Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, August 30 Update:
Striped bass are still a primary target for anglers in the Upper Bay and they will remain at the top of the list throughout the rest of summer and fall. The hotspots in this region are still Pooles Island, the Patapsco River, and the Bay Bridge. There is an abundance of spot around Sandy Point and the various shoals in the Upper Bay which are perfect live lining bait for anglers targeting the stripers. You can catch them by dropping down a bottom rig tipped with Fishbites, lugworms, or bloodworms. The Fishbites are likely the most cost-effective option and will stay on the hook much better than other baits, plus they catch just as well. White perch are another popular target right now that are being caught all over. Schools of perch are in the shallows near rip-rap shorelines, docks, jetties, and any other structure that may give them cover. They can also be caught in open water along oyster bottom using the same rigs you would use for spot. In the shallows, live minnows, shad darts, and small spinners are a few of the go-to baits that are tried and true.
In the bad news category, reports of dead floating striped bass continued to pop up this week from many areas within the Patapsco River. Anglers noted that waters near Fort Smallwood, Rock Creek, and the old Key Bridge all had floaters this week. The die offs are likely due to a few different causes with the biggest issue being water quality. Water temperatures in the Upper Bay are still in the 80s, which means dissolved oxygen levels can be very low at times. Add in stormwater runoff bringing pollution into the tributaries and it can spell disaster for stripers. Anglers should be intentional about handling striped bass with extreme care as their environment is already putting a lot of stress on them. Despite this poor news, there was still some good fishing in the river this week. Captain Sean Gonketchum went out for an evening trip this week and said the open water bite turned on very late with a very short bird show. He took advantage of the blitz, and his boat landed five fish. The stripers wouldn’t hit topwater, but four-inch paddletails got them chewing. Captain Sean also mentioned that the river was loaded with schools of bait, which can make it hard sort out where fish are feeding at times. Another angler reported that various rip-rap shorelines in the different zones of the Upper Bay have been productive for stripers from sunrise until around eight o’clock. Topwater baits have worked well in this time frame with soft plastics getting bit later in the morning as the sun gets up.
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, August 22 Update:
It was a gorgeous week on the bay with a cool north breeze bringing fall-like weather across the region. The cooler weather has been welcomed after a summer full of near record high temperatures and lots of folks got out to take advantage of it. An angler fishing in the Patapsco had a successful morning trip at the old Key Bridge pilings. They caught eight stripers up to 25-inches using half ounce jigheads and bass assassins. After having fun with the stripers, they moved to a different location and caught a bunch of small perch, a few croaker, and one channel catfish. Striped bass hotspots continue to be centered around the lumps of Pooles Island, inside the Patapsco River, around Love Point, and at the Bay Bridge. Perch are active in the creeks and over oyster bar, providing one of the more reliable bites.
Water quality is still a big issue in the upper Bay right now. Although water temperatures have cooled off with the milder weather and recent rains, dissolved oxygen levels are still poor. Rainwater runoff has also contributed to poor water quality and multiple reports of dead fish floating have come in. We encourage anglers to use best catch and release practices to limit mortality. Keep fish in the water if possible, when releasing and if you plan to take them out of the water, get them back in quickly.
White perch fishing is great in the rivers and a better class of fish is being caught across this region. Hotspots include the shallow pilings of the Bay Bridge, Six Foot Knoll, Seven Foot Knoll, and the Patapsco shipping docks. Bottom rigs baited with peeler crab, Fishbites, or bloodworms is a surefire way to get them biting. The shallows of the tributaries are also producing a few puppy drum as far north as the Magothy with higher regularity the farther south you fish. Slot reds have been caught as far north as the South River, so catching one above the Bay Bridge isn’t out of the question. Amped Up Outdoors is hosting their 4th annual Perch-A-Palooza this Saturday with prizes for the five biggest white and yellow perch. There is also a catch and release division. The areas open to fishing in the tournament include the Magothy River and all of it's tributaries, Marley Creek, Rock Creek, Stoney Creek, Furnace Creek, Bodkin Creek, Down's Park, and Fort Smallwood Park.
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, August 15 Update:
Late summer fishing has a lot of anglers on the water as we enjoy excellent action and many anglers try to squeeze in as many fishing trips as they can with their kiddos before school starts. If you ask us, fishing should always be an excused absence during the school year. Several reader reports came in this week of upgraded white perch fishing experiences, with grass shrimp and spinners mentioned as top offerings. A couple of the fish topped the foot-long mark and one reader said he lost count of how many he caught with nonstop action fishing piers and riprap along the south side of the Magothy River and Deep Creek from daybreak to about 9:30, when the bite dropped off. A reader out of Sandy Point had a productive trip while fishing the Bay Bridge. They found spot biting well in 11 feet of water and filled their livewell with a dozen for live lining. After hopping around to a few different pilings in deeper water, he put a nice 21-inch rockfish on ice then moved back to shallower water to target perch. Small spot strips were the ticket to steady fishing which include perch around nine inches, croaker around five to seven inches, and one 13-inch puppy drum.
