![]() ![]() The other critical concern when fishing our tidal creeks and rivers is, of course, the tide. He also knows what type of bait the bass are likely to be on depending on the season. He knows where the underwater structure lies, and this is a major advantage when it comes to finding bass. I have fished the Nanticoke River with my brother-in-law Paul Coffin who lives in Seaford and fishes there on a regular basis. Nothing beats local knowledge when it comes to fishing for tidal bass. As the freshwater returns, they will spread out again. Since the same number of bass inhabit the rivers in the spring and the summer, when they move up the rivers, they can be quite concentrated and fishing will be good. That tournament was won by an angler who fished right off of Turkey Point in the Elk River. Fortunately, it was small bluefish so stitches were not required. Not knowing exactly what he had, he picked the blue up by sticking his thumb in its mouth. By tournament time it was late summer, and he fished the same location where he had caught bass and ended up with a bluefish. Tournament out of the Gunpowder River several years ago, and one angler had pre-fished the area in the spring. In the summer, if we ever have another dry summer, the salt wedge will push the bass further north. The bass will move down the Bay in the winter and spring when the rain has pushed freshwater further south. If you cruise the Bay in a 50-foot trawler, you won’t be able to reach the better bass fishing locations, but those of us with trailer boats can take full advantage of this fishery. They will attack the same lures and baits and they hang out around the same type of structure, but unlike those pond bass, the tidal river bass seem to be a bit feistier. Largemouth bass inhabit the upper reaches of the tidal rivers and creeks on both sides of the Bay and behave pretty much like their freshwater cousins found in local ponds. There is a very good fishery available to Chesapeake Bay boaters just about 365 days a year, and except for those die-hard bass fishermen, very few others take advantage of this option. ![]()
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