Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, August 26 Update:
Macks and blues are still in the area of Poplar Island and Bloody Point. A reader checking in late this week noted gold and silver spoons did the trick and he had a mackerel and multiples blues in the box trolling this zone. When targeting mackerel, you’ll want to troll small spoons on #1 or #2 planers at six to nine knots. Keep it more towards six knots for bluefish. It’s always a good idea to have a few spinning rods rigged up with metal jigs in case fish start breaking. Readers reported finding low-20s rock at Thomas Point at daybreak this week. We also had a reader check in from the Stone Rock, where he said the Spanish and blues played hard to get but rockfish up to 26-inches hit his Gotcha plugs.
Anglers let us know that the best bites for rockfish they’ve been hearing about in the area have been coming from the South and West Rivers. Fishing the shallows around points and rocky shorelines using jerkbaits, paddletails, and topwater plugs have been getting the rock to hit. Morning and evening bites have been best with fish feeding during the cooler temperatures. A reader checked in from the Deale area to let us know he had success catching perch and rockfish in the shallows near pilings. The perch were hitting on a Beetle Spin with a pink twisty tail and the rock were caught using a broken-back jerk bait. The biggest rock was 19”.
On the bull redfish front, three readers checked in from the Hooper Island Light to buoy 72 zone. Two never found the fish, and one looked all day without joy then had a brief flurry of action that included hooking three and landing one. These fish have been scattered and hard to find. Some are on the west side now as well, however, with one reader fishing out of Solomons reporting he hooked into a bull red and also a cobia late this week on jigs after locating a mackerel/bluefish frenzy. Boats with the most luck recently have been finding them on their side scan or jigging under schools of macks and blues. The jigs being used are in the three-quarter ounce range rigged with soft plastics of eight inches or more. A few cobia have also been reported on the east side across from Solomons, caught by trolling red or pink hoses behind planers.
Crabbing report: Crabbing was good over the weekend in this zone of the Bay and we heard tell of full bushel baskets, with the four- to seven-foot range producing the best results.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, August 19 Update:
Add fishing gear to the list of back-to-school supplies because the fishing is heating up and now is the time to get the kids on the water. Angler in Chief Lenny Rudow says the cool evenings seem to have triggered a bit more rockfish action, and some shallow water spots near the South and West rivers have begun producing better numbers of fish up into the low- to mid-20s. We also had a reader report of (smaller) rock hitting topwater in the shallows of the Severn, and another of fish to 25 inches in the shallows of the Choptank.
Anglers let us know that the white perch fishing has been excellent. The Six and Seven Foot Knolls and points and the mouths of rivers are good places to check out north of the bridge. South of the bridge, try shallow water areas like Thomas Point and near the mouths of Eastern Bay and the Choptank. They recommend targeting them with Chesapeake sabiki rigs or if you want to go after the jumbo perch, throw a larger profile lure such as a Z-man three-inch minnow on a light jig head.
Bluefish and Spanish mackerel are as far North in the Bay as Poplar Island and Bloody Point. Your best bet is to look for breaking fish or birds. If you find a school breaking, cast to them with metal jigs or troll small spoons on #1 and #2 planers. Pick up your speed to between seven and nine knots to home in on the mackerel. Reader reports of some nicer Spanish mackerel came in this week, and Capt. Tom of Fish With Weaver had a few this week that qualified as true monster macks caught while casting south of Poplar Island (photo-verified, but the above pic was just too awesome to beat!). The AIC also reported that mid-week some nicer blues had showed up also near the south side of Poplar, with one pushing three pounds and numerous 20-inchers heading for the smoker. The area just outside of Sharps Island Flats was noted by readers as another holding the mix of snapper blues and mackerel.
On the bull red front, we had two reader reports of action on 40-inch-plus fish between Hooper Island Light and the Target Ship, but several more reports from people who never found the fish. The AIC also noted that a foray to Point Lookout last weekend didn’t produce any of the intended reds, but he did find some flounder and for the first time in a long time saw a keeper-sized flattie (about 18”) in MD Chesapeake waters. White flukes on a one-ounce jig head had ‘em biting in 15 feet of water. Contributor Eric Packard says the cutlassfish in the Patuxent seem to have pulled a disappearing act, which is hopefully only temporary. He also noted that a cobia trip midweek produced Spanish and blues, but none of the intended target species.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, August 12 Update:
Get out those trolling rods because more mackerel and bluefish are showing up by the day. The AIC says plenty of mackerel remain between Poplar and Sharps Island light mixed with blues and rock, but when they break water it’s been very brief and sporadic, and trollers pulling planers and Drone or Clark spoons are doing significantly better than those attempting to cast to the fish. There was some better bird action reported in that zone last weekend, with one reader checking in after catching five mackerel plus small rock casting light gear in the frenzies, but Rudow said that this Thursday afternoon and evening the schools near the south side of Poplar were up for mere moments before disappearing again. Some larger fish have showed up, however, and 25- and 26-inchers were reported this week. Rudow also noted that there weren’t many rockfish up on Poplar itself, but those that were hugging the rocks were chunky and one hit 26 inches. A great mackerel report came in from an angler fishing a bit farther south off Sharp’s Island Light with over 30 fish boated. Trolling Clark spoons on number 1 and 2 planers at 7-8 mph did the trick.
