Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, 7/27/2018 Update:
Warning: Due to the torrential downpours and high winds, the fishing report may be a bit abbreviated this week. It was difficult to locate many people who were able to fish, much less those who have caught, within the past five days.
Poor water quality has effectively shut down the Upper Bay’s striped bass fishery for the moment, with anglers who ventured out during the rain and wind this week reporting floating debris and very few fish. An exception would be the few boats that headed to Podickory through the downpour, where Fishbones reported they were able to hook up some small striped bass while chumming. Anyone venturing on the Upper Bay this weekend should keep a sharp lookout for floating debris and recognize the fact that log strikes are a distinct possibility. We note that the Maryland DNR is advising anglers and boaters to avoid the Susquehanna and Upper Bay entirely for the next few days.
One up-side: thriving in the suddenly muddy waters of the northern Chesapeake have been catfish, which are taking shrimp, cut bait, and dough bait. Tochtermans had reports of more than one blue cat in the 50 plus pound class being caught in tributaries, as well as multiple catfish upwards of 20 pounds.
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, 7/19/2018 Update:
Fishbone’s told us that most of their customers have been running across to Tolchester, where anglers just looking to fill the box have been chumming in 17 to 21 feet of water inside of the crowd. Anglers fighting to catch a bigger class of fish were chumming on the outskirts of the hordes of boats and fishing in deeper waters from 28 to 32 feet. Fishers that stayed on the Western shore have been going just north of Bodkin, where they’re also chumming with Menhaden.
The Bay Bridges have been producing some nice fish recently, with much of the action focused around the eastern rockpile and nearby eastern-side pilings. They're hitting jigs but also peeler crab chunks. In fact, as mid-summer hits, people that can get peelers and soft crab have also had great luck fishing for just about anything. Tochterman’s added that many anglers are ecstatic about the perch bite. They said all throughout the Upper Bay tributaries and going into the Chesapeake, white perch have been a great species to target if you’re looking for some action. There’s been great numbers of big black-back perch willing to eat anything from shad darts with stinger tails, to grass shrimp and blood worms, to those peelers. If you aren’t looking to spill your wallet on a dozen bloodworms, grass shrimp have been plentiful and they are very easy to catch by scraping your local pier and pilings with a dipnet. Tochterman’s added that the triangle between Pooles Island, Harp Miller, and Swan Point has been the main focal point for anglers trying to put rockfish in the box. They told us that if you can get on the fish and find them jigging has done the trick, too, but putting around and finding them has been the much harder part and chumming has been much more reliable.
We had several reader reports this week which basically confirmed all the striper reports above. Tolchester came up several times as where "the fleet" was hanging out.
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, 7/13/2018:
With the hotspots around Love Point and Sandy Point not producing the numbers of fish they have in previous weeks, many anglers have been running north to Pools Island and Tolchester to get in on the chumming action there – which includes large numbers of throwbacks but has been sending anglers back to the docks with their coolers full. Channel catfish also remain more plentiful than usual in open waters, thanks to the low salinity following this spring's monsoons. The Bay Bridge pilings have also maintained a bite, where Tochtermans suggested heading to the 18 to 25 foot ledge on the eastern side. The sewer pipe has also been getting some action, from chummers, trollers, and jiggers. If you plan to chum there remember that there's a good chance the rocky bottom will not let go of your anchor. Ever. Only wreck anchors with bend-able tines should be used in this area. For trollers, small spoons are typically in rotation with green and red hoses, although some coming into Fishbones have said they are using parachutes hoping to catch larger fish.
We'd like to make sure FishTalk readers know that long-time owner Bud Hein has retired, and the store is under new management. Stop by to say hi to George and Will Sarvinas, who have taken over operation of the shop. They're long-time residents who love fishing and boating in the area, and say they are looking forward to meeting all the local Fishbones customers and maintaining the store's reputation for providing excellent service and current fishing and crabbing advice. To Bud we wish a fond farewell and good fishing!
White perch have been around in shallow waters and are most commonly caught on bloodworms or grass shrimp, a lower-cost option (or a no-cost option, for those willing to bide their time scooping them from along the pilings of local piers). Casting micro-jigs and mini-spinnerbaits like Perch Pounders and Beetle Spins to structure on shorelines is also productive, particularly in areas of shade such as under boathouses.
Fishbones also noted that recreational crabbers working the rivers have seen a significant increase in the numbers of crabs they’ve been scooping of their trotline this week. We remind you that crabs too care about the quality of their food, and are far less apt to be attracted to frozen, old, or rotten chicken necks and razor clams. Though crabs are plentiful enough to now make a go of it, it’s still taking quite a bit of work to fill the bushel basket and you’ll want every advantage on your side.
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, 7/6/2018:
The Upper Chesapeake Bay remains the top spot for striper action in our region, as the summer heats up (in a big way). We had reader reports (though unverified) of stripers up to 28 inches boiling water just north of the Bridge this week! Word is there were birds diving like crazy and some very fast action – that also ceased very quickly, and we also heard from readers who ran in to get in on the action, missed it by minutes, and caught the unfortunate goose-egg. Fishbone’s reports that the dolphin have been running fish farther and farther north. Podickory down to Sandy Point remains a good area, as does Love Point and the Triple Buoys, but some anglers are now pushing farther north to Pooles Island and are doing well there. In general, the best action does seem to have shifted yet another notch to the north. Unfortunately, however, the Upper Bay perch bite does seem to have slowed a hair with the extremely warm weather. Some are still being jerked up from Snake Reef and around the Bay Bridges, but not like a week or two ago.
Tochterman’s checked in to say that live lining and chumming bites are both going strong, and trolling has taken a back seat in a big way recently. Live liners are using mostly white perch, as finding spot in northern reaches of the Bay is still difficult at best. Hodges Bar has recently gone on fire, and they're still hearing that Love Point to the Triple Buoys remains a top hotspot. We've also had jiggers let us know that there are fish around the Sewer Pipe and the barge tied up at the Bridge, but these fish seem to be quite temperamental and are only biting during brief periods of the tide, usually just before the change. Through the rest of the tidal cycle, they shut down and have been very hard to catch. Frustrated anglers have stared at fishfinder screens full of marks but been unable to get bites, with some regularity.
The folks at Clyde’s noted that spot are around in good numbers as far up as the Choptank and should make their way to the Upper Bay soon, but until then live-lining with white perch is still a good bet. They mentioned that crabbing is picking up, too, particularly if you go when there’s a strong tide.