Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, October 2 Update:
The Upper Bay got a healthy dose of fall weather this week, and the roughly 10-degree drop in water temperature appears to have flipped the switch for striped bass. Baitfish are beginning to gather, rockfish are becoming more aggressive, and both shallow and open-water patterns are starting to develop. White perch are also getting in on the fall action, making the Upper Bay an increasingly attractive place to wet a line as October gets rolling.
Fishing reports were on the slim side this week as the Nor’Easter last weekend kept most anglers off the water. The cooler temperatures and rain from the storm caused water temperatures to drop around 10 degrees and have put us in a prime spot for the start of “Rocktober”. With water temperatures in the mid-60s, baitfish are starting to school up and move out of the upper reaches of tributaries and rockfish are looking to ambush them in the shallows and out in open water. The live lining bite in the Patapsco River was red hot this week near the shipping docks and there are still plenty of spot around to catch for bait. Trollers are also doing well working the channel edges in the river with umbrella rigs and tandem rigged sassy shads. An angler fishing in the Patapsco after the storm said that rip rap shorelines that were sheltered from the wind were productive for rockfish while casting around jerkbaits. The bigger fish they caught were more willing to hit topwater lures and rattle traps.
Down at the Bay Bridge, the rockfish bite has been good this week, with fish being caught around pilings on both the east and west side of the bridge. Spot are still around Sandy Point and Hacketts, so getting bait for live lining at the bridge piling shouldn’t be too hard. Light tackle anglers also reported success jigging around the bridge pilings on a running tide. As water temperatures continue to fall, we should continue to see a decent bite around the bridge. We can also expect to find more schools of rockfish feeding on baitfish in open water. Bird activity and surface feeds are on the table, so make sure to keep an eye out for it when on the water.
White perch fishing has been inconsistent in the Upper Bay this year, but the fall usually produces a good shallow water bite before they school up and head to deeper water. There was a report from an angler fishing in one of the Baltimore area creeks who said the perch bite was on this week. During two trips, they caught close to 50 fish along with some rockfish and chain pickerel. The rockfish were mostly under the slot, but a few slots were in the mix, and the pickerel ranged from small up to 20”. They said the key was focusing on structure near shoreline points where the wind was pushing against. Most of the action was in 10ish feet of water while casting an 1/8th ounce jughead paired with Gulp! minnows and curlytails. The Upper Bay creeks should offer a decent perch bite over the next few weeks, so get out there and get to casting.