Way North Chesapeake Fishing Report, July 25, 2019 Update:
Last weeks' killer temperatures deterred many anglers from venturing out on the water and hitting the Flats. And, many of those who withstood the heat in hopes of catching stripers were disappointed anyways, with a still-slowing bite that produced predominately small fish. Most anglers are still fishing during dawn or dusk, when the stripers have been most active. Topwater has been the most productive option, and even if the bite is slow for many anglers it’s worth the wait to watch a striper explode on a plug at dusk. Herb’s reported that the bulk of anglers doing the catching are headed to the Conowingo Dam pool and into local creeks or shorelines. The pool has also been hot mostly during sunrise and sunset when spoons are the best option. As the sun comes up and heats the water, fish are retreating into the shade or deeper areas, so plan to switch up spots as the fish move.
In the northern creeks and tribs, the striper bite is virtually non-existent but the white perch and catfish are there in strong numbers. White perch have been holding close to the shoreline and around structure. They’ll take bloodworms and grass shrimp on a bottom rig or fishfinder rig, or small artificials like spinners and Perch Pounders. Catfish are strewn throughout the rivers, and will gobble up cut bait and chicken breast.
With fishing so slow up north, many boats have been running a little south to hit Love Point, Podickory Point, and the Bay Bridge. The bite in these areas has been far better, and larger fish are consistently coming out of them. Running south has also been the move for guys looking to fill their bushel baskets with crabs, which still haven’t ventured far north yet.
Way North Chesapeake Fishing Report, July 18, 2019 Update:
If the heat weren’t enough of a deterrent from heading out this weekend, the bite in the Chesapeake’s northernmost reaches has dropped of significantly this week. We had few reports of stripers being caught on the Flats, and those that were caught typically were schoolie-sized. Herb’s Tackle Shop suggested that if you’re going to head out on the Flats, fishing topwater at dusk or dawn might be the best option. The fish they heard of this week were caught on topwater plugs, and although fishing has been slow, it’s always exciting to see a striper explode on a topwater lure. Early morning and late afternoon, bass are also biting in the shallows and shade. Topwater is also a great option for them, however, some anglers are using soft plastic frogs and spinnerbaits as well. A few stripers have been landed in the Conowingo Dam pool, but fishing there is spotty at best. Most anglers doing well fishing the dam have been throwing spoons into it. The trick seems to be getting the spoon way into the pool before retrieving it, for the fish are right up next to the shore.
Clyde’s Sport Shop suggested heading south to get in on the bite at Love Point or traveling to the Bay Bridge to hit the pilings if you’re really determined to get a rockfish dinner. Otherwise, one of the only solid local options has been cruising the rivers in search of snakehead. They’re hanging around grass in coves, and can be caught on a live bull minnow or plastic frog. When snakehead aren’t in the area, catfish often have been. Cats are still hanging in the rivers, and although their bite has slowed down a little bit from the rather epic spring and early summer cat bite, they remain eager to gobble up cut bait or chicken breast.
Way North Chesapeake Fishing Report, July 12, 2019 Update:
Fishing in the northernmost reaches of the Bay has remained lively in the past few weeks, offering ample opportunities for both shoreline and floating anglers. Heavy rain managed to mar the waters of the Susquehanna early this week, however, the fishing has not experienced as significant an impact as one might expect. Putting a different stress on the fish right now has been overbearing heat, driving bass into deeper water and into shady spots. Morning and evening are the best times to fish to beat the heat, and Herb’s suggested using spinners and frogs, which are doing the trick.
Heading onto the Flats, bass have been overshadowed by a lively striper fishery. The Flats are holding excellent numbers of rockfish, which have been very active throughout the day. Catching them has been fairly straightforward, tossing six-inch BKD or soft plastics, primarily in white, chartreuse, or pearl. Herbs reported that plenty of anglers are also trying their hand live-lining small perch, which has been producing fish in the 20- to 25-inch range. Although the heat doesn’t seem to be perturbing the stripers as much as some other species, topwater has been killer but more limited to dawn and dusk.
The catfish bite is still strong as well, and cut menhaden remains a solid choice for anglers looking to land them. This week we heard from anglers who scored on them near the mouth of the Elk, as well as in the Gunpowder.
Way North Chesapeake Fishing Report, July 5, 2019:
Although thunderstorms and high wind this week have made getting out on the water a bit tricky for many anglers, fishing in the northern reaches of the Bay remains active. Herb’s reports that the Susquehanna and the Flats have been active and fish have been showing up all the way to the base of the Conowingo Dam. Topwater has been on fire at sunrise and sunset, and the bulk of the daytime bite is dominated by anglers jigging six-inch soft plastics. White, chartreuse and pearl GULP! Lures and BKDs have been the most popular options, typically on a half-ounce jig head. The larger fish being found further South (a few of which which did make a showing in this zone for anglers live lining white perch last week) didn't show up in large numbers this week and schoolies continued to dominate the catch. Largemouth bass are also providing plenty of action for anglers casting on the Flats during dawn and dusk, with topwater plugs and frogs continuing to be hot options. Sarge’s adds that Whopper Ploppers and X-Raps are also taking a lot of strikes, and the Bohemia and Sassafras are also good places to try casting them.
Perch fishing has been steadily improving throughout the area and the Bay tribs and creeks in general, as the whites have moved shallow recently and can be caught on piers, docks, and shoreline structure in much better numbers than thus far this year. Perch Pounders, Beetle Spins, and similar lures in green, silver, white, and gold color patterns are doing the trick.
Crabbing report: Unfortunately, in this neck of the woods crabs are mostly MIA. Reader reports indicate that in northern areas this past week crabbing was nonexistent.