Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, 11/30/18 Update:
Temps are falling ever so steadily as the Christmas season is barreling towards us, and the fish are feeling the briskness below the water as much as we’re feeling it above them, bare hands getting chewed up by the sheer cold. Fishing’s been tough in this zone but there’s still a bit of time left to squeeze out a little more fishing opportunity, so head on out there. The fish are spending their time on the bottom in many areas, so look to breaking out the vertical jigs and using a one to three second jigging motion while pulling your lure off the bottom. The startled fish should latch right on if you’ve found a few on your meter. That said, trolling is probably the best way to put fish in the box right now. Natural colored umbrella rigs have been the hot ticket, just be sure that they’re pulled between 20 to 30 feet down. If you’d like some bucktails to get deeper, go to the channel ledges and start bouncing. The drop offs near the mouths of the tidal rivers are great places to start, as well as the various areas of Eastern Bay including Tilghman Point, Poplar, and the mouth. Most trollers in the Eastern Bay area are reporting between one and three keepers after a long day of plying the water, and plenty of folks are going home with an empty box. There have been lots of birds high and circling, particularly at the mouth of Eastern Bay, but few diving and working for more than a moment or two. So yeah, it's tough, but still worth a shot for sure. Many anglers are making the long run south, where fishing has been a bit more reliable; see the Lower Bay report for more on that.
Angler in Chief Lenny Rudow reports that when you do find birds working they’re often on small fish, and the bulk of the jigging catch has been made up of micro-rock lately with some anglers finding schools including barely-legals. The mouth of the Choptank in to buoy 10 has been the zone to find ‘em.
The Bay Bridge is going to be the de facto spot to lay into the bigger stripers, if jigging is your game. Despite tough conditions a few jiggers at the pilings have come up with some nice fish in the past week or two – fish over 30 and almost to 40 inches for a handful of lucky anglers. While they aren’t there in numbers good enough to “plan” on finding big fish, it does offer some motivation for the ambitious among us. Seven-inch tails on BKDs and skirted heads will work and Coach heads are another wonderful piece of tackle to add to the shopping list next time you’re out. The deep edges around Bloody Point are another good place to try these guys out, just saying. Wink Wink.
Those venturing into the creeks will be surprised to find an abundance of yellow perch in the rivers that still support strong runs, moving in the shallower zones as they prepare to lay up for the staging process of their spring spawning period. Many anglers are using a “float-n-fly” technique, where a small jig head tipped with worm or minnow is jigged underneath a bobber. This has been scary good recently, so check out your local tributary to catch some neds.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, 11/22/18 Update:
Happy Thanksgiving, anglers! We wish the news was better, but the Middle regions of the Bay have really felt a lack of presence from keeper stripers recently. Water temperatures have fallen down to the mid-40s, and the fishing has sure made it seem as though the fish don’t like it. Most of the boats that have had success recently were trolling, which is smart if you want the best odds at locating the suspended fish. Chartreuse umbrellas, often weighted to get deeper, have been a top producer. The mouth of Eastern Bay to the channel edge off Poplar Island has held a few fish, but more anglers have been finding them in the Choptank. There have also been a few sporatic reports of fish showing up off the Radar Towers. Angler in Chief Lenny Rudow reports a very tough jigging bite with most of the fish very small (up to 17 inches) in the Choptank between green number seven and nine cans, with working birds marking the fish, but no keepers present. But he also said that the very next day a neighbor hit the same zone, and caught several in the 19 and 20 inch class.
Vertical jigging in the same areas has been productive for some, particularly when gannets are spotted, if you know what to use. The Japanese imported Blue-Blues (which you can find at Shore Tackle in the Narrows) are phenomenal at getting stripers off the bottom when the bite is tough. Truth be told, however, if you want a better jigging bite it’s been wise to head south to the Lower Bay recently.
Lastly, high tide in the tributaries has been producing pickerel, catfish, and some yellow perch. Whites seem to have moved out of the rivers and are being caught in deep-water spots; try jigging tandem rigs at the Bay Bridge, if you want to have a perch fry.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, 11/16/18 Update:
The fishing report for the Middle Bay hasn’t foregone any big changes this week, but with the rain forecast and shifty cold front on the horizon the bite may well remain difficult in the final few weeks of the season. Stay on the lookout for the changing conditions and what it’ll mean for the rockfish. Meanwhile, trollers seem to be doing the best with one of the more popular choices the umbrella rigs with a six-inch limetreuse shad. The combo of holographics and different shading on the classic chartreuse is really doing a number on the fish. Spoonbrella rigs have also been producing. The trolling bite has been best in the deeper water; 35 to 60 feet is the hot ticket right now. Deep channel ledges at the mouths of the rivers are good areas, with the mouth of the Eastern Bay near Poplar, the mouth of the Choptank, and off Chesapeake Beach headlining the show. Unfortunately, many of the fish have been on the small side and when birds are being sighted they have mostly been over sub-legal fish. A quick side note before you get towards the deeper water: You might want to try bouncing white bucktails off the bottom. This made the differences for many anglers willing to divulge a bit about their tackle!
Light tackle anglers are getting their fair share recently, with a slow pick but some decent-sized fish meandering around deep structure in the tributaries, hard bottom reefs in Eastern Bay housing schooling fish, plus the Bay Bridge rock piles and Thomas Point producing a few fish. Chartreuse is always great, but pink and natural (alewife) colors are picking up the pace.
