Fishing Report 7-29-08

-Sorry for this late report everyone. The webmaster was on vacation and could not update from the road.

It’s been almost 3 weeks since my last report, so let’s get right to the fishing! On the weekend of July 11^th, 12^th & 13^th, I had the honor of volunteering my boat & services at the Paralyzed Veterans Association & Wounded Warriors Program at Smallwood State Park on Mattawoman Creek.

 On Friday evening I met my partner for the weekend, Frank Vogeli from the Tampa Bay region of Florida. On Saturday Frank fished individually for a chance to win a new Triton bass boat. Unfortunately, his disabilities impair his ability to feel the bite on slow presentations. He did get several bites but was unable to land any keeper fish. On Sunday, Frank & I both fished, and brought in 2 “keepers”, but must have caught at least 12 fish that were too short. Most of our bites came on  white frog baits worked at medium speed over grass beds in Mattawoman Creek.

 Although we did not come in with a big bag of fish, we both had a great time. The PVA is a top-notch organization that, with the help of volunteers, provides an opportunity for disabled veterans to enjoy participating in bass tournaments. I would like to commend B.A.S.S. and the Maryland Bass Federation Nation for their strong support of the PVA.

 Wednesday, July 16^th, Brian Novotny & I fished the Baltimore Bass Chasers 3fer where we came in with 3 fish that weighed in at 6.34 lbs. A nice bag for 3 fish, but we just missed out on capturing 3^rd place! We caught 4 keepers, 3 of which slammed a white buzzbait. The forth ate a Berkley Bluefleck Powerworm tossed next to structure in less than 1’ of water.

 On Sunday, July 20^th, I fished the BBC club tournament out of Havre de Grace on the Upper Bay. Andrew Sams, one of the Federation Nation junior members, accompanied me for a day of fun fishing on the Upper Bay. We headed over to the Sassafras River where we worked topwater baits over grass as the sun began to rise. After several misses, I finally connected with a small keeper on a buzzbait. Shortly thereafter, Andrew caught a similar size fish on a spinnerbait.

 We later moved and started flipping softplastics to docks. Almost immediately Andrew & I each picked up a nice fish around 2.5 lbs. Mine fell for a powerworm, and Andrew’s fell for a dark-colored jig. After sweating in the heat for the next couple of hours without a bite, we moved to another spot on the main river that had nice patches of eelgrass. Andrew again struck gold when a beautiful Sassafras largemouth of about 3.5 lbs clobbered his shallow-running crankbait in about 2’ of fairly clear water.

I predict that Andrew will be a force to be reckoned with next year when he starts fishing the Federation Nation trail as an adult!

 My next trip was again a Wednesday Night 3fer, this time with fellow Federation Nation member, and friend Ron Hines. Ron & I braved the threat of thunderstorms to fish our way to 3^rd place by catching all 3 of our keepers on buzzbaits fished over grass in Middle River. Just after pulling out of the water to weigh our fish, we got pounded by a series of massive thunderstorms that dropped about 3” of rain over the next few hours.

 Saturday, July 26^th I fished the Federation Nation trail event out of Dundee Creek. My draw partner, fellow Federation member Rodney Young & I spent the majority of time in Middle River where we each missed numerous fish on buzzbaits over grass. Rodney did manage one Middle River beauty that weighed 3 lbs & 11 ozs that landed him 6^th place out of 34 contenders on the non-boater side. The day so very low numbers of fish caught, with only 2 limits brought in on the boater side, and no limits on the non-boater side!

 On Sunday, July 27^th, I took out a new member of the Maryland Federation for a tour of the Gunpowder River area in preparation for an upcoming club tournament. We had a great morning of fishing, conversation, and me showing him numerous spots that have been productive over the years. It’s a great way for someone new to the area to quickly learn productive areas in one morning that I’ve spent the past 20 years of pursuing our favorite species of fish!

 The bite seems to be hit or miss in most areas. On one day you fish an area and get several nice fish. The next day you can’t buy a bite! The fish are definitely in a summer pattern of relative inactivity during the heat of the day. Early morning and late evening are the only times we’ve had a consistent success rate. I don’t see this changing for the next few weeks. 

Water temps throughout most Maryland waters are averaging in the high 70’s early, then climbing into the low 80’s as the sun heats things up during the day. I must say that I am elated to see the high concentrations of SAV in Middle River, Seneca Creek and Gunpowder Rivers. What I don’t like is the slimy algae growth in many areas, particularly in Middle River.

 Tight Lines!

 Capt. Scott

www.marylandbassfishing.com

Fishing Report for 7-10-08

On Friday, July 4^th, I had the pleasure of taking out Jeff Goodson & his son George for a half-day trip out of Dundee Creek Marina. We started working topwater baits over heavy grass in Dundee Creek. Although we had a couple of “blow-ups”, the fish just weren’t taking our offerings. We worked some structure & laydowns where George connected with a largemouth of about 12-13” that became stuck, then gained its freedom as we attempted to move closer to get it.

 Since the tide was very high, we moved towards the back of Saltpeter Creek where we again decided to work topwater (buzzbaits). Shortly thereafter, George connected with a nice bass of about 2 lbs that fell for a ¼ oz white buzzbait in about 2’ of water around “spotty” grass. We were also getting numerous white perch that were attacking practically every lure we were using. George rigged up a small shad dart and proceeded to catch perch, after perch, until dad reminded him that we were there to catch bass!

 As we worked an area of matted grass, George was dragging a soft plastic type stickbait on the surface when a bass attempted to get it as he passed it over a small opening.  Before he could cast again, dad beat him to the punch. Joe make a precision cast to the same opening and was immediately rewarded with a nice bass of about 2 lbs that slammed his buzzbait as soon as it hit the water!

 Our largest bass of the day was a beauty of about 4lbs that was caught on a dock, using a 7” bluefleck powerworm. What a great way to start off the holiday weekend & celebrate our country’s independence! Water was stained in most areas with about 10” of visibility. Temp 80 – 81 degrees.

 On Wednesday Chris & I again fished the Baltimore Bass Chasers 3 hour tournament out of Wilson Point Park in Middle River. After getting drenched in a summer downpour that passed through just prior to launch time, we decided to stay within a mile of the ramp and fish docks and neighboring grass. Chris connected first with a nice 2 lb largemouth that ate his black & blue jig. A few minutes later I got hammered by a 2.75 lb beauty that thought my spinnerbait would make a nice meal. The fish was in about 3’ of water, near a dock that was surrounded by grass. Aside from many, many perch, we just couldn’t muster that 3^rd bass before we had to get back.

We also tried buzzbaits in areas near, and between docks where there was concentrations of grass, however, aside from a hungry perch, no takers. Other anglers I spoke with claimed good success with topwater. I guess it was a matter of presenting the right bait, at the right time, in the right place.

 I’ll be heading down to the Potomac River this weekend, and volunteering my services to assist with the Paralyzed Veterans Association, and Wounded Warriors Program. I’ll give a report next week. 

Until then, stay safe & tight lines!

 Capt. Scott

www.marylandbassfishing.com

Fishing Report 7-3-08

On Friday, June 28^th, I had the pleasure of taking out return clients Joe Palazzo & his 10 year-old grandson Joey. Joe is a formerly retired Treasury Department agent who recently returned to full duty working for the Department of Homeland Security. We started out working top water lures over heavy grass near the mouth of Seneca Creek. Although we saw some feeding activity, we could not get a top water bite. After moving to some hard cover, Joey connected with an aggressive channel catfish that slammed his spinner bait as he reeled it in over a small rock pile. At first Joey thought he was hung-up, and as I was about to take his rod, we noticed the line rapidly moving sideways, and heading for deeper water. Joey stuck with it and was very excited when we finally got it in the boat.

 Shortly thereafter, we connected with a nice largemouth of about 3 lbs that attacked a large white buzz bait fished over the same rock pile! Water temps were in the low 80s. Water was stained with about 1 to 2’ of clarity.

 On Saturday, June 29^th, I fished the BFL Upper Bay event that launched out of Elk Neck State Park. Since there were close to 120 boats, I decided to try to find somewhere away from the crowds. I headed down to Still Pond Creek, even though I had poor results fishing there in the spring. The good news was that I got my wish to not be in a crowd, the bad news was that after 7 hours of working every piece of structure I could find, I could only manage 4 keeper bass that only tallied 6.6 lbs. I was very disappointed to find that the grass that was thick over the past few years in Still Pond, was virtually non-existent.  

Hopefully, it will come back in the not too distant future. Those of you who put in a lot of time on the water know that grass tends to come and go, but it is still disappointing to see it disappear so severely in some areas from one year to the next.

 On Sunday, June 30^th, I fished a club event on the ever-challenging Conowingo Reservoir. My fellow club member, Ken Hayward and I started out fishing top water baits along the shoreline just north of the dam. It wasn’t long before a nice 2.57 lb smallmoth bass crushed my white popper. While I was removing my lure from the net, Ken asked for my assistance landing a huge largemouth that I estimated to be around 6 or 7 lbs that was splashing on the surface right at the boat. Just as I was about to net him, he came off and was gone! Heartbreaking for both of us! The fish ate his soft plastic creature bait, but apparently was not hooked very well.

 Shortly thereafter, Ken again hooked up with another monster largemouth on a spinner bait! As I waited, net in hand, the fish came out of the water; about 20’ away, and again appeared to be at least 5 lbs! Then Ken’s face went blank as he told me that the fish broke his line. Closer inspection revealed that his knot came untied! Unfortunately, Ken only managed one smallmouth the rest of the day that bit his green-pumpkin soft plastic worm. I was more fortunate, catching another smallmouth on a blue-fleck power worm, and a nice largemouth on a spinner bait, slow rolled over sunken timber. I ended up with just under 6 lbs that landed me in 4^th place out of 19 club members.

 Water temps were in the upper 70s & low 80s. The water was clear with visibility at least 3-4 feet in most areas. All fish were caught in less than 10’ of water, close to the bank.

 On Wednesday, July 2, Chris & I teamed up to fish the Wednesday Night 3fer tournament, sponsored by the Baltimore Bass Chasers on Middle River. We had a pretty good evening, catching 4 keepers, 2 on a spinner bait, one on a blue fleck worm, and one on a jig. Our weight of 6.74 lbs was good enough to capture 3^rd place, and garner a cash payout of $95.00.

 The 3fer tournaments are held every Wednesday, out of Wilson Point Park on the mighty Middle River. 3 hours of fishing, 3 fish limit, with 3 payouts plus a lunker prize. If you are looking for a fun evening of fishing, and a chance to win some cash, check it out! Launch time is 5:30 pm.

 Tight Lines,

 Captain Scott

www.marylandbassfishing.com

Fishing Report 6-26-08

Greetings fellow anglers! The Middle River, and “lower” upper bay area has shown a definite improvement in the past couple of weeks. There is no shortage of grass in practically every creek of Middle River, Seneca, Dundee, Gunpowder & Bush Rivers. However, do not assume that just because you locate grass, that it automatically holds bass. Although the grass is definitely a plus, some areas seem to hold nice concentrations of quality fish, while others hold little or no fish. I’m convinced that numbers of adult bass move around in the river following their food supply. I’m also seeing large schools of fry and other baitfish in all areas of the upper bay.

On Wednesday, June 18^th, I fished the first of many “Wednesday Night 3fers” sponsored by the Baltimore Bass Chasers. My partner for the mini tournament was Randy “Big Stick” Elliott. We stayed in Middle River all evening, trying to find areas to fish that were not being blown away by the windy conditions. Randy caught our first fish on a shallow-running crank bait in about 4’ of water in an area of grass & docks. The second fell for my helix buzz-bait worked slowly over a grassy area in Galloway Creek. Although we caught a couple of short fish, and missed a couple on top water, we just couldn’t get that last one!

