SPECIES:  Striped Bass in middle and Reds in lower bay

UPDATE:  May 10, 2010

FISHING CONDITIONS:  Where have the warm spring days gone?  No matter, my concerns were that the warming trend would continue unchecked and the Spring fishing that we have been enjoying would crash.  There are still many Trophy size Striped Bass running around and can still be caught on Fly’s if you are the lucky one to put it in front of one.  Several trips this week in the tributary waters near St. Michaels have netted some real nice fish although nothing huge. Water clarity is amazing.  My next trip should be calm and hopefully I will find some nice fish for my clients. 

WATER TEMPERATURE: Mid Bay 60+ Degrees, Lower Bay (CBBT) 60 Degrees, Near Coastal 56

MOST COMMON BAIT:  Bunker, Herring, perch, shad, and a host of other bait

“MUST HAVE” FLIES IN DESCENDING ORDER OF IMPORTANCE: Large (four inch) half and half’s, blue and white is still working.  Some reaction to other popular colors as well such as white on white and white on chartreuse.

 RECOMMENDED LEADER: 20 to 30 pound test, 7 ½ foot or 9 foot non-tapered.

BEST FLY ROD AND REEL OUTFIT:  9 weight with large arbor reel

IDEAL FLY LINE TYPES: Full sink line in the fastest sink rate for waters around 6 to 12 feet and full float in skinny or if you happen to see fish on the surface. 

BEST TECHNIQUES:  Drifts over the hot areas that are holding fish.  Cast up current if necessary to get your fly down.  Once you feel the fish hit the fly do a solid strip strike.  Continue to use debarbed hooks to make release easier during this period.  Because we are using debarbed hooks a second strip strike is advisable, being careful not to mistakenly grab the backing when it is moving.

COMMENTS:  Big fish are still around; don’t give up on a goal to slam one this Spring.  Last year’s pattern of big fish in tribs hasn’t played out yet and my expectations are very high that we will still see some hot action over the next few weeks.   By the way, the lower bay got exciting this past week.  My friend described a school of Big Red Fish coming into the shallow water of a beach he was fishing near, like a whole armada of torpedos coming in.  Only got one big red but it must have been exciting to see a school of big reds like that! 

7-DAY OUTLOOK:  With the fish and the bait I’m seeing in the area, expect to see bird action and breaking fish on trips real soon.  This is spectacular when the big fish area up on top and not to be missed.

SPECIES:  Striped Bass

UPDATE:  May 1, 2012

FISHING CONDITIONS:  Upper Bay (Susquehanna Flats) fishing is poor to ok with one day hot and the next nothing.  Weather is the likely culprit, mixed with poor numbers of Striped Bass in general.  Got up close to MD DNR reports from the sample netting they do up North near the Flats and they report large cows with eggs are on the rise this year compared to previous two.  Thats promising.  The possiblility of another spawn taking place on or near the flats this week is good if the weather warms as promised.  Mid Bay, close to St. Michaels nice fish can be caught on fly and light tackle but not with great consistancy.  Hopefully that will improve over the next week.  Warmer would be nice.  Big trophy size fish (those over 25 inches) are scattered all over the region.  Lumps (high areas in otherwise graduated bottom) are producing the best fishing although a close second has found me on flats near deeper water.  Not finding fish schooled up much this season.  Lower Bay reports are good for early black drum as well as Striped Bass in the surf as well as flounder and sharks.  I would like to get into that action but the weather is killing opportunity. 

WATER TEMPERATURE: Mid Bay 60+ Degrees, Lower Bay (CBBT) 60 Degrees, Near Coastal 58

MOST COMMON BAIT:  Bunker, Herring, perch, shad, and a host of other bait

“MUST HAVE” FLIES IN DESCENDING ORDER OF IMPORTANCE: Large (four inch) half and half’s, blue and white is still working.  The top producer this week is a bunker fly in Chartreuse and white, they have to be looking for the white perch that are common up here on the flats.  I am fishing poppers when on the flats looking for the cows, too much grass to use anything else. 

RECOMMENDED LEADER: 20 to 30 pound test, 7 ½ foot or 9 foot.

BEST FLY ROD AND REEL OUTFIT:  9 weight with large arbor reel

IDEAL FLY LINE TYPES: Full sink line in the fastest sink rate for waters around 6 to 12 feet and full float in skinnier. 

BEST TECHNIQUES:  Drifts over the hot areas that are holding fish.  Cast up current if necessary to get your fly down.  Once you feel the fish hit the fly do a solid strip strike.  Continue to use debarbed hooks to make release easier during this period.  Because we are using debarbed hooks a second strip strike is advisable, being careful not to mistakenly grab the backing when it is moving.

