Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, 4/27/2018 Update:
Everyone we spoke with, from Alltackle to Anglers, said there's no skating around the fact that fishing has been slow - this years start to rockfish season has been disappointing with only seven fish checked in out of over 100 boats fishing the Boatyard Spring Rockfish Tournament . Captain John of Patent Pending Charters said he's hopeful that with the surface temperature warming up this week, the water temperature will rise above 56 degrees, where it tends to be when fish come out of the rivers and begin their migration down the bay. Although most of us were skunked last weekend, Cathy Anders aboard the U.S. Blues caught this 44 inch rockfish - and fishing has improved ever so slightly through the week.
We didn't keep a tabulation of skunk-versus-catch reports in the usual Middle Bay hotspots (you always hear from a lot more people who caught than from those who did not), however, judging from the reports of reader, we think the ratio last weekend was something like 15:1 or 20:1. Yikes. Through the week after some sun beamed down on the bay it was more like 10:1, so we can at least honestly say that things are improving. Jiggers who hit the power plant actually have been out-catching trollers, though most of the fish being caught in the warm water discharge were undersized and the bite is usually over shortly after the fleet builds - being there pre-dawn and fishing while most people are still running has been a key to success. Large BKDs and Bust 'ems in glitter purple, chartreuse, and white were getting the job done.
Fishing fresh cut bunker on bottom has been another option that has produced some fish, though mostly throw-backs. Angler in Chief Lenny Rudow fished off Hackett's in 32 feet of water briefly Saturday morning then again Sunday evening and said he landed zero fish, but did have one on which came unbuttoned. However, it appeared to be small fish and certainly was not keeper-sized, and he saw a boat catch and release two that looked to be in the low to mid 20-inch range. Congrats to the guys in the panga, for at least not getting skunked!
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, 4/20/2018 Update:
The past week was a great opportunity for fishermen along the bay to get out and test the waters, so to speak, and get a sense for how the opening day of rockfish season will be. To many angler's dismay, however, fishing has been relentlessly slow up and down the bay. The only hotspot we've been hearing about is the Calvert Cliffs Warm Water Discharge, where jigging has been steadily producing large females. Alltackle recommended using large chartreuse and white BKDs. It is worth nothing that while this area has been hot, there is likely to be an astronomical number of boats at the Cliffs on opening day, and if you're thinking of fishing there, it would be a good idea to have a backup plan. That said, see Fishing for Trophy Rockfish in Warm Water Discharges, if you're not familiar with how to hit the power plant. Outside the Cliffs' warm water discharge, Marty's Sport Shop reported that trollers working channel edges have seeing a bit of action, though not at all what we would hope for this close to the seasons open. We've also had a couple reader reports of jiggers catching some trophy-sized fish near channel edges when they spotted large schools of bait on the meter. Angler's reports similar relatively slow action, and mentions that they have just received a load of fresh bunker and are ready to fill the bait coolers of anglers looking to try chumming opening weekend.
If you'd rather wait for the striper bite to pick up before hitting the Bay and are looking for other options, white perch are still biting in many of the tributaries on grass shrimp and bloodworm baits. FishTalk team member Zach Ditmars found that the snakeheads are also biting on the Eastern Shore, on bull minnow, along with a mix of white and yellow perch.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, 4/13/2018 Update:
If you get the chance to head out on the water during the warm weather we're expecting this weekend, we recommend heading south of the bridge and trolling channel edges. Anglers and Alltackle have had a number of reports of trophy fish coming from trollers. Most other reports this week came from Calvert Cliffs warm water discharge, where the sunset bite has been especially hot. Marty's recommended using large soft plastics, jigged in the discharge. Anglers jigging open water have been able to locate fish in a few cases, some of them quite nice.
As you can see from the above picture (thanks for that, Josh!) there are some very nice fish now swimming in the Middle Chesapeake. We received several other reader reports of similar action taking place when large schools of bait could be found on the meter along the channel edges in 20 to 35 feet of water.
The other option for Middle Bay anglers right now is to get in on the white perch and shad runs, both of which are kicking on the Eastern Shore. The DNR report states that the Choptank up above Greensboro is loaded with hickories, with matches up with a couple reader reports we've received that were backed by photos. On the western side the whites are also biting in the Patuxent, which was verified by angler in chief Lenny Rudow, who says he found big balls of fish just below Wayson's in 20-foot plus holes. The fish bit best on grass shrimp on the incoming and slack tide, but changed their mind and on the outgoing, he says all they wanted was bloodworm bits. Lost of mostly small catfish were mixed into the catch.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, 4/6/2018:
Heading out on the water was made a tempting possibility this week, with a little bit of sunshine and some breaks between the wind-storms. Alltackle in Annapolis reported that fishing the channel edges has been the best option for large pre-season fish, with plenty of trollers catching a mix of male schoolies and some larger females. A number of readers have also been letting us know about a decent jig bite, mostly on males but with a few larger fish mixed in. The Severn has come up again and again as holding fish. Same goes for the Power Plant, where anglers bouncing 10-inch BKDs and Hogies in white and pearl colors have been hooking into a mix of small fish and some big females. The numbers still aren't as good as some seasons, but the bite has picked up over what it was a couple weeks ago. The same can be said for shoreline anglers, who have encountered some very big fish but only on a limited basis. (See last week's Middle Chesapeake report to see a pic of a beautiful 45-incher caught from shore).
The white perch bite has continued to be consistent, primarily active in rivers where fish have been spawning including the Choptank, Tuckahoe, and Wicomico. There have also been some reports of success in the Magothy and the Patuxent, on the western side. Marty's Sport Shop recommended fishing with bloodworm or grass shrimp. The white perch run can't be expected to last much longer, so if you want to get in on this action the time to fish is asap.