Way North Chesapeake Fishing Report, June 28 Update:
The Conowingo Dam has been a hotspot for striped bass anglers in this region of the Bay. The fishing was good to start the season, and it is still offering a solid bite at times. The best fishing has been when the dam is releasing water, which creates more current. The recent trend has been that this release of water usually occurs in the afternoons or evenings. You can call ahead to find out what the current conditions at the dam are by calling 877-457-2525. A kayak angler fishing just down river from the dam found some willing stripers to hit topwater poppers in the early morning hours this week. The striped bass have also been willing to bite swimbaits, crankbaits, and any other lure mimicking a baitfish. Blue catfish have also been a common catch at the dam as well, and anglers targeting them are having no problem hooking up. Any variety of cut bait will work including chunks of chicken, eel, bunker, or any fresh cut fish. The blues are invasive to our waters and we encourage you to remove them if caught. The good news is that they are delicious to eat and big fish are fairly common which can provide good size fillets.
Down on the Susquehanna Flats, striped bass have been offering steady action and bass are in the mix as well. One report came in that there were breaking fish just north of the rock barges. Their boat caught several fish by trolling Rat-L-Traps and MirrOlures. Slot and under slot stripers were in the breaking fish and they also reported that they had between 10 and 15 catfish hit their lures while trolling. We are only a few weeks away from the summer striped bass closure, so it may be best to shift focus to other species while water temperatures are very high to prevent catch and release mortality. As always, we encourage anglers to use proper catch and release techniques for striped bass. The stripers don’t fare very well in the heat, so it is best to keep them in the water if possible, handle them with wet hands, and don’t let them flop around on the ground or in the bottom of a boat.
Way North Chesapeake Fishing Report, June 21 Update:
Summer has arrived and we are feeling the effects of a major heatwave moving into the area. Temperatures will be soaring into the 90s this weekend and the foreseeable future looks very hot as well. Water temperatures in most parts of the Bay have reached 80 degrees which can put a lot of stress on fish, especially since we have had very little rain lately. Striped bass are especially fragile in warm water and low oxygen conditions. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has already issued a code red striped bass fishing advisory for today and more advisories are likely to be announced in the coming days. Anglers are encouraged to not fish for striped bass after 10 a.m. during these advisories as catch and release mortality is high with these temperatures. If you plan to fish for striped bass, it is important to use proper handling techniques when planning to let the fish go. Do not let them lay on dry surfaces, use wet hands when holding them, limit their time out of water if at all, and take the time to properly revive them in the water to make sure they swim off on their own power.
The Patapsco River is still a hotspot for striped bass in the Upper Bay, but it seems that some fish are pushing further north. We had a reader report of striper action near Turkey Point last week despite some very tough wind conditions, with an over-slot fish of 33” caught and released while using chunks of shad and minnow for bait. The Conowingo Dam has still been a popular location for striped bass, but the low flows have not made fishing easy. The stripers tend to bite best when there is a steady current of water being released from the dam but with little rainfall, the river is running low. The flood gates are opened periodically, and you can call the Conowingo Spill Hotline at 877-457-2525 for information on the number of crest gates open and peak river flows. Other than striped bass, white perch and catfish have been common catches at the dam. Blue catfish, channel catfish and white perch are all biting bottom rigs baited with nightcrawler. There was a report of a big 45-inch blue catfish caught at the dam that maxed out a 50-pound scale. Down on the Susquehanna Flats an angler trolling a Rat-L-Trap and MirrOlure in front of Havre De Grace caught six striped bass. Two under slot fish, two slot fish, and two over slot fish. The bites came in 10 feet of water over top of submerged grasses.
