Way North Fishing Reports

Way North Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, November 6 Update:

Blue catfish are providing plenty of action around the lower Susquehanna and Conowingo Dam pool, with deeper holes and channel edges becoming increasingly productive. Rockfish are also holding around the Susquehanna Flats and lower river, while largemouth bass are beginning their transition toward deeper wintering areas.

Blue catfish can provide excellent late-fall fishing opportunities throughout the Way North region, with the lower Susquehanna River, Conowingo Dam pool, and nearby tributaries offering plenty of action. As water temperatures continue to fall, blue cats are beginning to concentrate around deeper channels, holes, and channel edges as they transition toward their wintering areas. The Conowingo Dam pool and the deep water near the railroad bridge below Havre de Grace are particularly good areas to explore, while the mouths of the North East and Elk rivers are also worth a look. Fresh-cut gizzard shad, white perch, and other baitfish are tough to beat, fished on a fish-finder rig or three-way bottom rig with enough weight to hold in the current. A small cork float above the hook can help suspend the bait just off the bottom, while a rattle can add some extra attraction. Look for current breaks and deeper holes adjacent to the main channel, and don't be afraid to move around until you locate a concentration of fish.

Striped bass fishing around the Susquehanna Flats and lower Susquehanna River is transitioning into a late-fall pattern, with fish following schools of baitfish and becoming increasingly concentrated around deeper channels, current breaks, and staging areas. In the lower river, vertical jigging with half ounce to ounce-and-a-half jigheads paired with five- to seven-inch soft plastics is a reliable approach, particularly around channel edges and deeper holes where fish are holding close to the bottom. The channel running from Tydings down to Fishing Battery Island has been holding some schools of fish along with the mouth of the Susquehanna. Around the Flats, casting paddletails, jerkbaits, and suspending hard baits along drop-offs and creek mouths can produce fish when they push shallow to feed.  Around the North East River, Elk River, and other upper Bay tributaries, look for fish along channel edges, points, and creek mouths. Live-lining small white perch or eels along channel edges is another dependable option when fish are marking but won't respond to artificials.

Largemouth bass fishing around the Susquehanna Flats and upper Bay tributaries will become increasingly focused on deeper water and hard cover as winter approaches. As the grass beds begin to die back, bass will abandon much of the expansive shallow vegetation and concentrate around remaining healthy grass, creek channels, drop-offs, fallen timber, docks, and deeper holes. The Northeast, Elk, Bohemia, and Sassafras rivers are all worth exploring, particularly around creek mouths and channel bends where bass can find access to deeper water without moving far from feeding areas. During the early stages of the cold-water transition, spinnerbaits, swimbaits, and suspending jerkbaits are good choices for covering water, but once temperatures really drop, slow presentations become more important. Work football jigs, finesse jigs, Ned rigs, and Texas-rigged plastics slowly around isolated wood and deeper structure, paying particular attention to areas in 8 to 15 feet of water. The deeper creek channels and protected holes in the upper reaches of these tributaries will become important wintering areas, while the main channel edges surrounding the Flats can also hold fish.