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Spring Spawning Season Heats Up: Stripers, White Perch, and Blue Catfish Bite Hard on the Bay
Published 1 month ago
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# Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report
Hey folks, Artificial Lure here with your Sunday morning fishing update for the Chesapeake Bay region.
Let's start with conditions. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources reports that main Bay and river mouth surface temperatures are holding in the upper 40s, while smaller rivers and streams are warming into the 50s. Sunrise this morning came at 6:03 AM with sunset at 8:16 PM, giving you plenty of daylight to work with. Expect above-average tidal currents today through Tuesday thanks to the April 2 full moon approaching.
The bite is heating up as spring spawning season kicks into high gear. Striped bass are actively moving from overwintering areas toward low-salinity spawning grounds in the tidal rivers. Focus your efforts along channel edges where these fish are transitioning to their spawning areas. The Upper Bay's Susquehanna Flats area is showing spotty results for catch-and-release stripers, but white perch runs are creating excellent opportunities in the Bush, Gunpowder, Magothy, Chester, and Sassafras rivers. Small jig heads rigged with lip-hooked minnows or grass shrimp are your best bet for white perch.
Blue catfish are presenting tons of action right now from the Bay Bridge all the way to the Conowingo Dam. Recent reports indicate some of the largest blue catfish around are in the Upper Bay. Cut gizzard shad or menhaden on a sliding sinker rig with 8/0 or 9/0 circle hooks will get you connected.
Down in the Lower Bay, the Potomac, Patuxent, and Nanticoke rivers are prime blue catfish territory this week. Hickory shad have just arrived at Fletchers Landing in D.C. waters—your first chance at catch-and-release hickory action.
For lures, large soft plastic paddletails and crankbaits with rattles are working well for stripers along channel edges. Small flashy spoons and shad darts are producing for hickory shad.
Two hot spots to hit: the Choptank River and Tuckahoe Creek where white perch vanguards are pushing upriver, and the main Bay channel edges where striped bass are staging.
Thanks for tuning in, and please subscribe for more reports. This has been a Quiet Please production. For more, check out quietplease dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This episode includes AI-generated content.
Hey folks, Artificial Lure here with your Sunday morning fishing update for the Chesapeake Bay region.
Let's start with conditions. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources reports that main Bay and river mouth surface temperatures are holding in the upper 40s, while smaller rivers and streams are warming into the 50s. Sunrise this morning came at 6:03 AM with sunset at 8:16 PM, giving you plenty of daylight to work with. Expect above-average tidal currents today through Tuesday thanks to the April 2 full moon approaching.
The bite is heating up as spring spawning season kicks into high gear. Striped bass are actively moving from overwintering areas toward low-salinity spawning grounds in the tidal rivers. Focus your efforts along channel edges where these fish are transitioning to their spawning areas. The Upper Bay's Susquehanna Flats area is showing spotty results for catch-and-release stripers, but white perch runs are creating excellent opportunities in the Bush, Gunpowder, Magothy, Chester, and Sassafras rivers. Small jig heads rigged with lip-hooked minnows or grass shrimp are your best bet for white perch.
Blue catfish are presenting tons of action right now from the Bay Bridge all the way to the Conowingo Dam. Recent reports indicate some of the largest blue catfish around are in the Upper Bay. Cut gizzard shad or menhaden on a sliding sinker rig with 8/0 or 9/0 circle hooks will get you connected.
Down in the Lower Bay, the Potomac, Patuxent, and Nanticoke rivers are prime blue catfish territory this week. Hickory shad have just arrived at Fletchers Landing in D.C. waters—your first chance at catch-and-release hickory action.
For lures, large soft plastic paddletails and crankbaits with rattles are working well for stripers along channel edges. Small flashy spoons and shad darts are producing for hickory shad.
Two hot spots to hit: the Choptank River and Tuckahoe Creek where white perch vanguards are pushing upriver, and the main Bay channel edges where striped bass are staging.
Thanks for tuning in, and please subscribe for more reports. This has been a Quiet Please production. For more, check out quietplease dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This episode includes AI-generated content.