Upper Bay Fishing Reports

Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, July 18 Update:

Team FishTalk reports an unexpectedly good evening white perch bite in the upper Magothy on Cockey Creek, providing plenty of action for the wedding party after Contributor David Rudow tied the knot last weekend. Grass shrimp on darts drew lots of bites from the perch, many of which were in the 10” range, as well as some spot and pumpkinseed. The bride, meanwhile, used cut perch to tempt a couple of catfish in the five-to-eight-pound range into biting. A reader also reported a much-improved white perch bite in the Magothy with several dozen fish hitting Perch Hounders in a morning of casting. The icing on the cake was a 26” snakehead that interrupted the perch’s intended meal. Anglers fishing the Upper Bay shoals between the Bay Bridge and the Patapsco River have reported better action for white perch while bottom fishing with bloodworms and Fishbites. Spot and croaker are also readily available in the main Bay and in the tidal tributaries.

The striped bass bite in the Patapsco River was hit or miss before the closure, with boat pressure and warm water temperatures taking an effect on the fish. Some days offered schools of fish chasing down bunker schools, while other days the fish seemed to be vacant. The zone around the old Key Bridge and shipping docks was a good place to fish for the first half of the season. The shallows of the Chester River also offered a decent striper bite in the early morning hours near shoreline structure last week. Striped bass are now off limits due to the no targeting closure that is in effect for all Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay. The season will reopen on August 1st. Snakeheads will be a great species to target in the Upper Bay tidal rivers while the stripers are off limits. The rivers north of the Patapsco are known to have very big fish cruising along marsh shorelines. Areas with phragmites are great places to throw swimbaits in search of snakeheads sitting in pockets or cruising along the shore.

Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, July 11 Update:

The Upper Bay was busy last week with a lot of boaters on the water for Fourth of July activities. Anglers would have been smart to get their fishing in early over the weekend to avoid the crowds. A lot of boats were still out targeting striped bass, but the bite slowed down over the weekend, likely thanks to the boating pressure. The fishing was slightly better this week though, and the Key Bridge has been a highlighted area to find rockfish. Live lining spot has been a very productive method, but even on weekdays, there are a lot of charter boats in the area that can make things crowded. Anglers should note that demolition of the remaining Key Bridge is beginning this week on the Anne Arundel County side, so anglers and boaters will not be able to access that area. The striped bass closure will go into effect from July 16th to July 31st in all Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay. The closure is meant to protect our resident striped bass during the heat of summer, when high water temperatures cause increased catch and release mortality. We have already seen the effects of warm water combined with heavy rain events in the Upper Bay this year. Struggling wastewater infrastructure in Baltimore has led to sewage spills and other contaminants entering the Bay, causing die offs of both fish and crabs. The closure will give stripers a much-needed break from angling pressure.

Readers report an improving perch bite in the open waters of the Bay, with Seven Foot Knoll mentioned as a good bet. Other anglers reported a slightly improved white perch bite while fishing near the Bay Bridge this week. Bottom fishing with bloodworms and Fishbites near bridge pilings and shell bottom produced perch, spot, and croaker. Spot and croaker have been a reliable target in the Upper Bay this year, and there are a lot of just undersize croaker that may grow to keeper size by the end of summer. Big spot have also consistently been in the mix. Small bluefish are being caught at times by those fishing the shallows for perch, and we have even heard of a few small speckled trout being caught too. In the tidal rivers north of Hart Miller Island, snakehead are still a popular summer target. They can be found in marshy areas along shorelines with phragmites, and in areas with SAV. Topwater frogs are great lures to use in areas with thick vegetation. When casting to shorelines, chatterbaits and spinners work well to get them to bite.

Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, July 4 Update:

Striped bass fishing has been good during the first month of the season but are quickly approaching the summer closure. Readers report an uptick in the rockfish bite in the (former) Key Bridge zone. Slot-sized fish were caught by both trollers and jiggers, with white paddletails noted as effective. Other anglers fishing in the Patapsco River have reported that, with the warm water temperatures, fish have been holding near deeper structure in the river. Searching areas in the main stem of the river from depths of 20’ to 40’ should put anglers in the zone to start marking some fish. The rockfish bite at the Bay Bridge has been hit or miss with some fish hanging around the bridge pilings on most days. Whether they will bite has been a different story. Fishing during the early morning hours has offered anglers the best chance at catching fish at the bridge.

Another week has gone by, and perch fishing is still on the slow side. It sounds weird to say, but we are hearing about just as many keeper croaker being caught as white perch right now. There have been some isolated catches at the Bay Bridge, on the Upper Bay shoals, and in some of the smaller creeks in the tidal rivers, but overall, they are vacant from many of their usual summer locations. Spot and croaker are picking up their slack in the areas known to be good for bottom fishing this time of year. There have also been some increasing reports of keeper sized croaker and a few boats down in the Middle Bay found a good bite for them last week. There have been some keepers in the Upper Bay, but a lot of just undersized fish could move into keeper territory by the end of summer. Small bluefish have also been found at times and there were a few reports of them near the Stoney Creek area recently.

We are moving into the heart of fry ball season for snakehead, and fry have been popping up in tributaries all across the Bay. The Upper Bay tidal rivers are known to be a snakehead hotspot, with the Bush, Gunpowder, and tributaries around the Aberdeen Proving Grounds holding good numbers of snakehead. Topwater frogs are one of the most popular lures to throw this time of year as the snakes will often be found in very thick vegetation. They also react very well to topwater frogs when they are cast in the vicinity of fry balls. Popping the frog through a fry ball and twitching it usually entices a strike of there is a parent nearby.