COMMENTS:  Weather is playing its role in this spring fishing.  Winds seem to moving between calm and gale force.  Pays to be attentive and be prepared to alter your plans. 

7-DAY OUTLOOK:  With the fish and the bait I’m seeing in the area, expect to see bird action and breaking fish very soon.  This is a spectacular time when the big fish are up on top and not to be missed.

SPECIES:  Striped Bass

UPDATE:  April 23, 2012

FISHING CONDITIONS:  Large fish, really large fish, are all over the Bay right now.  Personally I have had a good number of fish up to 40 inches to the boat and there are some bigger fish that weren’t landed.  This is both mid bay and on the Susquehanna Flats.  The water temperatures are so higher than normal for this time of year that fishing locations need to be re-thought.  By that I mean, normal spring and you look for over 50 degree water to make your drift in.  This spring and all the water is over 50 degrees.  Look for structure and current.  Not surprisingly the fish in the mid bay are more likely to be found in deep water where temperatures are more consistent.  This is still fly rod fishable; most fish are suspended in 20 to 30 feet of water.   At the Flats, we look in the shallow water with strong current.

WATER TEMPERATURE: Mid Bay 57 Degrees, Lower Bay (CBBT) 60 Degrees, Near Coastal 56

MOST COMMON BAIT:  Bunker, Herring, perch, shad, and a host of other bait

“MUST HAVE” FLIES IN DESCENDING ORDER OF IMPORTANCE: Large (four inch) half and half’s, blue and white is still working the best although several large fish have fallen for a all chartreuse fly I tie that measures over 8 inches.  I am fishing a black Gurgler when on the flats to help the fish see it in the low visibility waters.

RECOMMENDED LEADER: 16 to 20 pound test, 7 ½ foot or 9 foot.

BEST FLY ROD AND REEL OUTFIT:  9 weight with large arbor reel

IDEAL FLY LINE TYPES: Full sink line in the fastest sink rate. 

SPINNING REEL OUTFIT:  Six foot, medium, fast action rod with reels loaded with braided line in 20 or 30 pound test.  Six foot leader in matching test fluorocarbon.

BEST TECHNIQUES:  Mid Bay fishing requires a little work.  Often finding lots of fish on my electronics but being unable to bring one in on fly has been frustrating for me and my anglers.  We had one break off and another that appeared to be a bite off (not sure about that fish).  Remember to cast up current if necessary to get your fly down.  You should occasionally feel the bottom to know you are deep enough.   Once you feel the fish hit the fly do a solid strip strike.  Use debarbed hooks to make release easier during this period.  Because we are using debarbed hooks a second strip strike is advisable, being careful not to mistakenly grab the backing when it is moving.

COMMENTS:  This past week has seen a drop in temperatures and strong winds.  I have had to cancel several trips for the safety of it.  Be wise on windy days, this is the beginning of a new season, there’s plenty of time to catch fish.

7-DAY OUTLOOK: High pressure and a warming trend, coupled with southerly winds will improve conditions.  Hardly any rain will help water clarity on the Susquehanna Flats, improving visibility.

SPECIES:  Striped Bass

UPDATE:  April 03, 2012

FISHING CONDITIONS:  Water clarity is good on the Flats! The fish bite is on and many fish are being caught routinely on fly and light tackle.  I am offering to fish on the Susquehanna Flats for the first time in several years.  Each day fish are of average size (18 to 27).  Occasionally a bigger cow will blow up and sometimes get caught while in these groups.  Some days are harder than others but this is still fun.  Every fish caught pulls like it means to get away and in skinny waters that is a ball.

WATER TEMPERATURE: Mid/upper  Bay 55  Degrees, Lower Bay (CBBT) 60 Degrees, Near Coastal 56

MOST COMMON BAIT:  Bunker, Herring, perch, shad, and a host of other bait

“MUST HAVE” FLIES IN DESCENDING ORDER OF IMPORTANCE: Large (four inch) half and half’s, blue and white is still working.  The top producer this week is a bunker fly in Chartreuse and white, they have to be looking for the white perch that are common up here on the flats.  I am fishing poppers when on the flats looking for the cows, too much grass to use anything else. 

RECOMMENDED LEADER: 20 pound test, 7 ½ foot or 9 foot.

BEST FLY ROD AND REEL OUTFIT:  9 weight with large arbor reel

IDEAL FLY LINE TYPES: Full sink line in the fastest sink rate for waters around 6 to 12 feet and full float in skinny. 

