8/24/2017 Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report Update:
As we move into the end of August, the Upper Bay continues to be the place to be for anglers looking to have an action-packed day of fishing. Our friends at Tochterman’s reported that Swan Point, Snake Reef, Love Point, and Podickory Point have continued to be hotspots this summer. Although the fish are packed in tight at these spots, many have been undersized. However, the patient angler will find that catching a big one should come with some time, after sorting through the little guys. Chumming, live lining, and light tackle jigging have been the most popular tactics at most of these spots. Fishing the bay with these tactics has been made difficult recently, however, by schools of small bluefish stealing baits, hooks, and rigs. For anglers looking to catch the blues (or at least avoid all the bite-offs), trolling with lures like small spoons are your best option. Some anglers have opted to troll channel ledges instead of fighting in the fleet for a good spot to anchor. See Summer Trolling Tactics for Schoolie Striped Bass, to get the scoop on this tactic.
Some spot have been reported just north of the Bridge, and small croaker are mixed in with the catch. They are, however, very small. White perch are packing local rivers, and are taking bloodworms and grass shrimp. They can also be found in excellent numbers around structure and hard bottom in the open bay.
Crabbing in the Upper Bay area remains so-so, with lots of crabs around but too many smalls and females.
8/18/2017 Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report Update:
As in previous weeks, the Upper Bay continues to be full of life. Swan Point, Podickory Point, and Love Point have remained hotspots as the summer has moved along, providing reliable fishing for anglers up and down the bay. Light tackle jigging, chumming, and live lining spot have been the most common and dependable methods for targeting rockfish. Some anglers are still trolling red hoses and Tsunamis, however the trolling bite has seen a significant drop off compared to these other techniques.
A majority of fish that were caught in the Upper Bay this week have been undersized, however there are plenty larger fish in the mix. Tochterman’s also reports that spot have moved north of the bridge, however not in huge numbers. This has been good for live liners fishing the upper bay, however, the bad news is that small bluefish have also moved further north, disrupting the chumming and live lining bites by stealing baits and snatching hooks.
Angler's Sport Center reports that a big black drum was also caught north of the Bridge this week, on a chunk of menhaden fished on bottom near the Magothy River. Nice perch and some eating-sized spot are also making a showing for anglers fishing bloodworms and clam near the pilings of the bridge. They also reminded us that their White Perch Open tournament is Sunday, at Podickory Point Yacht Club.
8/11/2017 Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report Update:
The Upper Bay has remained the place to be for anglers looking for a day of action-packed fishing. Fishbones and Tochterman’s both told us that Love Point, Podickory Point, Snake Reef, and Swan Point have stayed productive hotspots. Anglers trolling channel ledges with red hoses and Tsunamis are typically catching the largest fish, however, many anglers have also found some success in catching 25 to 28 inch fish while live lining with spot. For those willing to sort through piles of throw-backs to get to their keepers, chumming has been the method of choice. but as bluefish have moved into the Upper Bay, many fishermen are encountering issues with having their baits - and hooks - stolen. Some catfish are mixed in with the chumming catch, as well. Fishbones also reports some breaking fish around Swan and Love Point, which can hold larger fish underneath the breaking schoolies.
The Bay Bridge pilings and rockpiles have both been holding fish but are on-again, off-again much of the time, possibly due to constant pressure. Last night several boats were spotted night-fishing with lights, along the pilings.
Spot have moved into the Magothy and the Chester rivers as well as shell bottom at Belvidere Shoals and Snake Rip bar, and white perch fishing has stayed good close to shore and on the shoals. Grass shrimp and bloodworms have been the best bait. Crabbing has been fair in most local rivers.
8/3/2017 Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report:
The Upper Bay has had quite a few hotspots this summer, and although some are slowing down, others are always popping up. Fishbone’s reports that Podickory Point is no longer producing such great numbers of keeper size fish, and the catch has been limited because most fish have been far undersized throwbacks. Anglers chumming are starting to lose hooks and bait to bluefish in the area, too. Bluefish that have been caught have been small. Hodges Bar and Snake Reef are experiencing some good numbers of fish, however, and Tochterman’s suggests going after them with light tackle. Light tackle jigging and trolling have produced decent fish, and most trollers are also having better luck with finding keepers by using tandems and bucktails with small swim shads. Swan Point and Love Point are still full of keeper fish, and chunking has been the method of choice at those spots. Some anglers just above the bridge have been lucky enough to catch spot to liveline with, and livelining has proved to produce some larger fish.
Perch fishing has been good in most rivers, and a few catfish are mixed in with the catch depending on location. Perch are taking bloodworms, as always, while catfish have been hitting cut baits.
Crabbing has slowed down but continued to be steady, and although most crabbers are still taking home dinner, it is certainly taking longer to fill the basket. The ratio of keepers to small crabs has also dropped significantly.