Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, December 29 Update:
The Patapsco River offers some of the best opportunities for catching winter striped bass in the Upper Bay. Fishing with a slow approach and small baits will typically be the most effective approach. A lot of times, resident fish will set up on channel edges or in the deeper areas around Baltimore Harbor. Anglers who target these fish in the winter have indicated that calm and windless days have often provided the best bites. The rock piles at the Bay Bridge are another good place to search for winter stripers. Large ocean run fish are still being caught just to the south with solid reports as far north as Bloody Point. It is possible that some of these fish will venture into the Upper Bay waters so it may be worth checking channel edges for signs of fish. If you have the opportunity to get down to the middle Bay grounds, there is some world class fishing going on right now. Remember, it’s important to handle these fish with care; check out Dos and Don’ts of Catch and Release Fishing for a brush-up on how to handle them without doing harm.
Pickerel are another highlight of the Upper Bay in the winter. The Severn and Magothy rivers offer some great pickerel fishing during the colder months with right now being a prime time to catch them. Shiny lures such as spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, and jerkbaits work very well and often produce reaction bites. Pickerel are ambush predators, so fishing around docks, rock jetties, and fallen trees can help to maximize success on the water. Anglers should consider entering the CCA Pickerel Championship which runs until the end of February. There are multiple divisions and calcutta’s with some great prizes to win. It is also a good way to earn bragging rights among other anglers. The yellow perch have also started to return to their hangouts in the upper Bay tidal creeks. Anglers in both the Severn and Magothy have reported scattered catches of perch with beetle spins being the hot lure this week. However, note that heavy runoff from the recent rainfall has made for turbid conditions in many local areas. Hopefully this will settle out by the weekend but if you find stained waters at your starting point searching for better clarity may be in order before you start casting.
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, December 22 Update:
We'll refocus to north of the bridge in a moment, but the striped bass fishing has been so red hot for trophy-sized fish in the Middle Bay recently that a run south seems to be in order... and the fish seem to be pushing further north. It wouldn’t be out of the question for some of the bigger fish to push into the Upper Bay as we approach the new year. In fact, we heard of an unverified report from an angler fishing near Love Point who said they caught three fish over 40 inches while jigging this week. Take that with a grain of salt, but big fish in that zone are not out of the question. Meanwhile, from the main-stem off Eastern Bay down to the Pax numerous fish in the 40- to 50-inch range have been caught consistantly in recent days by both jiggers and trollers. (See the Middle Bay report for full details).
Other traditionally productive places to fish for the rockfish on the Upper Bay in the winter include the Patapsco, Key Bridge, and the rock piles of the Bay Bridge. Most of the fish will be in 40 to 60 feet of water, so you will need to use heavy jigheads to get down to bottom. One and a half to two-ounce jigheads paired with big soft plastics is the standard for jigging right now. Trolling tandems or umbrella rigs has also worked well for boats taking that approach.
The staple of Upper Bay fishing in the winter is usually in the form of pickerel. The Magothy River, Bodkin Creek, and Baltimore area creeks all have healthy populations of pickerel that are a popular target for anglers when other fishing opportunities are hard to come by. The feeder creeks in all of these tidal tributaries have been productive this week. The fish will usually be sitting close to nearshore structure in the form of docks, rock jetties, and sunken wood. Lures with flash usually work well to entice the bite so you will want to throw spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, and jerkbaits. If you plan to fish for pickerel, consider entering the CCA Pickerel Championship which runs until the end of February.
White perch can be caught inside the Patapsco River in deeper waters this time of year. These fish tend to school up, so if you can locate some, it can turn into some steady fishing. We saw a report from an angler fishing near the Ore Dock who caught eight big white perch while jigging. The perch will stay hanging around the shipping docks and the Key Bridge through the colder months. They will also be found in deeper water in areas with oyster bottom. Dropping down blood worms on bottom rigs or sending down small metal jigs is usually the go-to tactic.
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, December 15 Update:
The official start of winter is less than a week away and the cold temperatures have slowed fishing down in the Upper Bay. The majority of the rockfish action has shifted south of the Bay Bridge, but there are still some fish hanging around for dedicated anglers to go looking for. The Patapsco River holds resident striped bass year-round. These fish have now moved deeper and can be found schooled up along channel ledges in the river and near the deeper waters near the shipping docks. Schools of white perch can also be found in the deeper waters of the river. If you are looking to find the perch out on the main stem of the Bay, look along areas with oyster bottom. The rock piles at the Bay Bridge is another location that will hold perch and rockfish throughout the winter.
