Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 6/29/2018:
As the fishing dynamic changes moving into the heat of summer, we’ve seen fish shifting around at some of their recent haunts and sticking closer to channel edges, where trolling has often been the name of the game. Red and green hoses have been an anglers’ best bet, however some guys are using spoons as well. Swan Point and Love Point have continued to be hotspots for chumming, and Tochtermans suggested fishing there during the tide change, when fish are most likely to bite. There are still a ton of boats heading to the area which can make it tough for trollers to find a clear path, and tough for chummers to determine where they should drop anchor. Looking for fish on the meter as opposed to merely joining the fleet at its nearest point is important. Same goes for anglers heading to the mouth of the Magothy, Podickory Point, and Sandy Point. The entire stretch is holding fish including a good proportion of keepers and some fish up over 30 inches. The traffic and competition, however, is extremely heavy. Anglers concentrating on the 18 to 25 foot range seem to be the ones doing the best.
The Bay Bridge Pilings have continued to hold large quantities of schoolie rock, most often being caught on half-ounce jig heads with six-inch soft plastics, as Captian Bones reported. The pilings have also been holding white perch, which can be caught on bloodworm and grass shrimp. Local rivers have been packed heavy with whites, and anglers don’t have to travel off of land to catch them — many are back in creeks and easily accessible from piers, shorelines, and docks. Dropping a bottom rig with bloodworm or grass shrimp has been a sure way to bring home a delicious perch dinner.
Crabbing report: we don't have much of a crabbing report for the Upper Bay, as the trot-lining action we heard of last week came from south of the bridge.
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 6/22/2018:
With fishing so hot, there hasn’t really been a spot north of the bridge you could try without a shot at some action. Fishbones reported that the Upper Bay has been packed (boats from as far south as Chesapeake Beach have been spotted all the way up by Love Point on a regular basis lately), and although traditional spots are almost guaranteed to produce, it may be wise to stray from the pack and try out less-populated areas, especially if you’re trolling, lest you risk crossing lines. Trollers have been sticking to small tandems and red hoses, though we also had a report of candy-apple green hoses scoring this past week. As for chumming, Podickory Point, Love Point, and the LP Buoy have been sure places to hit if you're looking to fill your fishbox. Time of day hasn’t seemed to dramatically impact fishing, but the tidal changes have, with the last hour or two of the cycle producing best.
Tochtermans recommended chumming, chunking, or live-lining north of the bridge, for the best action. There are areas where water quality has continued to suffer due to heavy rain the past month, and when surrounded by stained, dirty water remember that jigging in the murk just won’t have the same results, whereas using bait is not as significantly affected. Where visibility is decent, however, jiggers have been doing well with six-inch white and chartreuse plastics. A lot of smaller fish have been mixed in with the catch, with some larger fish holding a bit deeper. Angler in Chief Lenny Rudow reports that Love Point and the shelf off Sandy Point were both productive this past week, for stripers ranging from 16 to 31 inches. The last hour of the incoming produced absolutely frantic action at Love in 22 feet of water, with fish striking so quickly it was hard to keep more than a couple lines in the water at any given time. However, there are so many boats at both of these spots that the fleet is literally miles long. His recommendation is to meander around until you find fish on the meter as opposed to simply joining the crowd in any old spot, or you may well be among plenty of boats but no fish. And if you’re not getting bites, try moving around.
In the rivers, perch are packed in tight and have been readily available to anyone dropping a bottom rig with bloodworm or grass shrimp in the water. Catfish have also been in vast abundance, having moved down and often out of the rivers thanks to reduced salinity from all the rain, and anglers chunking or chumming at the mouth of local rivers such as the Magothy or Chester should not be surprised to land them as a bycatch.
The bridges are holding some fish, though the bite has been very sporadic. One day the pilings are a good bet, the next they’re at the rockpiles or the barge tied up on the east side, then the next they’re gone. Boat traffic and pressure may be part of the equation as there are an awful lot of anglers hitting these spots, especially on weekends.
If crabs were happening in the Upper Bay this week, we couldn’t find anyone who knew (or would talk) about it. Sad year for crabs, thus far.