BEST TECHNIQUES:  Drifts over the hot areas that are holding fish.  Cast up current if necessary to get your fly down.  You should occasionally feel the bottom to know you are deep enough.   Once you feel the fish hit the fly do a solid strip strike.  Use debarbed hooks to make release easier during this period.  Because we are using debarbed hooks a second strip strike is advisable, being careful not to mistakenly grab the backing when it is moving.

COMMENTS:  Weather is playing its role in this spring fishing with rain, wind and possible thunderstorms on occasion.  

7 DAY OUTLOOK:  High pressure and a warming trend this week will make this time on the Flats a pleasure for the lucky anglers that get out.

SPECIES:  Striped Bass

UPDATE:  March 29, 2012

FISHING CONDITIONS:  I am really enjoying this spring. Warmer than average temperatures makes the days wonderful.  The signs are promising and big fish reports are coming in.  Most notably from areas in headwaters of some of our tributaries.  Big Spawners are being sighted.  Although not schooled up in big groups the Striped Bass are moving in all areas and should soon be found on familiar structure near deep water.

WATER TEMPERATURE: Mid Bay 54 Degrees, Lower Bay (CBBT) 61 Degrees, Near Coastal 58

MOST COMMON BAIT:  Bunker, Herring, perch, shad, and a host of other bait

“MUST HAVE” FLIES IN DESCENDING ORDER OF IMPORTANCE: Large (four inch) half and half’s, blue and white work best

 RECOMMENDED LEADER: 16 to 20 pound test, 7 ½ foot or 9 foot.

BEST FLY ROD AND REEL OUTFIT:  9 weight with large arbor reel

IDEAL FLY LINE TYPES: Full sink line in the fastest sink rate. 

SPINNING REEL OUTFIT:  Six foot, medium, fast action rod with reels loaded with braided line in 20 or 30 pound test.  Six foot leader in matching test fluorocarbon.

BEST TECHNIQUES:  Drifts over familiar areas especially when the current is moving swiftly are good.  Keep a watchful eye for working birds.  Get well in front of the birds and put the fly out, giving it time to get into the portion of the water column where the moving fish are likely to be.  This should be between the surface and 20 feet deep when in deeper water, when in shallower water, go for the top third of the water column.  When not seeing birds, get to the bottom of the area you are fishing.  Cast up current if necessary to get your fly down.  You should occasionally feel the bottom to know you are deep enough.   Once you feel the fish hit the fly do a solid strip strike.  Use debarbed hooks to make release easier during this period.  Because we are using debarbed hooks a second strip strike is advisable, being careful not to mistakenly grab the backing when it is moving.

COMMENTS:  With air temperatures and water temperatures climbing rapidly the opportunity to catch real quality fish is increasing for fly fishermen on the mid bay region.  The migrating fish are scattered in small pods or individual fish moving toward spawning grounds and looking for a meal.  Look for improving conditions with fish schooled up and easier to target as the month wears on.  Finding Striped Bass feeding on a mass of bait is hard right now, but when you do it will be worth the trip.  The fishing on the Susquehanna Flats on the upper Bay is where you will catch really big Striped Bass on poppers in shallow water.

7-DAY OUTLOOK: Wind and rain and the runoff in PA are making the water clarity on the Susquehanna Flats not ideal but don’t discount the area.  The fish are up there!

SPECIES:  Striped Bass

UPDATE:  March 19

FISHING CONDITIONS:  Migration is in full swing with Striped Bass found in the Bay South of the Bay Bridge.

WATER TEMPERATURE: Mid Bay 47 Degrees, Lower Bay (CBBT) 52.8 Degrees, Near Coastal 48

MOST COMMON BAIT:  Bunker, Herring, perch, shad, and a host of other bait

“MUST HAVE” FLIES IN DESCENDING ORDER OF IMPORTANCE:

• Large bunker patterns and half and half’s

RECOMMENDED LEADER: 16 to 20 pound test, 7 ½ foot or 9 foot.

BEST FLY ROD AND REEL OUTFIT:  9 weight with large arbor reel

IDEAL FLY LINE TYPES: Full sink line in the fastest sink rate. 

SPINNING REEL OUTFIT:  Six foot, medium, fast action rod with reels loaded with braided line in 20 or 30 pound test.  3 to 4 foot Leader in matching test fluorocarbon.

BEST TECHNIQUES:  Once located, fish for the Striped Bass with sinking lines and large flys.  Remember you are imitating a meal to these Striped Bass and they will want a good mouth full.  Once you feel the fish on, set the hook with a solid strip strike.  Use debarbed hooks to make release easier during this period.