 On Sunday, June 22, I had the pleasure of taking out Pam & Jim Ohle for a ½ day trip out of Havre de Grace on the Upper Bay. We started off using top water baits on the Susquehanna River near Garrett Island. It wasn’t very long before Pam connected with a nice bass, about 3lbs, that gobbled up the dark green plastic frog that she worked over grass in about 5’ of fairly clear water. On her very next cast she connected with another, about the same size that garnered its freedom by diving deep into the grass and loosing the hook.

 Jim experimented with several different lures, finally settling on a 4” plastic crawfish-like soft plastic to catch a nice bass about 1 pound. The action continued throughout most of the morning. We probably caught about a dozen bass, ranging in size from 10” to an impressive 3.5lb beauty that “crushed a 3/8 oz buzzbait chartreuse in color.

 On Wednesday, June 25th, I fished the 3fer tx again, this time with Bill Eaton. Bill is an active member of “Fish On Bass Anglers”, based out of Montgomery County. Bill & I targeted fish in Middle River. Our first keeper came on a white plastic frog worked over heavy grass in about 1’ of water. The second fell for a spinnerbait worked slowly through spotty grass around docks in about 2’ of water. The final keeper ate a 6” Berkley Powerworm, bluefleck in color, tossed under a dock in Hopkins Creek. We ended up with a little over 6lbs. Not a record setting bag by any stretch, but we had fun; and that’s what its all about!

 The top water bite is definitely on! I hope that the water temps, which have averaged in the high 70s or low 80s in the past couple of weeks, will stabilize there. Now is the time to get out & enjoy quality fishing before the summer pattern sets in.

 Tight Lines,

 Capt. Scott

www.marylandbassfishing.com

Fishing Report 6-11-08

On Friday, June 6, I headed down to the Potomac River, along with my new friend, Rodney Bailey, to pre-fish for the BFL tournament on Saturday. An avid bass fisherman, Rodney is a professional truck driver with UPS. He is a member of the Maryland Bass Federation Nation, and belongs to a local club; Chesapeake Bass Anglers. He signed up to fish the BFL, Northeast Division as my guaranteed co-angler.

 We launched out of Smallwood State Park around 7:00am, and decided to check out a spot in Mattawoman Creek before heading out onto the main river. On that first stop we found heavy grass in slightly stained water, temps in the mid 70s. Rodney connected first with a nice fish about 2 lbs that fell for a green-pumpkin colored floating worm tossed beside an over-hanging bush in about 1’ of water. Shortly thereafter, I hooked up with a 3 lb beauty that decided to eat a topwater buzzfrog, white in color.

 We then moved out to checkout a few spots on the main river. There was plenty of grass everywhere we went, and plenty of bass that were definitely in a feeding mode. We caught fish on practically every type of lure we threw, including topwater, spinnerbaits, shallow-running crankbaits, and softplastics.

 The majority of bass were in the 13 to 16” range, with a couple of larger ones here & there. We also caught fish along rocky shorelines, including a couple of large, feisty catfish!

 The following morning we were on the water early in anticipation of a great day of fishing. My draw partner, Anthony Gathers, of Fredericksburg, VA, and I were anxious to blast-off, but ended up sitting with the other 145 boats for almost 5 hours waiting for fog to lift. Finally at 10:00 a.m, we were able to launch! We headed downriver to Chickamuxen Creek where I had located hungry fish the day before. Within the first 15 minutes I boated 3 fish, all caught on a white, topwater plug, worked on the deepwater edge of a large grassbed, in about 4’ of water.

 Unfortunately, although close, none of the fish measured the minimum length of 15”. Tony then connected with a real beauty that weighed almost 4lbs! His fish ate a 4” green pumpkin senko, fished slowly, just outside of the grass. We remained in the same general area for the next couple of hours where we caught numerous fish, but none over 15”.

 I then made a run to the Virginia side of the main river to fish another large grassbed. Shortly after arriving, I got my first, and only keeper of the day, a nice bass that weighed 2.2lbs that eagerly ate my white popper. We both continued to catch some nice fish, but unfortunately, all were just under 15”, including an egg-laden female that obviously had not yet spawned.

 Due to the late launch time, and the fact that we had to be back at 2:00pm, we really didn’t have much time to fish so we had to head back in. The sun & heat actually made for some very uncomfortable conditions. The water temps were in the upper 70s.

 Sunday found me back on my home waters of the Upper Bay. I got an early start and headed over to the mouth of Seneca Creek for some topwater action like I experienced on the Potomac. Unfortunately, the bass didn’t seem interested. Since it was very calm, I decided to run across the bay to see if conditions were better on some of the Eastern Shore Creeks.

 I started in Fairlee Creek by fishing topwater lures over what little bit of grass I could find with absolutely no response. I then started fishing laydowns where I had incredible action on practically every log or downed tree I could find. Unfortunately, the action was almost all in the form of white perch! Although some of them were over 12” in length, they were not my targeted species. After over 4 hours of using topwater, spinnerbaits, shallow-running crankbaits and softplastics I caught 1 bass, and about 20 white perch!

 The interesting thing about the lone bass was the fact that it was so full of eggs that she looked like she was going to burst. However, her length was only about 12-13”. My fear is that she has been unable to find a male to complete her spawning activity.  I realize that sounds odd, but in an earlier trip this year, Chris & I fished over there with completely negative results, and my last trip in 2007 failed to produce any bass.

 Fairlee Creek sits on a very tentative location of the bay whereby the salinity levels normally are too high to facilitate a successful spawn. While bass can tolerate over 8ppt, any level over 6ppt is not conducive for bass to spawn.

 I wrapped up my trip with a quick stop in Worton Creek to look for grass, but again found very little. It was very hot, and the water very high, so I didn’t even wet a line!

 Anyway, I’m looking forward to the topwater bite to pickup soon, although I’m not sure it will match last year’s incredible action. Now that the daylight is longer, I’ll be getting out more often in the evenings to try to figure out this weird start of the season.  

Don’t forget the Baltimore Bass Chasers Wednesday Night 3fer tournaments on Middle River that will kick off this coming Wednesday, June 18^th.

 Tight Lines,

 Capt. Scott

Fishing Report 6-5-08

On Friday, May 30^th, I visited the new National Harbor project on the Potomac River, situated on the banks of what was formerly known as Smoot’s Bay. If you haven’t seen this incredible destination point, then I urge you to check it out either by land or water. It rivals Baltimore’s Inner Harbor as an attraction. Although there is still some construction going on, when it’s completed, it is definitely somewhere to take the family on a day trip! Check it out: www.nationalharbor.com

 I was there, along with several other members of the Maryland Bass Federation Nation, and many other bass boat captains, to volunteer my services as a boat captain as part of a huge fundraising/educational event sponsored by Living Classrooms of the National Capitol Region and Discovery Creek Children’s Museum. The event sponsored a 3-hour bass fishing tournament that included over 50 boats containing underprivileged youth from the DC metro area, and numerous dignitaries from the DC, Maryland & Virginia area.

 I had the privilege of taking out Gary Martel, the head of the Virginia Natural Resources Fishery Department, and Gabrielle, an 18 year old student pursuing a degree in marine biology. We headed down to Piscataway Creek to fish the grass beds in hopes of catching a big bass or 2. But despite our best efforts using top water, spinner baits and soft plastics, the only fish willing to attack one of our baits was a yellow perch caught on a spinner bait.

 Although we couldn’t return with a big bag of bass, I did get the opportunity to enjoy a beautiful morning on the mighty Potomac River, and to talk about bass fishing and conservation with Gary and Gabrielle. To learn more about Living Classrooms, visit: www.livingclassroomsdc.com

 The following morning found me participating in my local bass club’s Dundee Creek tournament. I started out working top water baits in the back of Bengies Cove in Saltpeter Creek with absolutely no takers. I moved over to Middle River where I spent the remainder of the day pitching soft plastics, spinner baits and top water lures around docks in several areas in Middle River.

 My first fish of the day was a nice bass of about 2 lbs that fell for my 7” blue fleck powerworm. Unfortunately, it only measured about 14 ¾” so it went back. The next few hours were spent flipping soft plastics to every former “hotspot” I could think of around docks, pilings and other structure. Although I did manage one nice fish over 15” that weighed 2.2lbs, it was one of the slowest days I can recall considering the number of areas I fished. I did catch a couple of other nice bass, but all were less than 15”.

 I guess that’s what makes this sport so challenging. One day, you work an area and catch several nice bass. The next time you go there, even with similar weather, tides and water conditions, you struggle. Like the old saying goes: “That’s why they call it fishing, not catching!” Anyway, aside from an afternoon thunderstorm that drove us off the water around 2:00pm, it was still a pleasure to get out and enjoy a day on the Upper Bay! 

 Water temps around 70 degrees, clarity slightly stained in most areas.

 I do not believe that all of the spawning is over, but with the water temps stabilizing, I feel the vast majority will be over by the middle of June.

Tight Lines,

 Captain Scott

www.marylandbassfishing.com

Fishing Report 5-28-08

Before I begin this weeks report, I want to mention my evening trip on May 14^th with Brent Nelson, Editor of the Maryland Bass Federation Nation’s magazine “Update”. Brent is also the Webmaster for the Federation Nation’s website: www.mdbass.com. In addition he is a licensed bass guide with Life Outdoors guide service. He primarily guides on Maryland’s Deep Creek Lake in Garrett County. If you’re looking for a knowledgeable guide on Deep Creek, he is your man. Contact him at bbnelson@Comcast.net.

 Brent was the successful bidder on an evening trip I donated to raise funds for the MBFN youth programs. Although we did a little bit of fishing, Brent wanted to learn some new spots to fish in Middle River for the SQT that was held 3 days later. Although he did not make the state team, Brent finished a respectable 37^th out of a field of over 116 anglers.

 Now for this weeks report. On Saturday morning, the 24^th, Chris & I headed over to Saltpeter Creek, looking for an early morning topwater bite. It was a very low tide, and although we worked over several areas that contained huge grassbeds, the only active fish we encountered were hundreds of carp that were actively engaged in spawning.

 After a couple of unproductive hours, we moved back over to Middle River, where we found conditions similarly tough. The only bass we could muster was an aggressive male that slammed a jig on a lay-down in about 2’ of stained water.

 Later that evening, I went out for a couple of hours with my grandson Tyler. Although we only had an hour or so to fish before dark, we found the fish to be willing to take our offerings. The first bass took my spinnerbait that I tossed next to a dock in about 1’ of water. Shortly thereafter, I decided to try my Helix buzzbait. Good decision! In the next 30 minutes, I caught 4 bass, one at least 4 lbs! The others were about 2-3lbs. Each bite came in less than 2’ of water, in the back of a quiet cove with lots of grass.

 The Helix buzzbait is only available on-line at www.fishbelly.com. I first used the odd looking buzzbait last summer, and immediately became “hooked” on it. The unique design, apparently presents a look that bass haven’t seen too often. I was so impressed, that I wrote to the company and expressed my satisfaction. Shortly thereafter, I signed them up as a sponsor! As those of you who are regular readers of my reports know, I rarely mention brand names of lures, but this one bears mentioning!

 On Sunday, I headed up to Havre de Grace to check out how things are shaping up on the flats. My primary mission was to locate grassbeds, which I found are very plentiful this year. However, finding bass in those areas proved quite challenging. I worked most areas pretty quickly, so I really didn’t try any softplastics or slow presentations. I primarily used shallow running crank baits, and a spinnerbait. The only 2 bass I put in the boat were both under 12”. One fell for my white & chartreuse spinnerbait, and the other was caught on a shallow runner.

 Around 11:00am, I pulled out & went back to my home waters of Middle River. The tide was high, and there was quite a flotilla of pleasure craft on the water. Whether that affected the bite, I can’t say for sure. However, after 4 hours of pitching softplastics to docks, the only interest from fish were a few perch & sunnies!