Unfortunately, the topwater bite just isn’t what it was a few weeks ago. However, some dedicated folks still had success the past week when running a few rods with topwater stick-baits rather than poppers. The commotion aspect isn’t working, with the fish acting a bit lethargic during the early hours of the morning. Neal Cohens are a good bet, right at daybreak.
Lastly, the number of white perch we’re finding in the main Bay is astounding for this time of year. Deep water perch has been a common treat to find when vertical jigging. Yes, some may still be in the tidal rivers connected to the Middle Bay to some degree, but some of the FishTalk team escaped the office earlier this week and fished the Severn only to find that the whites had abandoned the very same spots they were plentiful just a week ago. Large numbers seem to have pushed out of the rivers in the past week and tandem/bottom rigs as well as bloodworms or small jigs have been working wonders in 25 to 30 feet of water, just outside the river mouths or in the open Bay. If history is any indication, the bridge rockpiles should become a top producer for these perch in the coming days.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, 11/9/18 Update:
We’ve been noticing a huge uptick in the number of boats primarily going after rockfish with trolling gear, but truth be told, the Middle Bay bite has been a bit disappointing for this time of year. With the water clarity rising and the temperatures dropping, the larger stripers seem to have taken to the deeper waters for the time being. Even the birds seem confused as to where the fish are, and it's common to see large numbers of them scanning, and sitting. When birds are spotted working it’s often over schools of micro-rock in the 10 to 14 inch range. For trollers working the peripheries, deep around the schools, one of the more popular choices on the umbrella rig is a six-inch limetreuse shad. The different shading on the classic chartreuse is really doing a number on the fish, maybe due to it being a novelty at the moment. The trolling bite has been best in the deeper water; 35 to 60 feet is the hot ticket right now. Deep channel ledges at the mouths of the rivers are good with some stand-outs being the mouth of the Eastern Bay (up near Bloody Point recently), and in the Choptank. Unfortunately, both areas are serving up mostly undersized fish and anglers really have to pick through them.
Light tackle anglers are getting their fair share too recently, but again, quality fish have become harder to find. Jig heads that are paired with larger tails (six or seven inches) are getting slammed by the larger fish that are lurking at the bottom of most schools; chartreuse is always great, but pink and natural (alewife) colors are picking up the bites recently. The strip of water between Poplar and the Eastern Shore has been another prime area for light tackle recently (with fish even mixed in around the anchored barges and in the construction areas – watch those lower units and proceed with caution!!) But again, the majority of the fish have been throw-backs.
Unfortunately, the topwater bite in the rivers just isn’t what it was a few weeks ago. However, some dedicated folks have still had success when running a few rods with Spooks and similar lures as opposed to poppers. The commotion aspect isn’t working, so using a subtle effect has been working better during the early hours of the morning.
Lastly, the number of white perch we’re finding in the main Bay and in deep sections of the rivers is solid for this time of year. Deep water perch has been a common treat to find when vertical jigging. Small jigs have been working wonders in 25 to 30 feet of water, often right in the same spots you’ll be going for rockfish this weekend. The Wye River, the Choptank, and the Severn are all rivers that are holding plenty of perch right now.
Warmer air temperatures? Cooler water temps? It’s one one day and the other the next and we don’t know what’s going on with this dang weather either, but it seems like the stars have aligned for impending rains and winds yet again on the way that could ruin weekend plans and put the fish down for a bit – but let’s not worry about that just yet, because the fish are fairly thick in the Middle Bay and often they’re biting! Yes, it’s been a sporadic bite and we heard from both readers and Angler in Chief Lenny Rudow that one afternoon you might discover birds and bent rods while the next come up empty-handed in comparison. But there are definitely lots of fish around and it seems like being in the right place at the right time is as important as anything else.
Trolling in open water has really come into its own after a few weeks of being a second option. Umbrella rigs paired with white and/or chartreuse shads and Spoonbrellas are doing good at picking at suspended stripers, and there are enough keepers to go around at this time of year. In the vicinity of Tolly Point, Thomas Point, Poplar, and the mouth of the Choptank trollers have reported a decent pick with most of the fish ranging from just-unders to the mid-20s and an occasional 30-plus popping up now and again. There are also many anglers who are still sticking to their guns with pulling hoses (the darker the color, the better), with some success. Jiggers and anglers slow-trolling light tackle have also reported some success in Eastern Bay behind Poplar and in the deeper areas to the north-east. If you head that way, remember to give a wide berth to the construction zone.
Throughout the zone many anglers have been encountering flocks of birds, but often they’re over schools of micro-fish. If you hit one and catch a 10-incher, don’t waste your time and be quick to leave fish to find fish if you hope to put keepers in the box. In the shallows, meanwhile, the topwater bite has been putting on a show for those willing to wake up before the sun shows its face. The skinnier the water, the better. Four or five feet is where the large cows like to lay up during dusk in order to catch some Zs. Try waking them up by chugging a lure on the surface near riprap and shorelines with nearby channels. Eastern bay has many of these areas, with Tilghman point and Poplar Island showing lots of activity recently. It may be November, but Rocktober doesn’t want to slip away just yet.