Middle Bay Fishing Reports

Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, April 4 Update:

The end of spring striped bass catch and release brought mixed results for many anglers, with readers reporting a sporadic bite in several Middle Bay areas ranging from the Bay Bridge to the Chesapeake Beach and Eastern Bay providing a highlight. Last weekend and Monday most boats reported zero to two fish, but some did reel up multiple trophy fish of 40” and larger. FishTalk contributor David Rudow and Reports Editor Dillon Waters made it out last week and joined the fleet in Eastern Bay to get in on the last few days of catch and release action. Huge schools of bunker were scattered around from 30’ to 70’ of water with about half of them with stripers in chase. The abundance of bait in the area made for a very technical bite that required precise casts to get bites. Over the course of the day they landed around a dozen fish with between 22” and 42”. Most fish were in the mid 20’s. With the striped bass closure in place, anglers fishing Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay will not be allowed to target striped bass until May 16th. You can view the Maryland DNR striped bass regulation maps to see when and where anglers can target striped bass throughout the year.

Many readers, the Angler in Chief, and FishTalk’s Zach Ditmars all reported good shad action at Mason Springs, with fish hitting small spoons and darts but spoons producing more bites. Chartreuse was the hottest color and anglers fishing early in the day reported a much better bite than those fishing late. We also heard from an angler who had good success on them while casting crappie-sized plastics on jigheads. Some small yellow perch were mixed into the catch, and one reader reported a river herring as well. The good action should continue as more fish migrate north for their spawning run. Warmer temperatures should be bringing fish up the Patuxent soon if not already. The white perch on the Pax have pushed upriver and are being caught north of Waysons Corner and in the smaller creeks downriver. One angler fishing Western Branch said that there were schools of perch all the way up near the warm water discharge. Bloodworms have been working best, but they cost a pretty penny. Grass shrimp, minnows, and night crawlers are all great bait choices that also work for perch and are significantly cheaper.