My rod bowed with the vibration of a large fish, then an explosion of brute force – Oh Yeah! It was on a hook.Īfter a few tense moments, the fish surfaced. Closing the drive, taking the slack out and reeling at the same time, the circle hook did its job. Note (March 1 – April 20 the flats are a designated catch and release only fishery).Īs we were going to make a location move, my line started screaming from my rod. Stripers follow them into the flats, gorging themselves while performing their spawning ritual. Our choice of bait would be live and fresh herring. The concentration of bigger fish would be near the confluence to the bay. Herb and I agreed that past experience told us that the water temperatures were on the cool side (48-51 degrees). The Susquehanna River empties on the flats at Havre DeGrace.First stopping at Herb’s Bait and Tackle Shop, we discussed running to Elk Neck State Parks – Turkey Point, or fishing the Havre DeGrace area.

On April 3, Vince Improto and I made our first trip to the head waters of the Chesapeake Bay.

Fishing the susquehanna flats