Upper Bay Fishing Reports

Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, November 29 Update:

Fall striper fishing has been on the slower side this year and with about a month left to go in the season, we are hoping there is a drastic change soon. The majority of stripers will be schooling near ledges in anywhere from 25 to 50 feet of water this time of year. A big key for finding success is locating areas with an abundance of bait which means good electronics can help a lot. Most readers are reporting more looking than catching, although we heard from anglers who had good luck near Baltimore Light and in the mouth of the Patapsco working jigs deep on structure. Team FishTalk’s Fish Crushin’ Kaylie reported catching a nice bass in Back River last weekend, which is pretty funny considering that she struck out when trying at Loch Raven a day earlier.

White perch have also moved to deeper waters and will be holding in areas of shell or oyster bottom. The schools can be found in 20 to 50 feet of water There are even times when perch will be feeding under schools of rockfish that are chasing and feeding on bait. There was a report from an angler who was out earlier in the week on the Patapsco and reported they caught two under slot stripers and a handful of white perch using Bass Assassins. Metal spoons are also very effective when vertical jigging in the fall and winter. The flutter action imitates injured or dying baitfish that often entices a bite. Consider trying metal lures if other baits aren’t producing a lot of bites.

The winds have been blowing pretty steady as of late which has limited when boats can get out on the water to chase striped bass. Luckily, the Upper Bay rivers offer excellent pickerel fishing. The Magothy River and Baltimore area creeks are full of these toothy fish which are a popular target during the colder months. Flashy lures such as spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, and paddletails with underpins are working great. Anglers are reporting that some creeks are loaded with fish while others seem to be holding just a few. Covering water and trying different areas will yield the best results.

Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, November 22 Update:

A more seasonal weather pattern is shaping up as cold fronts are beginning to move through with more regularity. The stiff winds and cooler temperatures are dropping water temps quickly. Anglers are reporting that the striped bass bite is finally starting to get it’s act together as the fish are schooling up and chasing bait. Bird shows and breaking fish are reported to be popping up anywhere including the mouth of the Patapsco, Love Point, and Sandy Point. The Patapsco is still fishing well, and it seems fish are sliding to deeper waters. An angler fishing earlier in the week reported that the shallows didn’t produce any bites, but moving to deeper river depths of 30’ to 45’ inside the Key Bridge led to four striped bass up to 24 inches and a mess of perch. All fish were caught using metal blade baits. The rock piles of the Bay Bridge are also holding striped bass and white perch. Jigging around the rocks and pilings has been productive at times and it seems a running tide is leading to the best results.

The Magothy River has also been fishing well for pickerel and the fish are taking a liking for spinners, chatterbaits, and jerkbaits. The wind has been really ramped up lately which has made it hard to get out on open water. The good news is that the pickerel are a reliable backup plan if you can’t get out to fish the main Bay for stripers. Most creeks and coves in the upper portions of the rivers will be holding pickerel, and they seem eager to bite right now. Contributor Adam Greenberg and a friend from Angler's Sport Center hit the river on a dead low tide and even with the less-than-ideal conditions, they managed to pick off a few fish up to 22" using three-inch paddletails on ZMan Willow Vibez. He also noted that on their way out of the river they saw lots of birds flying every which way. One slot rock came to the boat but he said the birds never really set up right before the sun set. We encourage anglers to consider signing up for the CCA pickerel championship that is open now through the end of February. Compete against local anglers for some great prizes!

Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, November 15 Update:

It was great to see some rain and cold fronts moving through our area this week and the fish have responded well. Anglers across the Bay are reporting an uptick in action this week thanks to more seasonal weather. Fishing in the Patapsco was good this week for both trollers and light tackle anglers. Trollers are covering water along ledges towards the mouth of the river and light tackle anglers are finding fish from Fort McHenry out to the mouth. One boat reported catching five slot rockfish in 26’ and a bunch of perch that were caught in 35’. All fish were caught on metal blade baits with the perch taking a liking for the firetiger pattern. Perch are schooling and heading to deeper water. The mouths of tidal rivers and shoals in the upper Bay are good places to search for them this time of year.

There has been decent striped bass action around the Bay Bridge on both the east and west sides of the bridge. Trollers are doing best trolling along the edges of the shipping channel and between the pilings. The bridge offers good structure for fish and light tackle anglers can find good success jigging in the eddies on the backside of pilings during running tides. The rockpiles under the bridge are also a great spot to try jigging for both stripers and white perch. The cold fronts this week finally have water temperatures falling again and fish have started to school up and get into their typical fall feeding pattern. Bird shows are becoming more prevalent so keep an eye out for them while on the water.

Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, November 8 Update:

Anglers fishing the creeks of the Magothy are enjoying better action on a mix of white perch and pickerel, and we had good reader reports for both species this week. Striper bites, however, remained below par with one Magothy angler reporting zero rockfish among the dozen-plus white perch he pulled up while casting to piers and riprap. Pickerel may be a better option until the striper bite improves, though across the Upper Bay, a few bite windows have been leading to catches. Water temperatures are still above average for this time of year, and we haven’t had rainfall in over a month so we can speculate that this likely has something to do with the pattern recently. We heard from an angler in the Patapsco who landed two slot fish last weekend while fishing shoreline structure. Another boat reported marking a good number of fish at the mouth of the river along ledges, but only hooked up a few times. Most fish were in 15’ to 25’ of water. They hooked their fish trolling, which seems to be how most fish are being caught lately, using umbrella rigs with 5” sassy shads.

The lumps around Pooles Island are popular to fish this time of year for striped bass, but reports are also slim from there. The big blue catfish are another popular target around the island and can be caught by chunking up fresh cut bunker, eel, or by using clam baits. Lumps in the 20’ to 30’ range have historically been productive for the catfish. They may be a more reliable alternative as we wait for the striper bite to pick up to what we would expect for this time of year.

Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, November 1 Update:

It was a warm end to October which made it feel more like late summer than mid fall. This weekend will bring a brief cooldown before the weather is forecasted to warm back up next week. It is hard to say whether the warm weather is good for fishing or now, but all we can do is keep casting. Anglers targeting striped bass in the Upper Bay are finding localized success, particularly in the Patapsco River, channel near Love Point, and at the Bay Bridge. The mouth of the Patapsco has had larger schools of striped bass on the hunt for baitfish. Birds have joined in on the action occasionally, so keep an eye out for them to give away the location of fish. Further up in the river, the shipping docks, seawalls, and riprap shorelines have all been holding fish. A boat fishing out of Canton hit some of the deeper docks and jigged up a few stripers on soft plastics. Another angler fishing in open water jigged up six fish on a quick evening trip that were all between 17 and 20 inches. Trollers are also doing very well as they work their gear along drop offs and channel edges. Umbrella rigs with five-inch shad baits or tandem rigs with similar profile baits are getting fish to bite. The zone of 20 to 40 feet of water is a good area to search for schooled up fish right now.

White perch are beginning to move out into deeper water as water temperatures continue to drop. Current water temps are in the low 60s, but once they get down into the 50s, most fish will have moved out of the shallows. Anglers will still be able to find them at the mouth of rivers, areas with oyster bottom in depths of 20’ or more, and around the Bay Bridge. The rock piles at the bridge are great structure to fish in the fall and usually hold a mix of striped bass and white perch in the late fall. Small metal jigs work great for perch when fishing in deeper water. The fish will likely be glued to bottom, so you’ll want to be working your lure just above it. Dropping down Fishbites, live minnows, or grass shrimp is another sure way to get them biting.