Way North Fishing Reports
Way North Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, May 8 Update:
Tough weather conditions challenged anglers across the northern Chesapeake Bay this week, but a major bass tournament on the Susquehanna Flats still produced several impressive bags as spring bass patterns continue to develop around shallow grass and staging areas. Low river flows caused by ongoing drought conditions are also impacting traditional spring fisheries, with shad runs slowing earlier than normal throughout the lower Susquehanna. Despite that, white perch fishing has improved significantly in deeper river channels, while blue catfish continue to provide reliable action throughout the region’s tidal rivers as anglers wait for striped bass season to reopen on June 1st.
There was a major bass fishing tournament presented by the Phoenix Bass Fishing League in the Way North region of the Chesapeake Bay this past weekend. Boater Joseph Thompson caught a bag of 18 pounds, six ounces, to win the tournament. Thompson said that he located a small ditch on the Susquehanna Flats that was only one foot deeper than surrounding areas, but the bass were using it as a staging area. He caught over 30 fish on the day, and the hot bait was a Z-Man Evergreen Chatterbait Jack Hammer. The top 10 bags weighed over 16.5 pounds, and the big fish of the tournament was caught by Duke Nave that weighed five pounds, 14 ounces. Normally, it takes a bag of over 20 pounds to win major tournaments on this area of the Bay, but poor weather conditions led to a tough bite for most of the tournament. Bass have been keying in on chatterbaits, swim jigs, and wacky worms, but as the weather gets more stable and the grasses get thicker, topwater fishing will present more opportunities.
Our region has been experiencing significant drought conditions over the past year and a half. This year is off to a dry start as well, so water releases from the Conowingo Dam have been few and far between. The low flows have made for a relatively slow shad season in our region’s rivers. Anglers fishing on the lower Susquehanna are reporting the same. Without rain to bring bumps in flow levels, the shad runs will end earlier than normal. Shad fishing has been slow, but there were some caught this week. One angler fishing at the Conowingo Dam reported catching just a few hickory shad over the course of a few hours. Another angler fishing at the mouth of Octoraro Creek and a good number of fish willing to bite white twisty tail jigs. Despite the inconsistent shad fishing, white perch are becoming more abundant in the lower Susquehanna River. There were some very good reports this week, including a boat that caught over 50 perch while fishing in 20 to 25 feet of water on the Harford County side of the river. They caught a few on small jigs and shad darts, but most were caught bottom fishing using night crawlers and bloodworms.
If you are looking for a relaxing way to fish, targeting blue catfish is a great option. All it takes is some fresh-cut bait and at least a medium-heavy rod because there are some giants lurking in these waters. You can fish for them from shore or from a boat in pretty much any of the Way North region’s tidal rivers. The lower Susquehanna River is a hotspot, especially from Perry Point to Port Deposit. Targeting these invasive fish is a great option right now as striped bass are still off limits until June 1st. The striped bass regulations for the Chesapeake Bay can be a bit confusing, but the striped bass regulation maps on the Maryland DNR website are a good resource to understand when and where you are allowed to fish for stripers.
Way North Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, May 1 Update:
The Way North region is offering a mix of quantity and anticipation this week, with white perch biting well on the lower Susquehanna—mostly smaller males for now, but larger females are expected to arrive soon. Blue catfish remain a reliable target throughout the tidal rivers, especially near deeper holes and around the dam where they’re feeding on baitfish, while bass action on the Susquehanna Flats is heating up as emerging grass fuels a strong chatterbait and swim jig bite. Snakeheads are still more active in surrounding creeks for the moment, but should move onto the Flats as vegetation thickens, and anglers should also keep in mind that striped bass season in this region remains closed until June 1st.
White perch are being caught on the lower Susquehanna River, and anglers fishing near Lapidum reported a good bite this week. The recent reports show that most of the perch being caught are small males, but some bigger females have been in the mix too. The first two weeks of May are usually when the larger class of fish move into the area, so be on the lookout for them to arrive soon. One angler fishing on the Susquehanna reported a great trip, numbers wise, landing close to 50 perch, but only one big fish that measured 12 inches. The rest were all between eight and nine inches.
Blue catfish are a great option for anglers to fish for right now. They can be found in all the Way North tidal rivers, but the section of river on the Susquehanna from Havre De Grace up to Port Deposit is known for producing a lot of fish. The big blue catfish often follow schools of shad, herring, and perch, so fishing closer to the Conowingo Dam is also a good option. Flathead catfish can also be caught just below the dam, but they are less numerous than blue catfish. Whether you are fishing from shore or by boat, setting up on a ledge or deep hole and throwing out fresh cut bait will put you in a good position to catch fish. Gizzard shad is the bait of choice for a lot of catfish anglers.
Milfoil grass is still emerging on the Susquehanna Flats. Right now, most of the grass is still submerged, but in another few weeks, it will get thick enough that mats will form on the surface of the water. Bass fishing has been good recently, with hot bites coming on chatterbaits and swim jigs. As the grass gets thicker, weedless lures and topwater frogs should be productive. Bass anglers on the Flats have also encountered some large post-spawn yellow perch and the occasional catfish. We have not had any reports of snakehead around the Flats, but that should start to change as the grass gets thicker. In the meantime, snakeheads can be found in the surrounding creeks and rivers, often hanging out by nearshore cover. Swimbaits, spinners, and chatterbaits are all excellent spring snakehead lures. Topwater frogs can also be very productive in areas with vegetation on warm sunny days.
While striped bass season is now open in some Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay, the Way North region is still closed to targeting. Striped bass season in this region will not open until June 1st, but you can travel to areas south of here if you want to fish for them before then. Make sure to take a look at the striped bass regulation maps to see when and where areas open for striped bass fishing.
