Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 12/29/2017 Update:
SHOCKER ALERT: not much action has been reported in the Upper Bay this past week. Both Tochtermans and Fishbone’s report only a few guys coming in this week, but they did say that the crappie are active in freshwater (see the Freshwater report for more info). No reports of rockfish have come in, as it has been hard to get out on the water with the intense cold. Couple that with the end of the season, and...
There are, however, reports that the bay bridge pilings are producing white perch, typically in deeper water. Stick with the north and west sides of the eastern rockpile, and try areas at least 40 feet deep. Small one- to two-inch jigs rigged atop a heavy lead jig on tandems and small jigs or flies tied to bottom rigs are the best bet, unless you can find some grass shrimp or bloodworms. We also had one reader report of limited success on the Magothy for pickerel lately. (Limited success meaning he caught one fish).
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 12/22/2017 Update:
Happy holidays, Upper Bay anglers! The arrival of winter and the end of striper season has made fishing a bit tougher in the Upper Bay, as even anglers out on the water looking to catch and release rockfish didn't have much luck this past week. Anglers a bit father south in the Middle Bay region were doing better including on some very big stripers early in the week, which of course are now limited to catch and release.
The Bay Bridge pilings remain a top pick for jigging, where a mix of small stripers and big white perch in 35-feet or more can be caught. The eastern side rockpile has been a top pick for this action, especially between the rocks and the next piling to its west. Tandem rigs with a two-inch teaser on the top are a good producer. A few channel catfish are being reported in rivers, according to Tochtermans, as well as crappie in freshwater which are primarily hitting small minnows and pink, orange, and white jigs. Yellow perch have begun moving into their winter haunts and scattered reports are coming in from the Magothy and Chester, and slightly more reliable fishing for them is being found a bit farther north, up towards Perryville, but this fishery still hasn't hit full-swing just yet either. Right now the Upper Bay is in the in-between period, when fall fishing is finished and winter patterns haven't quite kicked into full gear just yet. Anglers looking for a sure thing (as if it existed in the world of fishing!) are best served by either hitting freshwater or targeting catfish in one of the tidal rivers, right now.
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 12/15/2017 Update:
As we heard in the Way North Report, wind kept most boats off the Bay recently and striper fishing was difficult during the past week. That said, with the appearance of some very big fish just a little ways south (see Fishing Alert: Monster Stripers are in the Bay) about 10 days ago, all bets are off – taking advantage of Sunday’s prediction for low winds and relative warmth could pay off big-time. Tochterman’s reports that anglers hiding from the wind and weather by fishing from shore have discovered that freshwater fishing is improving (see the Freshwater Reports for more details). Yellow perch are biting, too, on GULP Alive minnow and shad darts with Bust ‘em Bait stinger tails. A few white perch have been straggling in deeper sections of the rivers, however their presence has been overshadowed by that of catfish, which are running heavy. As always, catfish will eat just about anything you drop in front of them, from cut bait to instant noodles.
We’re sure the Bridge rockpiles are still holding better numbers of those white perch, along with the (mostly small) stripers that were around last week, but couldn’t find anyone who braved the winds this week to give us a confirmed report.
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 12/8/2017 Update:
As the chill in the air has put a bit of a damper on the surface action, trolling channel edges has proven to be the most effective tactic for fishing above the bridge during the past week, where Tochtermans has been hearing reports of upper 20s and mid 30s range fish frequently. Spoons, bucktails, red hoses, and umbrellas have been the most productive gear, when weighted so that they’ll stay close to bottom. Fishbones mentions that jiggers have also been catching good numbers of fish and recommended using your depth finder to locate them, as they’ve been schooling but not consistently in any one specific area. Six-inch BKDs and GULPs in pearl, white, and chartreuse have been popular options for the anglers light tackle jigging.
Some anglers reported that jigging over suspended fish has been a killer option, especially near the bay bridge pilings. The bay bridge pilings have been holding large schools of undersize stripers, and getting to the bigger fish has meant sorting through the smaller ones. Lenny Rudow paid a visit to the pilings to check out the reports of monster white perch schooled around the rockpiles in 35 to 45 feet of water. While the endeavor did produce some perch he also reported that the undersized stripers were so thick that it was difficult to get a perch on the line before a little rock snapped up the two-inch jigs and streamers tied on his tandem rigs. He also mentioned that very dark green out-fished other colors. The bottom rig you see in the above pic had a tube jig and a streamer on the leaders, but if you can locate some bloodworms, they should be just as or even more effective than the small lures.
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 12/3/2017 Update:
We decided to check out the reports of big white perch at the Bay Bridge today, and found that there are in fact some nice chunky whites at the eastern rockpile, mostly on the west side but also on the south side. We also found a few on the east side of the western rockpile. The biggest problem with catching them was actually all the rockfish. Hoards of dinks between 10 and 16 inches are all around the rockpiles and often they'd strike before the perch had a chance. We caught on dark green, chartreuse, and white two-inch twisters, streamer flies, and tube jigs, jigged on tandem and bottom rigs. Dark green was the best color, and 35 to 45 feet of water was the best depth.
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 12/1/2017:
The Upper Bay has turned on for fall rockfish this season, with reports of upper twenty and mid thirty inch fish streaming in. Tochtermans reports that trolling the channel edges has produced the best results, bringing in a higher grade of fish than jigging or casting light tackle has. Fishbones reported that the majority of the trollers have been sticking to small spoons, bucktails, and red hoses. Jigging has also continued to be a productive option as well. Most fish have been close to bottom, and in the open Bay. White and pearl remain top color choices, with some exceptions (see below).
The run in the rivers we experienced earlier this fall has more or less come to a close. There are still some fish in the Chester, mostly around the channel edges, and mostly being caught by trollers, but in reduced numbers. There are also a few are still being reported by light-tackle casters working piers and rip-rap, including some keepers, but again not in the same numbers as a week ago.
The Bay Bridge Pilings have provided an excellent beginning to the winter fishery for rockfish, and jigging has been the go-to tactic there. Note the last Upper Bay update, when a reader reported a pair of fatties up to 33.5 inches caught from around the bridge. We’re also getting reports of white perch at the bridge. These fish are deep, holding at around 30 to 40 feet, and will hit both bait (bloodworms are best but are also becoming tough to locate) and bottom rigs tied with a pair of short leaders terminating in a shad dart, feather jig, or small plastic. Historically the western side of the western shore rockpile is an excellent place to find big whites, though no one’s yet given away a location quite that exact.