COMMENTS:  With air temperatures and water temperatures climbing rapidly the opportunity to catch real quality fish is increasing for fly fishermen on the mid bay region.  The migrating fish are scattered in small pods or individual fish moving toward spawning grounds and looking for a meal.  Look for improving conditions with fish schooled up and easier to target as the month wears on.  Finding Striped Bass feeding on a mass of bait is hard right now, but when you do it will be worth the trip.  Start planning for Susquehanna Flats on the upper Bay for chances to catch really big Striped Bass on poppers in shallow water.

7-DAY OUTLOOK: Rain in the forecast will spoil the Susquehanna Flats for another week, but the temperatures will be a positive note for the opportunity that is sure to come.

Since I can’t provide a report on fishing right now I am going to write on planning to fish.  Getting my tackle cleaned, lubricated or replaced is first on the agenda.  Taking a few extra minutes to re-clean the lines on my fly reels that I use the most will help me with those first casts of Spring when covering water is so important.  Next, the boat gets a good check over.  My recent Perch fishing expeditions made me aware of a problem with the bilge pump.  Cleaning the intake filter to the pump and eliminating leaves from the bilge took care of that problem.  Also, my first trips out on the water are the lightest for the boat.  I minimize tackle, lures and extras and get real specific on what I carry.  Why carry a box of crab flies in near winter condition?  Why carry Tarpon flies?  Just leave them home and get down to basics for the Spring Striped Bass. 

A few fish winter in the Bay every year so hearing of successes up and down the Bay aren’t a surprise but don’t imply the official start of migrating fish.  These migrations are controlled by a combination of things.  Amount of daylight, water temperature, movements of other species (also migrating), and natures urge to procreate.   All the andromodous species move to fresh water to spawn somewhat simultanous and that keeps everything fed.  I suspect that the past years poor showing for spawning of the Striped Bass were caused in part by failures in one of these items.  Our Bay area has also suffered, especially in 2011 from too much rain.  This puts too much run off of fines  and our Striped Bass avoid the area.  It’s kind of like the old days and going into a restuarant where there were a lot of smokers.  You leave without eating since you just can’t get your breath.  

Additionally some overfishing problems have occured on the Bay and bait fish like Perch and Menhaden, that should be plentiful weren’t present.  No food for the school and likely the Striped Bass aren’t going to be there either.   Too few bait fish and larger Striped Bass aren’t going to be there either.   Gotta Eat!

This years warmer weather is a plus.  I have known for some time that Striped Bass have a limitation in colder water.  There ability to see movement in the water is limited when water is below 50 degrees.  That is why we light tackle and fly guides search for 50 degree breaks in the water.  These occur when water is either warmed deep and moves with the current to areas we fish or when the sun warms shallow waters and it moves in much the same way.  Although we have caught plenty of fish when it doesn’t get warm and the surface waters are reading temperatures in the 40′s, you can bet if the fish are hitting your lures its deeper water and if you could check, it was closer to the magic 50 degree mark.  By the way, the Striped Bass don’t need to see in order to feed, they use sense of smell and taste to locate both food and fresh water to spawn in.  We need them to be able to see movement in order for our imitations to get there interest.  Poppers are a nice variation on that theme and can work despite the temperature, even though the fish are reacting only to the vibration.  If your big lunker can find the popper you may have one heck of a good time with it.  Don’t be surprised though if the popper is missed most of the time.  Seeing the movement is one of the problems here too.  Even when conditions are perfect, poppers are much less effective that other forms of imitators.

Armed with this information and knowing many people plan to go to the Susquehanna Flats in the Spring, how do you apply it?  Look first for the temperature breaks over 50 degrees.   Also, Striped Bass always love a good strong current.  That is not a problem on the Flats.  Depending upon the tide/current you can plan on areas with the strongest current and possibly the warmer waters.  One area I often look over is Carpenter point.  The Carpenter Point area is supplied by waters from the North East River and a piece of water called Furnace Bay.  These two warming pieces of water, during an outgoing tide, feed into this area nicely with water at just the right temperature.  When the tide starts to go out, and the current is getting up to speed, coupled with the warming waters, you should be able to catch your first spring Striped Bass there.   You can apply this formula to most of the Flats, keeping in mind the other variables like boat traffic, cloud cover and generally, fish density on the flats.

The final piece of information I wish to share is still about planning.  Please plan to release your fish.  Make a concious effort to be prepared with hook remover tools of your liking, just have them ready.  If you need to take a picture of a prize catch, plan to do it quickly.  I like to use the method that when I lift the fish out of the water, I hold my breath.  When I can’t go any longer, I put the fish back in the water so we can both get another breath.  If you didn’t get the picture get ready and do it again, and don’t forget to smile!  Revive your fish next to the boat gently moving it in the water and when it seems ready, release. 

HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL OUT THERE THIS SEASON!

LOCATION:  Chesapeake Bay

SPECIES:  Striped Bass

UPDATE:  February 24, 2012

FISHING CONDITIONS: Today, portions of the Mid-Atlantic region are having a continuation of warm temperatures.  The low in the past 24 hours was 47 degrees.  Water temps are high as well.  Those that follow my reports know I get very excited about 50 degree water, the magic number for successfully fishing for Striped Bass fishing on fly and lure. 

WATER TEMPERATURE: Mid Bay 43 Degrees, Coastal 48

MOST COMMON BAIT:  Bunker, Herring, perch, shad, and a host of other migrating bait

LOCATION:  Chesapeake Bay

“MUST HAVE” FLIES IN DESCENDING ORDER OF IMPORTANCE:

• Large bunker patterns, heavy weighted patterns

RECOMMENDED LEADER: 16 to 20 pound test, 7 ½ foot or 9 foot.

BEST FLY ROD AND REEL OUTFIT:  9 weight with large arbor reel

IDEAL FLY LINE TYPES: Full sink line in the fastest sink rate. 

SPINNING REEL OUTFIT:  Six foot, medium, fast action rod with reels loaded with braided line in 15 pound test.  3 to 4 foot fluorocarbon leader.

BEST TECHNIQUES:  I don’t think we should pass on outing opportunity this month.  Look to deeper areas around structure and use spinning gear with deep water jigs for the best results.  Flys, on a full sinking line might work with large, weighted flys.  It’s tough to get down in the current at depths over 30 feet and it needs to be deep.

COMMENTS:  With water temperatures climbing rapidly the opportunity to catch real quality fish is increasing.  The migrating fish are scattered in small pods or individual fish moving toward spawning grounds and looking for a meal.  Look for improving conditions with fish schooled up and easier to target as the month wears on.  Start planning for Susquehanna Flats on the upper Bay for chances to catch really big Striped Bass on poppers in shallow water.  Most fishing is catch and release only, so check the regulations. 

7-DAY OUTLOOK: It will be moderate for a few more days.  I don’t know if the migration will start based solely on water temperatures but it seems possible.  I expect to fish the Susquehanna Flats on opening day of March 1 if this weather continues.

2011 has been one of the most unusual and challenging of my past 18 years (the time I have been on MD’s Eastern Shore).  The winter fishing (2010-2011) ended on Dec. 17, 2010 when collectively every guide pulled the plug and said it was not worth fishing at the CBBT.

A few fish were caught here or there during the winter.  Some power plant action occurred if you were among the lucky ones to be there on the right day.

Before the fishing reports could start in April, the rains started and those of us that fish the early trophy season on the Bay were doomed to too much mud moving down and keeping the fish away from the waters we could fish.  This seemed to have a lasting impact and all Spring fished poorly and it was rare to catch any.

The normal lull between the spring migration and our summer fish season seemed to take too long.  Something was wrong.  The normal large schools of fish which might include Blues and late in the summer, Spanish Mac’s, never seemed to appear.  We were also visited by a Hurricane which dumped huge amounts of water on the Bay and its watershed and again, too much water spoiled the little fishing we were enjoying.  The rest of the season was spent looking without too much action.

Fall arrived with it the hope that the fish in the Bay would appear miraculously on schedule at our favorite Fall hangouts so we would enjoy some action.  We got a little sampling but on many days the boats outnumbered the fish and you worked very hard to get just a few. 

A tough Fall is being followed by another lackluster winter at the CBBT and Iam left thinking of conservation effort and hoping the Striped Bass make a comeback.  I am plannning to fish in 2012 and will be making changes that I hope will work to satisfy my many clients, both past and future! 

Hope to see you out there in 2012!                    Capt Russ

Fishing for Striped Bass is best done with light tackle than fly rod since deep jigging is the best and nearly the only game. Althogh i consider my deep fly technique on par with the best it just won’t work at the CBBT due to strong currents and prdominately strong winds.

If you are jigging at the CBBT heavy jig heads with large BKD’s might work, but don’t expect lots of fish or many larger fish like in past years. Most anglers including some exceptional guides are feeling lucky to catch only 3 to 8 fish a day. The average fish is under 28 inches.

Where are the migrating fish? My guess is off shore 6 to 10 miles feeding on a more plentiful food supply and staying in more temperate waters.

Good luck to those of you that get out this winter. I have attached a photo from a few years ago remembering the better days of the CBBT.