Way North and Delaware Fishing Report 6/29/2018:
As the heat of summer moves in, it seems as though high water temperatures have spurred immense plankton blooms, changing the dynamic of fishing in the northernmost parts of the bay. Herb's reported that heavy algae blooms seem to be causing dead zones in deep water and are having an effect on where fish have been schooling, as they've typically retreated from the oxygen-depleted bottom. Many anglers have ceased traveling south as they had been doing in past weeks, and are now focusing their attention on the lower Susquehanna, where Captain Bones mentioned many boats have been trying their hand at live-lining with small white perch - and finding success. Fish have been along channel ledges, and typically between 18 and 30 feet of water. Chumming and trolling have also seemed to stay fairly reliable, however we’ve seen a sharp turn away from jigging.
Catfish have been all through the area and are eating both baits intended for stripers and cut fish set on bottom, just about everywhere. The area around Turkey Point and the mouth of the Elk is particularly hot for cats right now.
The Susquehanna flats has had a killer evening topwater bite, and is producing large numbers of rockfish but the majority are undersized. Rapala’s and Badonk-a-donks have been popular sunset choices. The flats have also had a killer bass bite, again on topwater lures and poppers. Bass have been up in grassy shallows, and are in their typical summer behavior pattern — fish are sticking close to shore in mornings, and as shallow waters heat up, they move into deeper areas.
Way North and Delaware Fishing Report 6/22/2018:
The northernmost parts of our Bay have been experiencing some heavy action as we’re moving into the summer — the vast majority of boats leaving the docks are coming home with fish in the boxes, and often large fish at that. Up in the rivers, white perch and largemouth bass have been active throughout the day and have primarily been up around the shorelines. Herb’s Tackle Shop suggested using bottom rigs with grass shrimp or blood worms to target the perch, while poppers have been a safe bet for catching bass. The Susquehanna is still moving a lot of water, but anglers are taking some nice fish down-river by live-lining with white perch. Don't forget that circle hooks are mandatory, if you're going to live-line.
Most anglers in search of stripers have been running down to Love Point, the mouth of the Chester River, and Podickory Point, where Clydes reported that fishing has been steady, with fish in the 30 inch range mixed in with the smaller schoolies. Most anglers have been chumming bunker, which is resulting in a great quantity of fish, however those looking to catch a better grade of fish have primarily been trolling and live-lining white perch. Angler in chief Lenny Rudow points out that there are so many boats at these spots lately (they're running here from up north to all the way down to Chesapeake Beach) that the fleet is literally miles long at times. His recommendation is to meander around until you find fish on the meter as opposed to simply joining the crowd in any old spot, or you may well be among plenty of boats but no fish. And if you’re not getting bites, try moving around. The last hour of the tide has been hottest for the chummers; check out the Upper Bay report, for more details.
Trolling green candy-apple hoses has also resulted in landing fish around the 30 inch mark for a good number of anglers, and we got scattered reports of anglers using red hoses and parachutes as well.
Way North and Delaware Fishing Report 6/15/2018:
The summer is just starting to heat up, as well as the fishing! Looking at the Susquehanna Flats, all the bass are coming out to play this week. Stripers are still the main attraction, with smaller fish being caught all over. Largemouth bass have also been making quite a splash recently in and around the Flats as well, so be sure to swap in a rod every now and then with alternate tackle to target a different species. Topwater is the name of the game, and Herb’s Bait and Tackle made sure to remind us that the underwater grass is starting to bloom – unless you like cleaning your jig head every cast, stick to your floating plugs. Sarge’s Bait and Tackle has had reports of Whopper Ploppers and the “walk-the-dog” method making that retrieve count.
On the other side of things, white perch are still popping up inconsistently on the Flats and its feeder rivers, as well as south of the launch ramp. Chunking the surrounding areas and live-lining have also been quite successful for striper anglers, particularly when the tide starts falling off. Remember, circle hooks are required for those who choose to live-line or use cut bait.
Editor’s note: Mollie Rudow is on break; this week’s reports were compiled by FishTalk intern Parker Martin.
Way North and Delaware Fishing Report 6/8/2018:
The rains have finally settled and the brief monsoon season concluded to bring on a mixed bag of fishing in the area, though discolored water and runoff are still issues in some places. For starters, the Susquehanna Flats are back in business with action all across the board. Anglers will be happy to hear that topwater plugs and assorted lures are proving to be irresistible to the stripers that are still remaining in the shallows. For those using poppers, the Halco Roosta is especially good when it comes to casting and retrieving (due to its rear weighted body).
Tochterman’s reported a number of anglers having fooled many fish near the Susquehanna dam and further south in the river. For those fishing near the dam itself, cast towards it with your choice of lure. For those choosing to fish the river portion and live line with white perch, striper fishing has been especially good recently. Those who tie on jigs will want to pair them with five and a half inch tails, as that seems to be the hot trend lately, and has been catching the occasional smallmouth in the river as well. If you can find a day to get out this week, be sure to scour the flats for clean water as discolored patches resulting from the recent rainfall has been proving to be the major hurdle on the fishery up there.
Meanwhile on the Elk River, catfish and snakehead are becoming more and more abundant. Captain Bone’s also saw a fantastic catch brought to the scale by Justin Rentz with his 24.75 pound carp! Justin fooled it with nightcrawlers while on the Murderkill river. Again, beware of the crazy water conditions going on in the area, flooding and clarity are the issues to be wary of when selecting the right bait or target.
Editor’s note: Mollie Rudow is on break; this week’s reports were compiled by FishTalk intern Parker Martin.
Way North and Delaware Fishing Report 6/1/2018:
Heavy rainfall in the recent past has continued to impact water quality in the Susquehanna Flats, making for poor fishing in the northernmost region of the Bay the past week. Unfortunately, looking at the weather report this is likely to continue. Murky water has temporarily shut down the topwater fishery, which is normally active around this time of year, Captain Bones reported. They suggested heading south to Love Point and the Triple Buoys, where trollers are having some great success using tandems, bucktails, and umbrellas. Six-inch lures in white and chartreuse, or purple and root-beer colors in stained waters, has been doing the trick. Keeping close to channel edges has been a sure tactic for targeting larger fish, which have been primarily holding in deeper water.
Up in the rivers, snakehead and perch have been incredibly active. Herb's confirmed that the Laurel Spillway and the Nanticoke are still hotspots, although battling muddy water has been a challenge for some anglers. Using live minnows as bait continues to be the best course of action, and is sure to produce a hefty blue and channel catfish bycatch, as well. When and where water discoloration is problematic, catfish become the better bet. Meanwhile, perch are taking shad darts tipped with grass shrimp or blood worm, as well as plain blood worm on a bottom rig.