The rockfish bite remains good in most areas of the Middle Bay. Anglers Sporting Center reports that the best bites have been coming from the Bay Bridge pilings, Thomas Point, and Eastern Bay. Reader reports came in of success at the Bay Bridge live-lining for rockfish, with fish in the low to mid 20s. A moving tide has been key when fishing the pilings of the bridge. Jigging plastics on jig heads or with metal jigs has also been producing fish in these areas. If you want some super fun action, the mouths of many of the rivers have great topwater bites for keeper rock early and late in the day. A reader report from seven-year-old Les Haggett out of the Miles River near St. Michaels showed a nice catch of schoolie rock caught on a spinnerbait.
Schools of big bull reds have made their way as far North as Solomons. If you can find schools of them breaking, Anglers recommends throwing a half ounce G-Eye Jig under a popping cork. It’s also a good bet to try jigging for them under schools of breaking bluefish. Use larger seven- or eight-inch plastics on your jig heads. Contributor Eric Packard hit the lower Pax on a cutlassfish hunt last weekend and while he did find them (two kayak anglers boated 15 plus a throwback rock between them) he noted that they had shifted away from their usual haunts, and it took some looking. A three-eighths ounce jig head with a four-ounce white paddletail was what got them biting.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, August 5 Update:
We have a new Fishing Reports editor, folks! FishTalk welcomes Dillon Waters to the team, an angler who has sent in reader photos in the past that have made us thoroughly jealous — stripers, specks, and reds that any of us would be thrilled to catch. Dillon says:
“I’m a lifelong resident of Maryland. What an awesome state for fishing, right? I’m an avid outdoorsman and my main hobbies include fishing, hunting, and photography. If I have any free time, you will either find me on the water or in the woods! I graduated from St. Mary's College of Maryland in 2021 with a B.S. in Biology and Environmental Studies and currently have a full-time position with the Department of Natural Resources Wildlife and Heritage Service working as a wildlife response technician. My favorite freshwater fish to catch is crappie (St. Mary's Lake has been very reliable) and my favorite saltwater fish to catch are speckled trout (the Tangier Sound is a beautiful place to target them). One of my other big interests is baseball — go O's! I look forward to being able to provide detailed and accurate reports to FishTalk’s readers moving forward.”
Welcome aboard, Dillon!
Rockfish Alert: It’s time to hit the water folks, rockfish season reopened on Monday! Yay! Early reports indicate that they are still holding strong in their areas from last month. Please remember to handle these fish with care when releasing them as hot temps and low oxygen are putting them under high stress!
Good numbers of big bull redfish have showed up from the mouth of the Patuxent down beyond the state line, pouncing on jigs (pink is a hot pick!) offered up by anglers finding bait then jigging down deep under it and/or casting to breaking bulls. Not everyone is finding them, but when a school is located there’s often a bona fide epic-level frenzy going on and it hasn’t been unusual for everyone aboard to hook up. If you are lucky enough to find a school of breaking reds, work the edges because running your motor too close can push the school back down deep. A few scattered cobia have been reported (and photo verified) mixed in at the frenzies.
With rockfish re-entering the picture on Monday and big reds in the neighborhood the news might not have as much impact, but the Spanish mackerel proved cooperative for many anglers this past week. Multiple reports came in from readers fishing just northwest and south of Poplar Island with catches of three to five mackerel caught while trolling Drones and Clarks behind number-one planers. The Angler in Chief says he didn’t get ‘em when he tried light tackle tactics in the same area and rockfish kept getting in the way, however, he noted that several of the rock were keeper-sized. Birds have been marking the schools but aren’t always active, so if you see a flock sitting on the water, sticking in the area for a while may be a good move. We also received catch reports of three to six Spanish plus plenty of blues in the 12- to 16-inch range from just west of Sharps Island Light, and of some even bigger catches up to a dozen fish made along the stretch from Solomons up past the Gas Docks. Again, the spoon-and-planer trollers were making the big catches.
Anglers looking to get back on the striper bite should be happy to know there are a good number of fish around. Alltackle reports that live-ling with spot has been good, though a lot of people are chunking with bunker, squid, and peelers. Those looking to hook up on artificial baits have had success jigging metal baits along drop offs from 15- to 30-feet of water. We also checked in with Chesapeake Outdoors who had some exciting information for us, as there appears to be a fall-like pattern in Eastern Bay, the Chester River, Miles River, and the Choptank with rockfish up shallow and tight to structure in steady current. Topwater and paddle-tails have been producing fish into the mid 20s. Early morning bites have been best but high and outgoing tides at any point throughout the day are producing fish willing to bite.
The bridge has had a very good white perch bite in 10-12 foot of water during moving tides. Shad darts and small bull minnows have been producing perch up to 13”!
Crabbing Report: The AIC says crabbing in the South became much tougher recently with a huge influx of undersized and female crabs, but it’s still possible to fill the basket if you keep at it. He also noted many of the bigger males were white-bellies. A reader checked in from the east side after crabbing near Tilghman, with a couple dozen nice crabs in the basket. Creeks off the Choptank have been producing large crabs as well for those trout lining in as little four feet of water.