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 6/15/2018:
Yes the summer months can see a decline after the trophy season winds down, but the late spawning period has led some nicer than usual fish to stick around specific portions of the Upper Bay, keeping the smaller schoolies company. Fishbone’s gave us the lowdown on Love Point, which has been spectacular for the chummers. Fresh cut bunker is the bait to use and has also been effective just south of Podickory towards Sandy Point Light. The flat bottom off Love Point has been getting numerous reports of some 28-inch-plus stripers, as has the Sewer Pipe, where small clusters of fish have been inactive through much of the tidal cycle but have been hitting hard on the changing tide. Jigging and live-lining has been taking good numbers of the larger fish, which have for the most part been topping out in the low 30’s.
The Baltimore harbor has been revving up this week for those casting to rip-rap and pilings, as well as down the Patapsco with chumming and chunking acting like a tractor beam for the keeper stripers in the area. Tochterman’s had some great info for us this week: north of the Bay Bridge has been a place to work G-Eye Jigs paired with BKDs and Bust’em Baits with rubber skirts, as well as bucktails. There’s also been some steady action around the pilings of the bridge and a few bold anglers live-lining eels there have had success. Tochterman’s also wanted to let us know that fly tackle and supplies have been flying off the shelves – if you’re looking to start using the “buggy whip,” they’ve got the largest selection of fly rods and reels in the area.
Editor’s note: Mollie Rudow is on break; this week’s reports were compiled by FishTalk intern Parker Martin.
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 6/8/2018:
The rain has proved difficult for some of the aquatic residents in the Upper Bay, but anglers have been getting sporadic action. Tochterman’s reports that chumming and chunking has been the most consistent way of producing in the Bay, with live lining eels coming in for a close second. Anglers using chum and bunker baits continue to score at Podickory, Love Point, and also on Belvidere. Look for the drop-offs featuring 15 to 25 foot depths. Topwater action has also been on the rise at daybreak, dusk, and on cloudy days so be sure to keep those plugs on standby if conditions line up just right. Sticking with light tackle, casting some BKD’s have been reported to be irresistible to stripers for those getting worried about the trolling results of the area, which have slowed (particularly on the western side) due to the torrential downpours and the accompanying discolored water that we were *blessed* with.
Rivers in the area have been the spots to be when searching for snakehead, which have been hitting large lizard soft baits in varying colors, with watermelon and purple fleck being the fan favorites. Catfish have been reported as well, along the Patapsco. Anglers looking for their best chances in the rivers should be wetting their lines with bull minnows on the end, as they’ve been the best bet for perch, snakehead, catfish, and even rockfish. Lastly, the Magothy river has seen an uptick in rockfish caught recently, on small bucktail jigs with a few stripers getting fooled on the larger bucktails. Try casting to the bar at the river mouth and docks and piers on the shoreline, especially during peak tide and the dawn and dusk hours.
Editor’s note: Mollie Rudow is on break; this week’s reports were compiled by FishTalk intern Parker Martin.
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 6/1/2018:
The Upper Bay has been absolutely alive with action this week, with large fish continuing to school around Podickory Point, Love Point, Belvidere Shoals, and Seven and Nine Foot Knolls, with chumming the primary mode of operation. Puting out the chum has also generally has been producing the largest fish – many of which are topping the 30-inch mark. Tochtermans recommends drifting your bait to the back of your chum slick and letting it rest on bottom, as lazier, larger fish are more likely to hanging deep and hit your bait.
Anglers fishing hard bottom with bloodworms on bottom rigs are taking good numbers of white perch, while those jigging for suspended fish around the Bay Bridge rockpiles and pilings are catching large numbers of undersized rockfish plus some keepers. Fishbones is reporting that half-ounce jig heads in white or chartreuse with six inch Gulp Alive soft plastics in pearl, pink, or chartreuse have been the lures of choice for the stripers. Down-sizing your offering will lead to a mix of rock and perch but mostly smaller rock. Some jiggers have also reported success on stripers casting near the mouth of the Magothy, and on Belvedere Shoals.
Most of the trollers who have had success lately are working the area from Love Point down to the Dumping Grounds with six-inch shad body lures.
Fishbones also mentioned that up in the rivers, perch are highly active and taking bloodworm on bottom rigs in shallow water. Anglers casting Beetle Spins to piers and docks are also taking their share of perch.