Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 11/28/17 Update:
Turnabout is fair play - while trollers were having a slow go of it the other day, jiggers smacked 'em along that same Franklin Manor to Chesapeake Beach stretch. The fish had moved shallower (25' to 27') and were still in up-and-down mode. Even when the birds were working, the best action came on lures being bounced along just over the bottom. White and pearl were the hot colors and heads skirted with red and pink did particularly well. Interestingly, we got a reader report in today (photo-documented) of some nice sized fish (to just over 33") at the Bay Bridge, but the hot lure was a purple/green color combination.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 11/25/17 Update:
The crowd was pretty thick (especially for this time of year) on much of the Middle Bay yesterday, and the birds were up and down even faster than usual for this fall. Fishing was tough for jiggers, and those trolling the contour from Franklin Manor down to the Radar Towers did much better, overall, than those who tried jigging. If you get out any time soon, trolling might be the better move. We heard white and pearl tandem rigs and umbrellas did the most catching.
We also noted some tempers flaring and people yelling when they felt their boat was being cramped. Let's try to remember that yelling at each other accomplishes nothing, and when bird action makes for combat-fishing situations on a busy Chesapeake, you should expect to be a bit crowded. Some of us had kids aboard and they were exposed to behavior and language best described as immature, which puts a slight damper on the fun.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 11/23/17 Update:
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Many anglers know that on the Chesapeake, Thanksgiving often coincides with some of the best fishing of the year. Judging by the action taking place the past few days, this is going to hold true for 2017. The folks at Anglers Sport Center and Island Tackle Outfitters are reporting good action on fish ranging from the mid-20's to the mid 30's on both sides of the Bay pretty much whenever the winds have allowed anglers to get off the dock.
Angler in Chief Lenny Rudow was out earlier in the week for some short but sweet evening action, and found fish in the 30-inch range schooled up in 28' to 35' of water just outside the drop-off running south of the green #1 off the mouth of the South. From there ranging clear down to the Radar Towers off Chesapeake Beach, fairly small but numerous schools of stripers from the mid-20's on up have been harassing schools of bait. While their location is often given away by the presence of large number of birds, including pelicans, they haven't actually been busting the surface very often. The trick to getting them is to look for big flocks that focus on a specific area, get there quick, and then work an ever-widening search pattern while paying close attention to the fishfinder. Ignore the bait balls and single marks, and start casting when you see stacks of fish (usually from mid-depth down to the bottom). Soft plastics on one-ounce skirted jig heads have been working best, with white and pearl still being the most effective colors and chartreuse taking some fish as well. Pink/white skirts have been a killer when combined with a pearl tail. Also note that unlike past weeks, topwater has not been effective on these fish recently and jigs worked deep are taking the lion's share of the catch. From some of the reader reports we've heard, it sounds like the fish a bit farther south near the Radar Towers are on average a bit larger, with fewer in the 20's and more in the 30's, than those being found up near Franklin Manor and points to the north. Many anglers in this area are also trolling with lots of success, particularly with white tandem rigs, umbrellas, and Tsunamis.
On the eastern side of the Bay, several of the Eastern Bay hotspots are on fire. Anywhere between Parsons and the mouth of the Wye, on out to Poplar and surrounding areas, holds good potential. Again, birds are key in giving away the fish's location but don't expect to find fish churning the water all the time. When you do find them breaking, usually it's 12- to 18-inch fish. The bigger ones have commonly been hanging a bit deeper, and need to be located with the fishfinder after their general vicinity has been ID'd via the birds.
Farther to the south, some bigger fish are showing up in the schools frequenting the mouth of the Choptank. The better action here is for trollers, many of whom have begun up-sizing to nine-inch, spring-style baits. Again, the fish's locations are often given away by bird action and beyond that, many anglers have been focusing along the edges of the False Channel and the edges off the Sharp's Island flats.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 11/17/17 Update:
Although not in the same numbers as past weeks, fish have stayed in most local rivers and remained active. Just outside the West has been particularly hot, where anglers can target fish by looking for birds and breaking fish. Reader Vadim Lubarsky found decent numbers of 20-somethings breaking in the area mid-week, and Angler in Chief Lenny Rudow found fish early in the week out near the green #1 between the mouths of the South and West. However, the bulk of the fish seem to be shifting out of the rivers and into the main-stem bay. (See the 11/13 update below) and many are in the 30-inch class. White and pearl BKDs and Bust 'ems are top choices and Yum Money Minnow are doing the trick, as well.
The stretch from Franklin Manor south to Chesapeake Beach is holding masses of baitfish and good numbers of stripers, from the 15' to 20' drop-offs out into deeper water. The fish have been popping up without rhyme or reason throughout this zone - one day it's hot down near Chesapeake Beach, the next the better bite is up off Deale or even farther north. The best bet is to carry a pair of good binoculars and plan to stay on the move until you spot either bird action or stacks of fish on the meter, as it seems impossible to predict exactly where in this zone the action will be best on any given day. Most of the larger fish do seem to be in water 20' and deeper.
