Upper Bay Fishing Reports
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, September 18 Update:
The Upper Bay is starting to feel like fall is waiting just around the corner, and striped bass are already giving anglers a taste of what's to come. There is still plenty of bait and plenty of fish spread across the region, with low-light feeding activity providing some exciting opportunities. As temperatures begin to slide, expect the fish and bait to become increasingly predictable, and the fall rockfish game to really start picking up.
Rockfish are still offering plenty of opportunities around the Patapsco River, Bay Bridge, Tolchester, Pooles Island, and Love Point. There have been schools of small stripers popping up and pushing bait during low light hours in several areas, including inside the Patapsco River, near the Upper Bay shoals, and at times around the Pooles Island lumps. The patterns in the Upper Bay are beginning to transition as shorter days and cooling water push baitfish into more predictable areas. From the Bay Bridge north to Pooles Island, anglers should expect increasing numbers of striped bass to move onto shallow flats, shoreline structure, points, and current seams, particularly during the low-light hours. Topwater plugs, jerkbaits, paddletails, and jigs are good choices when fish are actively feeding on the surface or around schools of bait. Jigging soft plastics will become increasingly effective once fish slide into deeper water. As the fall migration starts to kick in, keep an eye out for birds, surface activity, and concentrated schools of bait, but don't overlook structure and current when the surface is quiet. As water temperatures continue to fall, expect the bite to become increasingly focused on baitfish concentrations and for rockfish to feed more aggressively ahead of the colder months.
Inside the Patapsco, the rockfish can be found near the shipping docks, along rip rap shorelines, in open water near ledges, and under birds. Early in the week, there were still reports of small bluefish harassing bait inside the Patapsco River. There may be some still around, but as water temperatures start to cool off, they will leave the area and head south. A friend of FishTalk who hit Pooles last weekend reported enjoying a nice bite on stripers there despite a crowd of boats being in attendance, with eeling accounting for eight or nine rockfish, with three over the slot and the rest in the slot. They also caught several nice blue catfish, including some hefty ones, also on eels. Working the bumps was key and 20’ was a hot zone. Eeling around the Pooles Island lumps can be a productive fall tactic as striped bass begin keying on larger forage and staging around deeper structure. Drift live eels across the lumps and along the adjacent drop-offs, adjusting your drift to keep the eel close to bottom while still allowing it to move naturally. Focus on the current side of the structure and make repeated passes through areas where marks or bait are concentrated.
Crabbing Report: FishTalk contributor Adam Greenberg sent in a crabbing report after crabbing in the Magothy with a friend. They caught tons of crabs, but very few were keepers. Other people crabbing in the Upper Bay have been reporting good catches in recent weeks, so it may have just been an off day. We saw another report from a recreational crabber who caught a few dozen keeper crabs near Fort Armistead on the Patapsco. The crabs are fattening up for the fall and crabs this time of year are regarded by many to be the best of the year.
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, September 10 Update:
There was a mix of solid bottom fishing and striped bass action in the Upper Bay this week, including some bird action. There have been bluefish entering the Upper Bay as well, as this species made its way north of the Bay Bridge and has treated northern Chesapeake anglers to some interesting new action.
An angler fishing at Seven Foot Knoll this week came across a massive school of small stripers that stayed around their boat for a while. The fish were about 12” and were moving through 10’ of water. Another angler found a school of similar sized fish near the mouth of the Patapsco River feeding under birds, and caught a few dozen schoolies. Bird action was also reported inside the Patapsco River this week with slot-sized fish feeding on bunker. We also heard from a subscriber who kayak fished the shoreline piers and structure upriver of the terminals and caught a half-dozen rockfish in and just under the slot on chartreuse paddletails.
Bluefish have begun roaming around the shallows north of the Bridge and have been encountered by anglers perch fishing and throwing artificials around shallow structure for stripers, though these have been on the small side. An angler fishing the Magothy reported catching some sub-legal blues while bottom fishing for croaker and spot on the reef ball sites. We also heard from a live-liner at the Bridge who caught a couple of rockfish but said the bite on the west side pilings was slow, and while he didn’t land any bluefish, he did reel back several spot heads that were chopped off.
The Upper Bay is still offering up some good bottom fishing, and a subscriber let us know that Seven Foot Knoll produced a good mix of perch and spot, including some nice spot in the nine to 10” range. He also mentioned that the outgoing tide was hot. Target these fish with top-and-bottom rigs or Chesapeake Sabikis tipped with bloodworm, Fishbites bloodworm, or grass shrimp.
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, September 4 Update:
The reopening of rockfish season has brought a strong topwater bite, particularly in the Patapsco during the early morning and evening. Live-lining spot around bridge pilings and jigging soft plastics in deeper water should remain productive, with the Bay Bridge, Swan Point, Pooles Island, and Love Point worth checking. White perch are also active around docks, bridges, and shallow structure, while spot and croaker are providing excellent bottom-fishing opportunities over oyster bottom.
Rockfish season is now open for all Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay. The Upper Bay zone was the place to be before the closure, and it seems like the bite picked up right where it left off. We heard several reports from anglers fishing in the Patapsco River that the topwater bite this week was good during early morning and evening hours. We didn't have any reports from the Bay Bridge, but after a month without fishing pressure, there should be some fish hanging around the bridge pilings. There are plenty of spot around to be used for live lining, so tossing a spot up to a piling during a moving tide should lead to some bites. Jigging artificial soft plastics up against the pilings in 15 to 40 feet of water is also a great way to catch them at the bridge. Early morning hours are usually best for light tackle jigging the pilings. Other historical areas of interest for striped bass fishing during the month of September include the Swan Point area, the lumps around Pooles Island, and Love Point.
White perch are also hanging around in the Patapsco, any shoreline with docks in the five-to-10-foot zone should be a good area to look for them. Docks that appear older or dilapidated tend to attract the perch more than newer docks. The growth on the older pilings tend to attract more bait like grass shrimp and minnows that the perch feed on. Bridges in the river are other good areas to perch fish. Dropping grass shrimp, bloodworms, or Fishbites along the pilings should produce some bites. Other areas in the Upper Bay to catch perch include the Magothy River, Bodkin Creek, Stoney Creek, and the Chester River. The creeks on the upper Magothy tend to hold perch, and there are hundreds of docks to fish and potentially find them. Really any tidal creek in the various tidal rivers could be holding perch right now. The key is to find shaded shorelines with rip rap, docks, or deeper marsh edges with a moving tide. Perch are most active during the first two hours of daylight and in the evenings but can still be caught during midday hours in areas with shade. Larger docks with depths of five to 12 feet of water at the ends of the platforms are great places to cast a perch spinner or small jig.
The reef balls in the Magothy continue to produce croaker, including keeper-sized fish, for anglers dropping bottom rigs baited with bloodworm or Fishbites bloodworm. A subscriber reported catching spot in the mix, too, with some large enough for the frying pan. The Upper Bay shoals such as Six Foot Knoll and Seven Foot Knoll are offering good bottom fishing opportunities right now with spot, croaker, and a few white perch willing to hit a variety of baits. If you look at nautical charts and can find areas with oyster reefs or bottom with oyster hash, these zones are where you will want to drop some bottom rigs. Not all the oyster bars will be holding fish, but if you can locate a few within a river or section of the Bay, making a few stops should eventually lead to some bites. This month will be the last opportunity to catch good numbers of spot and croaker, because once the water temperatures begin to drop, these fish will school up and head south for the fall.
