Way North Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, November 24 Update:
As we are enjoying time with family this Thanksgiving, let’s take a moment to appreciate how lucky we are to live in such a great region to accommodate our fishing addictions. An exciting seasonal bite that many anglers enjoy has started to develop in the Susky. Smallmouth bass and walleye are active in the lower Susquehanna River now that water temperatures have cooled off significantly. Throwing jerkbaits and tube jigs along rocky shorelines and areas with steep ledges has proved effective for anglers this week and we have heard of some big smallies being caught between the Flats and the Conowingo Dam. Chartreuse colored baits have been noted as particularly effective for the walleye recently. Fishing at night has also seemed to produce a better bite for walleye at times and with shortened daylight hours, a night trip is more feasible. An angler fishing at the Conowingo Dam reported catching a few walleye around dusk while using a silver Bass Assassin Baby Shad with a quarter ounce jighead.
Despite anglers putting forth their best effort, reports of rockfish in this zone have been slim this fall. There have been scattered catches from the Conowingo Dam down onto the Flats. The same tactics that anglers are using for the smallies and walleye will work for the rock if you can find them. Blue catfish are still biting great this week and are abundant throughout the northern Bay tidal waters. The lower Susquehanna River is a particularly good location to target them with a variety of cut bait. Bunker chunks, bluegill, and chicken baits are some of their favorites. Some anglers like to pair their chicken baits with powdered Kool-Aid to add some extra scent, and surprisingly, this works exceptionally well. The catfish are hanging along ledges in the tidal rivers and will move deeper with the dropping water temperatures.
Way North Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, November 17 Update:
There haven’t been many changes in this region of the Bay over the past few weeks. Many anglers are still focusing on blue catfish, and rightfully so. These fish have been very active this fall, and a lot of big ones are being reeled in. The lower Susquehanna River, especially near Port Deposit, is a great place to target them. Fresh cut bunker is one of the more popular baits, but gizzard shad, bluegill, and chicken are also at the top of the list. The blue cats put up a good fight and are delicious to eat. Additionally, when anglers remove them from the waterways, they are performing an important conservation act since the blue cats are an invasive species. Unfortunately they are here to stay, but removing what we can helps our native fish. Any tidal tributary in the upper Bay has good numbers of blue catfish, so you shouldn’t have much trouble finding them.
Anglers targeting rockfish have been finding them infrequently from the Conowingo Dam down onto the Susquehanna Flats. The larger concentrations of fish have been further south in the Bay, but there are a few around. Paddletails and jerkbaits are the go-to lures which are also effective for catching smallmouth bass and walleye. These fish have become more available now that water temperatures have cooled off. We actually received a few reports of anglers catching walleye just below the Conowingo Dam this week and in some of the feeder creeks to the Susquehanna.
The white perch that were hanging around in the shallows during the warmer months have mostly moved out to deeper waters at the mouths of the tidal rivers. The deeper channels and holes will be good places to search for them if you are still looking to do some perchin’. The perch tend to stage along hard bottom areas with oysters or reef. A simple bottom rig baited with bloodworm, grass shrimp, or different flavors of Fishbite tend to work the best.
Way North Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, November 10 Update:
Catfish have been king all over the upper portions of the Bay as of late and that trend has continued this week. The big blue cats, especially those in the 10- to 30-pound range, are being caught regularly by those seeking them out. Deeper holes, river mouths, and channels are all holding these fish. The lower Susquehanna River near Port Deposit has been a hotspot. Many boats are anchoring and dropping down fresh cut bait which hasn’t taken long to get hit once it is on bottom. An angler fishing near the 95 Bridge last weekend caught over a dozen blue catfish while dropping down cut bunker chunks. Most of the cats were in the five- to 15-pound range. The catfish have been picking up the slack for the lack of stripers in the area and whether that is a good thing is up for discussion. The catfish bite should remain steady throughout the fall and into early winter, so don’t put away those fishing rods just because the weather is cooling off.
Despite the lack of stripers in the area, there are still some being caught by the persistent anglers seeking them out. Most of them are coming up short of the 19-inch minimum. As is with most areas of the Bay, a moving tide has been key for finding fish willing to bite. Rocky ledges in the lower Susquehanna have been holding some fish along with smallies and a few walleye. The walleye bite is picking up as water temperatures drop and we heard from ana angler who caught a few while fly fishing below the Dam this week. Night fishing has seemed to produce the best bites for these fish. There was a report of decent action one evening from an angler fishing near Octoraro Creek. Paddletails, twisty-tails, and jerkbaits are all working for stripers, smallmouth bass, and walleye. Get out and fish because there are plenty of species to target right now.
Way North Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, November 3 Update:
Fall has returned and it feels like it brought winter with it. After a significant warm up last weekend, temperatures this week were much colder. The cool down will start to make water temperatures steadily drop again which will push fish further into their fall patterns. The cool down didn’t seem to affect the catfish bite. If anything, it may have only helped it. Reader reports of B-I-G catfish up north are still flowing in and even picked up the pace this week, with over a dozen photo-evidenced fish over 20 pounds coming in this week. Cut bluegill continues to be a hot bait, and a reader reported that on one trip it worked significantly better than the live bluegills fished right alongside the cut bait. We are seeing arguably the best catfish action of the year right now with the largest grade of fish. If you are looking for a big fight, you need to get out for the blue cats in the Susquehanna River, Susquehanna Flats, and surrounding tidal rivers. November should provide great fishing for the entire month.
Striped bass reports are still slim from the Conowingo Dam south to the Flats. There are some fish in the shallows but they appear to be scattered from the reports we are hearing. Casting to nearshore structure and areas with current breaks with paddletails will give you a good chance to locate some fish. November has become one of the better months for fall rock fishing on the Bay, so don’t put away the rods just yet because the action could pick up this month. Another good option for fall and winter fishing are pickerel. The pickerel fishing is starting to pick back up in the tidal rivers and will only get better as the temperatures get colder. The CCA Pickerel Championship started on November 1st and will run through the end of February. There are plenty of divisions, so make sure to enter and support a great organization and a fun winter tournament. The tidal rivers with more brackish and freshwater areas will be the more productive places for pickerel.
Attention Anglers: Maryland Department of Natural Resources biologists are looking to better understand the striped bass recreational fishery in the Chesapeake Bay and are asking for your help. Biologists have set up an online survey site where anglers can enter fishing data from a smartphone or computer. All you need to record is the length of any striped bass you catch and whether you kept or released it.