Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, March 28, 2019 Update:
With yellow perch ending their spawn and readying to depart, white perch are moving up the tributaries to replace them. The Magothy has begun to provide a steady white perch fishery, with fish up to 10 inches being caught. Fishbones reported that most are being caught on bloodworms and a bottom rig. Clyde’s Sport Shop said much the same, confirming the effectiveness of bloodworms on bottom rigs for the white perch. Anglers using small minnow have had more variety though, with pickerel mixed into the bite, although the total number of pickerel being landed seems to be decreasing lately. As the water temperature has increased, they have begun to move into the shallows on warmer, sunnier days, and retreated to the depths on colder and overcast days.
On the eastern side, Island Tackle Outfitters reported that the hottest local bite has been in the Chester, where white perch are biting. Minnows have been the bait of choice, followed by bloodworms. Fish are sticking to deep water except for on warmer days, where they can be found in shallow water that can be penetrated by light. Catfish have also been in the mix, and are taking cut baits such as menhaden and chicken breast.
Reports from striper pre-fishers put the better bite to the north. However, some stripers have been caught and released in the mouth of the Magothy. From the sound of things recently, one to three fish with most in the 20s is about average.
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, March 22, 2019 Update:
The upper region of the Chesapeake has been a great place to be this week, with a strong perch run and a blossoming catch and release striper fishery. Some anglers have found perch holding at the mouths of spawning areas, and when temperatures increase just a few degrees below the surface, they should move further upstream to spawn. With that being said, we have had reports of fish further up river, especially in the Magothy, indicating that the fish are beginning to work their way into spawning areas. Tochterman’s reported that the Chester and Magothy rivers have been producing solid reports and that some anglers have been making the trip up to the Northeast, where fishing has at times been stellar. Yesterday's rainfall make have muddied up some areas and disturbed the bite, but since it's blowing like the devil today we don't expect to get an update on that situation for another day or two.
Many other anglers have been making the run across the bridge to the classic Eastern Shore hotspots like Red Bridges, Greensboro, and Hillsboro, where the run seems to be slightly ahead of the Western Shore. While most of the yellows caught recently have been post-spawn fish on their way downriver, whites have still been coming in and have been seen actively spawning in recent days. Both minnow and grass shrimp are producing fish, though the effectiveness of grass shrimp is on the up-tick as the ratio of whites to yellows grows.
On a different note, just outside the Magothy, the catch and release striper fishery has been experiencing a slow yet steady increase in the number of fish being caught. Tochtermans reported that a few boats have reported catching while trolling the channel or jigging BKDs. Anglers fishing outside the Severn have reported having some luck as well, keeping to the channel or just inside the mouth of the river. Most of the fish have been schoolies but we have heard of some topping 30-inches.
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, March 15, 2019 Update:
PERCH ALERT: It’s time for perch-jerking, people! The best reports thus far have come from the Chester above Crumpton, and the Magothy. In both rivers the fish had yet to enter the spawning areas but were instead still holding just down-stream this week, waiting for a few more degrees increase in the water temperatures. Anglers have begin casting from the shore in spots like Beechwood, with some (but not great) success. Reports from anglers casting from boats and yaks are of better luck for those who can find a hole or depression with slightly deeper water. This should change any day now, as the warm, sunny weather boosts the water temps a bit, and this weekend could be a bust-wide-open bite. We shot a how-to perch fishing video earlier this week on the Tuckahoe (see the Middle Bay Report for details); tune in if you need a start-to-finish perch fishing refresher course.
Upper Bay anglers have also discovered a productive catch-and-release striper fishery in recent days. FishTalk team member Zach Ditmars hung into several nice schoolies up to 25-inches in the mouth of the Magothy, and while we have no verified reports of stripers caught this week in the Patapsco, mud shad were thick at the Hospital up in Baltimore – stripers shouldn’t be far behind. Note: if you partake in catch and release striper fishing in the coming weeks, remember to pinch your barbs and treat the fish with gentle love and care! Read Dos and Don’ts of Catch and Release Fishing, for a refresher on how to handle those fish properly.
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, March 8, 2019 Update:
North of the bridge, the bulk of anglers are targeting yellow perch in tributaries. The fish have been holding in deep water, typically to 20 feet in areas that have that much depth. As we move into spring these fish are expected to move into shallower areas, opening back up the shoreline fishery for anglers bound to land just as soon as we get a couple of days in a row of warm weather. As in past weeks, most fish are being caught on a bottom rig with a ounce to an ounce and a half weight. The Magothy has been particularly productive (though in somewhat shallower water), as well as the Chester, where fishing has been slow but somewhat steady. It’s a safe bet that as soon as things warm up the perch run will kick into high gear, with spots like Beechwood becoming elbow to elbow with fishermen. Will this weekend’s warming trend do the trick? There’s only one way to find out: get a bucket of minnow and give it a shot! Meanwhile, we didn’t have any more reports of rockfish north of the bridge this week, probably due to a lack of effort as much as anything else. That said, the warm water spots up near Baltimore usually see some fish at this time of year so prospecting should be worthwhile.
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, March 1, 2019 Update:
If you’re itching for cold winter days to end and be replaced by spring sunshine and warmth - marking the return of rockfish and beginning of trophy season - then we’re in the same boat (not literally, but you know what I mean). Hearing from Tochterman’s today that some guys are already out on the Bay pre-season catch and release fishing for rockfish left me especially impatient for April 20th to come. However, they also mentioned that the pre-season fishers haven’t been having a whole lot of success, but are sacrificing the comforts of dry land in stubborn determination to see the striped fish that for so many Marylanders are symbolic of home. From the bridge north, we heard of exactly one striper caught in the past week (a 20-ish schoolie, caught up near Baltimore). Back in the tributaries, meanwhile, anglers working the piers and docks of the Magothy and upper Chester are having mediocre success. Shad darts tipped with minnow are the best bet, either fished under a bobber or retrieved s-l-o-w-l-y. A few pickerel have been caught too, but not in the numbers of some past years. A few warm days should accelerate the action up the tribs.
Off the Chesapeake, many local anglers heading onto the water have been going to freshwater options (see the Freshwater report for details). At Loch Raven, fishing for both crappie and perch has been fruitful. Both species have been taking small spinners, as well as little jigs and shad darts. In addition, tin shad darts have been popular among locals. Some fishers are also using wax worms, in large part to target perch.