Way North Fishing Reports

Way North Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, October 24 Update:

Fishing reports were slim again this week as the weather was not in our favor. It has been very windy lately, and anglers have been restricted to wind-protected shorelines of smaller bodies of water. There is still some action at the Conowingo Dam pool, where anglers are casting lures into the turbine wash to catch striped bass. If you plan to target stripers here, it is best to use a large surfcasting rod to make long casts out into the river. The bottom is very snaggy, so you will want to keep your lures up in the water column. While other species may be slow to bite right now, the blue catfish bite should be very reliable. These fish are abundant throughout the Way North tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay and have especially high population densities in the lower Susquehanna River. Anglers tend to have good luck anchoring up and fishing at depths of 10’ to 40’. Any form of fresh cut bait will work, but gizzard shad and eel are two of the best baits to use.

One thing that we want to put on the radar of anglers that fish in this region is that the Maryland Department of Natural Resources is accepting public comments on proposed changes to yellow perch regulations. Due to low recruitment, the department is looking into two options to help improve spawning success. Option one is to reduce the recreational creel limit from 10 fish per angler down to five fish per angler. The second option is to implement a slot limit of nine to 11 inches. Meaning any fish smaller than nine inches and larger than 11 inches must be released. The public comment period is open until November fourth, and we encourage you to voice your options through the public comment form.

Way North Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, October 17 Update:

Fishing reports were slim this week folks. Last weekend’s Nor’easter kept many of us off the water thanks to high water and stiff winds. The grass on the Susquehanna Flats is continuing to break up, and anglers may encounter floating patches while fishing. The striped bass bite has still been hit or miss, with the little bit of action taking place on the edges of the Flats or at the Conowingo Dam pool. Striped bass are still being caught just below the dam by anglers casting into the wash with artificial lures. Some walleye and smallmouth bass can also be found just below the dam. The blue catfish bite has been excellent this fall in the lower Susquehanna River, and although we didn’t have any reports this week, the fish are likely still active and biting. The stretch of river from Havre De Grace up to Port Deposit has a very high concentration of blue catfish and is a hotspot for anglers in the Way North Region. We did have a report from an angler who let us know that they have been catching some white perch in the shallows of the Elk River. Grass shrimp and minnows have been working much better than artificial lures. The perch have been hard to locate this year for many anglers, and it may be due to poor spawning recruitment in the past few years. The Maryland DNR young of year data gives us some insight into how successful the spawns are.

Way North Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, October 10 Update:

The grass on the Susquehanna Flats is breaking up as water temperatures cool off and daylight hours shorten. Much of the flats are now mats of floating grass, but there are still some areas of live aquatic vegetation. Anglers fishing on the flats will be dealing with floating grass over the next few weeks, but it should clear up by the end of the month. We had a report from an angler fishing the southern end of the flats who said they were able to catch some largemouth bass while throwing soft plastic swimbaits. Blue catfish are abundant and active in the lower Susquehanna River. The bite has been very good for them over the past few weeks, and the big fish are biting. Hotspots have been between Havre De Grace and Port Deposit. Anchoring up and dropping down fresh cut bait in depths of 15’ to 40’ seems to be the ticket.

The better action in the Way North region of the Bay has been in the lower Susquehanna River, up to the Conowingo Dam. The cooler weather has made for better fishing in the Conowingo Dam Pool. Anglers are catching some striped bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, and blue catfish. The striped bass tend to sit in the whitewater just below the outflow of the Dam. Casting from the rocky shorelines just to the north of Conowingo Fisherman’s Park is how most anglers target them. It is best to use a large surfcasting rod to be able to cast lures far enough out into the river. The flows below the dam have been slow most days due to a lack of water releases. The slower-moving water is making it easier to fish for blue catfish below the dam without getting rigs snagged in the rocky bottom as much.

Way North Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, October 3 Update:

The catfish are biting, and we heard reports of success this week from both the Susquehanna near Port Deposit and from the North East River. Some of the Port Deposit fish were true monsters, and while we didn’t hear a quoted weight, the fish looked to be 40-plus pounds from the pics. The Conowingo Dam is still running a limited power generating schedule, which means that the flow below the dam has been minimal. The slower moving water has made for good conditions to target blue catfish near the dam. When there are several gates open, the faster moving water often drags weights and snags lines in the rocky bottom. Lower flows make bait fishing more effective, and the big blues have been active just below the dam. Anglers casting lures up to the turbine wash are catching some striped bass, smallmouth bass, and the occasional walleye. Stripers are one of the most sought-after fish at the dam. It usually takes a large surf rod and a heavy weight to cast close to the dam where the fish usually hang.

Striped bass fishing on the Susquehanna Flats has been very spotty lately. The few fish that are being caught are coming from the edges of the flats. The aquatic grasses are starting to break up, so anglers may be dealing with floating grass over the coming weeks. Once the grass dies off, fishing around shoreline points and drop offs should offer better opportunities for stripers. We did have a report from a reader who caught a 23” slot fish on the south end of the flats this week. The striped bass bite has been much better in the waters south of the Susquehanna Flats, especially in the waters around Pooles Island. As water temperatures continue to drop, baitfish will start to move out of the creeks and tidal rivers. This is when striped bass will school up near ledges and other bottom structure. The mouths of the tidal rivers tend to be good places to search for stripers during the month of October.