Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report: September 28th, 2023!

As the water temperature continues to drop after the weather we’ve had over the past week, Baitfish, Bluefish and Spanish Mackerel are starting to move south towards warmer waters. With the change in the bite, they’re still being caught while trolling under a #1 or #2 planer at speeds of 5-7mph!
Blue Catfish are being caught all along the Susquehanna River! Areas around the Conowingo Dam Pool are prime spots for catching Catfish, Striped Bass and Snakehead! The lower Susquehanna River is providing excellent opportunities to catch Catfish from shore or from small watercraft such as Kayaks in shallow water! Anglers are catching good sized 30 pound Blue Cats on anything from Jigs and plastics to cutbait while casting towards the grassy shallows!
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge is a prime spot to get lots of Spot, Croaker and White Perch before they begin to move south! As the water temperature cools, these fish will be seen moving deeper so drops off and channels are your best bet to get on the biggest Spot or White Perch! To target the deeper water fish, Anglers are using Chesapeake Sibiki Rigs or Bottom Rigs tipped with either live or artificial bait!
Anglers are having luck catching Striped Bass in the early morning hours while casting around shallow water structure using top water lures in areas around Poplar Island and Thomas Point! The Chesapeake Bay Bridge and the Key Bridge are excellent areas to either troll or jig in at the moment for good slot sized Stripers!

Spanish Mackerel and Bluefish are still being caught all around the south bay area, however with the cooling temperatures from last weeks weather they will soon begin to move south! More breaking fish can be found as Baitfish are moving out of the tidal rivers and through the channels and into strong currents! As always, a #1 or #2 planer while trolling at speeds of 5-7 mph is ideal, however casting into a school of breaking fish will also net you a good amount of these fish!
Lots of Reddrum are being caught all around the Target Ship, Tangier Sound, and Pocomoke Sound! Anglers are finding success using a 7 inch Zman Bubblegum Diezel minnow with a Pink G-Eye Jig, however you may also find lots of success using topwater lures!
Spot and White Perch are still being found inside all tidal rivers in the south bay! With last weeks temperature drop however the spot will begin to move south so now is the last time to get in on the Spot fishing! White Perch however should be present until the first frost! Spinners in shallow water dragged past structure is the best way to get on a good amount of these fish in shallow water! Using a Chesapeake Sibiki Rig or Bottom Rig with either artificial or live bait is ideal for targeting the larger fish holding in deeper water!