5/26/2017 Update:
Fishbone’s said that while the upper Chesapeake Bay fishing bite has been on the slow side for trollers, anglers have been catching ‘em up chumming with bunker and jigging around Love Point and Podickory Point. Most striped bass have been caught in between 28 and 35 feet of water. Those that are targeting striped bass by trolling should consider dropping down lure size quite a bit, as many of the fish being caught have been feeding either on small bunker, or on bay anchovies. Six inch lures are large right now, if you’re planning to match the hatch.
Casting for stripers in the shallows in areas like the mouth of the Magothy, which came on early this year, has slowed. The shallow water bite in the upper Bay right now mostly consists of a few small fish at dawn and dusk.
Perch fishing has also been good in most creeks and rivers, with the perch biting on blood worms and grass shrimp. Perch are also starting to gather up in numbers on shell bottom, on areas like Belvidere Shoals and Seven Foot Knoll.
5/19/2017 Update:
Fishbone’s let us know that since schoolie season opened on the 16th, many anglers on the Western side of the Bay have found success chumming for rockfish and throwing nine-inch chartreuse soft plastics, versus trolling. Most fish being caught are topping out at 28 inches, however a few larger fish were reported around Podickory Point.
The guys at Fishbone’s also reported that catfish are being caught in most of the Western shore rivers and creeks, and are taking cut baits and minnows. Rain this past week created some muddy waters, but as water clears up fishing should improve. In the meantime, watch out for debris while fishing.
Trollers are doing better in the Triple-Buoys area and near Love Point, mostly along the contour drops from the mid-20's into the mid-30 foot range. At this point in time, down-sizing your lures is a good idea. Many of the fish being caught have six-inch bunker in their bellies, so this is a good size to mimic.
Surprisingly, fishing in the shallows and around the Bridge has slowed a bit recently. There are still some stripers being caught, but they're fewer in number and smaller in size than they have been in the recent past. As we said in the 5/16/2017 update, if you're willing to make a long run, fishing for schoolies in the middle region of the Bay is an excellent option right now and you may want to check out the Middle Bay report before setting any solid plans.
5/16/2017 Update:
If you're considering a run to the south, check out the Middle Bay Report.
5/15/2017 Update:
With the size limit dropping tomorrow, anglers need to shift gears - and may want to consider running south. Multiple reports are flowing in of mass schools of fish in the mid 20's to the mid 30's on the western side of the Bay, from Deal down to Calvert Cliffs. Most of these schools are roaming along the area of the 30 foot contour, though you'll find them anywhere from 28 or 30 feet down to 35 or 40 feet. They're often given away by the birds, but not always - they've been coming up and abruptly going back down rapidly. If you spot large numbers of birds sitting on the water or up in the air looking, DO NOT leave the area!! Search with your fishfinder, and spend some time looking around because there's a good chance one of these schools is near by.
Top lures have ranged from metal jigging spoons like blue/silver Stingsilvers and Crippled Herrings (used vertically when fish are spotted on the meter fairly deep beneath the boat) to soft plastics (five and also 10 inch baits have been effective, with white, chartreuse, and pink all producing big numbers of fish) used for suspended fish and those breaking water. BKDs on three-quarter ounce heads have reportedly been hot. Catches of dozens of fish at a time and the use of words like "epic" have been used to describe this bite!
5/12/2017 Update:
The folks at Tochtermans reported that fishing overall has been slow on the upper bay but perch are still being found in creeks under structure, and are biting on bloodworms. Rockfishing has been exceptionally slow in the past week. Plus high winds have kept anglers off the water and stirred up sediment from the benthos, causing muddy water that's potentially impacted the fishing.
During the MSSA Championship on the Chesapeake tournament last weekend, the few upper bay catches we heard of came from the Love Point and Triple Buoy areas. There are still some reports of undersized fish at the Bay Bridges, at the mouth of the Magothy, and in the shallows being caught on jigs and (in the shallows) crankbaits. Chummers looking for a trophy near Podickory Point are encountering plenty of throw-backs.
5/5/2017
Fishbone’s let us know to look forward to a great season of schoolie rock fishing in the upper Chesapeake Bay when May 16th arrives and the smaller fish come in. Although trophy season has been slow due to an early spawn, there are plenty of smaller resident fish being caught. A fair number of fish are being caught at the mouth of the Chester River and at Love Point, under 35 feet of depth. Most fish are being caught by chumming, and on cut menhaden, by anglers who are hoping to find a trophy or two mixed in with the smaller fish. Podickory and Love Points have been the better areas for chummers. Some keepers have been popping up in these locations, but it's been at least a three-to-one throwback ratio.
In addition, this perch season has had plenty of action. Perch are hitting bloodworms and grass shrimp in the rivers and on the bay hard bottom areas.
The Bay Bridges are still holding stripers, but you’ll have to wait for May 16 to keep them; most are in the 20 to 30 inch range. Considering the weather forecast we’re looking at for this weekend, waiting may not be such a huge deal.
