Way North Chesapeake Fishing Report, September 24 Update:
As stained water conditions were slowly clearing the bite up north has begun to revive, but... the result of this week's downpours are yet to be seen. Clyde’s reported that boats headed to the Flats this week were able to score some keeper stripers, although they were thin in number. The catch was primarily schoolies, and liveliners and jiggers both found that the bite was a bit slow, but steady anyways. The morning bite was hands-down best and there has typically been a flutter of activity as the sun sets, too. Topwater is the morning method of choice, in part for the abundance of bites and in part for the excitement of watching blowups. The hits have been a good mix of smalls and keeper size stripers — if you’re looking to deter the little guys, some anglers reported that sizing up their plugs weeded out a good number of bites from drastically undersized fish. Later in the day, liveliners and jiggers at the Flats have found themselves picking up a few fish. Hopefully, when the water settles more this action will pick back up.
Catfish remain in the mix as well, and their scope is not limited to these areas. Turkey Point has been a stand-out hotspot but truth be told they’ve been hanging out in rather huge numbers throughout the Susquehanna, the smaller tribs, and the northern sections of the Bay, and are easily tempted with cut menhaden or chunks of raw chicken breast.
Way North Chesapeake Fishing Report, September 17 Update:
Stained water conditions continued to muck up much of this week’s fishing, but anglers who sought clean water prevailed. While the area around the Conowingo Dam pool and much of the Flats aren’t looking so hot, clearer water can be found at the mouths of the eastern tidal rivers. The bite still isn’t great, but Clyde’s reported that some anglers did manage to get into fish casting crankbaits early in the morning. Jigging the channel edges was a better option later in the day, and multiple fish in the mid-20s were reported in late this week.
Catfish remain relentless, taking cut baits on the bottom. They haven’t seemed to care too much about the water conditions; while we watched the number of striped bass caught plummet post-storm, catfish held steady. Menhaden, gizzard shad, and chicken liver were fan favorites this week, with a couple of readers reporting catching cats in the upper-20s to low-30s from shore late this week. Perch remind rather elusive, however, this week we had more reports of guys catching than last. Bloodworms are working best if you can get ‘em, but FishBites or small spinners will do fine as well.
Way North Chesapeake Fishing Report, September 10 Update:
Well, the muddy water and runoff junk blasted into the area over the weekend, and FishTalk team-member Zach Ditmars reports that an outing on Fairlee Creek was marred with poor conditions and dodging logs. Still, even with the skunky water they managed to catch a few small stripers and some perch by heading up creeks where the impact was less apparent. Across the region, however, muddy water is much of the story. As the dam let off higher than normal amounts of water post-Ida, fishing has suffered across the board. Clyde’s reported that anglers battled debris during the morning hours that’ve recently held a good topwater bite and suggested using rattletraps or other high-motion lures to get the fish's attention. Catfishing has been okay; we didn’t hear many reports this week from anglers in the area due to poor conditions. Hopefully, we’ll see the water clear up and fishing bounce back this week!
In the rivers, Clyde’s reported that white perch fishing suffered from the storm as well. Catches reported were down overall, however, some lucky shoreline anglers were able to sneak in their fill. They had a couple of reports from anglers fishing the creeks that bloodworms and Beetle Spins were getting attention, with a small striped bass in the mix as well.
Way North Chesapeake Fishing Report, September 3 Update:
While Ida may have dirtied Chesapeake waters this week, the worst is probably yet to come with flood watches still in effect in some areas as we assemble the report and Conowingo already having opened the floodgates. The next few days look bleak, fishing-wise, for everything in close proximity to the Susquehanna… That said, prior to the incoming effects, the Flats had been a prime northern destination for anglers looking to score a striped bass. The morning bite was hands-down best and there has typically been a flutter of activity as the sun sets, too. Topwater is the morning method of choice, in part for the abundance of bites and in part for the excitement of watching blowups. The hits have been a good mix of smalls and keeper size stripers — if you’re looking to deter the little guys, some anglers reported that sizing up their plugs weeded out a good number of bites from drastically undersized fish. Later in the day, liveliners and jiggers at the Flats have found themselves picking up fish. Hopefully, when the water settles this action will pick back up.
If you’re on the hunt for a large catfish, the Flats were a prime destination pre-storm. Cut menhaden, clam snouts, chicken liver, and gizzard shad were top baits. We didn’t hear much about cats from the dam pool this week (which is a raging torrent as we publish this report), but we do know that catfish have been biting hard there all season, as well as around the Rt. 95 bridge.
Up in the Creeks, white perch haven’t been biting as strong recently. This could be due to the heat and storms, or just that they’re on the move. Some readers who fished from the shoreline this week let us know that they started fishing around 11:00, and the bite was stagnant until 3:00.