Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 6/29/2018:
Tactics for fishing the Middle Bay have taken a shift this week, as the chumming bite has slowed down and has been replaced with far more active trolling and (daybreak and sunset) topwater fisheries. Many anglers continue to run north to hit the Upper Bay spots that have been so productive, and jiggers in the area are spending a lot of time at the bridge pilings and sometimes the sewer pipe, both of which have had an on-again, off-again bite for mostly small rock with some decent fish mixed in. Chumming is still productive to some degree at Hackett’s Bar, however, Anglers reported that far less fish are coming from the area and fishing here is less reliable then it has been. Most boats have shifted to focusing on the areas around Thomas Point and the channel ledges in Eastern Bay, where trolling has gained popularity. There have also been decent numbers of boats jigging in E-Bay, finding a sporadic bite that seems to come on and drop off depending on the tide and current. Alltackle suggested trollers use red and green hoses, small spoons, and bucktails.
Topwater has been hot at the Thomas Point rocks near sunset — Rapala and Badonk-a-donks have been lures of choice. However, boat traffic here has been heavy and often there are several boats anchored plus several more drifting, all close up to the rocks. This week team FishTalk (Mollie Rudow and some old guy who calls himself Angler in Chief) headed out to catch the evening bite, but was forced to stay near shore due to high winds and rough seas. Poor conditions did not stop them from landing white perch just shy of double digits inside Selby Bay, plus one large channel cat, all caught on soft crab. We must note, the white perch proved to be delicious when paired with locally caught crab picked and doused in an imperial sauce.
Speaking of crabs: while trot-lining is still below our usual expectations, six to eight foot depths have been providing fair to middling catches. Half to three-quarter full bushel baskets have been common. On the bright side, a large proportion of the crabs have been very large.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 6/22/2018:
With the Upper Bay on fire the past week, anglers have been hitting the water and heading north in great abundance — and the vast majority of them have been returning with fish, as well. Although there has been some action going on south of the bridge, Alltackle in Annapolis reported that most boats have been heading north and hitting Podickory Point, Love Point, or fishing the LP Buoy. Truth be told, boats from as far south as Chesapeake Beach have been spotted all the way up by Love Point on a regular basis lately. As is typical for this time of year, the majority of fish have been right around the 20 inch mark, however fishing deeper water is resulting in some larger fish around 30 inches being caught. Anglers recommended heading away from the pack and trying out some deeper spots along channel edges where large fish are likely to be lazing in the cooler water on bottom. Most guys in the pack around the “busy” spots this time of year have been chumming or chunking, with the occasional white perch live-liner mixed in with hopes of catching a larger fish. (A few spot have been encountered by anglers dropping bloodworms in the area, but for the most part not in numbers strong enough to plan on filling the livewell). Trolling has also been a reliable option, however most of the areas where trolling would be productive are packed with boats, and trolling through them runs a high risk of crossing lines. Check out the Upper Bay report, for more details.
Anglers staying close to home have been hitting Hackett’s and the area right off Chesapeake Beach, which Island Tackle Outfitters reported have been good spots for trolling and chumming. White perch are running steady in our local rivers — Marty’s reported that the West and South have been particularly packed, and simply dropping a bottom rig should result in a nice white perch dinner.
Angler in chief Lenny Rudow reports that there are also lots of stripers in the South, and although the majority are small, there are some 20-inch fish among them. During a working trip on the river to shoot video for BoatU.S. Magazine this Wednesday a bunch of 15 to 18 inchers plus one keeper magically somehow still managed to end up finding their way to the boat (oops), even though the focus was solely on work. Solely and completely. He also says wait, never mind, don't print any of that.
Thomas Point Light is holding fish too, however, it’s been getting pounded by charters and recreational boats alike. Be the first one there at daybreak or the last one there at sunset.
Crabbers have been having fair-to-middling catches, nothing like the brief and hot run a couple weeks ago but the water isn’t devoid of crustaceans, either.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 6/15/2018:
Angler’s noted that downsizing the size of trolling lures has paid off dividends in the Bay recently, with spoons doing the trick. Some popular spots for trollers have been just south of Bloody Point and just west of Poplar. G-Eye jigs are making a splash with six-inch chartreuse tails in around 20 to 35 feet of water. Chumming Hackett’s and the contour from there up to the Bridge has also been a good bet, producing 20-somethings on a moving tide – but having moving water has been critical. Marty's says they're stocked up on chum and MD-legal circle hooks.
Jigs were crushing it around the The Hill, though that bite seemed to be dropping off at the end of the week, and Thomas Point is also holding some fish. Angler in chief Lenny Rudow says that earlier this week he found only small fish (and not the hordes from previous weeks) at Poplar, but some keeper-sized fish up to 22 inches were at Thomas, which had been holding dinks previously. Island Tackle let us know that Eastern Bay has definitely slowed down, but that there were still decent numbers of fish around. Hollicutt’s Noose to Tilghman Point have been the better areas. Small six-inch shads and small bucktails have been getting plinkers around Poplar, and also at the mouths of several tributaries. Most of the trollers posting good numbers of keepers have been a bit farther south, off Chesapeake Beach. Many of the anglers down that way may soon be switching to live-lining, as a few (very few so far, but this may change overnight) spot have begun showing up for those dropping bloodworms on bottom rigs. Some croaker are also mixed in with that catch, from the Choptank down.