The main highlight of the Upper Bay in the winter is the pickerel fishery in the tidal rivers. The Magothy, Bodkin Creek, and creeks to its north offer a great opportunity to keep fishing throughout the winter. Contributor Eric Packard visited these waters late last week and reports that four-inch whte paddletails on quarter-ounce heads did the trick, with most of the fish hanging near the ends of docks and piers. The pickerel are usually most concentrated in the upper reaches of these tidal waters and are found hanging around docks and similar shoreline structure. In the clear waters of the feeder creeks, throwing lures with a lot of action and shine work very well. Paddletails with underspins, jerkbaits, and chatterbaits are all effective for catching pickerel. Yellow perch are also an option during the winter in these same areas, but the better bite for them starts closer to February when they are getting ready to spawn. Still, some of these fish can be found in the smaller creeks. Live minnows are usually the bait to catch them.
ANGLER ALERT: If you partake in striped bass fishing in Maryland, remember, next year’s regulations will be changing to combine all Bay jurisdictions and you only have until December 22 to provide comment on 2024 regulation options! See Chesapeake Bay Angler Alert: 2024 Striped Bass Reg Changes for the details and instructions on how to submit comment.
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, December 8 Update:
The official start of winter is approaching and Maryland’s catch-and-keep striped bass season soon draws to a close (December 10). The colder temperatures have thinned out most of the fleet, but there are still some dedicated anglers getting out on the water. One angler reported that big white perch have moved up into the Patapsco. They found them feeding on bottom alongside schools of rockfish. The Patapsco is one of the better tidal rivers to fish in the winter. There are resident striped bass that will stay in the river through the colder months. Recent reports indicate that there are some schools of fish cruising along the channel edges, but other popular locations to fish include the area of the shipping docks and the Key Bridge. Boats fishing along the main channel are having the best success by trolling with umbrella rigs or tandem rigs behind heavy inline weights. The heavy weight is needed to get down to the depths where striped bass are suspended close to the bottom of the channels.
Another location that tends to hold white perch and some rockfish throughout the winter includes the rock piles at the Bay Bridge. Fishing here often requires a subtle jigging approach, and with colder water temperatures, the fish won't always want to feed. Fishing around the tide switches will be provide a good chance for finding fish willing to bite. If you are looking for a more consistent rockfish bite for the final catch-and-keep weekend of the season, larger schools of fish with bird action are being found farther south (see the Middle Bay report).
A reader fishing up the creeks of the Magothy mentioned that both perch and pickerel are biting, and a day of fishing with minnow and darts produced about a half-dozen of each species. The pickerel fishing should only get better as we head towards the end of the year. The pickerel will be most concentrated in the upper reaches of the feeder creeks on the main tidal rivers like the Magothy and creeks to the north like Bodkin. If you haven’t already, consider signing up for the CCA Pickerel Championship. It is a fun tournament to compete against fellow anglers throughout the winter. The tournament runs until the end of February, so there is still plenty of time to sign up.
ANGLER ALERT: If you partake in striped bass fishing in Maryland, remember, next year’s regulations will be changing to combine all Bay jurisdictions and you only have until December 22 to provide comment on 2024 regulation options! See Chesapeake Bay Angler Alert: 2024 Striped Bass Reg Changes for the details and instructions on how to submit comment.
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, December 1 Update:
Fishing for striped bass has slowed down significantly in the upper Bay, but there are still pockets of fish around. Anglers are just having to work harder to find them. Keeping an eye out for working birds is reliable right now, though it often requires covering lots of water to find the bird show. Recently there have also been some “false alarms” triggered by loons pushing bait to the surface. River mouths, Love Point, the Bay Bridge rock piles, and areas in the Patapsco are all places that historically hold fish in the winter months. Anglers Sport Center recommended that those who are still looking to catch white perch can find them in deeper water areas with oyster bottom. The perch also tend to school up at the rock piles below the Bay Bridge where dropping down along the rock piles and drifting with the tide is a good way to pick up some perch if they are in the area.
A more reliable bite right now is for blue catfish, which are plentiful in the upper Bay tributaries. The cats will be holding in the deeper holes and along channel edges. The colder months are a prime opportunity to catch these big catfish and the bite is showing no signs of slowing down. The more popular baits to use include cut bunker, eel, shad, and chicken. It has also become increasingly popular to soak chicken baits in powdered Kool-Aid for added scent. Surprisingly, the catfish seem to love it.
Pickerel fishing is also very good this time of year in the upper Bay tidal tributaries. The Magothy River, Bodkin Creek, and Baltimore area creeks are all great areas to target pickerel. Popular lures include spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, and jerkbaits. Live minnows also work very well when fished close to nearshore structure. The CCA Pickerel Championship is currently taking place and is a great opportunity to compete against fellow anglers in a few different divisions. Crappie, pickerel, perch, and bass can all win prizes. The tournament runs until the end of February, so there is still plenty of time to sign up.