Way North Chesapeake Fishing Report, June 14 Update:
Anglers have been enjoying the fun fishing opportunities that are brought to us by summer’s return. Striped bass have been a big attraction since the season opened on June 1st, and lots of folks are having luck finding them. The stripers can be found on the Susquehanna Flats and in the lower Susquehanna River with the Conowingo Dam being a hotspot. While on the flats fishing along grass beds and channel edges is a good place to start, and snakeheads are being found in this area as well. In the river, stripers can be found along the main channel and in shallow water close to the islands and rocky shorelines. There was a report from a boat fishing out of Port Deposit who caught their two-man limit of stripers while trolling small surgical tubes. The striper bite is usually best when the Conowingo Dam is pumping water into the river which creates more oxygenated conditions. Water temps are quickly rising with the hot weather, so make sure to handle fish with care if you catch a fish outside the slot or are planning to catch and release. Limit their time out of the water and properly revive them so they swim off strong.
One of the fun things about fishing this time of year is that you can catch a lot of different species in one trip. A kayak angler fishing below the Conowingo Dam had a great day on the water earlier in the week catching a half dozen striped bass between 17 and 23 inches, three smallmouth bass up to 16 inches, and too many catfish to count. The hot baits were a green twisty tail soft plastic on a jighead, a live minnow on a jighead, and a live minnow floated under a bobber. Fish were mostly hanging out in areas with the fastest current. Another angler fishing in this section of the river had good luck fishing from shore catching two walleye and five channel catfish in an hour and a half. One of the more impressive catches of the week came from a catfish angler fishing on the lower portion of the Susky. They caught a nearly 34-pound flathead catfish that is one of the largest we have heard of that far south in the river. Smaller fish in the 10-pound range are more common, but a fish over 30 pounds is huge. Flathead catfish are invasive, and Maryland DNR encourages anglers to remove them from the water if caught.
Way North Chesapeake Fishing Report, June 7 Update:
Summer is knocking on our door as longer days and warm weather have been welcomed by the fishing community. Readers fishing the northerly Chesapeake rivers report a good bite on fish of the freshwater variety, with both bass and crappie still hitting well now that they’re in a post-spawn mode and moving into summer mode. White perch were reported in the mix this week, too. Aquatic vegetation has grown thick by now and fish like bass and snakeheads are using it for cover. This time of year is a great time to rig up your favorite topwater lures and hit the water for some explosive bites. Topwater frogs are one of the most effective lures for these fish and with the snakehead spawn going on right now, fry balls will be popping up for us to target. All the upper Bay tidal tributaries have snakeheads in them and the smaller creeks off the Susquehanna River below the Conowingo Dam are places to keep in mind when searching for them. In areas with moving water and less vegetation, sub-surface baits like Mepps spinners or weedless flukes are good options to throw to cover more water.
Catfish anglers are still pulling big fish out of the Susquehanna with blue catfish over the 30-pound mark becoming all too common these days. A boat fishing near Port Deposit caught their new boat record with a 44.5-pound blue catfish along with multiple other fish in the 20-to-30-pound range. Bluegill was the hot bait for these river monsters. The blue catfish are a great option to target for striped bass anglers who want to put more than their one fish limit in the cooler for the day. The blues can be caught using many of the same methods you would use for stripers including chunking, live lining, and even jigging with soft plastics. Make sure to participate in CCA Maryland’s Great Chesapeake Invasives Count if you plan on targeting blue catfish, snakehead, or flathead catfish this year. Anglers can register and log their catches which will enter them for a chance at monthly prizes and help fisheries managers understand the movements of our invasive fish.
Many anglers have flocked to the Susquehanna Flats and lower Susquehanna River with the opening of striped bass season starting on June 1st. The Conowingo Dam is a popular destination to fish for stripers and it is offering good numbers of fish right now. It is a good idea to get there early as the shoreline can fill up quickly. Those with large rods are casting far out into the current to get bites. A three-way rig with a bell sinker and bucktail is the perfect setup to get your bait down in the current to where the stripers will be sitting. Just make sure to bring extra gear as the bottom is very rocky and snags are common. Many slot fish (19 to 24 inches) have been caught this week at the dam, but there have also been over-slot fish caught. If you catch a fish outside the slot, make sure to handle it with care and take the time to revive it to ensure it swims off strong. This will be especially important as water temperatures rise over the next few months.