Crabbing picked up significantly last week but has been up and down; Bay Country was expecting the mother lode of fowl necks and should be ready for you. Some people are reporting a bushel in the boat, others are making do with a couple dozen. The good news is that most of the catch has been very large jimmies, though many are white-bellies.
Editor’s note: Mollie Rudow is on break; this week’s reports were compiled by FishTalk intern Parker Martin.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 6/8/2018:
Go ahead and just throw a dart at the map, because the Middle Bay is in ‘Peake condition. The Eastern Bay is a hot place to be, with Tilghman Point and Parson’s Island being prime spots to catch a fair share of schoolie rockfish with a couple bigger ones thrown into the mix. FishTalk team member Zach Ditmars reported taking fish up to 26 inches in Eastern Bay during the CCA tourney, with a 3/8 Hard Head jig, Zman skirt and white Gulp Jerk Shad doing the trick. Keeping in line with the other spots along the Bay, topwater has also been producing quite steadily (we have photo-confirmed reader reports of good topwater action in Eastern Bay and the mouth of the West River at dawn), but jigging remains to be your best bet when light tackle is the name of your game.
Angler in Chief Lenny Rudow zipped out to Thomas Point early this week and reports hordes of shorts with some throw-backs mixed in, in 12 to 16 feet of water. The ratio of undersized fish to keepers was at least 25:1, and five inch pearl plastics were getting the most bites. The Bay Bridge pilings are also proving to be a nice holding ground for vertical jigging action.
For boats looking to set-up their spread on the troll, be ready for either a red-hot day or getting skunked, as this seems to be the way the Bay has been treating trollers since the stripers are occasionally staying tight-lipped. Some anglers have persisted by fishing moving tides with chartreuse lures while switching up their depths on the troll, leading to some very impressive catches – still including some trophies – near Bloody Point and Poplar’s Island. Trollers seem to be doing a bit better slightly farther south off Chesapeake Beach, where much of the charter fleet has been based lately.
You may also want to grab your chum buckets, because chum has been bringing in the fish the past few days. Fishermen and fisherwomen with alewife on the end of their circle hooks have been reeling them in consistently. Angler’s has reported several spots you should keep on your GPS, including Podickory Point, Hacketts Point, and just south of Thomas Point. Reader reports also indicate Tolly Point is producing fish in the mid-20s for chummers. Now is the time to be chumming, so tie on those rigs and get crackin’!
There are FINALLY being some crabs caught by those trot-lining in the Middle Bay rivers. Bay Country reports that down-river areas are producing best and we bumped into a crabber at the dock who returned from an afternoon on the West with 2/3 of a bushel including some extremely nice jimmies.
Editor’s note: Mollie Rudow is on break; this week’s reports were compiled by FishTalk intern Parker Martin.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 6/1/2018:
MIDDLE BAY REMINDER: We've been hearing reports of multiple boaters ripping off outdrives up on the north side of Poplar. Remember folks, there are rockpiles at or under the waterline!! Stay well away from the cranes and buoys!!
Okay, now for the good stuff: The striped bass bite is in full swing, and near every method of fishing has been productive. Alltackle in Annapolis reported that trolling still seems to be the most popular modus operandi, with anglers keeping close to shipping channels and steep edges from the Bay Bridge down. Sticking to areas with depths reaching below 25 feet increases your chance of landing larger trophy rock, which are still prowling our waters. Most anglers have been pulling spreads of bucktails, with large spoons mixed in with hopes of landing a larger fish. Chummers have been taking post-spawn trophies too, as the delayed spawn has meant some very hefty stripers are just now leaving the Bay. Hackett’s has been a steady producer of good-sized fish, for the chummers.
Jigging has also been productive, along channel edges and close to the Bay Bridge and its pilings. Anglers reported that while fishing the channel edges has been considerably slower, the grade of fish coming from deeper water has been far better than the suspended fish around the bridge and just north of it. Island Tackle Outfitters reported that Eastern Bay has seen some jigging action, and also has been a hot spot for chumming, in addition to Hackett's. There has been a charter fleet at The Hill putting chum in the water and enjoying success on fish in the 20 to 30 inch range.
Angler in chief Lenny Rudow passed through Eastern Bay last weekend and reports that there were stacks of fish on the meter up near Tilghman Point, and although they were finicky they did hit skirted white jigs. Most of the fish were 20-somethings but an angler on a near-by boat pulled in (and released, of course – fish up inside Eastern remained off-limits until today) a 36-incher. Lenny says to send out a thanks to the guys in the silver-hull center console, for helping him out!
Trollers are still enjoying a solid bite out in front of Chesapeake Beach. Rockfish are schooled enough that jiggers can get in on them too, though boats pulling bucktails and parachutes with six-inch shad bodies are catching the bulk of the fish.
Still no solid reports of black drum from the Stone Rock.