 Monday morning, I hit the water early in Middle River, working softplastics on docks on the last hour of an out-going tide, and about 2 hours of incoming. What a difference! I caught six bass, the largest of which was about 4 lbs, and a black crappie about 12” long. All fish were caught on a 6” Berkley, blue-fleck powerworm, fished Texas-style. Water was slightly stained, temps averaged low to mid sixties all weekend.

 Tight lines!

 Captain Scott

www.marylandbassfishing.com

Fishing Report 5-21-08   

 Will someone please ask Mother Nature to stabilize the weather so our beloved bass can get down to business and have some resemblance of a normal spawn? I found water temps in Middle River over 70 degrees back around the first of the month, but in the last couple of weeks, the chilly temps, gusty winds, and cold rain have pushed the temps into the high 50s at night and low 60s during the day.

 Has this affected the bass? Absolutely! I believe that less that half of the bass in the Upper Bay have already spawned. This spring has been one of the coolest that I can recall. It has also affected the catch rate for the majority of dedicated bass fishermen that I keep in contact with.

 This past weekend was no exception. The Maryland Bass Federation Nation held it’s annual State Qualifying Tournament out of Dundee Creek Marina. Many experienced bass anglers found the bite very tough; with catch rates lower than would be expected for this time of year. I caught about a dozen bass over the 2-day period, with only 4 over the minimum 15” limit. My fish came out of Middle River and Seneca Creek, primarily on action baits such as a spinnerbait, and shallow-running crankbaits. However, my largest fish, a nice 4 lbr, came off of a tree in about 3’ of water. She fell for a 6” Berkley Powerworm, blue-fleck in color.

 The majority of bigger bags came from grass beds in Dundee Creek, and the quarry in Joppatowne. One of the interesting facts of this tournament was the large number of “non-boaters” who did very well. Congratulations to everyone who qualified for the 2008 State Team! 

Earlier in the month I had the pleasure of fishing one evening with Nick Nicosia from Joppatowne. Nick lives near the Joppatowne quarry and fishes it regularly from the bank and a small boat. Nick wanted to sample some of the bass fishing in Middle River, so we went out on a 3-hour trip one evening. In just a few minutes after we started, Nick connected with a nice bass of about 2 lbs that he caught on a Senko pitched next to a log in Hog Pen Creek. We caught a couple more bass that evening, and a feisty pickerel about 22” long that annihilated my blue fleck Powerworm.

 On Sunday, May 11^th, fellow club member Jason Strozier and I launched at Otter Point in the Bush River, and headed over to the Sassafras River to see how things are shaping up there. Shortly after we stopped at out first destination point, Lloyd’s Creek, we were soon joined by several boats from a substantial tournament that originated out of Turner’s Creek. Unfortunately, the grass that normally is abundant in that area was very sparse. The bass apparently didn’t like that either, because neither us, nor any of the other boats in our area were getting bit.  

After about 4 hours of checking various sites throughout the “Sass”, and having minimal success, we headed back over to the Bush River. If we had only been out to catch numbers of fish, then we should have stayed there! We stopped in a couple of my favorite locations, and caught bass, including a couple over 15” almost everywhere we stopped! The water was extremely high, and every fish was caught up tight to the bank. The biggest fish came on a white & chartreuse spinnerbait. Temps were in the low 60s, water clarity was slightly stained.

 On Thursday, May 15^th, Scott Shelton of Hanover, PA, an experienced bass fisherman, and my MBFN partner for the SQT, joined me for a marathon 11-hour day on the Upper Bay. We started out by making the run across the Bay to check out Fairlee Creek, Worton Creek, and Still Pond. Although the weather was perfect, providing us with a partly cloudy day with mild temps and light winds, the bass were literally non-existent. We fished hard at all 3 creeks with only a couple of hungry perch for our efforts. However, it did eliminate a lot of water!

 We then moved back over to the Gunpowder River where we found lots and lots of grass, but again, no bass! We did manage to see a huge bass on a bed near Joppatowne, but otherwise, the bite did not materialize. It wasn’t until we were ready to head in that a nice bass of about 3 lbs hammered my shallow-running crankbait in Seneca Creek.

 Hopefully, the weather will be returning to normal in the near future. I think that June is going to be an awesome time on the water. I’ve already got practically every available date booked up with clients and or tournaments, so I guess the timing is perfect!

 Tight Lines!

 Captain Scott

www.marylandbassfishing.com

Fishing Report for 4-30-08

This past weekend I spent Friday and Saturday on the mighty Potomac River. On Friday, fellow club member Jason Eaton and I put in at Friendship Landing on the Nanjemoy Creek in Charles County. We fished for about an hour in Nanjemoy without so much as a bite in the stained, 68 degree water.

We then made a run upriver to Potomac Creek. Although we found some very nice areas, full of grass, and excellent water clarity, the only active fish were the hundreds of carp that were spawning everywhere we went throughout the creek.  

We then headed north to the mouth of Aquia Creek, where we encountered a flotilla of bass boats, most of which were fishing a Pennsylvania “Mr. Bass” event. Again, the water was clear, and we observed several boats catching nice fish. While we were there, Jason landed a bass that appeared to be around 2 lbs. He caught it on a softplastic creature bait, in heavy grass, in about 4 feet of water. 

We then motored into Aquia Creek, then north to Arkindale Flats where we again located grass and fairly clear water in the 65-67 degree range. From there we headed over to Mallows Bay, Blue Banks, and Wades Bay; each of which had nice areas of grass. We decided to fish in Wades, where Jason scored again with the creature bait. This time, he hooked into a nice bass that appeared to be around 4 lbs. A few minutes later I hooked up with a beautiful Potomac River hawg that appeared to be well over 5lbs. My fish fell for a 6” senko, “Wild Shiner” in color. We then vacated the area, and planned to fish there the next day for a club tournament.

 Saturday morning found us sitting in a long line of boats waiting to launch at Smallwood State Park on Mattawoman Creek. When we finally got everyone ready we cautiously worked our way out amongst the large number of boats that were participating in tournaments there that morning. We headed directly to Wades Bay, and wouldn’t you know it, there was a boat “parked” right in the spot we caught our fish on Friday.

 Well, we fished in close proximity, and caught numerous bass, most of which were in the 14.5” to 14.75” range. They fish appeared to be very active, and we caught them on a variety of lures, including spinnerbaits, shallow-running crankbaits, and softplastics.  Since our primary spot was taken we decided to move around to other areas, including Quantico Creek, where I caught my only keeper on a spinnerbait on a fallen tree. By the end of the day, we each caught about 25 bass, and a couple of hungry yellow perch.  

All in all, we had two beautiful days on one of the finest bass fisheries on the entire east coast! The bass have begun their spawn, and I believe that the next two or three weeks should provide some awesome fishing there. In addition, I have observed quite a bit of pre-spawn activity along the shore-line of my property on Hog Pen Creek in Middle River. No less than 3 male bass have staked out beds in the immediate area, in hopes of luring a girlfriend to consummate their annual ritual. It’s truly an amazing process that I am honored to observe from my own dock. 

Please exercise extra care when handling big fish at this time of year. Keep in mind that they are already stressed from spawning activities, and are very susceptible to shock if caught.

 Tight Lines!

 Capt. Scott

www.marylandbass.com

Fishing Report 4-22-08     

 On Saturday, April 12^th, I got out for about 3 hours in Middle River in the evening.  Although practically worn out from doing yard work all day, I just had to put some time on the water. I was primarily looking to see if some of the big SAV beds that were growing last year were making a return for 2008. Unfortunately, some of the areas that had acres of growth last year were not showing much growth as of yet. However, there are other areas that looked almost as good as they did at the end of last fall.

We ran jerk baits, shallow running crank baits, and spinner baits over areas of emerging grass with mixed success. Although I did pick up one nice bass of about 3 lbs, I only caught 2 others that were around 12”.

The larger fish came off of a piling in about 4’ of moderately stained water.  The smaller fish as were located near structure (1 on a dock & the other near a log). My friend Chris threw a jig and other soft plastics without success. Water temps were over 60 degrees, with 65 degrees in my home creek of Hog Pen.

 On Sunday, fellow club member Jordan Holland accompanied me up to Tydings so we could check on how things were going on the upper, Upper Bay. We started in Furnace Bay where a fat-bellied female of about 4lbs eagerly bit my spinner bait slow rolled over a log in about 2’ of moderately stained water that ranged from 59 to 62 degrees.

 We moved over to HavredeGrace to fish some of the marinas, but a stiff breeze made navigation difficult so we didn’t spend a whole lot of time there. I did manage 1 small bass on a blue fleck power worm in about 6’ of water.

 We then spent the remaining couple of hours in Swan Creek and the “Back Channel”, where the only fish willing to bite was another small bass who also wanted the power worm. 

On Friday, April18th, I got out for about an hour & a half on Middle River. The main reason I went out was to check out my new Optima batteries that I installed during the week. I fished for about an hour in Hog Pen & Frog Mortar Creeks where I caught 3 bass, all under 15” on the blue fleck worm. Water temps were 65 degrees.

 On Saturday, I had the pleasure to take out return client Steve Bollinger. We hoped to get in on some pre-spawn action in Dundee & Saltpeter Creek, but the bass had other plans. We got out at the break of dawn, fished hard for almost 6 hours, covered a lot of water, and tried a lot of lures with absolutely no takers. Apparently the full moon, combined with clear skies and a very high tide all contributed to an extremely lackadaisical response for fishing. I did talk to some friends who were rock fishing that day, and had similar problems early. In the afternoon, the action apparently picked up according to friends I spoke with for both bass and rockfish.

 On Sunday, club member Jimmy Frye and I tried our luck in a tournament sponsored by the Delaware Bass Federation Nation out of Anchor Marine in the Northeast River. Although Jimmy & I each caught a couple of nice fish, we just couldn’t get a good bag so we decided to quit battling the high winds and pulled out early. The fish we caught came on a variety of crank baits, spinner baits and a blue fleck worm. Water temps were 65-67 degrees in the wind-whipped, stained water.

 Now that we have had several days of consistent water temps over 65 degrees, the majority of fish should begin their spawning activities in earnest.

 Tight Lines!

 Capt. Scott

www.marylandbassfishing.com

2008 Season

Welcome to my first report of the 2008 season. As many of you already know, I’m not a fan of fishing in the cold, but now that spring has finally arrived, I’m anxious to get back on the water for what will undoubtedly be an exciting year of bass fishing throughout Maryland.

 I kicked off this year’s activities with a trip on Middle River to do some photography on Middle River in mid-March, on a day when the tide went way out, exposing lots of otherwise hidden structure. However, my tool for the day was not a fishing rod, but a digital camera. I snapped about 50 pictures before my batteries gave out, for a book I’m working on about bass fishing on the Upper Bay.

 On Saturday March 29^th I had the pleasure of taking out Steven Bollinger and his friend Mike Twilley. Steve is a commercial banker at Provident Bank, who won the on-line auction of a ½ day trip I donated to the United Way. We launched out of Wilson Point Park on a cold, breezy day that most of us would have preferred to have enjoyed in the comfort of a warm bed!

 We worked several areas of docks around deeper water that should have been productive, but unfortunately, the fish just were not in the mood to bite. Aside from 1 largemouth of about 1.5 lbs, that fell for a plastic worm, the bite was basically non-existent. We also tried shallow areas where we located some nice SAV, but aside from the previously mentioned fish, we came up empty handed. Water temps in Middle River were around 45 – 46 degrees, and the water was moderately stained. The tide was very low when we launched, and only came in about 6” the entire time we were out. (This is not unusual in the winter and early spring.)

