4/29/2017 Update:
Love Point continues to the one of the better areas to fish, as anglers struggle through a rather tough season. Today, Tom Donohue and Johnny Unkart caught this 39-incher in this area. Congrats to Tom and Johnny - we spoke to two anglers who trolled the upper bay for trophies today, and both drew a blank. One other angler reported catching throw-backs in the upper 20's at the bridge. In a couple of weeks, those throw-backs will turn into tasty fish!
4/28/2017 Update:
After a good couple of days last Friday and Saturday, the trophy bite settled right back to where it had been prior: S-L-O-W. Rockfishing has been slow in the northern-most parts of the bay for most of the season overall, but the better areas in which trophy stripers have been caught are around the Triple Buoys, the Love Point channel edges, and Podickory Point. Trolling chartreuse or white parachutes has produced the most fish. The biggest numbers are being caught around 35 feet of depth. Mike Jarrard caught a beautiful trophy plus a couple of throw-backs just yesterday, off Love Point. The keeper ate a chartreuse parachute tied on a tandem rig. On the bright side, anglers have reported that the early season jellyfish have moved South and are no longer such a nuisance.
Several light tackle anglers have reported nice catch-and-release fishing on stripers from the mid-20's up into the low 30 inch range. Near Bodkin Point, the mouth of the Magothy, and Love Point were all mentioned as hotspots, so when the smaller fish come in, we should have some excellent action.
Perhaps it’s the off-colored water or maybe some other factor is in play, but for one reason or another bait anglers do seem to still be out-catching trollers in the upper bay this season. Cut menhaden fished on bottom has been the ticket, especially in the 30 to 35 foot depths of waters off Podickory Point. There have been a lot of throw-backs mixed in, though, so anglers are reminded to either use circle hooks or set the hook quickly to avoid gut-hooking undersized fish.
4/23/2017 Update: Late Breaking update - rockfish fish came on strong Friday and Saturday. Whether it's due to the shift in the weather or the fish moving out of spawning areas, anglers in the upper Bay (all through the bay, actually) saw vastly improved catches with some boats reporting limits. The Love Point and Podickory areas were top picks. White and chartreuse were both effective, and cut bunker fished on bottom also produced good numbers of fish (mostly in 30 to 35 of water over muddy bottom).
4/21/2017 Update:
We spoke with Bud at Fishbone's and unfortunately, things have still been relatively slow for trollers in the upper bay. He said one of the better areas has been near the LP buoy off Love Point, with white and chartreuse umbrellas, parachutes, and tandems producing the most. He also said that as the water improves and more fish start making their way down the bay, he does expect fishing to pick up.
Interestingly, bait anglers seem to be doing better than trollers, overall. The waters off Podickory Point have been the best bet for chumming with bunker baits set dead on bottom in 30 to 35 feet of water. There have been a large number of throwbacks mixed in, so chummers are reminded to set the hook quickly and/or use circle hooks, to prevent gut-hooking undersized fish. Remember that if you do deep-hook a fish, it's better to cut the line as close to the fish's mouth as possible than it is to mangle the fish attempting to remove the hook.
We've also received reports of 30-inch fish in the shallows, on structure and prowling the shorelines in low-light conditions, especially at dusk. One angler who asked we not disclose his specific location took a pair of fish in the 30 inch range in just six feet of water, well north of the Bay Bridge.
4/16/2017 Update:
It was on the slow side for most anglers opening day, possibly due to the bright moon we had overnight, or the immense amount of boat traffic. The bulk of the fleet reported zero to three fish and an informal poll of a few anglers returning to Bodkin Creek found no joy. They did report that there are still lots of marks on the fishfinders, so it seems the stripers were out there but just not biting much. The anglers who did catch reported that white was a good color for trollers. Bait anglers did best with bunker chunks, but overall had similar results though with more throw-backs reported. Anglers should also know that the water's a bit off-color and there's a fair amount of debris still floating around from the last discharge up north.
4/14/2017 Update
Fishbone's reports that there are plenty of white perch in the creeks now (grass shrimp and bloodworms have been the best baits) and pickerel are still hitting too, but of course, the biggest news is the rockfish opener. They predict a good start to the season, as pre-fishing was excellent, there are still plenty of marks on the meter, and this past week there are were lots of stripers on the spawning grounds which had yet to move south. As you'll hear from most folks, Fishbone's says tandems and parachutes are going to be the ticket, for the striper opener.
Upper bay anglers should note that they opened up the floodgates at Conowingo earlier this week, and there is a slug of turbid water moving through. By all accounts it isn't horrible, but it has caused the water in some areas to be off-color and is reducing visibility. As of Thursday the gates had been closed back down and although water flow is still relatively high, the turbidity is settling out rather quickly. If you encounter the off-color water while trolling, remember that you're likely to see a thermocline on your meter somewhere between 15' and 30'. Savvy anglers will make sure to have a lure or two running just above, and just below, the thermocline depth.
4/7/2017
If you`re looking to catch some big ‘ol striped bass this season, be ready to go on opening day. Many local anglers are predicting a quick season due to the warm weather the Mid-Atlantic experienced this past February, which brought the rockfish into the upper bay earlier than they`d usually run. However short this season may be, according to the folks at Fishbone`s Bait and Tackle in Pasadena, Maryland, anglers have been catching and releasing massive amounts of large pre-season striped bass. Anglers have been using parachutes, tandem rigs, and umbrellas to target these monster fish. In addition to going after rockfish, fisherman in the upper bay also had a good shot at loading up on white perch this season. To target them, head to Beachwood Park or the upper Magothy. White perch had been biting on grass shrimp, but keep in mind that the early spawn could also mean an early departure from these areas for this species, and they could shift to late-season spots sooner than normal.
