Upper Bay Fishing Reports

Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, March 20 Update:

As water temperatures rise, striped bass are beginning to move up the Chesapeake Bay towards their spawning grounds. This will provide catch and release opportunities this spring in the Upper Bay. The way things look right now, it appears that April will be open for catch and release fishing in certain areas this year. The Upper Bay striped bass regulations for catch and release can be a bit confusing. In March and April, some areas are open for catch and release fishing while others are closed. In May, some areas are open for harvest, some areas are catch and release only, and some areas are still closed. The best thing to do is take a look at the striped bass regulation maps on the Maryland DNR website to see when and where you can fish for striped bass this year. A few resident fish are being caught in the Patapsco River from both shoreline and boat anglers. The deeper ledges have some fish moving around, but you can also find them in areas of deep water close to shoreline structures such as docks and rip-rap. Lighter jigheads with soft plastic swimbaits can work well in shallower water, but heavier jigs will be preferred for fish at deeper depths.

Pickerel fishing will continue to provide great opportunities at least through April. These fish are abundant in the upper reaches of the Magothy River, each of the creeks lining the southern shoreline at the mouth of the Patapsco River, and in the tidal rivers north of Baltimore, although less numerous in the farther north tribs. Pickerel are ambush predators, so they like to hide near cover that conceals them until it is time to strike. When fishing the pickerel creeks, look for fallen trees along the shoreline. Docks and rock jetties are other cover that tend to attract fish. Another reliable spring fishing opportunity in the Upper Bay is blue catfish. They should be stirring now as water temperatures approach the 50-degree mark. April is a prime month to target them from Sandy Point up to Pooles Island. Many anglers find success along the bayfront from the Bay Bridge up to the mouth of the Patapsco River at depths of 10 to 20 feet. We often see fish in the 40-pound class caught, so make sure your gear can handle big fish if you plan on soaking some bait for them.

Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, March 12 Update:

This week really put us through the wringer with the different weather. It was like we experienced all four seasons in just a few days, which is classic Maryland weather for this time of year. We've had some reader reports of B-I-G rockfish showing up, reportedly chasing gizzard shad in just a couple feet of water on the west side during the recent warmup. As water temperatures rise, more migratory striped bass will be swimming up the Bay to get ready for their spawning run. We had several reports from all over the Bay this week of schools of striped bass on shallow flats soaking up the sun. It will be worth checking these areas over the next few weeks, but the main stem shipping channel is always a highway for these fish in the spring as they head up the Bay. Fishing for striped bass is still strictly catch and release, and there are certain areas that are off limits. It would be best to review the striped bass regulation maps on the Maryland DNR website to see where fishing for them is allowed.

Yellow perch should be in the creeks of the upper Magothy River, but we didn’t have any reports from anglers fishing that area this week. The yellows have pushed up the tidal creeks in other areas of the Bay, so they should be in the creeks of some Upper Bay tributaries too. White perch will be right behind them for their spawning run, which should be peaking in the next few weeks. Both perch species can be caught by throwing shad darts and small jigs. Tipping your darts with minnows or grass shrimp and suspending them under a bobber is another popular technique. This is especially effective for casting near shoreline cover where perch could be schooling up. Pickerel are also very active this time of year, and the warm days at the beginning of the week should have brought water temperatures up a few degrees. A reader checked in after catching a few pickerel in a creek of the Patapsco River. It was a slow day, but casting to docks and fallen wood along the shorelines produced a few bites. The creeks of the Magothy, Patapsco, Back River, Bush River, and Gunpowder River are all places where you can find pickerel in the Upper Bay.

Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, March 6 Update:

Water temperatures are still very cold in the Upper Bay waters of the Chesapeake. We should get some help to bring these water temperatures up thanks to a warm front starting this weekend. This should get some of the spring bites going. Yellow perch are starting to move into shallower tributaries in areas south of the Upper Bay, and they are likely moving into the upper reaches of creeks on the Magothy River. They can be found schooling near coves, around docks, and moving through the main stems of these creeks. Most anglers target them by suspending minnows or grass shrimp on a small jighead under a bobber. You can also cast small spinners, bounce tandem rigged shad darts along the bottom, or fish with a traditional bottom rig. Other notable areas to try for pre-spawn yellow perch include the Chester River, Bush River, and the Sassafras River. Look for them staging in deeper holes near tidal creeks.

Spring is also a premier time to target pickerel in the Upper Bay. The Magothy and Baltimore area creeks are the hotspots to target these toothy predators. They mostly hang around fallen trees, docks, and other shoreline cover that are good ambush spots. As water temperatures rise, our resident striped bass will start to get more active in the tidal river. We will also start to see the arrival of migratory striped bass returning to the Chesapeake Bay for their spawning run. The migration usually kicks off sometime in March, but that can vary by a few weeks depending on water temperatures. When they arrive, they will be moving along the main stem channel ledges and moving into the tidal rivers. Anglers should take a look at the Maryland DNR striped bass regulation maps to see where they can target striped bass during the month of March. There are several areas across the bass that have no target closures this month to protect certain spawning areas.