Striped bass fishing in the Upper Bay continues to be concentrated near Pooles Island and the Patapsco River this week. A lot of fish are being caught near structure such as the shipping docks, the Key Bridge, rip-rap shorelines, and lumpy bottom. Live-lining with spot has been the most popular tactic, but jigs are also working and topwater lures have been very productive during low light hours. An angler fishing with his daughter near Fort McHenry found steady action with schoolie stripers along with some nice sized white perch and channel catfish. They boxed one keeper rock, a channel catfish, and a couple big perch to take home. Unfortunately, they mentioned that there were quite a few dead over-slot rockfish floating in with the tide. Water temperatures are still very warm and the recent rains from Debbie had a lot of runoff flowing into the Bay which likely decreased water quality. Make sure to handle rockfish with care if you plan to release them and try your best to keep them in the water while taking your hook out.
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, August 9 Update:
Striped bass fishing picked up right where it left off before the summer closure with the best reports in the Upper Bay coming from the Patapsco River and Pooles Island. Many of the boats fishing the lumps around Pooles have been live lining spot to catch their fish with good success. There was a lull for striper fishing in the Patapsco during the heart of summer, but since the season has opened back up fishing has been good for those getting on the water early. We had multiple reports from the river come in this week starting with an angler fishing in the Canton area on their kayak. They caught a few stripers on Bass Assassins and live shiners while fishing structure. A little later in the morning they started targeting spot for bait and found a nice school of white perch hanging with them. Channel and blue catfish were quick to eat the live lined spot before the stripers had a chance. Other anglers reported that rocky shorelines and jetties were holding good numbers of fish at the mouth of the river. The best day we heard of was an angler who landed 25 stripers up to 24 inches while throwing Heddon topwater spooks along rocky shorelines. As the sun got up, they switched to fishing docks with swimbaits and caught several fish up to 28 inches. As the remnants of Hurricane Debbie blow through, fishing conditions are unfavorable, but the forecast to start next week looks much better.
Fishbones Bait and Tackle says that bottom fishing has been action packed inside the rivers, at the Bay Bridge, and along the shoals in the main stem of the Bay. Spot, white perch, and croaker have been the main catch with the larger spot being caught closer to Sandy Point. There has even been some keeper croaker around which we have not seen in a long time. The shallower pilings of the Bay Bridge and the rock piles of the former Key Bridge are both popular locations to catch white perch. Bloodworm prices have shot through the roof in recent years, and yes, they are still great bait, but there are other more financially affordable options that will also catch fish. Bloodworm flavored Fishbites are the next best thing, and they stay on the hook much better than real bloodworms thanks to their mesh center. Lugworms are another option that has been proven to work. Any of these baits on bottom rigs or Chesapeake Sabiki rigs should catch any of our bottom dwellers.
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, August 2 Update:
Striped bass season is open again in Maryland after the summer closure. We don’t have any recent reports since anglers are just getting back out on the water to target them, but some should roll in over the weekend. Before the closure, larger concentrations of fish were being found in the Patapsco River and around Pooles Island. Spot have been abundant in the Upper Bay around the shoals which is where many anglers are getting their bait for live lining. Anchoring up near the Pooles Island lumps is where many boats will likely start their search now that the season is open again. There is also an abundance of blue catfish that can be caught in this zone and throughout the Upper Bay rivers.
Schools of striped bass have were harder to locate in the Patapsco during the first half of July and the abundance of dolphins may have something to do with it. When the pods come through, they can quickly shut down the bite. The shallower pilings and rock piles around the Bay Bridge have been offering great bottom fishing action for white perch and spot. The mouth of the Magothy, Seven Foot Knoll, and Six Foot Knoll have also been productive bottom fishing locations. In the shallows, the best bite has been at dawn and dusk and in the shade with Perch Pounders and small jigs producing fish. There have also been a lot of small croakers with very few keepers around, but between them and the other bottom dwellers, action has been steady. Bottom fishing is great for new anglers or kids to get an introduction to fishing on the Bay. Bloodworms, lugworms, and Fishbites are the best baits to use on bottom rigs. If you find a school of fish, they often bite as soon as your rig gets to the bottom. An angler fishing near Fort Carroll found lots of three-inch spot and croaker along with some eating size perch.
Crabbing Report: Crabbing seems to be on the upswing in the Upper Bay with better reports from the tributaries. There was a report from a boat on an unspecified creek of the Patapsco that caught six dozen crabs in 30 drop traps. It took around three hours to catch their crabs, and all were caught in six to eight feet of water.
Reminder to Anglers: Striped bass season is now open again in Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay. Anglers are allowed to keep one fish per person per day between 19 and 24 inches. The season will remain open until December 10th.