Upper Bay Fishing Reports

Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, April 17 Update:

The blue catfish bite in the Upper Bay has been very good this month. The bulk of the action has been north of Baltimore, but we have some recent reports of more fish being caught closer to the Bay Bridge. The areas around Middle River, Bush River, and the Gunpowder River are a hot zone for these invasive bottom feeders. Charter boats and recreational boats have been catching fish as big as 50 pounds over the past few weeks. Fresh cut bait such as menhaden or gizzard shad works very well this time of year. We also saw a great haul of fish from local photographer turned watermen Jay Fleming. He showed off an impressive haul of blue catfish after setting a trot line for them and letting it soak for around a day somewhere north of the Bay Bridge. This is a good sign that the blue catfish are active around Sandy Point and the Magothy River. Jay mentioned that the catfish were mostly in shallow water, so flats in five to 10 feet of water would be good places to fish for them right now.

We had two reports from readers who hit the Bay Bridge in search of preseason striper action, both experiencing skunks. One didn’t report anything additional, but the other sent in some pics of the fishfinder screen with plenty of marks; considering that we heard from several other anglers who found fish but couldn’t get bites late last week and over the weekend, when those fish shake off their funk, the bridge could be a good bet. Many striped bass have already spawned, so they will start making their way south out of the Bay. You can find these large schools of fish migrating along the shipping channel ledge and other main ledges. Don’t be surprised to find them in shallower water than you may think, as water temperatures have reached the low 60s in many places. Boats have reported finding these big fish in shallow areas south of the bridge, so there’s no reason to think they couldn’t be found in the shallows north of the bridge. A big factor for these fish in shallow water is that there is usually deeper water close by, so transition zones should be points of interest. While some areas of the Upper Bay are open to catch and release fishing, other areas are closed, so make sure to look at the striped bass regulation maps to see where fishing for striped bass is allowed.

Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, April 10 Update:

Now is a good time to start trying the Upper Bay tidal rivers for blue catfish. The mouth of the Magothy River, Patapsco River, and upper section of the Chester River are all good locations to catch blue catfish in the spring. Anglers typically find good success fishing from the beach at Sandy Point in April and May, but salinity levels are up right now due to lack of rainfall, so the catfish may not be roaming the area yet. We haven’t heard of any reports of blue catfish being caught at Sandy Point, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Salinity levels are much lower further up the Bay near Pooles Island and the surrounding tidal rivers such as the Gunpowder and Bush.

The spring shad runs are kicking off at several locations within the Chesapeake Bay. The Patapsco River was once home to a thriving shad run, but industrialization caused a steep decline in shad visiting the river. In recent years, there have been a few reports of hickory shad returning to the upper reaches of the river, so there is a chance for some catch and release shad fishing if you are willing to give it a try. We don’t have any reports of shad being caught there recently, but there’s a chance some fish could move into the area over the next few weeks. White perch are also at various stages of their spawn, with some fish spawned out and others getting ready to spawn. The Chester, Magothy, Bush, and Gunpowder rivers are all worthwhile locations to fish for perch in the spring. Warming temperatures this weekend into next week should trigger any pre-spawn fish to run up the smaller tributaries in these river systems.

The Upper Bay is still open for catch and release striped bass fishing, though several areas are closed to targeting. We encourage anglers to check the striped bass regulation maps to see where they can target striped bass during the month of April. Spawning activity has already been observed in several tributaries, so post-spawn fish will likely be heading south soon. The spawn usually comes in waves, so there are still likely plenty of fish still moving up the Bay. The main channel ledges will be good places to search for these fish both on their way in and out of the Bay. We also have reports that menhaden have arrived in the Upper Bay, so if you can locate schools of these baitfish, there are usually some stripers close by.

Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, April 3 Update:

April has arrived, and it is the first year since 2019 that striped bass are open for catch and release fishing in the Chesapeake Bay. Most of the Upper Bay is open for catch and release fishing, but some areas, including the Chester River, are closed. Anglers trolling will be limited to six lines; they must use barbless hooks and no stinger hooks. If using cut bait, anglers must use non-offset circle hooks, and using eels for bait is prohibited during the catch-and-release season. If you catch a big striped bass in the next few weeks, it is likely a pre-spawn female, so be sure to handle them with care. You can check out the article Dos and Don’ts of Catch and Release Fishing for best handling practices, which discusses the best way to handle these big trophy fish while catch and release fishing.

Blue catfish are a popular target for Upper Bay anglers in the spring, but the bite last year was fairly lackluster. We have been in drought conditions for a few years now, so salinity in the Bay has been running higher than average. Recent salinity measurements show levels in the Upper Bay ranging from three to 12 practical salinity units (PSU). Blue catfish thrive in salinity that is below 10 PSU, but can tolerate salinity up to 20 PSU for short periods of time. If we get some much-needed spring rains, we can expect more blue catfish to venture into the main stem of the Upper Bay. When this occurs, areas around Sandy Point up to the mouth of the Patapsco are hot spots. Other notable locations are the Chester River and lumps around Pooles Island.

The perch runs are still moving along in the Upper Bay tidal tributaries. The yellow perch spawning runs are pretty much wrapped up, but white perch are now moving up the tributaries for their spawn. The upper reaches of the Magothy, Bush, and Gunpowder River are good places to try. Small jig heads or shad darts tipped with grass shrimp, minnows, or small pieces of bloodworm are popular ways to target them.  By the end of the month, white perch will mostly be wrapped up with their spawning activity and will begin dispersing into the tidal rivers and Upper Bay shoals where they will hangout for the summer months. Last year’s summer perch fishing was abysmal, so let’s hope that the fishing improves this year.