May 9

The catch and release fishing season on the Susquehanna Flats comes to a close today.  The week long season extension was well worth it as we saw some really good fishing early in the week.  We had a good fly rod bite over the weekend catching some teenage size fish on the east end of flats.  Gray/white and Chartreuse /white half and halfs worked good fished on sinking lines in 7 to 10 feet of water. We caught a good number of teenage size fish to 26 inches with an occasional big fish bite.

A great topwater bite turned on Monday on top of the flats, and we had some of the best fishing of the season early in the week.  We caught some beautiful stripers fishing fly rod poppers and big plugs on the spinning rods.  We landed numerous fish in the 20 to 30 lb range and several over 30 our best weighing in at 34 lbs. Of course there are always those that got away,  and I watched a few truly huge fish manage to shake the hook this week.

The Susquehanna Flats is an unpredicatable fishery by nature, one day you burn them,  the next you struggle for a bite.  Water conditions and varying early Spring weather always makes the fishing an adventure.  For those of you who have caught it at it’s best the reward of a 30lb+ striper exploding on a topwater fly or lure in 3 feet of water is a reward worth fishing for.

Thanks to everyone who gave it a shot this Spring.  Look forward to seeing you again next year.

Great topwater fishing, but tough fly rod bite! 

Once again this week we have had unpredictable fishing on the flats, go figure.  Any days we have had heavy wind, the fishing has been poor. I find this mostly because most of the fish we are catching are really shallow, and the skinny water tends to dirty quickly during a blow. Except for an occasional morning or evening we have not had good fishing in areas other than the shallow flats.

 It has been really tough catching fish on the fly this year on the flats. I have never caught so few fish on the fly in a season .  The overall numbers of fish which showed up were down, especially the schoolie sized fish, so this did not help with the fly fishing. Also, with the amounts of grass present in the skinny water areas we are fishing it is tough to present anything but a popper or  some other sort of surface fly.  For some reason the fish will just not take the fly poppers like they will the larger spinning rod poppers. Even when trying bait and switch techniques and every pattern in the box, we have come up short.  Thanks to those of you who came out and cast until your arms fell off trying.

The good news is that there has been an awesome topwater bite many days in the last week or so on light tackle. Large poppers have drawn some awesome strikes in 2-4 feet of water.  Most of the fish we are catching are large, many over 20 lbs.  We have had many days with multiple topwater strikes and on our best day landed over a dozen fish.  I am hoping this topwater bite will hold up until the scheduled season end date of May 3.  Here are a some shots from the week.

I have two of evening trips later this week still open for those of you who still might want to give the fishing on the flats a shot.  Just let me know.   We will likely be fishing with light spinning tackle and poppers .  

 Gunpowder River Notes

The fishing on the Gupowder had been good despite still low flows. One of my regular sports gave me a calll yesterday and reported catching 8 good browns from 10 to 13 inches on an evening outing earlier this week above Falls Rd.  The fish were taking Hendrickson duns and midges.  Water levels are still in the mid thirty cfs range, and recent rains should continue to help with water levels in Prettyboy.  One thing is for sure, we are shaping up for a good late Spring and summer with a full reservoir on hand.  Let’s just hope the city manages the water well.

Check out my friends at Backwater Angler in their new location on York Rd. in Hereford at the intersection of  York and Monkton Rds. opening May 1.  Stop in to shop for any of your fly-fishing needs, stream reports and friendly advice.  Backwater Angler has served our local fly fishing community for 7 years as the regions “go to”  fly shop for Gunpowder River fishing.

 2008 Morel Hunt

As you may know my next favorite thing to fishing is mushroom hunting!  This Spring has been awesome.

April 17

We have been fishing steady on the flats the last week with varied success. This past weekend brought some good fishing for those who put forth the effort.  The larger fish being caught on lures and flies are being taken in mostly shallow water.  Early morning and late evening have been good for fishing these areas in 3 to 6 feet of water. Many fish are falling for large surface plugs and some taking other lures and flies.  Though spotty, if you are in the right spot you can definately move some fish.

