Way North Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, March 6 Update:
The lower Susquehanna River is a hotspot this time of year. The two most active fisheries are yellow perch and blue catfish. The yellow perch bite has been good for the past few weeks, and anglers are still catching them in the deeper holes near Havre De Grace in depths of 30’ to 50’. We had some rain this week that made the river run a little dirty, which affected the perch bite. The water should clean up, and the bite should pick back up too. Because the fish are schooling in deeper water, a double dropper rig baited with minnows or grass shrimp is the best option. Once these fish move into shallow waters of the North East River and Susquehanna creeks, shad darts tipped with grass shrimp become very effective, either bounced along the bottom or suspended under a bobber. Water temperatures in this region need to get into the mid 40s to the low 50s for the yellows to start running into shallower water.
The blue catfish bite has been getting better, and the big fish are starting to bite. The blues are also holding in the deeper waters and will stay there until water temperatures get into the 50s. Fresh-cut bait will work very well for them, such as eel, bunker, or chicken. These fish are invasive, so we encourage anglers to remove them from the waters when caught. Anyone fishing for blue catfish should also log their catches with CCA Maryland’s Great Chesapeake Invasives Count. All you have to do is report your catch, and then you are entered into monthly prize drawings. The data collected will be used to help fisheries biologists track the spread of invasives species in our region. Another bite to explore is catch and release fishing for striped bass. Some of the migratory fish have shown up in the lower Susquehanna River and Susquehanna flats. Anglers planning to target them should take a look at the Maryland DNR striped bass regulations maps to see where they are allowed to catch and release fish for striped bass during the month of March.