Upper Bay Fishing Reports
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, July 17 Update:
With the August striped bass closure approaching, anglers are taking advantage of a solid bite around the Patapsco River, Pooles Island, and nearby Upper Bay lumps. White perch, croaker, and spot are providing excellent mixed-bag opportunities around docks, bridge pilings, and shoals, with improving numbers of keeper-sized croaker showing up. Early mornings, moving tides, and shaded structure continue to produce the best fishing across the region.
There are about two weeks left until the August closure for rockfish in all Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay. Anglers are making the most of the remainder of the season before the break. We had a report from the Patapsco that an angler fishing near Canton had an excellent morning bite during an outgoing tide. Fish were feeding on bait close to rocky shoreline, and they had lots of action throwing topwater lures. They caught around a dozen fish, most of which were in the slot. The Patapsco has been the most consistent river for rockfishing this summer, but we have also had some good reports from the lumps north of Tolchester and near Pooles Island. Schools of rockfish are still roaming around these areas, often sitting on ledges from 15 to 30 feet of water. There have also been some rockfish caught at Kent Narrows and along shoreline structures at the mouth of the Chester River. These bites have been best in the morning during low light hours. The Bay Bridge has also held some rockfish along the pilings. These fish can be found on just about any of the sets of pilings, so make sure to fish several before giving up. Spot have been the ticket for enticing bites and fish are often sitting on the shaded side of the pilings, or in the eddies formed on the backside of pilings from the tide.
A reader checked in and let us know that they have been on a nice white perch bite, finding lots of fish in the 12” class while fishing the upper, fresher ends of their local rivers. They mentioned that the Magothy, Dundee Creek, and Saltpeter Creek have produced a good bite while fishing under docks and along shaded shorelines. They also said that there are a good number of rockfish around mixed in as well. Most of them are under slot, but they have caught the occasion slot-sized fish in the same areas as the perch. Anglers will be happy to know that there are more keeper croaker showing up around the Bay Bridge and at the Upper Bay shoals. These fish are not jumbos by any means, but an 11-inch croaker is a big improvement from the itty-bitty guys we have been used to catching over the past several years when bottom fishing. A reader fishing at the Bay Bridge reported that he caught several 10 and 11-inch croaker while fishing with bloodworms near pilings in 10 to 15 feet of water. Spot have also been prevalent around the bridge with a lot of four to six inchers around, but also some jumbos worthy of the dinner table.
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, July 10 Update:
Striped bass continue to hold around the Patapsco River, Pooles Island, Love Point, and nearby lumps, though anglers are finding the best success during moving tides and the coolest parts of the day. White perch, spot, and croaker are providing reliable bottom fishing opportunities on the shoals and in tidal creeks as summer patterns continue to strengthen. Fishing pressure and warm water have made timing more important than ever, with early mornings consistently producing the best action.
Water temperatures in the Upper Bay have soared into the 80s, which means that catch and release striped bass fishing will put a lot of stress on fish. Anglers should be mindful when targeting stripers this time of year so as not to accidentally kill fish from over handling. Most of the striper action in this region of the Bay has been centered around Pooles Island, Swam Point, Love Point, the surrounding Upper Bay lumps, and the Patapsco River. The schools of fish hanging out around the lumps and the main stem of the Patapsco have been concentrated at depths of 15 to 30 feet of water. Live lining spot and eels along with vertically jigging soft plastics on jigs have been very effective. Trollers are also picking up some fish with umbrella rigs and tandem rigs.
An angler fishing in the Patapsco River reported that he found a good bite last weekend. The various piers and larger docks in the river were holding a good number of fish. A lot of their fish were caught on swim jigs thrown right to the pilings. They caught over a dozen fish ranging between 19” and 24” with one fish measuring 25”. Their morning bite died quickly once the sun got up which tends to be the case during the summer months. Once the sun gets up, rockfish can still be caught in the shallows in areas with shade such as docks and other cover. Fish can also be found in deeper waters where water temperatures a slightly cooler. At the Bay Bridge, the bite has been very hit or miss and is often tidal dependent. Fish have been less willing to hit on slack or slower moving tides, but during peak incoming and outgoing tide swings, some fish are being caught at the deeper pilings in depths of 20 to 40 feet of water. These fish are also relating to the shaded sides of the pilings, so boat positioning and precise casts will lead to better hook up results.
White perch fishing in the rivers has been decent in the tidal creeks near docks, shaded shorelines, fallen wood, and other cover. Perch have been willing to eat minnows and grass shrimp, but some reports of anglers catching them on small perch spinners and jigs have also come in. The smaller creeks on the Chester and the creeks leading into the mouth of the Patapsco have been noted as productive. There are also some perch hanging around the shoals, such as Six and Seven Foot Knoll, but there are better numbers of spot and croaker in these zones. Bottom rigs tipped with bloodworms and grass shrimp are working best. If you don’t want to spend money on bloodworms and can’t get grass shrimp, Fishbites are an excellent alternative that stay on the hook longer and cost less than live bait. Most of the croaker are just under the legal limit of nine inches, but about one in 10 fish are big enough to make it in the cooler. The spot have been a better class of fish with plenty of eaters mixed in with the ones small enough to use for live lining purposes.
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, July 2 Update:
Striped bass continue to hold around the Patapsco River, Pooles Island, and other Upper Bay hotspots, though anglers are finding the best action during the cooler morning hours. White perch, spot, and croaker are providing dependable bottom fishing around shoals, bridge structure, and tidal creeks as summer patterns strengthen. Snakehead fishing is also improving, with fry balls becoming more common in the region's shallow marshes and grass beds.
Water temperatures have passed the 80-degree mark in many areas of the Upper Bay, so anglers should do their best to use best handing practices when catch and release fishing. Striped bass are particularly susceptible to warm water temperatures and warm air temperatures. They can stress very easily while being caught and if handled too long out of the water, will likely die. Right now, the stripers are being caught in a variety of locations, including the lumps around Pooles Island, Tolchester Channel, Love Point and the Patapsco River. Scattered schools of fish are roaming around the Upper Bay lumps, so working through the zone with side scan and down scan is a good way to find them schooled up around the ledges. An angler fishing in the Patapsco reported a good trip while fishing around docks with soft plastics. The fish were a variety of sizes, ranging from 12” up to 27”.
The Upper Bay shoals offer some bottom fishing opportunities for spot, croaker, and white perch. Bloodworms, Fishbites, and grass shrimp will work best when tipped onto bottom rigs, Chesapeake sabiki rigs, or small perch jigs. The better perch reports are coming from Kent Narrows and the mouth of the Patapsco River. Anglers have been boxing a fair number of perch in the nine to 11-inch range. We have also received some perch reports from the smaller tidal creeks in the Magothy River, Chester River, and inside the Patapsco. Grass shrimp on shad darts seem to be working well, but spinners and plain jigs are also catching fish. The better action has been during the morning, and the afternoon heat seems to be slowing the fishing down. Stretches of rip-rap shoreline, docks, and fallen trees can all be productive areas for perch.
Snakehead are spawning, and the month of July is an excellent time to fish for them. Snakehead are concentrated in areas with thick vegetation which can be found in certain areas of the Magothy River, Gunpowder River, and Bush River. Fry balls should be popping up and will offer sight fishing opportunities. If you see a fry ball, there are likely parent snakehead guarding them close by. Topwater frogs are very effective at getting reaction bites from these fish. Hot spots for snakehead fishing in the Upper Bay can be Dundee Creek, Days Cove, and the marshes around the Aberdeen Proving Grounds.
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