NORTH EAST, Md. — Local tournaments are great indicators of how well a place is fishing. And if the recent local derbies on the Chesapeake Bay are any indication, we’re about to see some big bags cross the stage during the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Northeast Division opener.
What to expect
You know a place is fishing well when the most recent local event broke records.
The Chester County Bass Masters saw 83 of its 87 boats weigh in limits, and it took more than 27 pounds to win, which set a new record. In fact, cracking the 20-pound mark didn’t even crack the Top 10.
“This place is fishing as well as I’ve ever seen,” said Steven Dimatteo. “That event was incredible, and I know another tournament, it took 28 pounds to win.”
Now, this all might seem out of nowhere, but fortunately, one doesn’t have to look hard to figure out why the fishing has been so record-breaking.
“Oh, it’s the grass,” Dimatteo said. “It’s grown up a lot more this year than the last few springs.”
Like its sister fishery, the Potomac River, the Chesapeake Bay is a grass fishery at its core. So, with the milfoil already in a solid state, especially around the Susquehanna Flats, the bass are happy and chewing. And being that they are predominantly prespawn, they’re extra fat and chewing.
“I’m extremely impressed with the class of fish being caught there right now,” Dimatteo said. “Not just big ones, but the overall quality. In that local event, we must have caught close to 30 fish that weighed more than 3 pounds. We just never got a bigger bite.”
And those 4- and 5-pound bites will be the true separators in a derby when everyone should be catching a lot of fish.
The one wild card to this will be the conditions. A strong south wind has been known to throw off the tides and get anglers out of their timing. So, watching the weather as well as timing the tides can make or break a day.
Baits to bring
You’d think with how many vibrating jigs and swim jigs the bass in the Chesapeake Bay see every year they’d be sick of them. And yet, they’re still the biggest producers year in and year out there. However, anyone looking to mix things up can do so by flipping creature baits or dragging soft-plastic stickbaits. Oh, and don’t rule out a big glide bait, which has been producing some big bags all spring.
What will it take?
It’s probably not realistic to think someone is going to bring in a 27- or 28-pound bag, but Dimatteo still expects weights to be higher than normal.
“I’d say someone is going to catch a bag between 23-25 pounds and win it,” Dimatteo said. “It’s fishing some of the best I’ve ever seen it, and I expect that to continue.”