Way North Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, August 26 Update:
Action is starting to pick up in the far northern reaches of the Bay. Despite the relentless hot weather, there are fish to be caught! Most of the action at the Conowingo Dam pool and lower Susquehanna has been of the whiskered variety, as both blue and channel cats have been keeping anglers busy. Throw out some fresh cut bait and the cats should provide steady action. The striper action on the flats has been a bit slower than this time last year but it seems to be picking up slowly. Sarge’s let us know that anglers are casting a variety of lures during the early morning hours on the flats. Most fish have been caught near the edges of grass beds and channels. The shorelines of the Elk River are also providing some action for those casting topwater lures, crankbaits, and paddletails
Bass have been cooperative for anglers in the rivers and on the flats during the cooler parts of the day. Grass beds and shaded shorelines have been the hotspots for these fish as they try to stay cool in this late summer heat. Rigging soft plastic critter baits weedless and working them slowly is a good strategy for getting lethargic fish to bite. The perch bite has also been good lately. Herbs says the mouths of the rivers and oyster reefs have been holding good numbers. Anglers are getting good results fishing with bottom rigs tipped with bloodworms or peeler crab.
Crabbing Report: The crabbing has been tough recently. There has been an influx of females and small crabs picking away at baits. The Elk River has been the most consistent for getting some keepers in the bushel basket.
Way North Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, August 19 Update:
Most of the action from up north has been from our whiskered bottom-dwelling friends. Catfish can be caught all over the Susquehanna Flats and surrounding tributaries. Anglers fishing from both the shore and by boat have had steady action. Readers checked in this week with some catfish, catfish, and also some catfish. We didn’t hear about any real monsters this week but if you’re looking to catch all the three to five pounders you can stand, the Susquehanna, the Elk, and the C & D Canal were all noted producers for anglers sinking cut bait or chicken liver to the bottom. White perch are in their normal summertime areas and can provide a welcomed change for those looking to target something other than catfish. They can be caught throwing spinners, jigs, minnows, or by dropping down a bottom rig with bloodworms or FishBites.
Bass and snakehead fishing on the flats has been about average for this time of year. The cooler temps recently should have fish more active, though snakehead bites from around the state have appeared to be on the lethargic side recently. Targeting grass beds with weedless lures such as topwater frogs and Senkos should produce some bites. Make sure to fish these lures slow this time of year as the fish can be lazy. It may not be the most action-packed day of fishing but catching bass or snakehead on the upper reaches of the Chesapeake Bay is a great feat.
Way North Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, August 12 Update:
Catfish on the flats and in the river have been a sure bet for many anglers. Herb’s reports many blue catfish in the 10–15-pound range being caught but there’s always a chance at a 30+ pounder taking the bait. Fresh cut bait or chicken livers have been the preferred bait of choice for these bottom feeders. Those opting to chunk will have a good chance for stripers as well. The perch bite in the rivers has improved this week. They have been hanging around rip-rap, jetties, and docks. Casting to shaded areas with minnows under a bobber or with spinners is the best way to target them once the sun gets up.
Snakeheads were biting this week, with a reader reporting that three in the mid-20s hit white spinnerbait/twisters in a creek off the Elk. Another checked in from the Bush with two in the cooler and “lots more that missed the frog.” Slowing down retrieves and waiting those extra few seconds after the blowup will increase hook up rates for these finnicky fish. Bass fishing on the flats has been slow in the late summer heat but reports show anglers have been boating a few nice ones. A Gary Yamamoto Senko fished wacky rig style on an octopus hook is a good option for getting lethargic bass to bite.
Way North Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, August 5 Update:
We have a new Fishing Reports editor, folks! FishTalk welcomes Dillon Waters to the team, an angler who has sent in reader photos in the past that have made us thoroughly jealous — stripers, specks, and reds that any of us would be thrilled to catch. Dillon says:
“I’m a lifelong resident of Maryland. What an awesome state for fishing, right? I’m an avid outdoorsman and my main hobbies include fishing, hunting, and photography. If I have any free time, you will either find me on the water or in the woods! I graduated from St. Mary's College of Maryland in 2021 with a B.S. in Biology and Environmental Studies and currently have a full-time position with the Department of Natural Resources Wildlife and Heritage Service working as a wildlife response technician. My favorite freshwater fish to catch is crappie (St. Mary's Lake has been very reliable) and my favorite saltwater fish to catch are speckled trout (the Tangier Sound is a beautiful place to target them). One of my other big interests is baseball — go O's! I look forward to being able to provide detailed and accurate reports to FishTalk’s readers moving forward.”
Welcome aboard, Dillon!
Rockfish Alert: It’s time to hit the water folks, rockfish season reopened on Monday! Yay! Early reports indicate that they are still holding strong in their areas from last month. Please remember to handle these fish with care when releasing them as hot temps and low oxygen are putting them under high stress!
As rockfish come back into the picture many anglers may focus their efforts there, but a steady and reliable catfish bite is always awaiting. A reader checked in from the Elk to let us know the catfish continued biting there. Any of the tidal waters of the Upper Bay will produce nice sized cats this time of year. Dropping down cut bait or chicken livers has been bringing multiple fish into the boats most days. Up on the flats, anglers targeting rockfish again have found good numbers while live lining and chucking.
On the Susquehanna, the best bites have come in the cooler parts of the day. Just as we don’t want to do work out in this heat, neither do the fish! Herbs reports that smallies and largemouth have been being caught using Bass Assassins and a variety of other topwater lures early in the mornings. Once the sun gets up, focus in on shaded areas with structure or moving water. Snakeheads are still active and providing good action for anglers targeting them. Topwater frogs and chatter baits over grass and lilies have been the way to go on the artificial side. Live minnows always seem to be a favorite of snakehead, so don’t hesitate to throw some under a bobber in these hotter temps.
Crabbing Report: We are hearing that anglers are picking up crabs in the Elk River and the Bohemia. Those using trotlines and drop traps have had steady pickings. As we move later into the summer, the crabbing should only get better, and the crabs should only get bigger!