Striper Boundaries Expand Slightly as Creel Limit Reaches Two

     Chesapeake Bay, MD -- As of May 16, anglers are now allowed to keep two striped bass between 18 and 28 inches or one above 28 inches and one below. This opens up a whole new world of fishing opportunities in the main stem of the Chesapeake for anglers trolling and light tackle fishing.
     The legal catch-and-keep fishing remains restricted to the Bay proper from a line between Tolchester to the south point of Hart-Miller Island south to the Maryland/Virginia line but now includes the mouth of the Chester, Choptank and Patuxent Rivers, and the Susquehanna and Northeast Rivers and flats.
     On June 1 those restrictions are lifted and the entire Bay and its tributaries will be open for catch-and-keep action.
     Bay water temperatures are now in the upper 60s, so school-sized striped bass are moving into the shallower areas around the bay and can be targeted by light tackle anglers casting lures from shore or small boats. Croaker fishing continues to improve each day as water temperatures rise and more fish move into Maryland waters.
     It is not uncommon now for anglers in boats to catch a nice mess of large croakers from traditional channel edge locations throughout the bay up to the mouth of Eastern Bay. Some of the better places to fish recently have been the channel edges in Tangier Sound, Buoy 72, and the western edge of the shipping channel in front of Point No Point to Breezy Point and off Hooper’s Island. The evening fishing has been the most productive and peeler crab has been the best bait, although shrimp, clam snouts and bloodworms will also catch fish. Fishing for white perch remains good and the best fishing has been in the lower sections of tidal rivers and creeks. Soon, some of those white perch will move onto oyster reefs in the bay.
     Up north, white perch fishing has been very good in the lower Susquehanna River and American shad have shown up in welcomed numbers for catch-and-release anglers. The full moon cycle brought May worms and striped bass, white perch and croaker are beginning to stuff themselves. The full moon and warmer water have also triggered the first blue crab shed of the season and shedding houses have been getting an ample supply of peelers from crabbers, so there should be plenty of peelers available for bait.
     Largemouth bass are generally finished spawning now except for the coldest waters of the western part of the state. Excellent fishing can be found in small ponds and lakes but muddy water is making fishing in tidal rivers difficult. Casting surface baits such as chatterbaits over grass or crankbaits and spinnerbaits near grass edges are a good choice, especially near transition areas between coves and deeper waters.
     Anglers in the Ocean City area have been enjoying some exciting fishing action. The run of large striped bass along the beaches has been the talk of the town for the last two weeks and fresh menhaden has been disappearing from local bait shops. Menhaden baits on a bottom rig have been the preferred ticket for this event, but clams and squid will also work.
      Condensed and edited from Keith Lockwood's DNR Fishing Report.