Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 11/28/2017 Update:
We've got a photo-documented report of a 33.5-incher from near the Bay Bridge, one fish among many caught. The unusual thing to note is that the hot bait was not the usual white or pearl everyone's been yakking about this fall, but a customized purple/green 10-inch BKD fished skirt-less on a candy-corn head.
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 11/24/2017 Update:
Happy Thanksgiving, anglers! A combination of high winds earlier in the week and the holiday have resulted in an abbreviated report, which we will try to update as anglers enjoy the post-turkey fishing, but what we have been hearing is all good news. Tochtermans reported that fishing in the Upper Bay has been good this past week for anglers able to get out on the water. Trolling has been a popular option, with many guys sticking close to the channel ledges pulling in a good number of fish. Tsunamis have been the go-to option, however Tochtermans also had a few reports of bucktails and spoons being used.
The Chester is still holding stripers for trollers working the channel edges, and there have still been some schools of fish sporadically coming up and down to break water just inside the river's mouth, off the south-east shoreline, out past the drop-off to 20' and deeper. Another hotspot for those dropping jigs and bucktails sweetened with twisters (white, silver, and chartreuse) has been at the Bay Bridge rockpiles and some of the deeper bridge pilings. Dropping jigging spoons and vertically jigging at the bases of the rockpiles has also been effective on these fish. Many are throw-backs, but there are plenty of nice 20-somethings mixed in.
White perch fishing has been productive in most local rivers, though most of the fish are now being caught in deep water near the river mouths, over shell bottom. A few catfish have been reported as well.
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 11/17/2017 Update:
Rockfishing in the Upper Bay has been consistently reported good, as large fish are holding along channel ledges waiting for bait fish moving south. Although not in the same numbers as in previous weeks, small fish have still been active in the mouth of the Magothy, particularly around sunrise. Tochtermans reported that trollers have been having the most success, keeping close to channel ledges and near bottom. Most trollers have been using red hoses, or small bucktails and spoons. Fishbones reported that most fish have been in the mid 20s to lower 30s range, however some larger fish are being caught in deeper water - mostly by trollers, who seem to be doing better than jiggers in general.
There have still been good numbers of fish in the mouth of the Patapsco, though they aren't coming up top and breaking as regularly as they were in the recent past. As has been true in much of the Bay this fall, often the fish gather, bust, and then sound again very quickly and you can't depend on the birds to consistently mark the fish's location. When they act this way, you need to use your fishfinder to locate the school after IDing the general zone with bird action.
The same has been true in the Chester, where there have been schools popping up in the zone south-east of Love Point in 20' to 25' of water. There have also been fish on the west side of Love, but mostly dinks. Trollers have had success pulling bucktails sweetened with twister tails, mini-umbrella rigs, and Tsunamis (white and pearl, white and pearl!) throughout the Chester, along the river's channel edges.
A few anglers reported to Fishbones that vertical jigging at the bay bridge pilings has been hot, however not so much for larger fish. The anglers fishing the pilings were primarily using white or pearl BKDs and ZMans.
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 11/10/2017 Update:
Reader note: See the Middle Bay report for a 11/13 update on current patterns in the Chesapeake.
As has been the case through the 2017 season, the Upper Bay has been full of life. The fishery in most rivers has began to dissipate, and Bud Hien at Fishbone's reports that many fish that have started to move out of rivers are now hanging around channel ledges and in deeper water. The majority of these fish have been larger than what we were seeing in previous week, however many are still undersized. Belvidere Shoals and the mouth of the Patapsco have been hot spots, as well as the Knoll. We've had several reader reports (including photo documentation) of a good bite in the mouth of the Patapsco this week, too, for stripers in the 24 to 26 inch range. Soft plastics in white have been the hot lures and we've been hearing that slowing up the retrieve and giving the jigs a bit less action has been working, lately.
Tochtermans has had reports of guys jigging the bay bridge pilings, and bringing in fish between 22 and 26 inches. A variety of tactics are being used to target the fish, however the most successful tactics have been vertical jigging and trolling. Fishbones reported that most anglers jigging have been using Bust 'em Baits and ZMans, primarily in white and chartreuse. Trollers have been using bucktails and spoons, and are sticking around channel ledges.
There are fish under birds in the mouth of the Chester, usually coming up in the afternoons and on the southern side close to Love Point. As has been the case they gather and then disburse quickly, so you need to get there fast and get in a few casts before they move on. While the birds are up in the air circling, trolling light tackle with half to one-ounce heads and four or five inch Sassy Shads is a good move. Trollers have also been working throughout the river from the mouth all the way up to the Corsica, with good success on fish mostly up into the mid 20's.
Plenty of perch are in the rivers, in particularly the Magothy, where Tochtermans has been getting great reports.
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 11/6/2017 Update:
Team FishTalk/Proptalk ran much of the Chester and from there down to the Bridge yesterday, and saw plenty to report. In the lower Chester there are fish under working birds, but it's an afternoon bite that has been lackluster early in the day. As with many areas of the Bay right now, the birds work for just a few seconds before breaking up and moving, so you need to get there fast and then use the meter to get positioned over the fish. A handful of casts is usually all you get in before the school moves on. There's a fleet of chummers working off Cedar Point, and lots of light-tackle trolling going on throughout the river. Up-river of the Corsica, there are hordes of small white perch in 18' to 25' willing to eat bloodworms with abandon.
We also spotted birds working just off Love Point and several boats fishing the Bridge, but didn't have time to stop and check either out. For more info on the catching that got done, check out the Middle Bay report.
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 11/2/2017:
The Upper Bay continues to be a hotspot for anglers as we move into colder months. Anglers who are living in the area are enjoying fishing close to home, as the river mouths are packed tight with mid-sized rockfish. Fishbones reports that many 18 to 24 inch fish have continued to bite around dusk at the mouths of the river. That being said, this week we had reports of kayak fishing in the upper parts of the Severn producing large numbers of 22 through 26 inch fish during morning hours, between six and nine o'clock. The majority of the bite has, however, stayed at the river mouths. Most anglers have been chasing birds to locate the fish, a tactic that hasn't changed in the past few weeks. Most folks are using light tackle, in particular 1/4 to 1/2 ounce jig heads with four inch BKD and soft plastic lures, as reported by Tochtermans.
Many anglers are aiming to catch larger fish at this point in the season, and have been doing so by jigging underneath the large schools of baitfish and smaller rockfish. Larger fish have been lazing on bottom, and are more likely to strike a jig off bottom than chase one up top. Tochtermans recommended using slightly larger soft plastics for the fish on bottom, and using a pearl or white color.
Perch fishing is steady in the rivers, and the fish have continued to stay local. Most are being caught in relatively shallow water around structure such as piers. Perch are still taking blood worms on bottom rigs, as well as shad darts. Some channel catfish have been scattered throughout the Upper Bay region, as well.