Way North Chesapeake Fishing Report, May 29 Update:
The final week of May has brought us some good weather and good fishing, attracting swaths of boats onto the water when the sun was out. Right now, Clyde’s is reporting that most boats have been cruising to the lower Susquehanna and the Flats, where both stripers and catfish are coming in. We were excited to hear reports from anglers who caught stripers this week on topwater. They mentioned that the best bite was at dusk and dawn, and the hits were sparse when the sun was strong. Anglers who headed out early and hit the afternoon bite alike reported that jigging soft plastics on the channel edges was the ticket to bringing in keeper fish. While most reported somewhat steady catches, the results were a mixed bag of throwbacks and fish reaching up to 27 inches. Chartreuse and white six-inch soft plastics were the weapons of choice.
Anglers who chose to chunk for stripers told a different tale: the bite was dominated by catfish. We’ve been hearing this trend for weeks, and while we recognize the most of us heading out are doing so for a striper dinner, the cats are a great alternative if you’re looking for a steadier bite with a variety of species. Some of the catfish coming in have also been exceptionally large. We’ve had scattered reports of cats up to 35 pounds this week, caught from shore and by boat. Flathead catfish are dominating the bite in the Conowingo Dam pool, primarily taking cut chicken liver and menhaden. They’re biting all day and don’t require an early wake-up, making them the opportune target for spur of the moment fishing trips and late morning rising.
Clyde’s also let us know that white perch are coming in more consistently, caught in the lower Susquehanna on a mix of grass shrimp and blood worms. We’re expecting to hear of more coming in throughout the upcoming weeks as the water warms up.
Way North Chesapeake Fishing Report, May 22 Update:
Full Disclosure Warning! High winds and poor conditions forced anglers to stay land-locked for most of the week, through much of our area. Due to these circumstances, most of the info in this week’s report comes from over the past weekend and early in the week. If you get the chance to head out, shoot us an email at [email protected] and let us know how you did!
While the weather has just started to warm up this week, the water temperature remains hovering just above 62 degrees. Tailored Tackle reported that these cooler-than-usual conditions have been stunting the white perch bite, which is finally beginning to show up with some force in the northernmost branches of the Chesapeake. White perch are currently coming out of local creeks, caught on grass shrimp and bloodworm on bottom. There’s also been an up-tick in the shad action thanks to a pause in the rain and clearing waters, but the precipitation is supposed to increase again in the coming days; let’s hope its impact isn’t too substantial.
Tailored Tackle let us know that those coming in after heading south to rockfish say the fish have mostly been on the small side, producing a lot of throwbacks recently. With the white perch and rockfish bites slow, anglers sticking up north have often shifted their attention to snakehead and catfish. Snakehead are hanging out in the top three feet of freshwater areas, taking minnow and imitation frogs. Time of day hasn’t mattered too much for them, however the sunrise and sunset bites have both been good. Catfish are a similar story—they’re showing up all throughout the rivers, creeks, and Flats, biting throughout the day. Cut bait has been the ticket to bringing them in.
Way North Chesapeake Fishing Report, May 15 Update:
Fishing in the northernmost regions of the Bay remain dominated by catfish. With an excellent bite, anglers are finding them all throughout the Flats and rivers. Clyde’s Sport Shop reported that anglers using cut menhaden and chicken livers are having the best luck, but creative angles have also been catching them on a variety of unconventional baits, including cheese. However, poor water quality has been decimating other fisheries: striped bass haven’t been showing up in notable numbers, and the white perch fishery has been wishy-washy depending on the day. While the perch have been difficult to locate, poking around shallow waters in creeks has given success to some anglers who find cleaner areas of water.
Way North Chesapeake Fishing Report, May 8 Update:
The past week has brought more changes for recreational fishermen across Maryland, giving us more options on how and where we fish – woohoo! As of Thursday, May 7th at 7:00 a.m., recreational fishing activities including catch-and-release fishing opened up again. While this is great, there are still a few restrictions still in place. Anglers are expected to abide by social distancing guidelines, and maintain family groups with fewer than 10 individuals while on boats. Fishing tournaments remain prohibited, but the Department of Natural Resources has reopened fishing piers that had been closed and social distancing must also be practiced while fishing from piers or shore. All normal rules and regulations regarding fishing must be followed, including creel limits, gear restrictions, and seasons.
Flows from Conowingo have been dropping through the week and while still well above average, are no longer blasting through a dozen gates like last weekend. Still, with waters fairly riled most of this week the fishery at the head of the Bay has been dominated by catfish. While many anglers went south to the Love Point area or beyond go trolling for stripers this week, those who were bottom fishing found themselves bringing cats into the boat. As per usual, most caught are coming up on menhaden and chicken liver, although anglers are making do with just about anything they can stick on a hook.
In other news, Clyde’s Sport Shop reported that there are plenty of snakehead in the rivers taking imitation frogs and topwater lures. Dusk and dawn have been great times to go after them and they’ve been showing up in virtually every northern Bay tributary.
Way North Chesapeake Fishing Report, May 1 Update:
Standard COVID-fishing disclosure, folks: wherever you live, there are probably some restrictions in place and some waterways made inaccessible. Our Social Distancing While Fishing page has links to the different state authority webpages with the latest info and updates on when, where, and how fishing can be done. With many businesses still closed, again we say thanks to all you readers who sent in reports and pictures. Please keep them coming to [email protected].
Heavy rains this week have stunted the catch in the northern most areas of the Bay. Tailored Tackle reported muddied waters and mixed catch reports. Anglers are bringing in fair amounts of catfish and white perch, with the catfish dominating. Catfish are coming out of the Tribs and off the Susquehanna Flats. In both of these areas anglers putting cut chicken breast, menhaden, or clam snouts are catching with relative consistency. The white perch have been located throughout the Tribs, with few positive reports coming in from the Flats. Most anglers catching white perch reported better catches late in the week when water had cleared up from earlier rains, although it’s looking like water quality this weekend is going to be poor again and the Flats area — well really, everywhere — may be a complete washout. Most anglers catching white perch have been dropping bottom rigs baited with grass shrimp and bloodworms when they can be found.