days we’ve received multiple reader reports and photos from creeks on the South, West, and Patuxent including a mix of white perch and catfish up to 10 pounds, caught from piers and shore by anglers casting bottom rigs baited with bloodworms. There are similar and steady reports also coming from the public pier at Solomons, especially for the cats. Chicken livers have also proved effective on the cats. There are even reports of catfish (plus a rockfish here and there) coming in from the Point Lookout public pier and causeway.
Snakehead Alert: we received photo-documented evidence of two snakeheads caught (bow-fishing) in the Severn this week, and we had a two (reliable) readers tell us that while standing on a pier off the Rhode River they saw a snakehead lazily meander up to the surface.
Crabbing report: it’s still not easy to fill the basket in the Mid-Bay region, but if you work hard there are some crabs to be caught and many are very large. Reports are a bit better from farther south and on the eastern side.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, May 24 Update:
We really hope you're reading this from the cockpit of your boat, because you really should be out on the water right now! Fishing the Middle Bay has produced much better action for many anglers the past week, and the primary mode for many anglers has shifted from trolling to jigging — Anglers Sport Center recommends hitting Bloody Point and the Bay Bridge, where half ounce jigheads with six inch white, purple, and chartreuse BKDs and other soft plastics have steadily produced solid fish. Anglers also recommended trying around Thomas Point, and using six-inch shad or Tsunamis, however, this has mostly produced fish in the 17- to 15-inch range. We did hear from multiple readers who have had luck fishing shallow, both casting crankbaits and slinging jigs in the evening, on fish up to 24-inches. Fish have been on the move, so it's important to keep trying different locations until you find a school.
Alltackle suggested using a fluorocarbon leader and high-speed jigging to keep the fish interested. Although it’s still catch-and-release only (until June hits) Eastern Bay has also been attracting plenty of anglers looking to bend a rod. Fish in the 15 to 25 inch range have been schooling in this area and multiple reader reports came in this week of successful outings here. If you need a refresher on how to safely handle and release fish before heading for E-Bay in the next few days, see Dos and Don’ts of Catch and Release Fishing.
Trolling has been a popular method as well, and the channel edges are hot. The edge of Hacketts, Thomas Point, Bloody Point, Buoy 83, Breezy Point, and off the Gas Docks have been hotspots. Trolling bucktails, spoons, umbrellas, and tandems has been popular. FishTalk Team member Bob Daley scored a nice 29-incher, off Bloody Point this past week.
Hacketts has also been a popular spot for chummers, but we recommend bringing extra baits due to the high number of catfish patrolling the area. Be forewarned, we’ve heard from multiple anglers who set up to chum for stripers and caught a mix of channel and blue catfish by the bucketload – the good news is, many are quite nice and get up into the 10 to 15 pound range.
White perch are in the tribs around structure, and are taking blood worms and grass shrimp. Anglers are also having some success casting the shorelines with Perch Pounders and Beetle-Spins. Crabbing has also been picking up. Angler in Chief Lenny Rudow reported catching around two dozen crabs in a few hours this week, all were obvious keepers, and all were stuffed with meat and “luscious” mustard. Eight feet was the best depth, some crabs came from four to eight, and none came deeper. As the weather warms up, they should begin moving into shallower water in better numbers.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, May 16 Update:
Fishing conditions in the Middle Bay are slowly improving, and as trophy season winds down, this week anglers on the water were hauling in more trophy fish than we saw the rest of this season. Anglers reported that the channel edge at Hacketts, Bloody Point to the CP buoy, Thomas Point, and around Calvert Cliffs have all been hotspots. With the overall very slow trophy season coming to an end, a few anglers are still choosing to troll umbrellas, bucktails, and tandems but most can be expected to switch their focus to targeting schoolie sized fish in the coming days. Guys targeting the schoolies to date are typically light tackle jigging, but chumming and chunking should become very popular, very soon. White, chartreuse, and purple BKDs have been the most popular soft plastics for jiggers. We heard from several anglers who had success on fish up to 25-inches this week jigging around the mouths of the tributaries and Eastern Bay. Chunkers and chummers should remember to stock up on extra bait, as plenty of channel catfish are still around popular spots and are eager to devour anything on bottom.
