Fishing Report
Chesapeake Bay (middle), VA
Summary: 3/27 - Anglers looking to enjoy some catch-and-release action with pre-spawn striped bass moving towards the upper Bay spawning sites are finding them along the main channel edges this week. Many of the pre-spawn striped bass heading up the Choptank have arrived but there will still be those arriving for the mid-April spawn heading towards the Choptank. The middle Bay is open to catch-and-release fishing for striped bass south to the Virginia border, but the Choptank and other tidal river areas are closed. All areas in the Bay will be closed to any striped bass fishing April 1 through May 15. Water temperatures in the middle bay region are about 49 degrees this week, while the lower Choptank is 51 degrees. The Maryland DNR website features striped bass regulation maps to show you where and when you can fish. Jigging with large soft plastics will be the most popular way to fish, and watching a depth finder for schools of menhaden will be key to good success. Anglers need to use heavy tackle to reduce fight times and fish should be released in the water. If a picture is a must, have someone ready ahead of time and use a rubber mesh landing net to reduce slime layer damage. Take a quick picture and get the fish back in the water as quickly as possible. These female striped bass hold the future of your striped bass fishing. Anglers are fishing the white perch spawning run in the upper Choptank River this week, the action has been very good from Denton to Red Bridges. Many of the white perch are small so there is a high number of throwbacks. Using shad darts with a little enticement of scented baits helps keep the action going. Pieces of bloodworm on a bottom rig is a very traditional way to fish for white perch, but you are urged to bring plenty of bait. There are post-spawn yellow perch to be found this week; they will not be as easy to find as they are in the spawning areas, but they can be found in the deeper waters a mile or so below the spawning areas. The Choptank and Tuckahoe are good places to look with small, bladed jigs or small jig heads or bottom rigs baited with lip-hooked minnows. Blue catfish are becoming very active in the Choptank River from the Dover Bridge area to Denton. All the tidal rivers hold some blue catfish, but the Choptank holds the greatest number. Channel catfish can be found in all the tidal rivers of the middle bay region. Cut bait of white perch, gizzard shad, menhaden of chicken liver are all good baits to use on a sliding sinker, fish finder rig with a small float close to a 5/0 to 7/0 circle hook to keep your bait off the bottom.