Upper Bay Fishing Reports

Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, March 10 Update:

The yellow perch run in the upper Bay tidal tributaries has been providing some great fishing for anglers. The Magothy in particular has been a hotspot, but it seems that bite may be slowing down a bit. Magothy River Association volunteers reported a very successful yellow perch spawn from observations made below the Lake Waterford dam. The white perch should be soon to follow once the water temperatures warm up some more. We have already seen some of the perch move shallower and over the past two weeks, yellow perch anglers have been getting more whites in the mix.

There has been a good concentration of rockfish between Chesapeake Beach and the Bay Bridge with some reports of breeder size fish being caught near the shipping channel off Poplar Island. These fish will make their way north of the bridge soon if some haven’t already, so catch-and-release fishing for rockfish may present anglers with some opportunities in the upper Bay prior to the April closure.

The pickerel fishing continues to be great in the Severn and Magothy for those targeting them. They are always willing to bite live minnows but with the milder temperatures, many artificial lures are working just as well. Spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, and paddletails with an underspin are all favorites of the pickerel in the tidal tribs.

Many anglers in the upper Bay are gearing up for targeting blue catfish. They can be found in all the tidal waters, but in the spring, areas along the bayfront from Gibson Island to the Patapsco are popular spots for anglers to chunk cut bait for them. Look for these fish to get more active as we get closer to spring.

Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, March 3 Update:

Pickerel continue to be a prime target in the Baltimore area creeks, and a reader checked in this week after catching a 25-incher among a half-dozen smaller fish. A four-inch pearl swimbait rigged behind an inline spinner got the fish biting. The creeks in the Magothy have also been producing consistent pickerel action. Old Man Creek, Cat Tail Creek, and areas around Beachwood Park are all good places to target the pickerel. Mild winter temperatures have kept the pickerel active and willing to bite spinners, jerkbaits, and live minnows. A good tip is to target southern facing shorelines as they get the most sunlight throughout the day and will have higher water temperatures than other areas. Fish will tend to be more active in these areas during the later winter and spring.

Yellow perch are running good this week in the upper Bay. A reader checked in from the Magothy while targeting yellow perch and reported a slower bite than the past few weekends but they did end up with around 15 keeper yellows and two white perch, which were all caught on minnows floated under a bobber. They attributed the slower bite to increased fishing pressure in the area, noting that there were five other boats within eyesight targeting the perch. The first yellow perch egg sacks were spotted below Lake Waterford this week which is a good indication that the perch are pushing further up into the tribs. The white perch should be moving into shallower areas of the tributaries by the middle of the month as they prepare for their spawning run so stay tuned for those reports.