 On Sunday, I fished my first tournament of the season. My club, Baltimore Bass Chasers, opened our season out of Dundee Creek Marina in the Gunpowder State Park. Again, the weather presented a challenge with a cold northeast wind throughout most of the day. I started out in Saltpeter Creek where water temps were in the upper 50s! Within the first 5 minutes, I hooked up with a beautiful 4.1 lb largemouth that willingly attacked a plastic worm. Thinking I was going to have one of those awesome days of big fish, I remained in Saltpeter Creek for the next 4 hours without so much as a tap. My draw partner, fellow club member Michael Ludden and I tried crankbaits, softplastics, jerkbaits, and  spinnerbaits, all to no avail. We then ran around to Seneca Creek where we fished the power plant, several coves in the area, and a local marina. Again, nothing, nada!

 Finally we headed back to Saltpeter Creek, where we started. Aside from a nice fish of about 14.5”, again on a worm. We didn’t get a bite. It turned out that the vast majority of club members didn’t fair much better. Out of 23 fishermen, only 9 had fish to weigh, and no one had a limit. My fish was good enough to take 3^rd on what turned out to be a very difficult day.  

Water temps were in the mid to upper 50s in Saltpeter, around 50 in Seneca. Visibility about 1’. All fish were caught on a Berkley 6” powerworm, bluefleck in color.

 On Saturday, April 5^th, I fished the Maryland Bass Federation Nation’s first tournament on the mighty Potomac River. My luck wasn’t any better there. My draw partner, Bob Hassler & I headed over to a creek on the Virginia side where he and his partner won a small tournament the prior weekend. Unfortunately, the fish were not as willing to oblige us the way they did the week before. Although we caught about a dozen bass each, only one was over 15”. The majority of our fish were caught on a ¼ oz red rattletrap. Although I caught a few on my powerworm, and a shallow running crankbait, chartreuse & red in color. Water temps were in the low 50s. Visibility about 6” due to windy conditions.

 Don’t be discouraged by the tough conditions out there so far. I’ve gotten many reports, from several very good fishermen, about the slow bite. As the water temps improve, so will the fishing!

 Tight Lines,

Capt. Scott

www.marylandbassfishing.com

Upper Bay Fishing Report 11-07-07

 Unfortunately, I cannot support my family & I on guide service income alone, therefore I work a full-time job during the week. I mention that because now that daylight savings has eliminated any possibility of evening trips, my reports will pretty much be based on weekend trips. This past weekend turned out to be a fun-filled 2 days of pretty good fishing combined with good fellowship and conversation.

 On Saturday, my club, Baltimore Bass Chasers, held their final tournament of the season on the beautiful Bush River in Harford County. Because of the strong winds associated with a tropical storm off the coast, I started my day pitching a spinner bait on one of my favorite docks north of the railroad bridge. After working over all angles with no takers, I flipped a 7” blue fleck plastic worm next to a mooring piling. Almost immediately, I got hit by what turned out to be a nice bass of about 2 lbs! Thinking this was going to be pattern, I continuing working docks with the worm and spinner bait for the next 2 hours without so much as a “perch tap”.

 Once again, it was time to make a decision. I could stay in the Bush, in relatively calm waters, and hope the bite would change for the better; or I could make a “kidney-jarring” run to one of my favorite stretches of shoreline across the bay in the Sassafras River. Since it was the last club event of the season, I decided to make the run. Although winds were gusting 30 – 35 mph, surprisingly, the trip up north wasn’t all that bad. I’m not sponsored by Nitro, so this is not a commercial, but I have to say that the Nitro 929, a 20’ 9” boat handles rough water better than any other bass boat that I’ve ever been in.

 My decision to move turned out to be a good one. Shortly after I arrived, I connected with a 3 lbr that decided my spinner bait would make a good meal! Since I caught that fish on the spinner bait, I decided to stick with it. Well, as things turned out, I had one of my best days of the year, bringing in 6 more keepers all within about a 300-yard stretch of wooded shoreline in a little creek just off the main portion of the river. All of the fish took the spinner bait as I slow-rolled it as close to structure as I could. The bait is a 3/8 oz, with chartreuse & white skirt, equipped with a silver willow leaf and gold Colorado blade.

All of the fish were caught in about 3 – 4’ of water that was stained with less than a foot of visibility due to the wind. Water temps were around 52 degrees, and the tide was coming in.

 I ended up winning the club tournament with a 5 fish limit that weighed 13.53 lbs.

 On Sunday, I met up with my friends Frank Holden & Bryan Novotny, for a trip to find some Middle River rockfish. The water was very high when we launched at daybreak, and the clearest I’ve seen in Middle River all year. There was over 3’ of crystal clear water almost everywhere we went. We started our day by throwing crankbaits & jerkbaits off of main river points. Within the first few minutes I got slammed by what I believe was a rockfish well over 20”. Unfortunately, after stripping off about 10 yards of line it made a big turn and came off of my chartreuse & red 6” jerkbait.  A few minutes later I caught a bass of about 3 lbs on the same bait. After that, all three of us made hundreds of casts to no avail until Bryan connected with a striper of about 20” that fell for his crankbait in about 8’ of water. Water temps 51-54 degrees.

We didn’t catch a limit of stripers, but we enjoyed each others company, fish stories, and a beautiful fall day on the mighty Middle River.

 Tight Lines,

 Capt. Scott

www.marylandbassfishing.com

Fishing Report for 10-31-07

  Well, we finally got some rain, and the temperatures are starting to return to normal for this time of year. For those reasons, I feel that the bass bite will be dramatically improving within the next week or so. Since my last report, I have spent a considerable amount of time with clients who wish to remain anonymous for personal reasons. I can say that they are tournament anglers who want to become more familiar with the key areas of Middle River in order to be competitive in upcoming tournaments.

    In those types of trips, we spend the majority of our time visiting the specific areas to stop when following a “run & gun” pattern in a tournament. Given the pressure in the Upper Bay, particularly the Flats, Sassafrass and other areas that have been hammered all summer long, more anglers are turning their sites on “new” water, with less pressure.

     Middle River has a healthy population of relatively large, chunky bass that tournament anglers need to fill their live wells during periods of tough fishing like we’ve seen up north for the past couple of months. However, unless you are an experienced Middle River fisherman, the sheer size of the river can make your day quite frustrating trying to find productive areas.

    On Saturday, October 20^th, Chris & I spent the morning in Middle River where we caught several bass, most in the 1-2lb range, with the largest being about 3lbs. We also caught several perch and a couple of rockfish in the 20-22” range. Most of the bass I caught came on my favorite chartreuse & white spinner bait, while Chris had good success throwing a small black & blue jig w/blue trailer. Water temps 74-76. Clarity about 1’.

    On Sunday, October 28^th, my friend Don & I fished the Port City club open out of Joppatowne. Due to the high winds that day, we decided to stay in the Joppatowne canals where we pitched & flipped docks all day with a combination of soft plastics, crank baits, and spinner baits.  At the end of the day we came in with a 5 fish limit that weighed in around 6 & ½ lbs. Good enough for 4^th place, but the payout stopped at 3^rd. All of our keepers came on a 7” blue fleck worm, rigged Texas style, with a 1/8 oz bullet weight. Water temps were in the lower 70’s. Water clarity was poor, very stained, still impacted by the heavy rains of the preceding days.

   Now that fall has arrived, look for the bite to improve considerably. Spinner baits and crank baits are primarily the bait of choice for larger fish, but don’t rule out worms, jigs, tubes and other creature baits. The only type of lure that isn’t real productive this time of year is top water, unless you have a school of hungry stripers around. Speaking of stripers, they have arrived in great numbers in all of the Upper Bay rivers and creeks. I’ve gotten reports of large numbers of aggressive stripers as far north as the headwaters of the Northeast River where numerous fish in the 18 to 24” size have been hitting lipless crank baits on a moving tide.

 Tight Lines,

 Capt. Scott

www.marylandbassfishing.com

Fishing Report 10-18-07

  If you’re a regular reader of my reports, you may recall me discussing decisions prior to, during, and after a tournament. Some are good, some are bad, but of course our best decisions are made after the weigh-in.

 I prefished for the BFL Regional on the Potomac River on Wednesday, the 10^th. Although I did not catch a whole lot of quality fish, I came up with a game plan I hoped would produce a good bag for the following day.

 Later that evening, I got a phone call from a friend who excitedly told me about some “really good info” about big fish, in good numbers, stacked up on a little point on the main river near Marlboro Point. So all-night I debated as to whether to make the roughly 20 mile run, or stay local where I had found a few fish.

The next morning found me making a run south, despite winds of 15 to 20 mph with gusts to 30! When I arrived in the area, the waves, some over 4’ were literally crashing onto the shore with such force that I could not have fished even if I anchored.

 I had made a bad decision. My in-experience on the Potomac River was quite obvious because I wrongly thought the area would have been protected from westerly winds. I then decided to proceed into Potomac Creek to fish grass beds with a buzz bait. In short order I connected with a good looking fish about 2 lbs. Unfortunately, after working various locations in the creek for the next few hours failed to produce anything for me or my draw partner.

 After getting “beat up” running back, we spent the last hour in Mattawoman Creek where I connected with a nice 3lbr that fell for a white soft-plastic top water bait I tossed under a tree behind Marsh Island.

 The next day saw water temps drop from 71 to 61 degrees overnight. My new draw-partner convinced me to run to a small creek on the Virginia side where several boats from day one came in with 10lb+ limits. After another kidney-jarring ride across the mighty Potomac, we joined several other boats and fished very hard for the next several hours without so much as a perch bite on any of the boats. Towards the end of the day we headed back to Mattawoman where I caught a small keeper on a spinner bait that I didn’t bother to weigh-in since I knew I would not make the 12-boat cut for day 3.

 On Saturday, I prefished in preparation for Sunday’s MD Federation Nation tournament out of Smallwood. While there I saw several of the remaining BFL boats fishing main river grass beds, including Thomas Wooten, the eventual winner. Tom won by flipping a soft plastic bait with a 1.5 oz. weight through grass mats.

 On Sunday my fortune (and decision making) improved with a 5^th place finish with just over 9 lbs. I started the day fishing a white plastic frog over grass in the main river where I caught my first fish. The remaining 4 all fell for my favorite white & chartreuse spinner bait on grass and/or hard cover.

 Water temps ranged from the low 70s to low 60s, clarity was fairly clear (over 2’) around grass, and about 1’ elsewhere.

 All and all, it was another learning experience for me on the Potomac River where my fortunes always seem to be mixed. I still prefer the Upper Bay, Middle River in particular!

 Tight lines,

 Capt. Scott

www.marylandbassfishing.com

10-9-07 Fishing Report

 On Saturday, I fished my club tournament out of Dundee Creek Marina. I started out in Saltpeter Creek working top water along a shoreline near the Gunpowder River without so much as a swirl under it. After about 30 minutes, I moved over to the mouth of Seneca Creek where I wasted another hour or so trying to elicit a top water bite. Again nothing. Not even any signs of baitfish activity so I moved up “North” to the “upper” Upper Bay. Along the way I figured I’d hit a couple of creeks on the Eastern Shore. I first stopped in Worton Creek where I got hammered by a rockfish of about 22” on my chartreuse & white spinner bait. After catching a couple of white perch, I moved on to Still Pond where I caught perch (white & yellow), the biggest catfish I’ve ever seen on the Bay, and a couple of bass on wood. From there I moved over to the Bush and the Gunpowder Rivers to work my spinner bait around grass & wood where ever I could find it!

 By the end of the day I managed to catch 6 bass, of which the best 5 weighed in at a little over 10lbs. Not a record setting bag by any measure, but on this day it was enough to capture 1^st place out of 14 fellow club members. 

On Sunday our club had a “make-up” tournament on Middle River. We launched out of the new Wilson Point ramp with a slightly smaller field of 11 club members.  Once again I decided to start off with top water lures, but once again, aside from one “blow-up” on my 3^rd cast, the top water bite was absent. I decided to stay in Middle River and work docks the rest of the day which unfortunately only produced 2 bass on my ¼ oz c & w spinner bait. I also had the misfortune of having to stop for about an hour because of problems with my trolling motor. The good fortune though, was being able to tie-up to my own pier, get tools from my garage & make the necessary repairs, and continue fishing. A little side benefit of living on Hog Pen Creek!