We had some schoolie size fish show up and they offered fast paced fly fishing action for a few days.  We had some fish good fish on the fly up to about 12 lbs.   We fished mostly staple patterns like half and halfs and decievers.  This week has been tougher since the early week north winds, and I am hoping for some good action in the next few days. 

Water conditions are excellent.  We have good temperature and clarity, and really just need a good push of fish to make for some good fishing.  I will keep you posted as we go.  Trying to put together a video update to give you a look at some of the fishing.  Good weather forecast for the next few days.  Hopefully good fishing too. 

April 6 

We started fishing on the Susquehanna Flats this week.  Despite being open since March 1, the fishing is just now getting under way due to turbid water and cool water temps. Each year we deal with the same condition issues on the flats so you get pretty used to the unpredictable nature of the fishery. This week surface water temps hung in the mid 40’s to just over 50 degrees in a few spots yesterday afternoon.  The water clarity ranged from one foot of visibility to an easy 2 feet in other areas. 

The fishing was spotty to say the least.  As typical the folks who choose to fish with cut or live baits are managing to catch some fish.  The bait fishing was pretty consistent  from all reports I recieved and from what I saw this week.  Catching them on lures and flies, however, was another story.  I had to cover lots of water to catch some fish.  Most of our success was in shallow water, from 3 to 8 feet.  We caught all of our fish this week on lures, large lures.  The biggest swimming plugs we could throw brought the most success.  All of the fish we landed were large, 34 inches+.  We landed one Friday close to 35 lbs.  Bites were few and far between.  Hopefully this is just the beggining of some good fishing to come.

 This nice 20 lber fell for a 7″Bomber  swimming plug in chrome/blue.  We have yet to land one on a fly yet this week, but I’m sure it’s only a day away.  Water conditions are improving daily, and with a little luck we’ll have some awesome fishing this coming week. 

 Gunpowder River Quick Update

I have guided several trips on the Gunpowder River in the past week or two.  Though ater flows are still low, the fishig in areas has been great.  We saw some awesome midge fishing on the upper river last week and were able to land good numbers of fish on each outing while fishing a variety of midge patterns.  Dark midge patterns in gray and black fished dry on a 7x leader worked well on risers, as did pupae patterns fished short under an indicator.  A bead head zebra midge in a 22 gray worked great. 

I ‘ll keep you posted.  Jeff

We’ll it’s that time of year again. I’m looking ahead to the Spring catch and release striper season on the Susquehanna Flats. Always an adventure, this Spring season is surely one of the best bets anywhere to catch a trophy striper on the fly rod. The season start date is March 1, and as always I’ll get fishing as soon as the conditions permit me to go take a freezing boat ride to see if there are any fish around.

Typically things get rolling by late March if the weather Gods look out for us. I have a gut feeling though, that this year we might just get some early fishing in. The weather has just been so mild. We’ll have to wait and see. The proposed end date is in early May, though we might get to fish right on through May this year, have to see what the law ends up saying.

Anyway, as always I fill up my book quickly for this popular season. If you would like to come out and give it a shot give me a call or e-mail to reserve a date.

Last year we landed one of the biggest fish we have seen on board my boat in recent years, a 52 inch slob who likely topped 50 lbs, and there are bigger ones out there.

Season Quick Facts:

- Open Dates March 1 to May 10 (approx.)

- Docked and leaving from Havre De Grace, MD City Yacht Basin (30 minutes North of Baltimore)

- Catch and Release Striper Fishing on Flies and Light Tackle

- Trips are 6-7 Hours, Morning and Evening $500 for the boat up to 4 anglers

- All gear provided if needed, as is friendly fly fishing and casting instruction

- Advice is free.

Last week’s unseasonal temps made for some unusual January fishing opportunities. I ventured out to western Maryland one morning to the Savage River to fish on a day with near 70 degree temps. Western Maryland seldom sees temps like this through the winter months. Though water temps were chilly in the low 40s the sun and warm air woke some trout up just enough. I started fishing nymphs in the fly fishing only stretch of the Trophy Trout Area. In the first half hour or so I managed 2 nice brookies and about a 10 inch brown. I fished a pair of black bead head phesant tails in a size 18. Not long after I dropped a really nice brown on the same rig. Here’s a couple that I caught.

