Upper Chesapeake Bay fishing report, November 25 Update:
Fishing for rockfish is still good on the upper Bay but the largest schools of fish seem to be located south of Thomas Point. The Patapsco and Chester rivers have had schools of rockfish cruising around at the mouths. Edgemere Bait and Tackle let us know that many anglers are still buying and using eels to catch rockfish at the pilings of the Key Bridge and Bay Bridge. They also mentioned that there have been breaking fish well north up to the areas near Pooles Island, though there isn’t much pattern to when or if they come up.
Boats trolling in the upper Bay have been finding fish in 30 to 50 feet of water along the main shipping channel and other channels leading to the rivers. Umbrella rigs with six-inch shads in white have been working great as water is clean and visibility is high making bright colored baits easy to see for hungry fish. Heavy in-line weights are needed to get the umbrella rigs down to where the fish are suspended. Boats choosing to jig are having to use one-to-two-ounce jigs depending on water depth, wind conditions, and tide movement. Many fish have been holding close to bottom so having the right setup to get baits down quickly and accurately is important.
The mouths of the upper Bay rivers are holding schools of large white perch. Edgemere Bait and Tackle also reported an angler catching plenty of fat white perch at the mouth of Back River in 12 feet of water. Bloodworms and night crawlers baited onto bottom rigs were catching fish with equal success. The pickerel bite in the Magothy River, Bodkin Creek, and Stony Creek has been good and steadily improving as the water temperatures drop. We are lucky to have a great winter fishery in our tidal waters for the pickerel which can keep us busy when other bites slow down. The pickerel will be holding close to shoreline structure like fallen trees and piers so focusing casts near those areas will likely produce more bites. The shininess of spinner baits and paddletails with underspins are great to entice pickerel to bite.
This season, let’s remember to be thankful for every opportunity we get to go fishing. Regardless of our successes, it is a blessing to enjoy the beauty and bounties in the outdoors of Delmarva. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Upper Chesapeake Bay fishing report, November 18 Update:
Temperatures are getting colder and fishing patterns are changing in the Upper Bay as we get closer to winter. The majority of the rockfish action seems to be taking place south of the bridge but there are still some fish being caught to the north. The Patapsco holds fish year-round and right now there still seems to be a good class of fish. One angler reported a slow bite in the river but the bites he did get were quality fish into the mid 20s caught on a silver jerkbait. Fishbones reports that schools of rockfish have been hanging around the mouth of the Magothy and near the Sandy Point Shoal Light. When out on the water keep an eye out for birds following schools of bait, odds are the rockfish will be close by. If they aren’t breaking the surface, look for them on your depth finder as they may be holding close to the bottom. Channel ledges between 20 and 40 feet of water are good places to idle along in search of fish this time of year.
Anglers Sport Center says there is a fantastic pickerel bite right now in the Magothy and Severn Rivers. The creeks in the upper reaches of these rivers will have the highest concentration of pickerel. Target areas with structure as the pickerel like to ambush baits as they come by these areas. Sunken wood, piers, and rock walls are prime spots for these long, toothy fish. Floating a bull minnow under a bobber near structure is a popular tactic. Mepps spinners, jerk baits, and paddletails work great in open water. The Coastal Conservation Association Pickerel Championship is currently taking place and will continue through the end of February. There are plenty of categories and awesome prizes for anglers to try their hand at. Tournament information can be found on the CCA page here.
There are a few white perch still in the rivers and anglers targeting pickerel have reported a few perch as bycatch while throwing Mepps spinners. The large schools of perch have moved to deeper water structure where they will remain for the winter. Oyster bars and shoals are preferred locations for the perch and anglers heading out to bottom fish can catch them on bloodworms. Dropping down metal jigs is super effective as well for anglers wanting to catch them on artificials.
Upper Chesapeake Bay fishing report, November 11 Update:
After a slight warm up last weekend, temperatures have cooled off and surface temperatures are back on their downward trend. It appears the warmup improved the rockfish bite in the shallows, but the open water fishery seems to be where the majority of the fish are. An angler fishing in Back River during a windy day this week reported a slow bite only catching two schoolie stripers in the river. They then decided to brave the wind and headed to the main Bay where they caught 14 stripers with the biggest being 20 inches. A trip to the same location the next day produced a dozen more fish with the largest coming in at 28 inches. Another big one showed up this week at the Key Bridge, hitting the 30-inch mark.
The mouths of the upper Bay rivers and channel edges of the main Bay have been holding schools of rockfish waiting to ambush baitfish as they move into open water. Most of the fish along channel ledges have been between 20 and 30 feet of water. Anglers Sport Center reported that the mouth of the Patapsco, Magothy, and Chester have been productive for the stripers this week. Areas around the Chester seem to be holding a better class of fish with reports of rockfish into the low 30’s. The Angler in Chief paid a visit to the Chester late this week for a boat test on the new Solace 30 HCS with the folks at Bosun’s Marine (stay tuned for the review!), and some rods brought aboard as photo props may have accidentally been lowered over the side once or twice for a brief moment when fish were spotted on the meter at a sheer drop-off from 18 or so feet down into deep water. The rock were present but inactive (mid-day), confirmed when one was snagged among the marks but none were hooked properly.
Jigging is the most popular method this time of year and most anglers are using one half ounce to one-ounce jigheads paired with soft plastics like a BKD to jig on schools of fish. Another popular fishing style is to troll tandems or small umbrella rigs. Single and tandem rigged bucktails work better in shallower areas while using heavy inline weights with the umbrella rigs can help you reach fish that are in deeper water holding close to bottom. We had a reader report of success on rockfish up into the low 20-inch range while trolling tandems and umbrellas along the channel edges off the Sassafras and a similar report from off Worton; another angler fishing out of Worton reported a good jigging bite on white BKDs but said most of the fish he found were undersized and only one barely-keeper came into the net.
Upper Chesapeake Bay fishing report, November 4 Update:
Rocktober has come and gone but that doesn’t mean the bite is going to slow down. In fact, the past few years have shown that the striper action in November is just as good, if not better. We are seeing this trend continue this year as there is a great rockfish bite all over the Bay right now. The open water fishing has really picked up as water temperatures have dropped. Jigging is the most productive method for catching the rocks right now but trolling small umbrellas and tandem rigs is working as well. A reader who jigged across Man O War shoal between eight and 15 feet of water produced lots of undersized rockfish plus a keeper. Five inch chartreuse/white plastics on three-eighth to half-ounce jigheads did the trick. He also noted seeing other anglers catching some fish jigging at Seven Foot Knoll.
The pickerel bite is good in the local rivers north of the Bay Bridge and the action should stay steady throughout the end of the year. Fishbones recommends using a minnow floated under a bobber or small paddletails on light jigheads. They say that the pickerel will be around shallow water structure and in coves with docks. The upper creeks of the Magothy are great places to target the pickerel and it’s not uncommon to hook into one in the low to mid 20s. The CCA pickerel championship started on November first and will continue until February 28th.
Anglers reports that the Bay Bridge pilings and the sewer pipe have been hotspots for rock this past week. Trolling or jigging at the mouths of the Magothy and Patapsco has been producing a good number of rocks as well. Most of the jigging action is taking place in 15 to 30 feet of water so you won't need a ton of weight to get your baits down. Generally, a half ounce or three and a quarter ounce jig heads are perfect for this depth. Channel ledges and lumps are great places to check for schools of rock. Be on the lookout for bird action and breaking fish even if it is sporadic. This indicates that there are fish in the area, so keep your eyes on the depth finder.