 On Monday, I had the pleasure of taking out return clients Jim & Linda Novotny. We started off in the Gunpowder River near Maxwell Point looking for some top water action. While we did not get any bites from the fish, we did get set upon by the absolute worst attack from a hoard of the most aggressive flies I have ever seen. In a matter of minutes there were hundreds of nasty, biting flies that seemed unfazed by the can of bug spray we almost emptied before pulling up and leaving at a high rate of acceleration!

 We decided to try further up the bay towards the Bush River, but stopped on the way to cast to “breaking” fish near Robins Point at the mouth of the Gunpowder River. The breaking fish turned out to be rock fish and “snapper” blues.  Before we left the area, I estimated that Jim & Linda caught over 40 rockfish, and over a dozen bluefish, on crank & jerk baits. Jim stated that it was the most exciting fishing trip he ever had.

 On each day the water temps were 74 to 76 degrees, with visibility about a foot in the rivers, and about 2’ in the bay. Tides were out-going each morning, with most bites coming in the last 2 hours of out-going, and the first hour of in-coming. Most of the bass were caught in less than 2’ of water, some in less than 1’. 

This upcoming week I’ll be heading down to the Potomac River to fish the BFL Divisional tournament on Thursday, Friday & Saturday, and the Maryland Bass Federation tournament on Sunday!

 Tight lines,

 Capt. Scott

www.marylandbassfishing.com

10-1-07 Fishing Report

 On Saturday, I had the pleasure of taking out Howie Smith, active military, stationed at Ft. Meade, MD. Howie wanted to learn a few “hotspots” in Middle River, and I was more than happy to oblige! Since we got an early start, we decided to try for a little top water action over one of my favorite areas of grass. Within just a few minutes after we started casting a nice bass took a shot at a buzz bait and missed. Since this trip was for the purpose of learning productive areas to fish instead of just fishing, we moved to some of my favorite docks where Howie quickly connected with 2 bass, the largest of which appeared to be around 2.5 - 3 lbs that fell for a plastic worm pitched under a dock in about 3’ of water. We then spent the remainder of his trip motoring slowly around the various creeks in Middle River, with me pointing out the best areas to fish, and Howie making careful notes on maps he brought along for that purpose.

 Later that day, I went back out by myself for about 3 hours, checking a few areas I hadn’t fished for a while. I managed to catch 3 bass, 2 of which were about 3 lbs, a few perch, and a catfish on a white & chartreuse spinner bait. In all cases I worked the spinner bait very slowly, and as close to cover as I could.

 On Sunday, Chris and I got out early and worked a long stretch of docks in the main river, and a few in Norman Creek. I managed a limit that I estimated to weigh around 13 –14lb. The largest fish, a nice 4lbr, fell for a white buzz bait worked just fast enough to keep it afloat in about 2 feet of water. The second largest fish, around 3.5lbs, took a 1/4oz spinner bait, close to cover, right up against the bank. The remaining 3, the largest of which was about 3lbs, all came off of  plastic worms pitched under docks in about 3 – 4’ of water. I also caught a rockfish of about 12” on the spinner bait.

  Uncharacteristically, Chris was unable to connect on his “go to” bait, a 1/8oz jig with plastic trailer. Normally, Chris has had great success using that combo in Middle River, but on that day there were no takers.

 Tide was incoming, water temp around 74 degrees, and clarity was less than 1’.

 I have been receiving many emails and calls regarding the “tough” conditions in the Upper Bay in relation to bass fishing. I’ve seen this same scenario many times over the years after a hot, dry summer. We are still seeing temps in the 80’s everyday, with nighttime temps only falling into the 60’s. Without any significant rainfall, the salt content (salinity) gets higher as the tides bring the saltier water into the Upper Bay. Although the salinity readings are not at record levels, it is currently very high. Until the water temps fall into the low 60’s, and we get some substantial rainfall, don’t expect any major changes in the bite.

 Capt. Scott

www.marylandbassfishing.com

9-24-07 Fishing Report

 Fishing on the “lower” Upper Bay was kind of a mixed bag this past weekend. Since the bass fishing has been slow as of late, I decided to try my luck for Stripers. I got a late start Saturday morning, but decided to head out to the north end of Hart-Miller Island for some top water & crank bait action. I took along my 12 year-old grandson Tyler, a sixth grader at Deep Creek Middle School in Baltimore County. Although Tyler is quite an accomplished angler catching catfish and brim off of my dock in Hog Pen Creek, he hasn’t had much experience or luck throwing a top water bait. Unfortunately, this wasn’t going to be the morning for him to experience the thrill of a nice striper smashing his top water popper. Despite making over a hundred casts, Tyler came up empty handed.

 Since the fish were not aggressively feeding on top, I decided to throw a ¼ oz. Rattle trap (chrome & blue). I stayed about 40 – 50’ off of the shoreline, and cast towards the rocks, allowing the lure to sink for a couple of seconds before starting my retrieve. It didn’t take long before I started getting hits, but not too many “hook-ups”.  I caught a couple of stripers in the 14-16” range before finally bringing one about 23” to the boat, but to my dismay, it had several nasty looking lesions. For that reason, I leaned over the side of the boat and used a pair of long-nosed pliers to pop my lure from its mouth and released it without bringing it onboard.

 We worked our way up to the discharge pipes where a couple of other boats were anchored, and were fishing the turbulent waters right at the pipes. I watched one boat with 2 veteran fishermen pull in perch after perch using a small grub type bait, white in color. Most of the perch were fairly small, about 6-8”, but every now and then they would land a nicer one that went in the cooler.

 I also ran into an old friend, Jim Fitch and his son, who came out on their fishing boat to get in on some of the action. Jim is a retired Baltimore County Police Officer, who lives on Galloway Creek in Middle River. Jim mentioned how poor the bass fishing has been around his dock the past few weeks in relation to earlier in the year. We both agreed that the heat and lack of rain were having an impact. Jim is now an instructor at the Essex campus of Baltimore County Community College where he teaches boating courses, including a class for preparation to obtain a U.S. Coast Guard captain’s license.

 I then decided to make a run up to the Bush River to check out some of the grass beds for bass. The Bush River is one of those places that can make you a hero or a zero in relatively short time. There have been times over the years that we have fished the Bush River and caught 2 or 3 limits of bass with no problem; then there days when it was difficult to find a decent keeper. Although the grass is doing very well practically everywhere in the river, the bass have been very selective where they want to live. On this morning I decided to throw a frog over the thickest grass I could find. Aside from a couple of meager attempts by a couple of small bass, and one tremendous explosion, not a single bass was caught. However, we did catch several yellow perch that aggressively attacked our spinner baits.

 I did not try using any soft plastics in the grass, but if I were fishing a tournament, I would definitely give it a try. I would suggest working a 4 or 5” texas rigged worm or other creature bait slowly across the thickest grass, then allow it to fall into the openings. Green pumpkin is always a good color choice around grass.

 On Sunday, my friend Chris & I went out on Middle River for a couple of hours of bass fishing. Again I got a late start, but decided to work top water baits over grass in an attempt to get that exhilarating thrill that only comes with an explosive hit by a monster bass. Despite our best offerings, we had absolutely no takers over some of the best looking grass I’ve found in Middle River this year. We then shifted gears and started flipping docks where we found a couple of perch and one decent bass that fell for a small jig with a motor oil colored plastic trailer.

 Water temps: low 70’s, clarity: stained, less than 1 foot visibility.

 I had to pull out early on this day because I volunteered my assistance at the B.A.S.S.  Kids Casting state final competition at the Bass Pro Shops in Arundel Mills. What a good feeling you get helping out at an event like that. Seeing the excitement and effort put forward by all of those kids is a very rewarding experience. If you’ve never attended a Kids Casting event, or volunteered your time to help out, I would urge you to do so. We need to pass on to our kids the good, clean fun and enjoyment to be had on our waterways. It also gives you the opportunity to impress upon them the need to respect our environment and preserve it for generations to come. I would like to thank B.A.S.S. for their strong support of our youth through this outstanding program!

 Tight Lines!

 Capt. Scott

www.marylandbassfishing.com

Fishing Report 9-17-07

 Middle River can be overwhelming for anyone who visits it for the first time. It is an extremely large river with numerous creeks, thousands of docks, and hundreds of lay downs. However, unless you have a lot of time to spend learning the better locations to fish, it would be tough to run there expecting to pull out a big bag on tournament day. As is the case with most rivers, 25% of the area will hold 75% of the fish.  On Thursday, I had the pleasure of taking out two accomplished anglers from the “upper” Upper Bay area who wanted to learn the more productive areas of Middle River.  Ken Creed and Jerry Stump joined me for a late summer evening trip on the Mighty Middle River.

 Although we spent the majority of our evening slowly cruising with me pointing out those areas in each of the creeks that have been the “go to” spots for many successful tournament anglers, we did spend the last 30 minutes or so fishing. It didn’t take long for the action to start. Within just a few casts these talented anglers drew several “blow-ups” & catches on top water and soft plastic lures fished over grass and under docks in an area less than a quarter of a mile long.

 On Saturday I headed down south to prefish for the Maryland Bass Federation Nation tournament on the Potomac River. I met my draw-partner, Ron Hines, and headed down to Nanjemoy Creek to see if Skeet Reese left any “Good Ole Big-Uns” or “Big Ole Goodins” behind after his recent impressive finish there. After several hours of “eliminating water” we pulled the boat & headed up to Mattawoman Creek where we found some willing takers of our spinner bait offering along a defined grass line.

 On tournament day, Sunday, we headed to Marsh Island looking for a top water bite. Unfortunately, the only response we got was a couple of blow-ups that did not connect. We then moved to the fish we found on Saturday, and put 2 keepers each in the boat, all four coming on white & chartreuse spinner baits.  The remainder of the day turned out to be pretty tough for me, although I caught several non-keepers and lost 2 good bites on the spinner bait.  Ron faired much better when we moved to an area that provided some shade along a tree-lined bank. Despite heavy grass in the area, Ron was able to skip a texas-rigged senko up against the bank that produced 2 more keepers for him, including a 3 lbr that turned out to be the lunker in the non-boater division. In addition, his 4 fish were good enough for 2^nd place, and his finish propelled him into 1^st place in the Co-angler of the year points standings. I would like to add that Ron is not only an accomplished fisherman, but also a good-natured guy who was a blast to fish with.

 Water was stained in Nanjemoy with limited visibility, but very clear in most of Mattawoman. Temps hovered around 75 to 78 degrees.

 I’m looking forward to seeing the bite on the Upper Bay break loose very soon as the nights are getting cooler, and the amount of sun decreasing. It would also help to get a couple of days of steady rain to push the salinity levels down. When these events occur, look for the bass to start feeding heavily in preparation of winter.

 We have also started to see the annual fall migration of rockfish following the baitfish into the creeks of Middle River and surrounding areas.  Crankbaits, spinner baits, and early morning top water presentations will all produce nice rockfish in many areas we traditionally fish for bass. When traversing the bay, look for gull activity to find schools of “breaking” rockfish at any time of day. Back, Middle, Gunpowder, and Bush Rivers all can be awesome for catching rockfish on light tackle this time of year.

 Tight Lines,

 Capt. Scott

www.marylandbassfishing.com

Fishing Report for 9-10-07

  To say it’s been an interesting past 10 days since my last report would be an understatement. On Saturday, September 1^st, I had the pleasure of taking out a return client, Steve Schuman. Steve, you may recall, first engaged my services because he was having difficulty locating & catching bass in Middle River.  In mid July we were able to correct that with success on buzz and spinner baits. Today, Steve wanted to learn how to achieve success using soft plastics, and also how to fish the tides in Middle River.