The fishing was spotty, but I managed several more trout through the day, mostly brook trout.  I took a couple of fish on small dries as I saw some risers where the sun was hitting the water and a few midges were present.  Altogether a great way to spend a Winter day.  I got a good report from an angler who fished the upper Savage and also managed to catch some nice brook trout.   Flows were about 140-150 and wading, as always on the Savage, a real trick.  Keep an eye on the weather and you will be suprised at some of the great winter trout fishing when the temps are 50 and above for a few days with a high sun.

Happy 2008!

Gunpowder River January Fly-Fishing

The Gunpowder River typically offers some great winter fly-fishing opportunities.  This new year has been a little tough, however, due mostly to really low water lows. The river is currently running at a mere 20 cfs, near our minimum flow.  The trout are holding in the deepest pools and tightest spots and are a bit spooky. 

If you go, plan to fish stretches of stream with deeper lies, and fish slow and deep.  Of course, fishing can change in an instant so it’s always worth a shot.  With any luck, and a bunch of rain or snow, we’ll see some rising water flows towards late winter and have some improved fishing and conditions.

Typical winter hatches include stoneflies and blackflies, so keep an eye out for them in coming weeks on warmer sunny days.

Winter Fly Tying Videos

This season on the update I will include some short video clips which highlight some of our favorite local fly patterns.  I hope you enjoy the clips, and I plan to continue posting videos throughout the year as we get fishing. Check back often for a first hand look at the fishing. The video posts willl be some of my first efforts, so bear with me as I learn the ropes.

This week’s featured video clip showcases one of my favorite winter nymphs to fish on the Gunpowder, the red butt.

Click To Play

For those of you who would like to learn how to tie flies, check in with our local fly shop Backwater Angler for their winter Fly Tying Class schedule. Expert tyers will instruct you in the techniques necessary to tie some of the most popular flies and saltwater fly patterns. They also have a full selecion of fly tying tools and materials.

Hope everyone had a great New Year! Thanks for checking in. Feel free to comment below on any post or with any questions. Hope to see you out fishing soon. Jeff

This month has provided some great striper fishing here on the Maryland coast.  The past week or so we have had great fishing both on the fly rods and light spinning gear.   The fish are on the migratory path south towards their wintering grounds off of the Carolinas and Virginia, and take advantage of the abundant baitfish along the way.

I have yet to make it south of Ocean City , Maryland as the fishing here has been awesome.  We had some great days fly fishing over hungry fish, where the staple half and half flies took loads of good fish.

Scott Burns (above)tied up this good bunch of flies and used them to catch a few sweet stripers.  The crew below including Robert Bacon, his dad Bob and buddie Will had a banner day catching some beautiful stripers and bluefish on both fly and spinning tackle.  Many of the fish fell for topwater plugs, and the takes were wicked.

Tom Kane and his buddie Chris braved the cold earlier in the week and caught some great fish on the fly after having to shovel 2 inches of snow and ice off of the boat before leaving the dock. 

I think Tom might have got the Christmas card photo for the year with this shot.  Good job fellas.  I think this is gonna just about do it for this years striper fishing for me .  We’ll get going again on the Susquehanna Flats in March /April.  Might do a few power plant trips over the winter if I get real bad cabin fever. 

Happy Holidays to everyone.  I have Gift Certificates available for the fisherman in the family.   

Fall Striper Fishing Turns On

The only complaint that I have this week on the fishing is that the damn wind would only let us get out 4 days. The fishing on Eastern Bay and surrounding areas has been great, especially the last few days. We’ve had loads of breaking fish, and finally lots good bait to fish over. The peanut bunker have made their way out of the rivers and the stripers are taking full advantage of the meal.

Troy Morter, from Chambersburg PA, sent this awesome shot of the sunrise one morning this week at Little Creek on the south side of Kent Island as we geared up for fishing.

