Way North and Delaware Fishing Report 3/30/2018 Update:
With spring in sight, anglers this week enjoyed a few clear days to head out on the water. The beginning of spring rockfish season is here, and anglers who hit the Susquehanna flats in the past week enjoyed catching mostly schoolie sized rockfish plus a few big fish here and there, a welcome change from the yellow perch that have been dominating the catch up until now this season. Most anglers have been casting six- to nine-inch plastics on light jig-heads, but Captain Bone's reports that trolling plugs has also been a successful option. However they remind us that all fish are catch and release. Our suggestion: if you're going to use plugs on these fish, remove the treble hooks and replace them with barbless single hooks.
Water temperatures are hovering in the mid-40's on the flats but fingers are crossed for a few bright, sunny days in the near future to bring that up. (Ignore what the weatherman says. IGNORE IT!!) The crows nest has continued to be another good option for anglers, along the Maryland-Delaware line. Herb's reports that white perch are still present around the Middleton area, hanging near grassy shore. Shad darts tipped with grass shrimp have been the bait of choice.
Catfish are another option in the Susquehanna right now, and the river is in surprisingly good shape below the dam as despite the recent runoff, the releases haven't been a torrent. Bait anglers are catching channels, flatheads, and also some blues. Fishermen casting lures dressed with strips of cut fish have also done well just below the dam on flatheads. Future discharges at Conowingo could change things at any time, so keep tabs on daily discharge rates posted by the USGS, (scroll down the page to find the graph) before you make your fishing plans.
Way North and Delaware Fishing Report 3/23/2018 Update:
Although just as much fishing has been going on in the past few days as you might guess (as in, little to none!) before the snowstorm hit a few guys managed to slip out on the water, eager to track down pre-season trophy stripers. Herbs had a report of a 32 inch fish caught out on the flats, on a large plug. In addition to the 32 inch fish, they had a few guys come in reporting schoolie sized fish up the Nanticoke, near the Maryland-Delaware line. Some smaller rockfish are also still mixed in with the perch catch, biting bloodworms. Captain Bones reported perch fishing in the Susquehanna and in the creeks of most tributaries had stayed hot up until the storm, with catfish in the mix.
Though we don't have any post-storm reports from this area as of yet, the folks at Clyde's Sport Shop did let us know that up until the messy weather minnow and grass shrimp had been the top picks for perch bait. And while the Eastern Shore run has been lackluster recently, some of the northern and western rivers, notably the Northeast and the Magothy, had been producing good catches. That said, anglers looking to bend a rod so soon after the storms should probably check the Freshwater Reports, and look for areas with limited runoff which should feel less impact from the melting snow. Meanwhile, we are heartened by the effort to clean out the garbage that had collected behind Conowingo dam and applaud Exelon for getting this stuff out of the water before it flows down and clogs the river and Bay with debris. They've been using a crane-mounted clam-shell bucket to remove the wood and garbage, which according to an Exelon spokeswoman, is the largest volume of debris to come down the river in 20 years. Thank you for that, Exelon!
Way North and Delaware Fishing Report 3/16/2018 Update:
Although the general consensus about this week was that wind and weather kept the fishing slow, all of our sources had reports from a few anglers who were gutsy enough to venture out onto the water - and they were catching. Those who don't mind being blown around tended to head to the North East river, where white and yellow perch have been packed in tight. Clyde's Sport Shop said it may be worth a trip to Beechwood Park, which has had consistently good fishing all winter and where they're still hearing about a steady bite for both white and yellow perch. Grass shrimp have been the best baits for those targeting white perch, and small minnow have been best for those targeting yellows.
This is the first week we're hearing that stripers are also starting to bite, although they've been undersized and are out of season. They've been reported by a few preseason trollers who haven't been deterred by the weather. Anglers casting plugs on the flats have also begun seeing some fish, including a few that are larger in size. In addition to stripers in the Susquehanna, we also heard from Captain Bones of them hanging around the Nanticoke on the Delaware-Maryland line. Herb's heard that some schoolies have been caught in the Susquehanna, mixed in with the perch catch on bloodworms. Anyone catching stripers right now needs to crimp down the barbs on their hooks and we'd strongly recommend trading the trebles on plugs for single hooks. Anyone planning to target stripers in the near future should also check out the DNR map of legal fishing areas.
Remember that discharges at Conowingo will have a huge impact on fishing the Susquehanna for the next few months. You can find daily discharge rates posted by the USGS, (scroll down the page a bit to find the graph) and although the flow can change at a moment's notice, it's worth checking out prior to planning a trip.
Way North and Delaware Fishing Report 3/9/2018 Update:
This week started out a bit rough, with gusts of up to 60 miles per hour making it downright dangerous for anyone to be out on the water. However, the past few days of fair wind and weather has produced some killer yellow perch fishing between the fronts pushing through. Clyde's Sport Shop stressed the urgency to get out on the water and get in on the run soon, as perch seem to be on an accelerated time-table and may spawn and leave within the next two weeks. If you've got a craving for some crappie, Clyde's also reported that Piney Run Reservoir has been choc full of them, as well as bluegill. Herb's Bait Shop similarly reported that the most active fishery lately has been yellow perch, and that they've been in the vast majority of local creeks.
Many Delaware anglers have been heading down the Shore to millponds to get in on the crappie and bass bite, and to the upper reaches of the Nanticoke for perch. Spillways have been productive areas recently. Some of the creeks off the Delaware River have also begun to produce perch with minnow and grass shrimp being the best baits, but the bite has been less than stellar.
Reminder: Even though it seems like perch fishing is as safe as it gets, the Delaware NRP is reporting that last weekend a slip into the Nanticoke resulted in a drowning death. The water's still very cold, so be careful.
ANGLER ALERT: There's talk of re-opening the black drum commercial fishery in the Chesapeake. Maryland has proposed the opening to the ASMFC and public input is now open, plus there will be a public meeting on the topic next week. See Angler Alert: Maryland Commercial Black Drum Re-Opening Proposed, to learn the details and make your voice heard.
Way North and Delaware Fishing Report 3/2/2018
The yellow perch run has been going strong, and as the weather and water warm up, we're beginning to see some more species in the mix. Herb's reported white perch, catfish, crappie, and bluegill have begun to become more abundant in the waters of the northern reaches of the Upper Bay, providing a viable fishery. Captain Bone's suggested using blood worms and grass shrimp as bait, as well as shad darts, to catch a mix of species, and notes that the catfish and yellow perch have been holding close to bottom while white perch, crappie, and bluegill have been at varying depths.
The few reports of rockfish we had last week are becoming more scarce, possibly because not many anglers have been targeting them, instead favoring a day out on the water catching perch. However, if the waters clear up the flats should become productive in the near future. As of now, much of the area is still high and muddy and the weekend's stormy winds certainly aren’t expected to help things any.