  Since we hit the water at daybreak, we opted to try for some top water action. Unfortunately, in spite of our efforts, there were no takers. We then shifted gears and started pitching texas rigged plastic worms to hard cover and scattered clumps of grass. In short order, Steve connected with a nice largemouth about 2.5 lbs that came off of a dock in about 3’ of water. Over the next 4 hours Steve & I caught about 6 or 7 more, all on texas rigged plastic worms. All came off of docks, or grass in close proximity to docks.

  On Sunday, MSSA Middle River President Frank Holden and retired P.G. County police officer Keith Harmon joined me for another daybreak excursion looking for the top water bite that each had enjoyed on a trip with me earlier in the summer. Again, aside from a couple of small blow-ups, the bass did not respond despite our relentless efforts. We then switched to throwing soft plastics, including senkos, worms & flukes with no success. Fortunately, all was not lost as Frank later connected with a Middle River beauty of about 2 lbs that fell for a chartreuse & white spinner bait worked slowly around a mooring piling in about 2 feet of water.

  On Monday, September 3^rd, I went out by myself for a couple of hours trying to figure out exactly what those pesky bass wanted, but despite my best efforts, aside from a healthy looking 2 lbr that fell for a buzz bait, I caught nothing else. I worked a good-looking stretch of docks on the main river for about .5 mile with plastics, spinner baits and top water very thoroughly. I then ran over to the Seneca Creek in an area that has been very productive all season. However, nothing, zero, nada, no-takers!

  It appears to me that the high water temperatures, combined with high salinity levels, tournament pressure, plus an abundance of baitfish have put a damper on the bite for now. Hopefully, once the water temps begin to cool, and if we can get some decent rain, things will pick up.

  Water temps were around 76 – 78 degrees with poor clarity of less than a foot.

  On Thursday, September 6^th, I headed north to the Catskill, New York portion of the Hudson River to fish the final stop of the BFL Northeast tournament trail. If you have never fished the Hudson River, and are looking for someplace to take your next vacation for a fun-filled fishing trip, this is not the place! Aside from the fact that the fishing was extremely tough, the river was rough every morning, and my GPS had no coverage there, it is, however, a beautiful area.

  Out of 85 boats in the tournament, only 39 had 1 or more fish to weigh-in. Only 17 co-anglers had a keeper! No one had a limit on day 1, and only 1 limit came in on day 2! Unfortunately, the only keeper I caught was in practice Thursday afternoon, although I did have one that appeared to be around 3 lbs that I lost at the boat on tournament day.

  The most fun of the whole trip was driving my new Toyota Tundra. The Tundra handled the mountains like a champ. It is a powerful, comfortable vehicle that pulled my 21’ Nitro like it wasn’t even there! If you’re in the market for a new tow vehicle, you’ve got to check it out!

 Capt. Scott

www.marylandbassfishing.com

Fishing Report for 8-31-07

  Well, summer has taken its toll on the “lower” Upper Bay, as well as the “upper” Upper Bay. Reports I’ve gotten from several fishermen have ranged from moderate to very low catch rates for everything except crabs! My friend Dan Kardash, a long time guide on the Upper Bay, in a recent conversation with me described the bass bite as practically non-existent in the area of the Flats.

  My experience has been significantly better however in the Middle River, Seneca & Gunpowder Rivers. On Wednesday, August 22^nd, my friend Brian Novotny & I fished the Baltimore Bass Chaser’s ongoing Wednesday Night 3fer tournament out of Wilson Point Park. We started catching bass practically right away, and got a fairly consistent bite the entire 3 hours we fished. We caught about 10 bass on spinnerbaits &  buzzbaits worked over grass and around docks about a mile from the launching ramp. We captured second place with our best 3 fish that weighed 7.6 lbs.

  On Saturday Chris and I had one of those tough mornings on the Gunpowder River. We worked topwater baits, spinnerbaits, and shallow running crankbaits over grass with minimal success. Aside from a 12” rockfish, we only had a couple of perch and one small bass to show for our efforts. I must say that I cannot remember seeing more grass in the Gunpowder River than we have this year.

  On Sunday, I had the pleasure of volunteering my services as a boat captain for the Maryland Bass Federation Nation’s Junior State Qualifying tournament out of the Dundee Creek Marina. What a terrific experience to see these young men & women fishing for a spot on the Junior State Team. I took out 17 year old Andrew Sams, and 12-year-old Jessie Colie.

  We started off on one of my “go to” spots of wood & grass on the Gunpowder River where Andrew and Jessie each connected with a nice keeper to get things started. From there we moved over to the mouth of the Seneca where Andrew got slammed by not one, but two, huge Channel Catfish, one of which was at least 10 lbs! Both were caught on a white spinnerbait.

  We then went over to my home waters of Middle River where Andrew caught 2 more nice bass on a spinnerbait, and another on a plastic frog worked over grass. Unfortunately Jessie missed a nice bass on a topwater bait that slammed at it but missed!

  At the end of the day, both of these outstanding young fishermen qualified for a spot on their respective teams, with Andrew coming in second place in the older age group. I was really impressed with their skill and perseverance. Look out guys, these young-uns are coming our way in the not too distant future!

  This past Wednesday was the final 3fer of the season on Middle River, and it ended with 2 record setting catches. The first was a monster largemouth of 6.3 lbs that fell for a plastic worm in Middle River. The other record was the second place payout that only amounted to 5.6lbs, thus indicating the tough conditions that everyone faced that evening.

  However, with the onset of cooler temperatures, I predict the bass fishing to pick up very soon as the fish start to feed in anticipation of winter.

  Water clarity has been stained, primarily due to rain and an increase of pleasure boat traffic. Temps mid to upper 70’s.

Fishing Report for 8-20-07

 First off, let me apologize for missing the past few weeks with a current report. I’ve been so busy with tournaments, Federation work, and club activities, combined with an explosion in guide trips, that I just haven’t had time to sit down and write a decent fishing report. That said; let me try to bring you up to speed on the goings on in the Upper Bay area since my last report. Since it would be just too long of a report to mention every trip, I’ll just hit the highlights.

 On Saturday, July 21^st I fished the His & Hers open out of Dundee Creek marina with my daughter Jessica. We fished primarily in Middle River using spinner baits & buzz baits. Although we managed to get a decent 5 fish limit, our efforts fell just shy of winning any cash since only 2 places were paid. However, it was a lot of fun, and I urge anyone with a boat and a wife, girlfriend, daughter or female friend to fish this event next year.

 On Sunday Chris & I ventured across the bay to try our luck on some of the Upper Bay eastern shore creeks. Although the weather was nice, and the scenery beautiful, Fairlee Creek produced only white perch, Worton Creek one small bass (and perch), Still Pond a couple of small bass on top water, and a couple more on grass beds in the Sassafras. All and all we caught about 6 bass, but given the distance to run, I won’t recommend it if you’re looking for large numbers of fish. The only exception is the Sassafras. It is a beautiful river, good numbers of bass, and you could spend several days there without hitting all of the areas to fish. I would suggest launching there in lieu of making the run across the bay if you want to learn more about it, since the bay can become extremely rough when midday winds pick up. 

Tuesday & Wednesday found me back on Middle River with a new client, Baltimore businessman Steve Schuman. Steve is an avid recreational fisherman and boater who has been having difficulty locating bass on Middle River. On Tuesday we fished in the evening where he connected with a couple of nice bass on a buzz bait over grass just before dusk. The next morning we headed over to the mouth of the Seneca where we caught numerous bass that eagerly attacked our top water and spinner baits. Steve was so impressed that he told me that he had learned more in 3 hours fishing with me, than he had over the past 6 years that he has been fishing in the Upper Bay. (Yes, that quote will soon be on my “testimonials” page along with a photo!)

 On Friday, the 27^th, I had the pleasure of taking out Bill May, an outdoor writer for the Carroll County Times. We pulled out of Dundee Creek Marina at dawn, and proceed to the back of Saltpeter Creek where we found several nice bass willing to attack our spinner baits and soft plastics. I enjoyed chatting and fishing with such a venerable gentleman who is an accomplished fisherman in his own right. After reading some of his work, I would love to see the Baltimore Sun retain his services to fill a void that has existed since the departure of Bill Burton many years ago.

 The following day I fished the BFL trail tournament out of the Elk Neck State Park on the Elk River. I headed south to the Sassafras River where I was able to put together a 5 fish limit good enough to place 18^th out of 118 boats, which also gave me a check for over $300! The majority of my fish came on buzz baits over grass, and spinner baits pitched to wood in a couple of the little creeks.

 On Tuesday, August 7th, I took out a delightful couple, Jim & Linda Novotny, who like to fish from their kayaks in Dundee Creek. Unfortunately, the bass were not being so delightful, and failed to materialize in any great numbers. Although we did manage 2 in the 1.5 to 2 lb range, the bite was very slow, the temperature, humidity and water were very high. However, I gave Jim & Linda numerous locations to focus their efforts in both Dundee and Saltpeter Creeks in the future. 

On Sunday, August 12^th, I enlisted the assistance of Capt. Karl Bunch, of Karl’s Bassing Adventures, as a second boat for the Strain family. Steve Sr. and son Tim boarded with Capt. Karl, and I took out Steve Jr. and brother Jeremy for a fun filled adventure in Dundee and Saltpeter Creeks. Although once again, the bass failed to co-operate in any great numbers, both boats did manage to connect with our targeted species. The water was again very high, actually up into the yards of some lower lying properties. This unique family has their own business known as Modern Heating and Air located in Essex.

August 18^th was the 2^nd BFL event on the Upper Bay. 95 boats blasted off from the Dundee Creek Marina at dawn, all with high hopes of winning the $3,000 jackpot for boaters, and $1,500 for the non-boaters. It didn’t take long for most of the participants to realize that this was going to be a tough day on the water. The tide went out, then out some more, but never came back in. As a result, many of the bass were extremely skittish, and holding tight to cover. Once again, I headed up north, trying to get away from the crowd that I knew would be heading to Middle River & the Gunpowder.

 By & large, my decision was a good one. I got my 5 fish limit, but just couldn’t get the “big” bite. Although my total weight was only 7 lb 11 oz, it was good enough for 19^th place and a check over $250! 3 of my keepers came on a buzz bait over grass, while the other 2 came off of the same submerged log that also produced a 3 lbr for me in the last BFL TX!

 On Sunday, I was met by Rhett Stoddard and his “fishing” fiancée Samantha for a trip out of Dundee Creek marina. Rhett and Samantha have been dating for over 2 years, and enjoy fishing together on farm ponds, freshwater lakes, and just about any other type of fishing you can think of. They reminded me of my wife and I when we spent the majority of our dating years “on the water”! Well, Samantha proved herself to be quite the fisherwoman, when she boated 2 nice bass over 2 lbs each on a buzz bait over grass in the Gunpowder River. Later, we moved over to the Seneca where she and Rhett each missed some huge strikes on plastic frogs worked slowly over submerged grass. I’ve got a feeling that we’ll be seeing Rhett and “Sam” in the future, as they both expressed an interest in joining a bass club to become more involved and participate in tournaments.

 Water temperature has remained fairly steady in the lower to mid eighties in the past couple of weeks, cooling into the high seventies this past weekend. Clarity in the Gunpowder & Middle River area has been stained due to winds, rain and the dredging being conducted in the mouth of Seneca Creek over the past couple of months.

Tight Lines!

Capt. Scott

www.marylandbassfishing.com

Fishing Report 7-16-07

   Middle River continues to be an outstanding fishery for the largemouth bass enthusiast. On Wednesday, my friend Chris & I fished the Baltimore Bass Chasers’ Wednesday night 3fer tournament. Although we had a respectable limit anchored with a 3.3 beauty, we didn’t land in the winner’s circle, but had a lot of fun! Two of our fish came on a plastic worm, while the 3^rd (and largest) fell prey to a white spinner bait. All fish were caught under or near docks. Water was stained with about 1’ visibility. Water temp 80 degrees.

