For those anglers who got up to the Susquehanna Flats early this year, their impatience was rewarded with strong results and plenty of 25- to 40-inch striped bass to catch. And then the weather turned downright hot... and then a wave of herring passed over the flats, luring the stripers upstream and out of bounds for a feast and romantic encounters.
Anglers this week were met with ideal weather conditions for fishing the flats, but few fish were even seen on fish finders in the spots where fishermen usually find them such as Rock Point, off the hospital, and the Middle Grounds. Largemouth bass seemed more plentiful, surprisingly.
According to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, spawning has occurred in the Potomac, Nanticoke, Chester, Choptank, Elk, and North East rivers, which may explain the absence of fish on the flats. Some hypothesize that the fish are upriver spawning and feeding on herring, but anyone's guess is as good as another.
The news of the spawn having kicked off in the Choptank, Chester, and Elk rivers is good news for the many anglers who will target these big breeders on their way down the Bay Saturday on the opening day of the Trophy Rockfish season in Maryland waters.
Check in tomorrow for PropTalk's guesses on where to find the big ones on Saturday.
Thursday, April 18, 2013 - 10:08
For those anglers who got up to the Susquehanna Flats early this year, their impatience was rewarded with strong results and plenty of 25- to 40-inch striped bass to catch. And then the weather turned downright hot... and then a wave of herring passed over the flats, luring the stripers upstream and out of bounds for a feast and romantic encounters.
Anglers this week were met with ideal weather conditions for fishing the flats, but few fish were even seen on fish finders in the spots where fishermen usually find them such as Rock Point, off the hospital, and the Middle Grounds. Largemouth bass seemed more plentiful, surprisingly.
According to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, spawning has occurred in the Potomac, Nanticoke, Chester, Choptank, Elk, and North East rivers, which may explain the absence of fish on the flats. Some hypothesize that the fish are upriver spawning and feeding on herring, but anyone's guess is as good as another.
The news of the spawn having kicked off in the Choptank, Chester, and Elk rivers is good news for the many anglers who will target these big breeders on their way down the Bay Saturday on the opening day of the Trophy Rockfish season in Maryland waters.
Check in tomorrow for PropTalk's guesses on where to find the big ones on Saturday.