Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, October 28 Update:
Rocktober is leaving us on a strong note in the Upper Bay with lots of striper action for anglers in search of our famous state fish. The class of fish in the Bay seems to be improving as the rockfish pack on the pounds getting ready for the winter months. Anglers Sports Center reports fish up to 30 inches have been caught in a variety of areas including the Magothy, Chester, and Patapsco. Most of the fish are being caught jigging in 15 feet of water or deeper and in the shallows along shoreline structure. A reader jigging near Love Point also checked in and sent some pics of beautiful chunky fall stripers. Bigger schools of fish have been out deeper, and many boats have been finding bird action indicating breaking fish. Anglers recommends jigging BKD soft plastics paired with one half ounce G-Eye jigheads if you find a school out in deeper water. They also let us know bait fisherman are still catching some rocks on spot and peeler crab.
A couple reader reports came in of big, 20-plus-pound catfish in the Heart Miller and Pooles areas. Bait accounted for the numbers, but we also heard from one angler who pulled in a monster blue on a jerkbait. A reader fishing the Upper Bay out of Still Pond reported rockfish were hitting chartreuse paddletails. Another reader noted the presence of a unique ship with a purple and gray hull pulling gear in the Chester and off Rock Hall last weekend; according to the USCG Notice to Mariners this is the RV Sea Innovator conducting hydrographic survey operations and we’ll be seeing it in the Upper and Middle Bay through March of 2023.
Pickerel fishing has been steadily picking up with cooler temperatures moving into the area. The Magothy and the Baltimore area creeks are great places to target these fish and the bite will only get better. Bull minnows floated under a bobber are hard to resist for these toothy fish. If you want to throw artificial baits, slow rolling paddletails or jerkbaits are good baits that have been proven to be reliable for pickerel. The fish will be in the upper parts of rivers and creeks typically near shallow structure.
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, October 20 Update:
It looks like we are getting back to the great fall fishing Rocktober provides on the Chesapeake. Anglers let us know that the rockfish bite has really picked up this week and a variety of places around the Upper Bay have been productive. The Severn, Magothy, Patapsco, and Chester all have had decent bites at the mouths with breaking fish and working birds becoming more common. Boats are catching plenty of schoolie fish but some of the schools busting on bait have been in the 20-to 25-inch range. Casting out bucktails, plastics, on jigs, or diving crankbaits is working well when fish are located. Most breaking fish have been in the early mornings and late evenings, but you can also mark fish in deeper water along drop offs and jig for them. As water temperatures continue to drop the rockfish will spread out into deeper water which will make for some great light tackle jigging opportunities for the rest of fall and into winter.
Inside the rivers, the pickerel bite is starting to pick up and will only get better. Fishbones says the creeks and coves of the Magothy and Severn are hotspots for these fish. They recommend focusing your efforts in shallow water using paddletails, bladed jig heads, and chatterbaits. Pickerel like a slow and steady retrieve but don’t be afraid to pause your retrieve or speed it up to see what is working best that day. Adding underspins to get some more flash can help entice the bite on hesitant fish.
White perch are still being caught in the shallows of the rivers but more are continuing to push into deeper water as temperatures drop. In the shallows, throwing small paddletails on jigs or suspending minnows under a bobber works well for the perch. Anglers fishing the knolls in the Upper Bay are catching perch using bottom rigs baited with soft crab or bloodworms. There are plenty of fishing opportunities on the Upper Bay this time of year so make sure to get out on the water.
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, October 14 Update:
Rocktober is starting to pick back up after weather at the beginning of the month made it very difficult to fish. A reader checked in from the Chester after experiencing a rock-solid evening rockfish bite described as epic. We also had a pair of check-ins from anglers fishing a couple miles above the Bridge, where one said trolling produced multiples in the mid-20s and the other noted using six-inch paddletails on G-Eyes with excellent success. Fishbones reported that rivers such as the Magothy, Severn, and Patapsco have seen increasing action this week. Fish have been hanging at the mouths of these rivers and boats have had good luck locating schools on their sonars. Light tackle jigging for them is a popular method this time of year in deeper water. In the shallows, try throwing jerkbaits, paddletails, and topwater baits. The shallow water fishery can be excellent this time of year so focus your efforts on areas with moving current and clean water. Rockfish will be feeding heavily on menhaden as they exit rivers and creeks into the Bay so keep an eye out for bird action and breaking fish while on the water.
Anglers reports that the water temperatures in the upper Bay are steadily dropping which has started to push the white perch into deeper waters. They can still be caught in the rivers and tidal creeks near rip-rap, docks, and other shoreline structure on jigs, minnows, and spinners, but some of the best action will start to be in deeper water. Oyster bars and areas like Six Foot knoll have had good action for the perch recently and a Chesapeake Sabiki rig, or bottom rig baited with bloodworm, Fishbites, or peeler crab works great for these tasty fish. The Bay Bridge has had good bottom fishing at the shallow pylons from 10 to 20 feet of water.
Another fish worth targeting in the upper Bay right now is catfish, and there is no shortage of them. Channel catfish will be found in almost all the regions tidal rivers and blue catfish will be found anywhere in the Bay or rivers. The Magothy has been a hotspot for them recently. The best baits to use are fresh cut menhaden, peeler crab, or chunks of spot. Now is a great time to be on the water folks, so good luck and tight lines!
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, October 6 Update:
This past week’s rain and wind from the remnants of Hurricane Ian made fishing nearly impossible last weekend and left us with very few reports through the beginning of the week. Water is currently muddy throughout most of the Upper Bay, but we expect that rockfish fishing will pick back up as conditions improve. Prior to the storm the fishing was really heating up. Anglers let us know that the shallows of the Severn and the Magothy had great topwater action along points and rocky shoreline during calmer conditions. Throwing dark colored lures like black or blue is usually more effective when water is murky so that it may be a good idea to try that now. Anglers also recommended bait-fishing as being especially effective when the water is murky since fish can easily smell bait such as fresh cut alewife and soft crab.
The best areas to try for rockfish right now in the upper Bay include Pooles Island, the Tolchester Lumps, Swan Point, Love Point, and the Patapsco. Cooler water temperatures are putting fish into feeding mode and starting to provide a better bite for light tackle jigging. Snap-jigging BKD soft plastics rigged on one quarter ounce G-Eye jigheads is a proven tactic for catching fish. Schools of rockfish will be hanging along major channel ledges. Anglers out on boats should watch their sonar closely for schools of baitfish with rockfish feeding on them. It is also a good idea to carry a pair of binoculars on the boat to search for breaking fish and diving birds. This time of year, the breaking fish can pop up anywhere so keep an eye out. Bowley’s Bait and Tackle let us know that cooler waters are making the white perch school up over oyster beds in the tidal rivers and bays. Six Foot Knoll and Podickory Point are good areas to try for the perch as water temperatures drop. Chesapeake Sabiki rigs and bottom rigs tipped with blood worms or peeler crabs is a good way to target them. There are still some spot being caught bottom fishing, but they will push south soon. Let’s hope the weather holds good and fishing gets back on schedule this coming week.