   If you haven’t heard, the BBC is sponsoring a series of 3-hour tournaments on Wednesday nights from 5:30pm to 8:30pm, out of the new Wilson Point Park on Middle River in Baltimore County. Last Wednesday there were 28 boats that participated, and it appeared as though every boat had their 3 fish limit. The weights were pretty close, averaging in the 5 to 7 lb range. The first & second place boats each had at least one big fish that propelled them above the rest. While I don’t know where every boat fished, I do know that the first place finisher (who also captured the lunker prize) stayed in Middle River.

   On Saturday, I fished the Maryland Bass Federation tournament trail out of Dundee Creek at the Gunpowder State Park. Instead of following the crowd over to Middle River, at the last minute I decided to head north to the Sassafras River. As most of you know that fish tournaments, some decisions are better than others. It turned out to be a good decision for me, as I started to catch decent fish on a buzz bait shortly upon my arrival. I fished it at an average retrieve over submerged grass in about 5-6’ of water that was fairly clear upon my arrival. Temps were 80 to 81 degrees.

   After the sun got higher I changed over to a spinner bait and worked it around grass and wood. I caught about 8 keepers, the best 5 weighed in at 12lb, 13 oz., which was good enough to finish in 4^th place in the boater’s division out of 38 boats. My draw partner, Ron Hohenstein, had 2 fish to weigh-in that went 3lb, 12ozs that landed him in 15^th place on the non-boater side. Ron caught both of his fish on soft plastics. Unfortunately, he lost one that probably would have put him in the top 5.

   On Sunday morning, I had the pleasure of fishing with Baltimore County police officer Jason Eaton. Jason met me at first light for some early top water action. I decided to head over to Seneca Creek where I have been having good luck for the past couple of months working a buzz bait over grass. Unfortunately, a rather moderate breeze forced us to move further back into the creek. The water was very high, but the bass were apparently feeling low, because the bite was slow, and the temps got hot quickly as the sun came up. We did manage a few on the buzz bait, the largest of which was about 2 lbs, and Jason caught a couple on a watermelon colored plastic worm fished slowly in heavy grass. I also picked up one about 12” off of a mooring piling using a blue fleck worm.

   Monday evening I was the guest of Larry Lewis, the Public Safety Director, of Baltimore’s Downtown Partnership, at his private community lake in Spring Grove, PA. Known as Lake Pohagaco, this 142-acre impoundment was a bass mecca. In less than 2 hours, Larry and I boated over 20 bass. Larry, an avid bass fisherman, used a watermelon colored soft plastic, while I opted for my favorite method of top water, a buzz bait. While most of the bass were in the 12-13” range, we each caught a couple well over 2 lbs. Just prior to docking the boat, I had a tremendous explosion on my buzz bait that did not connect. I couldn’t see the fish because of the setting darkness, but there was no doubt in my mind that it was a hawg! Anyway, that’s fishing!

Tight Lines,

Capt. Scott

www.marylandbassfishing.com

Fishing Report 7-9-07

     This past week found the fishing on the Upper Bay to be quite impressive in most areas. On Tuesday I had the pleasure of fishing in the evening on Middle River with retired P.G. County police officer Keith Harmon. Keith is an occasional bass fisherman who had never fished Middle River, and had never caught a bass on a buzz bait. We took care of both of those voids in his life in a big way! Keith not only caught his first bass on a buzz bait, he caught about a dozen, the largest of which was about 3 lbs! He vowed a trip to Bass Pro Shops the next morning to get a good supply for his tackle box! Water slightly stained 80 degrees.

     Wednesday morning, Frank Holden, president of the Middle River Chapter of the MSSA, joined my friend Chris and I for some early morning top water action in Middle River. We were not disappointed. The bass provided the fireworks in good numbers. By 10 a.m. we boated over 15 bass on buzz baits, spinner baits and a couple on soft plastics. Water slightly stained, 78 - 80 degrees.

     Saturday I fished the 2^nd tx of the BFL Northeast Division on the mighty Potomac River. I was hoping to repeat my first performance in the trail, but although I had a limit by 8:30 a.m., I just couldn’t get the “big” bite. I caught about 20 bass throughout the day, but the largest was only about 2 lbs. I did have one that appeared to be around 4 lbs, but after fighting her all the way to the boat, she decided that she didn’t want to go for a boat ride and got off just inches from the net! Most of my fish were caught on a buzz bait. My non-boater partner, who also had a limit, caught most of his on a senko fished weightless around wood & grass. Water ranged from gin clear around main river grass beds, to stained in a couple of smaller creeks we visited. Water temp 78 degrees.

     Sunday found me back on more familiar waters. I fished with my local club, the Baltimore Bass Chasers, in a club tournament out of Tydings Marina in Havre de Grace. I started off close to the launch site where I caught my first fish on my first cast of the day. A nice fish of about 1 lb crushed my buzz bait over a grassbed. However, after over an hour of not so much as a swirl, I couldn’t buy a bite. I started to think that the old theory that says that it is bad luck to catch a fish on the first case was true. So I decided to make a run across the bay to the Sassafras River where I found decent fish in main river grass beds willing to eat a chartreuse & white spinner bait. Although many of the 19 club members found the fishing difficult, I managed to bring in a nice 12.9 lb bag that was good enough to take first place. The weather was sunny and very hot, the water temps were around 86, and the water was fairly clear around the grass.

 Capt. Scott

www.marylandbassfishing.com

Fishing Report 7-2-07

    The lower Upper Bay continues to be an incredible fishery. Although on some days it can be tough, most of our trips this year have seen modest to good results for anglers that have some proficiency with casting. On Wednesday, June 27^th, the Baltimore Bass Chasers held the first of a series of 3-hour tournaments out of the new Wilson Point Park on Middle River. There were 19 boats in the tx, and it appeared to me that most, if not all had caught at least 2 or 3 “keeper” size bass.

    My friend Chris & I fished it together, and caught 3 keepers, although the weights were not especially that good. Our fish were caught on spinner baits and soft plastics in the main river.

    On Friday evening, I had the pleasure of taking out Jeremy Bendler, and his friend Judd, who was in town from North Carolina. Jeremy, a CPA from Bethesda, is a return client who fished with me earlier in the spring, along with his wife, Kelly. This trip we headed over to the Seneca Creek looking for top water action. Although things were a little slow the first hour or so, as the sun started to set, the fish started to bite. We got good results on poppers and buzz baits, with most fish being in the 1 to 2 lb range, with a couple around 3lb. Unfortunately, as the sun went down, the bass were not the only critters that started to feed. We were soon driven off the water by a relentless throng of hungry mosquitoes. (I now have bug repellent on board!)

   The following morning we headed over to the Gunpowder River to get some early top water bites. We arrived on a large grass bed just as the sun broke over the horizon. Again, the bass were active and eagerly slammed my popper, however, most were only about 12 – 14” in length. As the day progressed we worked grass beds and docks with soft plastics & spinner baits which produced several more nice fish, the largest being about 3.5 lbs.

   Sunday we decided to stay in Middle River early for a top water bite, but it never materialized. A stiff breeze seemed to follow us in every creek we fished so we slowed down, again using soft plastics and a spinner bait to garner 4 small bass and several perch before heading in around 10 a.m. Not sure if the fireworks and huge influx of boats from the night before impacted the bite, but it was definitely off.

   Water temps hovered right around 80 degrees most of the week. Clarity ranged from very clear around some of the grass beds, to very stained in areas where the wind had things stirred up.

 Capt. Scott

www.marylandbassfishing.com

Fishing Report 6-25-07

    Last week in the evenings, the bass were very active and aggressively taking practically everything we threw at them in Middle River. My personal favorite, a buzz bait, was once again my bait of choice. I landed several fish in excess of 2 lbs, with a couple around 3lbs, while others were taken on a variety of soft plastics, including one beauty over 4 lbs on a jig.

    Friday, my friend Chris Hoffman and I headed for Deep Creek Lake in Maryland’s Garrett County, to fish the Maryland Bass Federation tournament the next day. We arrived there around 11:00 and pre-fished until around 4:00pm trying to figure a pattern of some type since I hadn’t been there since 2003. Unfortunately the only fish we managed to find were rather small, and did not appear to be very aggressive, although we did manage a couple around 2 – 3 lbs that fell for soft plastics and a jerk bait.

   The next day wasn’t any better for Chris or me. Although we each caught several fish, most were just too small to keep, or were the wrong species! Each of us, along with my draw partner, Darin Hoover of Pasadena, only had one fish to weigh-in at the end of the day! Darin & I started the day using top water poppers and a buzz bait with no success. Several fish went after the popper, but the only ones that got hooked were a couple of short smallmouth, a pickerel, a large yellow perch and a bluegill that looked to be about 12 – 13”. The rest of the day found Darin and I pitching soft plastics to docks, working rocky shorelines with jerk baits, and slow-rolling spinner baits around shallow docks in the backs of coves in the southern part of the lake where we each got a hungry smallmouth to engulf a spinner bait.

   Sunday found me back on familiar territory when I met clients Dan Oberry, his dad, Dan Oberry Sr. and uncle, Mark Oberry at the Dundee Creek Marina in the Gunpowder State Park. We hit the water at 5:30 a.m. and started fishing with top water baits in Dundee Creek. Within just a few minutes Dan connected with a beautiful, healthy looking largemouth of about 2.5 lbs that fell victim to a white popper Dan was working along a grassy shoreline.

   We later moved back into Saltpeter Creek where Dan again hit gold when he caught another nice bass of about 2 lbs that was fooled by a white & chartreuse spinner bait slow-rolled through a grassy area in about 4 ‘ of water. Shortly thereafter, another bass of about 1 lb slammed a top water soft plastic bait that was slowly worked over grass during  the last hour of the outgoing tide. Unfortunately, no other bass were to be found even though I stayed out much longer than the normal 4 hour half day trip. Water temps 77-78. Clarity was stained in shallow areas with limited visiblity.

   I’ve got to say a couple of words about my new, sponsored tow vehicle, a 2007 Toyota Tundra that I received Thursday. I used it to tow my boat, a 21’ Nitro with a 225 Mercury Optimax, 200 miles out to Deep Creek Lake in Garrett County, Maryland. The Tundra is not only a comfortable, roomy vehicle to drive, but is equipped with a powerful 5.7 liter engine that handled the mountains of Western Maryland like they weren’t even there! If I could pick one word to describe the new Tundra, it would be “AWESOME”!

Fishing Report 6-19-07

   Saturday morning I had the pleasure of assisting my friend Capt. Karl Bunch of Karl’s Bassin Adventures by taking out two of his client’s, Mike & Mark, out of Havre de Grace on the far Upper Bay. We fished in conjunction with, and in the close proximity of Capt. Karl and the remainder of his party. Capt. Karl has been guiding on the Upper Bay for a number of years now, and has been a great source of information for me in getting by fledgling guide service off the ground.

   We started our day in Swan Creek where Karl’s clients immediately connected with fish on crank baits. It wasn’t long afterwards that both Mike & Mark each caught a nice bass from my boat using spinner baits. I had hoped for some top water action early on, but the only fish that wanted it were white perch!

   We later moved over to the Northeast River where we fished over some nice grass beds. The water was exceptionally high, but that didn’t keep a nice bass of over 4lbs from slamming a spinner bait used by Capt. Karl’s clients! All & all we had a great day on the water and a good time was had by everyone!

