What’s Biting on the Chesapeake Bay in March?

March is an exciting month because it marks the beginning of spring. For most anglers, it means a wide range of fisheries that everyone welcomes—from the white perch spawn run in the beginning of the month to hickory shad running up the rivers by the end of March.  There is a fishery for everyone.

The White Perch Run

The beginning of March brings the first run of white perch moving up the tributaries to begin their annual spawn. Most of the lower Chesapeake tributaries like the Pocomoke and Nanticoke rivers are the first to welcome them in the beginning to middle of March. Anglers can still catch a mix of yellow perch since they will be at the end of their spawn as the white perch begin to show up. Anglers flood the shoreline of these rivers as the fish swim up the headwaters to spawn, most using bobbers with shad darts tipped with grass shrimp. Tandem rigs with two small jigheads combined with small twister tails can also produce good-sized perch.

Encountering a chain pickerel is common in this region because they feed on perch. Pickerel can be targeted in the same areas, and a good way to do so is by using yellow-perch-patterned jerkbaits or inline spinners—anything flashy works great for these fish. If they are not willing to hit artificial lures, a live minnow is the best way to get them to bite.

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Blue Cat Battles

Catfish also become a target for anglers this time of the year. Most chase the blue catfish that seem to be everywhere in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.  You can even find them in some areas in the middle part of the bay.  As it gets warmer later in the summer, they often head to the northern parts of the Chesapeake because of the changing salinity levels of the water in the southern to middle parts of the bay. Some of the most popular areas in the middle bay during March to April are Podickory Point just outside the Magothy River, Sandy Point State Park for those fishing from the shore, Hackett Point outside the Severn River, and Brickhouse Bar. Using cut bait on the bottom is the primary way to target them; fresh cut bunker and gizzard shad (also known as mud shad) are the best baits to use. Blue cats can grow quite large, though most are in the 10- to 30-pound range. Some rivers hold giant blue catfish, like the Patuxent, Nanticoke, Potomac, and James, where blue catfish over 50 pounds are common, though some even get up to 80 pounds.

Stripers in the Bay

Striped bass head up the Chesapeake to stage around the spawning tributaries, and most anglers find them by looking for big schools of bait—you can almost always find some hungry striped bass looking for a meal. Keep in mind that it is a catch-and-release fishery in all of Chesapeake Bay from Virginia to Maryland waters. Some anglers bycatch striped bass while looking for blue catfish when fishing with cut bait the bottom, but others venture out into the Chesapeake’s open water and cover miles searching for striped bass feeding on schools of bunker. Fishing around the channel edges, shoals, and mouths of the rivers can be productive, especially on tide changes—times when striped bass move up the bay and eventually into the rivers to begin their annual spawn. Using jigheads paired with 6- to 8-inch soft plastics is what most local anglers use once they find a school of striped bass. Jighead sizes can range from 1 to 3 ounces, depending on how deep you’re fishing and how heavy the current is that day.

Jigging on the bottom or casting out and retrieving are some ways anglers use these baits, depending on where the fish are in the water column. Other baits that have become popular over the past few years are flutter spoons, which work well for suspended fish, and heavy-metal jigs that can get to the bottom quickly on days when the fish are glued to the bottom. Some of the best areas to look for striped bass during March are the mouths of most rivers in the middle to upper part of the Chesapeake Bay. Examples are just outside the Potomac River, the Patuxent River, the Sharps Island area outside the Choptank River, and Bloody Point just outside Eastern Bay.  These all can be productive since they have decent numbers of striped bass heading up those areas to spawn.

Many locals believe that striped bass are now spawning earlier in the season because of the mild winters and the fact that water temperatures never get extremely cold. Remember to take care of the fish and not keep them out of the water for too long. Also check local regulations since some of the rivers are off-limits for striped bass fishing because they are spawning areas.

Hickory Shad Time

As we get to late March, most turn their interest over to hickory shad as they run up to the headwaters of some of the rivers to spawn. Most anglers know when it’s time based on old-school beliefs that once cherry blossom trees start to bloom, shad start their run. This type of fishing is well known in the region, so many anglers target shad because it is a tradition that’s been passed down for generations.

Again, it’s strictly a catch-and-release fishery in both Maryland and Virginia. The Potomac River is one of the most popular areas to fish for hickory shad, especially around Little Falls and Fletcher’s Cove. The Susquehanna River in the upper bay is also known to have a great run of Hickory shad; most anglers congregate right under the Conowingo Dam to find them. Using tandem shad darts, spoons, and small jigheads with small plastics can induce shad to bite. Try a tandem of two jigs or a mix of a jig with a trailing spoon. Recommended jighead sizes range from 1/8 to ¼ ounce, depending on the current. For spoon colors, gold is the most popular color, but never go out without having both gold and silver ones.

Give Snakeheads a Try

This month, anglers on the Delmarva peninsula begin to look for northern snakehead as they awake from a long winter and begin to feed. Blackwater National Refuge is the perfect environment for them to live in because of all the shallow marshland. Shallow-water flats begin to warm and northern snakeheads feed on minnows and small perch. Anglers use live minnows under bobbers in the early days of March since snakes may still be lethargic. Chatterbaits and inline spinners become staple lures as the water temperatures rise later in the month.

Source: https://onthewater.com/whats-biting-on-the-chesapeake-bay-in-march

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