Upper Bay Fishing Reports

Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, March 15 Update:

It is feeling like spring more and more with the warm temperatures this week. FishTalk intern Adam Greenberg visited Beechwood Park on the Magothy in search of perch but reported seeing nothing more exciting than a river otter swimming by. While the yellow perch run can be very hard to time, the white perch run is usually more reliable. Warm air temperatures this week will have water temperatures on the rise and the perch should be running up to their spawning grounds. They will stack up in deeper holes at the mouths of creeks with a freshwater influence. If the perch are giving you trouble, pickerel should another reliable target right now. Warming water temperatures will have them cruising around looking to feed on baitfish. Southern shorelines will have the most sun exposure and warmest water temperatures by the end of the day, so searching these areas can be productive. The Magothy and Baltimore area tidal creeks all offer good opportunities for pickerel fishing.

minnow fishing for pickerel
If the perch aren't biting, pickerel should be willing to munch in many of the creeks and tribs.

There is an interesting opportunity that has been announced by the Environmental Justice Journal Initiative. They are conducting a program where anglers can turn in invasive fish species which includes snakeheads, blue catfish, and flathead catfish for $30 per head. The fish must be caught in the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River and can only be dropped off on specific days. Fish can be caught from land or by boat and there is no size limit. Anglers must fill out a registration form to participate which can be found on their website. This sound like a good initiative, but they may be surprised at the turnout and number of fish they get. The first drop off day is April 15th. Catching fish and getting paid sounds like a good gig but we will see how this goes.


Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, March 8 Update:

Many anglers are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Spring and each week we are seeing more signs of the season changing. Temperatures are warming up and fish are getting more active. Striped bass will be moving up the Bay to stage near their spawning grounds over the coming weeks. Although not much spawning takes place in many of the Western Shore rivers, you can still catch fish along main channel edges where they will be feeding on bait. One angler reported finding schoolie-sized rockfish around the 20-inch mark while he was out jigging in the Patapsco this week. Finding bait is very important this time of year, so using fish finders and covering lots of water will help you be more productive in your catch and release efforts. Some areas are closed to targeting right now and you can view the maps of open and closed areas on the Maryland DNR website.

upper bay perch run
Yellow perch have been making their runs, though weather conditions have not been overly cooperative. Photo by Eric Packard.

Perch runs have kicked off in the Upper Bay tidal tributaries, but reports have been mixed. FishTalk’s new intern Adam Greenberg visited Beechwood Park on the Magothy last weekend in search of perch but reported seeing just a few catfish caught, which jibes with reader reports that came in after the weekend from perch areas all around the dial, most of which were put on hold by high, muddy water after all the rainfall. More rain is in the forecast this weekend which may prolong the less-than-ideal water conditions in the Upper Bay. Fish will still bite, but they may be harder to locate. If you can get live minnows, they usually outperform artificial lures, but make sure you are using circle hooks. Natural Resources police officers have been enforcing the striped bass circle hook restrictions on perch anglers, interpreting fishing with minnow as “live lining.” This means that the normal j-hooks, jigheads, and shad darts that just about everyone uses for perch would not be allowed in the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries. It is okay to use j-hooks if you are fishing in non-tidal waters or are using bait other than live finfish. You can read the circle hook regulations here; we are hoping to get more clarification on this matter in the future.


Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, March 1 Update:

RED ALERT for Perch Anglers: We have received multiple phone calls and emails this week about anglers perch fishing with minnow on bottom rigs (in tidal areas) being issued warnings by the NRP for not “live lining” with circle hooks. Please spread the word, if you fish minnow for perch this weekend with shad darts or standard bottom rigs you are at risk of being cited!!! Even more important, when we reached out to the DNR about this we were told large numbers of floating/dead perch were spotted when and where this occurred. Since this is certainly not the norm we worry something else may be amiss - if you are out there fishing this weekend and see a fish kill occurring it should be reported to the Maryland Department of the Environment hotline, 800/285-8195.

magothy river pickerel
Pickerel are on the feed in the Upper Bay tribs.

Just like that February has gone and March is here. One step closer to spring. Readers checking in from the Baltimore area creeks this week noted an uptick in the pickerel action, including a 25-incher that was reported. We also heard that the pickerel bite in the Magothy had hit its stride, and a few accidental stripers were being caught in the river as well. Along with the pickerel, yellow perch action has picked up. Anglers are starting to catch more fish in the upper Magothy as the fish head towards their spawning creeks. They haven’t made it all the way up to the spawning grounds, but searching for them in the tidal creeks will likely yield decent results. We had one report from a kayaker who caught around a dozen on an afternoon trip. Minnows have been the hot bait (see above!!), but grass shrimp work well too. Anglers Sport Center recommends floating minnows under a bobber while casting them towards nearshore structure like docks or fallen trees. Be ready for the perch to really start moving as milder temperatures are in the forecast.

Catch and release striped bass fishing regulations are getting stricter as we head into March. The main stem of the Bay is still open for catch and release fishing, but many of the rivers will be closed to targeting striped bass. In the Upper Bay, the Chester, Sassafras, Bohemia, and Elk rivers are closed to targeting. The main stem of the Bay will remain open to catch and release fishing from the Brewerton Channel to the Virginia line, including the Tangier and Pocomoke Sounds. Maps of the open and closed areas can be found on the Maryland DNR website.

August 4, 2023
Upper Bay Fishing Report, August 25 Update: Fall like temperatures have been a welcomed sign of summer winding down. While some may wish for summer temps to stick around, many anglers are ready for the action that fall usually brings. Anglers Sport… Read more...
July 7, 2023
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, July 28 Update: Red Alert: It's come to our attention that anglers fishing around pound nets are being cited by Natural Resources Police. We have reached out to the DNR to attempt to get clarification on why (no… Read more...
June 2, 2023
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, June 30 Update: The best rock fishing still seems to be happening in the upper Bay with many boats traveling from all over to get in on the action. Reader reports continue to flow in from the Patapsco, which has… Read more...