   Sunday morning my friend Chris & I decided to head up to the Bush River at the crack of dawn to look for grass and hopefully get some top water action. Well, we found grass, but after 5 hours of throwing top water, shallow crank baits, spinner baits, soft plastics and expressing a lot of frustration, we headed back so we could celebrate Father’s Day with our dads. I’m sorry to say that we did not catch a single bass. Aside from a few white perch that attacked our lures, we “skunked”! It was the first time in several years that Chris and I have fished together that I can recall that neither one of us caught a single bass.

   Monday evening Chris & I headed out for a couple of hours on Middle River. We hit the water around 7:00pm and started tossing top water baits around grass & lay downs. To say we redeemed ourselves was an understatement. Within 2 hours we caught over 20 bass, ranging from about 1 lb to a couple easily over 3. I pretty much stuck with my old standby for top water: a buzz bait, while Chris opted for a chaterbait-type spinner, and soft plastics.

 Water temp 84-85. Slightly stained. Tide was low but incoming.

Capt. Scott

www.marylandbassfishing.com

Fishing Report for 6-10-07

   Wow, what an exciting weekend! On Saturday I fished the BFL Northeast Division season opener on the Potomac River. There were 144 boats launching out of Mattawoman, in addition to numerous pros and other txs out of other launch sites that made things a little crowded, but I managed to find an isolated stretch of grass that was very productive. I caught about 20 bass, mostly on top water throughout the day, with the best 5 weighing in at 15.07 lbs., which was good enough to capture 6^th place and a nice check. All & all it was my best finish in a major Potomac River tx, but tied with my 6^th place finish on the Upper Bay last August in the same BFL trail. 

   The following morning found me back on the Upper Bay. I hadn’t scheduled any clients because I wasn’t sure if I’d be up to getting out early after returning from the Potomac, but since I woke up early, I decided to go out for a couple of hours. I headed over to Seneca Creek to check out the grass situation, and see if I could connect with some early top water bites. Well, just like Saturday, the bass were ready, willing and able to attack my favorite buzz bait shortly after I arrived.

    Unfortunately, bass number 6, a nice, healthy looking fish about 2 lbs, completely inhaled the entire bait, causing the hook to be embedded very deep and perilously close to his gills. It took me a little time, and cost me my favorite bait, but with a lot of luck, I was able to cut off the barb and remove the bait in pieces with no loss of blood or apparent injury to the fish.

    I then decided to experiment by using different colors and styles of buzz baits to see if color really mattered. I tied on a larger single blade buzzer with a chartreuse (for my Essex readers that would be yellow) skirt. In just a few casts I caught a nice fish about 2 lbs. So much for the theory of “any color so long as it’s white”! I then proceeded to catch about 10 more fish on the chartreuse before I decided to switch to a double bladed white version. On the first cast with it I caught another, then 2 more before I got hungry and decided to go home for breakfast! Although my experiment was not exactly scientific in nature, it answered the question about color & blade style on that morning, and at that time.

    All & all, it was a great morning. I caught 19 fish in about 4 hours, the largest being about 3 lbs. I also caught a couple of aggressive perch, and had numerous short strikes and misses. Water temp was 78 degrees. All fish were caught in less than 4’ of slightly stained water.

Fishing Report for 6-4-07

   It’s been a very interesting week. On some days the bass were aggressively eating just about every lure we tossed their way. On other days, they seemed to need a soft plastic type lure dropped on their nose. Of course, to those of you who are experienced bass anglers, that comes as no surprise.  The most consistent and productive lure this past week was once again, a buzz bait. We caught numerous bass on most days by running buzz baits over SAV or under & around docks. 

  On Saturday, it was my pleasure to take out retired U. S. Treasury Agent Joe Palazzo and his 8-year-old grandson Joey, and retired FBI Agent Jim Wright and his grandson Kyle. We met at Dundee Creek marina and started our day fishing top water baits in Dundee Creek. Unfortunately the bass did not want to cooperate early on, so we switched gears and headed over to Seneca Creek where we decided to do some cat fishing.

   Well, it did not take long before everyone was connecting with some very strong, healthy channel cats! Most were in the 2 to 3 lb range, but some were quite larger, including one that went about 6 or 7 lbs! Joey got so excited that he proclaimed: “This is the best day of my life!”

   Due to the pending stormy weather I cancelled my clients for Sunday, but my friend Chris & I went out on Middle River for a couple of hours. Once again, the bass wanted the buzz bait! I put 4 nice fish in the boat in about an hour from one small stretch of shoreline. Chris, who is very adept at using a jig or worm, followed up with a jig and other soft plastics without success. Rain & wind started to kick up around 9 so we headed in.

Water temp 75-78. Clarity about 1 ft.

Fishing Report 5-28-07

    The top water bite is here! Can you say buzz bait?  Friday evening found me on Middle River with a delightful young couple from Montgomery County, Jeremy & Kelly Bendler. We fished Middle River from about 5:00pm until dark. Things started out a little slow, although Jeremy connected early-on with what appeared to be a nice largemouth about 3 lbs. Unfortunately it threw his spinner bait before we got it to the boat.  After working spinner baits and shallow running crank baits around grass and rocks with limited success, we switched to top water and discovered that the bass seemed to like small, white or white & chartreuse buzz baits. We got a lot of strikes but for some reason many were not eating the bait to the point of getting hooked. Mental note: Next time add trailer hooks! We did manage several around 1 pound though!

      Saturday morning at the crack of dawn I met Jay Fitzhugh & his friend Martin, along with Jay’s son Tommy and his friend Aaron at Dundee Creek marina. We immediately went to top water in the grassy coves of Dundee and Saltpeter Creeks. The bass were willing and everyone got a chance to connect! We later moved to Seneca Creek & Middle River where Jay & Martin each got hammered by catfish up to 5 pounds on spinner baits!

     Sunday morning my friend Chris Hoffman & I were out at daybreak working top water over grass in Middle River. The action was immediate and exciting on bass up to 3 lbs and a huge catfish over 5 lbs that also nailed a top water bait! We fished up to around noon and caught bass everywhere we went, relying on soft plastics to do the job after the top water bite slowed.

     On Memorial Day, Chris & I again hit the water as the sun came up. This time we again worked throughout Middle River looking for bass & grass. We found both, although I was disappointed to find that the grass was diminished in many areas that have been very well covered in years past. The bass however were still there! The top water bite was still on in a big way. We caught about 25 to 30 bass, most in the 1 – 2 lb range, but a couple over 3lbs. Our best 5 probably went about 12 to 13 lbs.

  All & all it was an incredible holiday of fun fishing!

 Water was slightly stained. Temps ranged from 72 to 75 degrees in most areas.

Fishing Report 5-21-07

    I spent all day Friday, Saturday & Sunday on the Potomac River fishing the Maryland Bass Federation Nation SQT. Friday was a practice day, so I decided to launch at Friendship Landing on the Nanjemoy Creek. My guest was Bob Johnson, President of the Baltimore Bass Chasers. We fished hard for over 5 hours in Burgess Creek, Gum Tree Cove and several areas of main stem Nanjemoy, including the headwaters but had little to show for our efforts. Bob landed 1 small bass on spinner bait, and I seemed destined to catch perch that day! The water was stained to the point of being muddy, and the temps ranged from 68 to 70 degrees. So much for running to Nanjemoy!

   Day one of the SQT found me running south to Chicamuxen Creek. The wind was blowing out of the NW at a steady 10 to 15 mph with gusts over 20!  I then made a short run to Quantico Creek where my partner, Tom Semanick and I each landed a nice keeper. Tom’s fell for a soft plastic, while mine preferred spinner bait. After an hour or so, I then headed south to Chopawomsic where a 4lb 9oz beauty fell for shallow running crank bait. My final keeper was a large male caught in Mattawoman Creek, again on crank bait. We also caught well over 20 fish under 15”. Water temps were around 68 to 70. Water was slightly stained, but clearer in the Mattawoman Creek.

   Day 2 we concentrated on rocks in the main river until the wind came up so we once again ended our day in Mattawoman Creek. Each of us had a nice limit to cap the 2 day event. My total was a little over 22lbs. Good enough for 10^th place out of a total field of 144 anglers. Unfortunately, only the top 8 anglers and 1 alternate go on to the state team! Yep, I missed out by 1 place! Oh well, that’s fishing!

Fishing Report 5-14-07

   We fished the Northeast River & Flats on Friday. Beautiful day, light winds, water temp 70-72 degrees. Things were slow in the areas of the Northeast River that we tried so we moved out onto the Flats where we targeted isolated grass beds. Although there was not a whole lot of grass to be found, where we found it, we found fish… big fish! The old saying: “Find the grass, find the bass” was definitely the rule of the day. Big bass were eagerly eating spinner baits in white or white & chartreuse. Our biggest fish, a beautiful female full of row, tipped the scales just shy of 5 lbs. Our 5 biggest fish probably went around 18 to 19lbs,

   Saturday I volunteered at a Kids Casting event sponsored by the Baltimore Bass Chasers/Maryland Bass Federation Nation at the Baltimore County Waterfront Festival held in Middle River. If you’ve never volunteered at an event of this nature, then I urge you to do so. We ran well over 100 kids between the ages of 7 & 14 through the program, and gave away 8 fishing rod & reel combos, plus qualified 7 kids to attend the State Finals to be held at the Bass Pro Shops in November.

  Sunday was a day of rest & a visit to Mom. Monday found me back on Middle River where the bass were a little sluggish, probably because I couldn’t get out until the evening, and the tide was very high. I did manage a few decent bites though with the best about 3 lbs on a spinner bait.

 I’ll be down on the Potomac on May 18^th thru the 20^th fishing the MBFN State Qualifier.

Fishing Report 5-7-07

   The spawn is definitely starting to get wound up, and the big females are cruising in and out of the traditional spawning areas looking for a boyfriend to hook up with! We’re finding a lot of buck bass in the backs of creeks either protecting existing beds or preparing for one. The females are being caught in much fewer numbers, but seem fairly aggressive, sometimes hitting our lures so hard that they almost pull the rod right out your hand!

   We’ve had success using spinner baits, crank baits and soft plastics. Jigs, worms and creature baits, pitched into tight cover have produced bass up to 4 lbs. The biggest fish I saw this past week was a 6lb beauty caught on a spinner bait in Middle River.

   We fished on the Sassafras River on Saturday, and caught a couple of nice fish on rattletraps and spinner baits. In addition, we caught several large white perch, a couple of large yellow perch and a black crappie all on small crank baits. Color doesn’t seem to matter, as we used several different colors with similar results. I threw a jerk bait quite a bit this past week with absolutely no takers; quite a turn around from the previous past few weeks.

   Water temp in Middle River was 70 to 72. In the Sassafras River the warmest we found was 69. The clarity was gradually improving all week until the winds kicked up on Sunday and reduced underwater visibility to about 6”.

Fishing Report 4-30-07

   Fished Middle River on Saturday, April 28^th for about 4 hours on Middle River. Caught 12 bass, only 1 over 15”, but several 14’s. Most of our fish were holding tight to cover, spinnerbaits, crankbaits & a jerkbait did the trick. Larger fish still a mystery. Water temp 58 in the main river, with the creeks hitting as high as 62. Water was slightly stained.

   Fished about 6 hours out of Tydings on Sunday, April 29^th. Back Channel, Swan Creek and Furnace Bay were all being hammered by a lot of boats from a couple of large tournaments. Only connected with 4 fish, but 2 were over 15” with the biggest weighing around 4 lbs. Spinnerbaits, jerkbaits & a rattletrap proved most effective. Nothing at all on softplastics. Water temp stayed pretty much around 56 –58 degrees. Water was stained, but found some clear water in the back of one creek. The wind came up around noon so we called it a day.

   Still a little early for the majority of fish to begin spawning due to fluctuating water temps and this crazy weather we’ve had so far. Many of the males are starting to stake out bedding sights, so the big females should be arriving in droves in the next few weeks. If the weather stabilizes and the water temps remain over 60 degrees, look for the spawn to begin in earnest!