9/29/2017 Way North Chesapeake and Delaware Fishing Report Update:
As we move into fall, fish are changing their patterns of behavior with the cooler temperatures. Local ponds have experienced an uptick in the number of bass being caught, as the amount of time they’re active has increased with the water cooling. Hearns Pond has been a hotspot recently, where artificial Senkco worms and topwater lures are landing anglers not only bass, but when using smaller lures, crappie as well. This week Captain Bones Bait and Tackle received a report of a 13 inch crappie from the pond. Captain Bones also reports that the morning and evening are still the best times to fish, although the window of opportunity has been extended by the cool weather.
In addition to local ponds being a hotspot for bass, the Susquehanna Flats are holding them as well, where casting topwater has produced pretty hefty results. Rockfish are being caught alongside the largemouth. Herbs Bait and Tackle reports topwater plugs and bloodworms are the bait of choice for rockfish, and using bloodworms typically has been resulting in nice catches of perch and catfish mixed in.
In the Nanticoke, plenty of keeper-size rockfish are being caught around the Maryland-Delaware line. Cut bunker has been the bait of choice, dropped in about 17 feet of water. Captian Bones has had numerous reports of this area being a hotspot, with plenty of keepers being brought in. On the Nanticoke near Ceder Creek, there have been plenty of white perch and catfish in the area. Catfish are taking clam snouts and shrimp in northern rivers. Below Vienna, there are also reports of large white perch taking blood worms.
Crabbing has been consistently poor, according to all the sources we spoke to.
9/22/2017 Way North Chesapeake and Delaware Fishing Report Update:
Herbs Bait and Tackle reports that striped bass fishing in northern areas of the bay has stayed good as the weather has cooled down and seasons change. Stripers are still hanging in the Susquehanna flats and on channel edges. Topwater is effective at daybreak and jigs will catch the fish after the sun is up, but live-lining has been the most productive option, and Herb’s reported spot are hanging around on hard bottoms. Bluefish are not the nuisance up north that they have been further south. In addition to livelining, trolling small spoons has been a good method recently. Up by the dam there are also a few stripers, along with both large and smallmouth bass.
Perch are still plentiful in most of the local creeks, along with channel catfish. Bait is, as always, the best option for the catfish. Bloodworms will work for the perch. Perch and cats also continue to provide the main action in the C & D Canal, although some (mostly undersized) stripers have been biting in the canal, too.
9/14/2017 Way North Chesapeake and Delaware Fishing Report Update:
Herbs Bait and Tackle reports that the striper bite has been strong in the early mornings and late afternoon for anglers casting topwater. Channel edges in the Susquehanna flats, North Point State Park, and Port Deposit have all been producing steady action. Herbs also reported that there has been a trolling bite around and just north of Love Point, primarily following channel edges. Most anglers have been using small spoons, red and purple hoses, and bucktails.
Captain Bones Bait and Tackle had a report of a 28 inch fish caught just north of Love Point by an angler trolling small spoons, and they say area anglers have been excited about largemouth bass hanging around the Conowingo dam, which have been highly active in cool, early morning waters. Topwater has been the best way to target them, and the shop has had reports of fairly large bass being caught in the past week. Catfish have also been plentiful in the area, and fishing the dam can make for an interesting day.
Spot are still up north in creeks and coves, and have been schooling in great enough numbers that anglers have been able to catch their bait for a day and then some. Along with the spot, croaker are still heavy up north, but are small. Perch are most active in cool, shallow water and should keep biting as water temperatures continue to decrease.
9/7/2017 Way North Chesapeake and Delaware Fishing Report Update:
Although both Herb’s and Captain Bone’s Bait and Tackle reported not much has been going on with the striper bite up North, a strong bass bite has been preset in the North East River. Small poppers and Jitter Bugs have been the lures of choice, however Captain Bone’s reported that Senko soft plastic worms and frogs have also been doing well. The bass bite has been best during the early morning, however, with cooler weather moving into the area, bass should stay active longer than in previous months. Despite the striper bite being lackluster, we have had a few reports of stripers being caught on the flats off Turkey Point. Many anglers interested in finding the rockfish have been running south a bit (see the Upper Chesapeake Bay report) where there's still a reliable bite.
In addition to bass, some perch are being caught in most local creeks, and are taking bloodworms. Plenty of catfish are mixed in with the bite, and are also heavy throughout the northern reaches of the Upper Bay and up into the C & D Canal. There are also plenty of catfish in the Susquehanna, although considering the rain we've had and the rain we have coming, conditions there are unpredictable.
Crabbing has been hit or miss.
9/1/2017 Way North Chesapeake and Delaware Fishing Report Update:
We heard good things from the folks at Herb's and Sarge's this week, with a 10-degree water temperature drop since the summer high and stripers already shifting a bit towards fall patterns. Topwater has been effective for them near structure and on the Susquehanna flats. There have also been some smallmouth willing to bite, a bit farther up the river. What remains to be seen for river anglers is whether the floodgates will open up and roil the waters again, any time soon. When this happens, the best bet is to shift to the local rivers (such as the North East, Elk, and Sassafras) and fish shoreline structure for largemouth and some stripers. The best bite is on topwater, at daybreak. Many anglers who want to focus on stripers are heading south, to the bite near Poole's Island (see more about this option in the Upper Chesapeake Bay report).
White perch continue to provide plenty of action though they have shifted to shallower, fall-ish haunts recently. Fishing bloodworms or grass shrimp is a good bet, but when casting to shallow structure, Beetle-Spins are an even better one. Catfish remain another option, with the best catches coming from the pool below Conowingo and the deep waters near Turkey Point. A few can also be found in the C & D. Cut fish and chicken livers sitting on bottom are the best baits.
We also heard several reports of an up-tick in crabbing for those in the northern areas, with chicken necks filling the bushel basket.