We have had good fishing from the Chester River throughout Eastern Bay and as far south as the Choptank. Fishing was good amidst breaking fish, especially when there were schools of bunker present. We caught well on the our usual Chesapeake Bay fly rod rigs. I feel like a broken record sometimes when writing updates, but if you want to catch stripers on the fly consistently, in the widest variety of situations, here’s what works.

Rods- 7, 8, or 9 weight fly rods 9 or 9 1/2 feet

Reels- Dependable, Sturdy, Disc Drag Reels Holding a 8 or 9 wt line with 150 yds of backing

Lines - Sinking Shooting Heads in 250 to 300 grains, with an intermediate on hand.

Don’t over think your gear too much. You don’t need more than 100 yds of backing on a reel for striper fishing, I don’t care what anyone says. If a fish is that far away from you, you are doing something wrong. The sinking shooting heads now days are super versatile. A quick sink head should be as long as necessary to load your rod properly. Make sure the rod and reel are durable.

I use Scott, St. Croix, and Thomas and Thomas Rods paired with Abel Reels. I like the Rio outbound lines. I build simple tapered leaders on board.

Any of the gear I use and friendly advice can be found at our local fly shop Backwater Angler in Monkton, MD.

Troy Morter and his buddy Slappy (sorry Craig, didn’t get your last name) are pictured above with some nice stripers they caught in the Kent Narrows. We used clouser minnows in gray and white, and chartreuse and white to catch most of our stripers. Again, keeping it simple. I like to use sparse clousers in a 1/0 or 2/0 when the bait is smaller, and when we get larger baits like bunker and perch I switch to deceivers or half and halfs in 3/0 or 4/0. I like a lot of white in my flies, and tie most with a white or gray belly and darker topside.

David Hone and Steffi Mueller caught some great stripers on the fly while fishing in Eastern Bay amongst breaking fish and around structure. The fish took small clousers in a variety of colors though Steffi says that blue and white was the best color fly hands down.

Frank Dickinson, and friends Denny and Al had some of the best fishing for breaking stripers I’ve seen all year. There were some solid fish in the middle of the action some to 15 lbs +. The fish took a chartreuse and white clouser all day. On light tackle we had great success with 2 ounce vertical jigs like crippled herrings and sting silvers. Some of their fish are pictured below.

The fishing should hold for another week or so in the Middle Bay, then it’s off to the coastal waters of Maryland and Virginia for some awesome fishing for the big late fall stripers.

CBBT FISHING

I need some anglers who want to fish the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel this December. The fishing should be awesome and we’lll catch some huge stripers on the fly. I have some dates still open from December 5 through 16. Give me a call for more info. or to book.

I’ll keep you posted….Jeff

I ‘ve spent most of the week on the Chesapeake chasing fall stripers.  Most of our fishing efforts have been concentrated on Eastern Bay and surrounding areas.  There are lots of bait and fish around, and quite a few breaking fish on the moving tides.  The shallow water fishing and fishing around structure and shorelines has been slow getting rolling, but we have managed some decent fish shallow.  Water temps are 62 to 65 degrees.  I’m hoping the fishing will continue to get better in the coming week. 

Bill and Karan, from Fayetteville, Arkansas,  caught some good stripers on the fly this week on Eastern Bay.  Most of the fish they caught ate 2/0 clouser minnows fished on sinking lines.

Under the birds and amongst breaking fish the trick is not catching fish, but catching big fish.   There are, as usual, alot of small fish present in the breaking schools.  They are quick to take a fly, especially when fishing a small fly trying to imitate the small baitfish they are eating.  We have been using 1/0 clousers in gray and white and they eat them quick.   Most of the schooling fish are 15-17 inches and you just have to commit to fishing through the smaller fish, and keeping your fly deep in hopes of the big ones, which are around. We catch several fish each day over 18 ” and some over 20″ in among the breaking fish.    

Fishing shorelines and structure has been spotty, but the fish we catch have been decent. We had some good 22 to 25 inch fish and a few pushing 30″ this week while fishing our flies in shallow areas with a hard bottom.   The best of the fishing was on the outgoing tides.  There are still some decent bluefish around too, keeping things interesting, some up to 5 lbs.

We’lll see what the rest of the week has to offer, and I’ll keep you posted.  Jeff