Way North Chesapeake Fishing Report, February 25 Update:
Thankfully the melt-off and rain have been spaced out a bit and at least prior to the weekend’s forecast rain, the river hasn’t been blowing torrents of mud. Warm weather this week has us ready for spring and the long-term forecast is looking up, so chances are that the yellow perch bite will take off and go into high gear literally any day now. Catfish are, of course, always an option too, though we did hear a report from one angler who soaked baits mid-week and only had a couple of bites. The catfish are susceptible to pressure changes, so that’s a likely explanation since we KNOW there are plenty of ‘em around!
Way North Chesapeake Fishing Report, February 19 Update:
Thanks to the awesome weather this week with low winds, sunny skies, and temperatures in the mid-80s, hordes of anglers headed out onto the water and sent us fantastic reports of the action. Not.
Though fishable days have obviously been limited lately, the few die-hards who made it out fishing in the northern reaches of the Chesapeake saw a slight but much-needed uptick in the number of fish around this week, as the yellow perch bite has begun to slowly pick up. Most fish are in deeper water. As the water warms up fish should begin to move into shallower water, but for now, focusing on holes and channels is the move. In addition to perch, some channel catfish are in the rivers, with most being caught in the Northeast and lower Susquehanna. Minnow have sufficed for most bites, with a mix of chunk bait working for catfish as well.
Way North Chesapeake Fishing Report, February 12 Update:
Herb’s let us know that anglers hitting the tribs are able to pick up fish throughout the day, even if it’s been slow. Perryville has remained the hotspot for perch, drawing plenty of anglers because it has remained a popular watering hole for anglers throughout the past several seasons. Most guys are dropping down small minnows and in hopes of reeling up a yellow. Regardless of where you’re fishing, the perch have been holding deep. In the tribs, it’s been difficult to locate hotspots that the fish are sticking to from day to day, quite possibly because the extreme fluctuations in pressure and temperature we’ve been having are whacking-out the bite.
Clyde’s mentioned that blue catfish bite remains far more reliable than perch and continues to require far less searching and strategizing. Blue cats have been in the tribs and on the Flats, just hangin’ around on the bottom. Drifting hunks of chicken breast and menhaden along bottom is the best way to get ‘em in the boat.
Way North Chesapeake Fishing Report, February 5 Update:
Well jeez, folks. This week’s weather totally shut down most of the fisheries across Maryland. While the snow might’ve been pretty, it sure put a damper on the fishing. Some of the Eastern Shore mill ponds even had ice on ‘em this week. However, Eric Packard hit them yesterday and found that the fish were biting, to some degree. Packard caught eight pickerel up to 23.5 inches on four-inch paddletails. Other anglers, the Angler in Chief included, headed west for solid ice (seven inches and counting in the southern coves and at the state park at Deep Creek). While Mr. Rudow caught a big, fat skunk, some others at the lake did pull a few yellow perch, a walleye or two, and some largemouth bass through their ice holes. With little other info to go on, we’re afraid we’ll have to get back to you next week with what the fishing is like elsewhere.