Alltackle in Annapolis reported a strong white perch bite in the tribs, primarily near shore. Bloodworms and grass shrimp have been the most popular baits, and are commonly found on the hooks of bottom rigs. Catfish are an issue in the rivers too, however, so if you're fishing bait for perch using scaled-up gear is a good idea (and once again, remember to get more bait than usual or you may risk running out).
Crabbing Alert: The first reports of successful trot-lining and snap-trapping have now come in from Middle Bay tribs. We heard of one to two dozen in the basket, so they aren't yet in full swing but there are some jimmies now on the move and if you're Jonesing for some crabs after the long off-season, success is now possible.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, May 10 Update:
The first full week of May brought a more productive rockfish bite than April did – anglers opting to troll around Bloody Point, Breezy Point, the False Channel, and Buoy 84 have had varying success. We’re still hearing of plenty of empty boxes, but trophies are being caught a lot more often and a good number of throwback fish are also providing some action. Alltackle in Annapolis suggested using umbrellas, parachutes, large bucktails, or tandems in chartreuse and white. The best bite seems to be from Calvert Cliffs south and the farther down you go, the better. Meanwhile, virtually every angler we’ve heard from who has tried soaking bait is still being swarmed by catfish. The usual catch ranges from a couple to a dozen or more, a mix of mostly channels but also some blues, and most in the five- to 15-pound range but with some larger cats showing up, too. Location does not seem to matter and we’ve heard of catting success in everything from five to 35 feet of water. Bait choice also doesn’t seem to matter much, but since most people are using cut bunker in the hopes of a trophy, that’s what’s catching most of the cats right now.
Anglers Sport Center reported that many local anglers are running south to Point Lookout, where trophies are being with better regularity. Smith Point and Cove Point have also been popular locations. Locally, when trophies have been in short order, many guys are turning to schoolie stripers for fun catch-and-release action. The tribs and channel edges have been holding schools of them, and the bite has been steady once you’re on top of them. On May 16th the minimum size drops to 19 inches and fishing for schoolies will provide both action and dinner.
Anglers also reported that white perch are now active around nearshore structure like docks and fallen trees. Grass shrimp and bloodworms have been a great bait, and bloodworms have been working for channel catfish as well. They’ve been reachable from the shoreline and by boat.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, May 3 Update:
Today's overall catch was up significantly, judging from reports coming in, our experience on the Ebb Tide this morning, and the chatter back at the dock. Fishing has not magically become red-hot, but many boats cranked a keeper or two plus some throw-backs. The best action came from Calvert Cliffs south, and from the sound of things, the farther south you ran the better. White and chartreuse umbrellas run from board lines did the catching.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, May 2019:
The bite for trophies has picked up a bit since last week, especially in the Bloody Point to Thomas Point zone, but overall there have been few keeper-sized stripers to be found. Many anglers are reporting throw-backs, often 20-something fish acting unusually aggressive and hitting large parachutes with nine-inch shad. Trolling channel edges near Thomas Point, Bloody Point, Breezy Point, and inside the CP Buoy has been popular. Angler’s reported that most guys are using large bucktails, spoons, umbrellas, and parachutes. White and chartreuse have been popular colors. Alltackle in Annapolis did have a few reports come in from anglers who landed fish over 35-inches. However, they too heard of a lot of throwbacks. Three to five undersized fish with zero to one keepers seems about the average. There are still reports of spawners up the rivers so we’re hoping that as we move into May we’ll see an exodus, the bite will pick up a bit more, and we’ll start hearing more consistent reports of trophies.
Although rockfish haven’t seemed to be around in great number, it’s been difficult to toss out some bait without landing a catfish. They’re around in absurd numbers and are swallowing just about anything in their path. Anglers from Sandy Point to the mouth of the Potomac soaking baits for trophies report catfish catches up into the double-digits including channel and blue cats with many fish breaking 10 pounds. Cut bunker (usually intended for stripers) has proved all too effective on the cats.
Snakeheads? Yup, they’re still a solid option right now, too, although recent reports peg the fishing as red-hot when they’re turned on, and slow when they’re not. See the Freshwater report for more details and the Tangier and Lower Shore report for the scoop at Blackwater.