Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, May 17 Update:
The Angler in Chief says that on the evening of opening day he found plenty of rockfish between 18” and 26” on shallow water structure in eight to 10’ of water just outside the South River which were willing to hit both paddletails and topwater. And despite their best efforts to find speckled trout last weekend, with a boat full of Team FishTalk members casting jigs and plugs of all different colors, shapes, and sizes, and fishing many multiple shallow water spots in the Choptank, Little Choptank, and at James Island, that day had turned into an unintentional rockfish-fest — so the shallows are definitely lit up right about now. However, readers fishing in the Choptank did report catching some specks, and Contributor Eric Packard reported finding some in the lower Patuxent as well. The Tackle Box reports that some redfish have been caught in the Pax, too. The best news is that we no longer have to avoid the stripers. As of May 16th, the summer and fall striped bass season in Maryland is open and anglers will be allowed to keep one fish per day within a slot of 19 to 24 inches. There are some areas of the Bay that are still closed to targeting, while others are catch and release only. We recommend viewing the striped bass regulation maps on the Maryland DNR website to see when and where you can fish for striped bass.
The spot are making an early showing this year and have already pushed into the Middle Bay. We have heard reports that eater sized fish are already being caught at the mouth of the Patuxent. Anglers Sport Center told us that spot are being caught as far north as the Bay Bridge and they are being found near shoals and areas with oyster bottom. They recommend trying Hacketts Point, Tolly Point, and the oyster reefs south of the Bay Bridge. Bottom rigs baited with Fishbites, bloodworms, or lug worms will be the best setup to use when bottom fishing. The white perch have also pushed into their summer areas and can be found in the many creeks off the Middle Bay tidal rivers. We heard from an angler who was fishing in the upper reaches of an unspecified creek but said that the perch were eager to hit live minnows fished under a bobber. Fishing close to docks produced a healthy stringer of eater sized fish. The perch fishing should only get better from here on out.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, May 10 Update:
The spring bite has really started to pick up in the Middle Bay this week. The Angler in Chief says that he finally located some blue catfish willing to eat shrimp in the South River up near the Route Two bridge, and much to his surprise, also located fair numbers of white perch which had already shifted over to their summertime haunts in the river’s creeks. Similarly, FishTalk’s Zach Ditmars encountered some nice perch casting around in a creek near his house where the fish generally move in later in the summer. Far more exciting news comes, however, in the speckled trout department. Contributor Eric Packard caught the first Patuxent River speckled sea trout — and the first Middle Bay speck — that we’ve heard of this year. Just a day later FishTalk intern Adam Greenberg caught a speck, too, this one on the shores of the Choptank on a Rapala X-Rap. He said he had two fish on while livelining silversides, too, but both pulled off the hook.
Water temperatures are now in the 60s in most locations and the speckled trout numbers should continue to increase in the mid Bay. Light tackle guide Pete Dahlberg of Four Seasons Guide Service has been finding more fish in the shallows of the Eastern Shore near the Honga River and expects the coming weeks to be great for targeting specks. They are a fun fish to catch and with stripers opening soon, the shallows should attract many anglers. The striped bass closure will end on May 16th in parts of the Bay. Once the season opens, anglers will be allowed to keep one fish per person per day between 19 and 24 inches. The fish should already be at their normal summertime hangouts. Last year the bulk of the fish were in the Upper Bay, but we will have to see where those fish end up once we can start targeting them. Check out the Maryland DNR striped bass maps to see when and where areas are open for stripers.
Spot seem to be making an early showing this year, with the mouth of the Pax noted as a hotspot by The Tackle Box. They said the Shea-D-Lady caught 64 eating-sized fish in the mouth of the river. Contributor Packard also encountered several in Mill Creek this week. They should be plentiful by the time striped bass season opens for those looking to live line them.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, May 3 Update:
The white perch run in the rivers is mostly a done deal, but tidal pond runs are still underway. We had a couple of reports from shoreline anglers who caught good numbers of fish casting floats suspending a shad dart tipped with grass shrimp. Finding the edge of a weedbed was noted as a good move. The tidal pond bite can vary depending on the day, but there are a bunch scattered from the Mayo peninsula down along Calvert Cliffs to give a try. White perch should also move into the Middle Bay tidal tributaries soon as water temperatures are warming up quickly. Once they make their way into the rivers, they can be found hanging out near rock jetties, docks, and fallen trees. Small spinners or underspin jigs work great for casting to structure with an ultra-light set up. Live minnows under a bobber is also a bait that perch usually can’t resist. Some fish may be in their summertime spots now, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to check them out.
Anglers looking for big blue catfish have had some success near the river mouths and also up the rivers, and FishTalk contributor Peter Turcik reported catching a 33-incher in the South. The AIC said he spent an afternoon looking for them near Mayo Beach but came up blank, proving that blind squirrels may find a nut now and then but they often go hungry, too. The Patuxent River is a great location if you are looking for a more consistent catfish bite. A reader fishing just south of Jug Bay reported that the evening bite was hot this week as they caught 10 blue catfish from the bank one day. They ranged from four pounds up to 15 pounds. If you are looking to get out on the river in a boat, there are a few boat launches on the Prince Georges County side of the river including Jackson’s Landing, Selby’s Landing, and Magruder’s Landing. Anchoring up along a ledge with shallow water close to deep water is a good strategy. Throwing out baits on both sides will usually reveal what depths the fish are hanging out in.