Anglers reported that Eastern Bay is seeing some larger fish along channel ledges. Trolling tandems, and bucktails or spoons has been a popular option. Vertical jigging at the Bay Bridge pilings has also produced success for some anglers, however, in limited numbers and generally speaking, fish under the 20-inch mark. White or pearl BKD or similar soft plastics have been the most popular choices. The lower Choptank and the mouth of the river is also holding large numbers of stripers, though the majority are small. Better fish (up into the 30-inch class) can be found in the open Bay along the channel edges.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 11/13/17 Update:
As reader Josh Kaltreider pointed out to us in an email today, the stripers seem to have abruptly shifted from fall to winter patterns this weekend. From our experience the past few days, that seems 100% accurate. Team FishTalk found fish schooled in the main-stem Bay, and the river mouth bite had become rather weak (though still happening on a sporadic basis). The fish encountered both Saturday and Sunday weren't quite as deep as those Josh found (he nailed down the depth at 40', but the fish we found were between 20' and 30') but the majority of them were in open water, just off the drop-offs, focused on pods of bait. Birds were up and down quickly as has been their way of acting lately and the fish weren't schooled en mass, but the shift to cold-water patterns is definitely underway. The best news of all is there are a lot of serious fatties out there right now - fish of 30" and over are no longer a rarity.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 11/10/17 Update:
Fishing in many of the Middle Bay areas has slowed down a bit in the past week, because the river bite has been disappearing. Anglers plying the South and Severn have found that the fish are only popping up under birds at dawn and dusk, and only on about one out of three trips. Angler in Chief Lenny Rudow hit the South earlier this week and found a few fish in the shallows, but no breakers. Thomas Point was disappointingly barren for this time of year, but that should change as historically, November is a great month for that location. Island Tackle Outfitters and Marty's both reported the most consistent bite they've heard of has been in the mouth of the Chester, all the way up river to Queenstown. (See the Upper Bay report, for more info on that fishery). The majority of people fishing the Chester have been jigging, however some anglers have reported success trolling with small bucktails.
Eastern Bay is holding fish up to 30 inches, but it hasn't been easy angling as they come up, birds dive, and then in a matter of moments they disappear. Getting to the frenzy quickly (but not driving right through it) and making a few casts before it ends has been key. When the schools have been staying up top and feeding for more than a few seconds, unfortunately, most of the time it's been 12 to 17 inch fish. Casting to the rocks of Poplar has also been producing some fish, but again, a lot of undersized ones.
In the Choptank there are birds diving over schools but it's the same story: most are undersized. Anglers working white, pearl, and chartreuse jigs have been doing best and jigging a spoon beneath the main school does sometimes produce a larger fish or two. Light tackle anglers casting rip-rapped shoreline of the river are also getting plenty of action (jigs and topwater) and while yet again most of the reports are of small fish, if you work at it a fish in the 20 to 24 inch range does show up now and again.
One very interesting catch report this week came from David Lavine, who was trolling a small bucktail in the Severn River when a 19-inch speckled trout took his lure. Nifty catch!
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 11/6/17 Update:
Team FishTalk/Proptalk hit the water hard yesterday, in the Fish For a Cure tournament. While the western side of the Bay was too sloppy to fish in the morning, Eastern Bay provided both cover from the wind and plenty of fish. Our best bites came pretty far up E-Bay from the Tilghman Point to Parsons areas (with one fish over 28", several more in the mid-20's, plus shorts), but there are flocks of birds working throughout Eastern Bay. As in many other areas right now the birds are up and down very fast, and don't seem to stay in any one place for more than a minute or two. You need to stay on the move, and be willing to pick and and move again after just a few casts. The catching often comes in quick flurries after a number of fruitless attempts. White BKDs and white/chartreuse paddle tails worked slower than expected provided the best action; topwater lures went unmolested.
Birds were also flocking in the mouth of the South at the end of the day. We were pressed for time and couldn't stop to check it out, but there have been good numbers of fish from shorts up to 22" or 24" under these birds, for several weeks now.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 11/2/17:
The rivers are still the place to be as we move into November. Bay anchovies and peanut bunker have continued to school at the mouths of our local rivers, providing an active fishery for anglers. Alltackle reported that many of the fish being caught have been smaller in size, typically ranging from 16 to 24 inches. The undersized fish are plentiful, however anglers who have taken the time to work through them have been catching their fair share of legal fish. Most anglers have reported catching with 1/2 ounce jig heads and pearl, chartreuse, and white BKDs, Bust 'em Baits, and GULP! lures. Anglers who have been targeting larger fish have been jigging beneath the smaller fish, as well as trolling. Red hoses, Tsunamis, and soft plastics with twister tails have been the best gear for trolling. Anglers Sport Center reports that many anglers have been successful trolling in Eastern Bay in relatively shallow water (15 to 18 feet), as well as in the West and Choptank rivers.
The perch fishery has continued to thrive, and as wind conditions have prevented many anglers using smaller boats from running too far from home, fishing local docks and pier for perch has proven to be a good option. Many perch have been hanging around structure, and are continuing to take blood worm on bottom rigs.
Angler in Chief Lenny Rudow says "hi" from the Fort Lauderdale boat show, where he's been trapped this week and unable to participate in this great fall striper bite. He does say, however, that there are some very cool new fishboats he's seen the past few days and FishTalk readers have some great boat reviews in store.