Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 3/30/2018 Update:
Action is starting to pick up as waters warm, with Angler's reporting that trollers have been catching mostly schoolie sized rock plus some bigger fish along channel edges. Alltackle and Anglers both recommended heading south to the warm water discharge at Calvert Cliffs if you want to go for big fish with light tackle. Some trophy-sized fish have been rumored to be hanging out. Using large soft plastics in the 10-inch range with a one to two ounce jighead has been the most productive means of getting in on the catch and release fishery; make sure you get the jig down deep and bounce it near bottom, to get these fish biting.
Shoreline anglers fishing at dawn and dusk have begun picking up some trophies as well. We've had reader reports (some backed up with photos, some not) of fish caught at Sandy Point and Thomas Point on plugs, plastics, and bait. The numbers haven't been great and we've also heard from people who have seen zero action in these same spots but the potential is now there for making an epic shoreline catch, and this potential should only grow over the next couple of weeks.
There's also been a steady bite on school-sized stripers in the Severn, along the channel edges, for anglers using plastics.
Anglers heading to the Eastern Shore have been enjoying a steady pick on the white perch, though the yellows are now long gone. Grass shrimp on shad darts and two-inch green and blue tubes fished on 1/8th ounce jig-heads have been getting the job done in the usual spawning locations: Red Bridges, the Tuckahoe, and the upper reaches of the Nanticoke.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 3/23/2018 Update:
For it being the first week of spring, fishing has been unreasonably slow and the weather unreasonably uncooperative for those of us who would like to spend our time relaxing on the water. Marty's Sport Shop let us know the silver lining on the unfortunate fishing situation is that perch are still active in creeks, which have been the areas most protected from the weather. Perch are taking grass shrimp and bloodworms, with a few catfish in the mix. Anglers reported that a few crappie have been caught in the mill ponds, on little shad darts with grass shrimp. If you want to chase after crappie, be sure to check out our latest video, 3 Tips for Crappie Fishing:
Just before the storm pre-fishing was producing some nice catches. Trolling has led to some 40-plus-inch fish, and some fish (mostly in the 20-something range but with a few larger fish up to 40 inches or so mixed in here and there) were also still showing up at the CCNPP. That bite has, however, been in on-again, off-again mode. The recent water temperature drops may actually make warm water discharges a better in the near future.
On the Eastern Shore the perch run has been a bit less active than anglers were hoping for. There are still small male yellows being caught and some post-spawn females, but the whites have gone MIA thanks to the cold weather. Hopefully, they'll kick into gear again as the temperatures warm up. Meanwhile, the Western Shore rivers may actually be a better bet.
We are heartened by the effort to clean out the garbage that had collected behind Conowingo dam and applaud Exelon for getting this stuff out of the water before it flows down and clogs the Bay with debris. They've been using a crane-mounted clam-shell bucket to remove the wood and garbage, which according to an Exelon spokeswoman, is the largest volume of debris to come down the river in 20 years. Thank you for that, Excelon!
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 3/16/2018 Update:
Fishing has been pretty hit or miss lately, a result of awful weather and scattered fish. The folks at Marty's didn't have much to report on the local front but did mention that for the month of March they're offering 25-percent off on all line if you bring in a reel to spool up - either mono or braid - so now's the right time to get those reels re-spooled for spring. At Anglers Sport Center the recommendation was for heading to the Eastern Shore for perch, if you want to catch a few fish for dinner. This week it seemed to drop off, possibly because of high winds stirring up muddy water, but there's a good chance that improving conditions will trigger a stronger bite. See the Freshwater Reports for more details on what's happening perch-wise, up the rivers.
Keith from Alltackle in Annapolis suggested running down to the Power Plant to try your luck, as some pretty solid reports of fish are coming out of the area. (Large white and pearl BKDs and Hogies on one to two-ounce jig heads jigged along the bottom is the best way to get them biting). In addition, Alltackle has heard some reports of preseason trollers heading out on the waters of the Middle Bay, producing mixed results. Those who are catching haven't been landing high-grade fish, mainly just schoolies. Those who want to target pre-season stripers may also want to check the Upper Bay reports for info coming from the Baltimore area warm water discharges. There are some fish coming from the Bay Bridge when the winds allow boats to get out there, but most of those fish have been small, too.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 3/9/2018 Update:
Alltackle in Annapolis reported that perch fishing has been the most consistent fishery lately, however they're looking forward to seeing some spring rock become active. This week they had a few reports of guys catching small stripers near the Bay Bridge pilings, as well as around the mouth of the Chester. Angler's Sport Center also points to perch fishing as the best bet right now. Casting shad darts tipped with minnow or grass shrimp has been the best way to get 'em, and oddly, white perch have continued to out-number the yellows lately. The Tuckahoe and the upper Choptank remain top destinations. Some catch and release striper anglers have been hitting the CCNPP between storms but the weather has made it very tough to get out, and this bite has been slower and for smaller fish than one would hope for recently. Check the Upper Bay report this week and you'll notice that the Baltimore-area warm water discharges may be a better bet at the moment.
Angler-in-Chief Lenny Rudow managed to sneak away from his desk this week and enjoy the perch run that is happening across the Middle Bay area. He recommends heading to Red Bridges or the Tuckahoe, where perch and catfish are mixed in. He suggested getting in on the action sooner rather than later, as the perch seem to be running on an accelerated schedule this year and could be spawning earlier than usual. Grass shrimp have been the best bait, with bull minnow coming in a close second. On the western side the upper Patuxent has been running high and cloudy, but has still been producing a few perch. Both whites and yellows are in attendance and are hitting grass shrimp, and night-crawlers. Reader Eric Packard also reported limited success casting a #6 Mepps.
Reminder: Even though it seems like perch fishing is as safe as it gets, the Delaware NRP is reporting that last weekend a slip into the Nanticoke resulted in a drowning death. The water's still very cold, so be careful.
ANGLER ALERT: There's talk of re-opening the black drum commercial fishery in the Chesapeake. Maryland has proposed the opening to the ASMFC and public input is now open, plus there will be a public meeting on the topic next week. See Angler Alert: Maryland Commercial Black Drum Re-Opening Proposed, to learn the details and make your voice heard.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 3/2/2018
Word in the Middle Bay is that yellow perch are continuing to be the most productive fishery, and are packed tight in the Eastern Shore rivers and on the Western Shore in the Magothy and to a lesser degree, the Severn. Some catfish are mixed in with the catch, and Anglers had a few reports of guys catching small rock around the Bay Bridge pilings. There’s also still a (catch and release) striper bite in the Severn River on fish in the mid-20-inch range. Or, at least there had been up until this front hit...
Catfish have been hanging around the Patuxent, and a reader reported catching two catfish and five white perch on the outgoing tide during the evening. All were caught on night crawlers on bottom, in high and rather muddy water. We also heard there were perch in the holes north of the Route 4 bridge, although that was before this weather hit and the water got skunked up.
We didn’t reach the folks at Bay Country this week but we’re reminded that Maryland’s crabbing season will be open in a month, giving anyone desperate for some Maryland crabs something to look forward to – as well as the warm weather that will follow.
On the eastern side, perch are the name of the game. They’ve been reported in the Tuckahoe, the Choptank at Greensboro and up, Watts Creek, in the Nanticoke all the way up by Seaford, and in the upper Wicomico. Minnow and grass shrimp fished on shad darts or bottom rigs have been the ticket. The strange thing is that large whites have been reported at several up-river locations in good numbers, mixed in with a handful of small yellows. We can’t say if the run will come and go very early this year, but the presence of large whites in areas where we’d expect to just see the yellows beginning to arrive could be an indication.