Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, January 30 Update:
Alltackle in Annapolis reported that with the Bay and tribs pretty quiet recently, many anglers have been traveling to the eastern shore mill ponds, the Tuckahoe, the Blackwater, and the Pocomoke to get their fill of yellow perch, pickerel, and crappie. The Blackwater and Pocomoke have been particularly good hotspots, with a variety of species for shore-bound and boating anglers. Both areas are holding plenty of yellow perch, bass, pickerel, and catfish. All of the mentioned species are eagerly taking minnow under a bobber, with bass quick to hit Bass Assassins and imitation crayfish. Yellow perch and pickerel have been hanging near structure close to shore, and haven’t been too picky about when they’re biting.
A handful of anglers still focused on saltier fair have been heading to the warm water discharge, where a few stripers (including some big ones) have been caught. Ten-inch plastics on one-ounce jigheads are the ticket, at least for as long as folks are still allowed to catch and release stripers in Maryland waters – it seems very likely that the upcoming changes in the regs will shut this down sooner rather than later.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, January 24 Update:
Across the Chesapeake, there have been a few key areas over the past week that have been producing while the rest of the Bay has been experiencing a fish-drought. Eastern shore rivers like the Tuckahoe remain wonderful opportunities for anglers to get in on the yellow perch bite. Angler’s reported that minnow suspended by a bobber and shad darts have been the best way to go after them, typically focusing on areas with deeper water and structure. Pickerel have been popping up as well, in limited quantities but enough to make a worthwhile stop for anyone fishing in the CCA Maryland Pickerel Championship. The Tuckahoe and upper Choptank have been holding fair numbers of largemouth bass as well, hanging in the creeks.
On the striper front, Alltackle in Annapolis suggested heading to Point Lookout, where scattered reports of stripers are still coming in (at least, for as long as you can still catch and release them). Most guys fishing the area have been sticking to half-ounce jig heads with BKD and Gulp! soft plastics, up to 10 inches, bouncing them off bottom. The fish have typically been deep, keeping along the channel edges. It’s taking some serious work to get into them, but totally worth it if you do with the potential for multiple 40-plus-inchers. While not every boat is catching, a fair few up into the 50-inch class have been brought to the surface recently. The warm water discharges are also producing, but if you’re headed for Calvert Cliffs do it early because you can expect things to get crowded especially on nice days and weekends.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, January 17 Update:
Warm weather tempted anglers out onto the water this weekend and confirmed that the yellow perch bite in the tribs is still on; let’s hope that remains true with the incoming shift in temperatures. Throughout the Magothy and Severn, yellow perch have been active and chunky, with Anglers Sport Center reporting that catching the 10-perch limit hasn’t been a difficult feat for anglers putting in some work searching for the schools. The fish have been spread throughout the rivers and are taking a bit of locating, typically schooled up in deeper water around structure, but once you find them you’re often in for steady action. Pickerel have been mixed in with the yellows, occasionally popping up as an unexpected guest more than a reliable catch.
Shifting attention to stripers, Alltackle reported that catch-and-release anglers have been headed to the Bay Bridge rockpiles to land winter fish. Most guys are casting or jigging BKD soft plastics on half-ounce jig heads, and coming up with eighteen to 25 inch stripers. We didn’t specifically hear of white perch at the same location this week, though that remains a good bet.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, January 10 Update:
With most of the Bay quiet this time of year, the majority of boat traffic has been in the rivers where anglers are enjoying a fairly consistent yellow perch bite and pickerel that can be located with some searching and dedication. The yellow perch bite has been drawing anglers to deeper areas, where the perch can be located schooled up on a depth finder. Anglers suggested dropping down 1/64 ounce feather jigs or shad darts tipped with grass shrimp for them, and occasionally tossing a minnow in the mix. Anglers noted that white perch are coming out of the water as well, a somewhat atypical occurrence this far into winter. The pickerel bite has been fairly hit or miss, but tossing minnows suspended by a bobber has been luring them in. The Magothy and Beechwood have been popular destinations for anglers to go after yellows as well. Anglers hitting the Severn reported that catches have been scarce, but they are having some luck in the early morning and late afternoons. Finding clear water is important at all times of day.
While most of the bite has been centered around yellow perch and pickerel fishing, a few anglers targeting catch and release rockfish are still finding them off the Bay Bridge rockpiles using a one-ounce jig head with seven-inch plastics. We didn’t get any white perch reports specific to the bridge this week, but those rockpiles should be a good place to prospect for this species, too.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, January 3 Update:
Welcome to 2020, anglers! We at FishTalk would like to wish everyone a happy new year and we hope you have some fabulous fishing adventures as a new season dawns. There’s an unfortunate damper on the action on the western side thanks to a winter algae bloom that’s turned the water coffee-brown in some areas. According to the Maryland Department of the Environment the algae isn’t toxic (it’s the same stuff that causes mahogany tide in the spring, possibly triggered by a turn-over in the water from the rapid freeze/thaw events of recent weeks) but it reduces visibility down to nada. Yellow perch and pickerel are still being caught here and there, but finding clear water is key. The Magothy, Severn, and South rivers have all been affected. However, zipping over to the Bay Bridge can get a bend in your rod according to the reports from multiple readers and Anglers Sport Center; plastics jigged by the pilings and rockpiles are drawing some strikes. The folks at Alltackle mentioned that some area anglers are heading to the beach with their boats in tow, where big stripers have been chewing hard – but more on that in the Coastal reports.
On a sadder note, it's been a tough time in the tackleshop community recently in the Middle Bay area. For those who haven’t yet heard the news, Jim Bieler, proprietor of Marty’s Tackle Shop in Edgewater, passed away early last week. This long-time member of our fishing community will be sorely missed. Days later William Fraser, father of Keith Fraser of Alltackle, also passed away. Anyone who met William will remember that he was a super-nice guy, always smiling, always a pleasure to be around. This certainly isn't how we'd hoped to end 2019, but we know that both of these anglers lived lives worth celebrating and our condolences go out to the Bieler and Fraser families.