Upper Chesapeake Perchin'

[Dave Sikorski]

It wasn't long ago in Maryland's Chesapeake Bay waters that catching a keeper sized Yellow Perch was a tall order. Thanks to the efforts of dozens of CCA MD volunteers and regulatory changes made by MD DNR, Yellow Perch numbers are headed in the right direction. A few anglers have been braving the cold temps and occasional snow, and spending a bit of time this January on a boat or a dock along the Susquehanna River.

I was fortunate enough to get a call from Mike Benjamin, from Herb's Bait and tackle in North East, MD, inviting me to spend an afternoon on the water with him. If it swims in the Upper Chesapeake, there's a good chance that Mike can find it, and knows how to catch it.

We pushed away from the dock in the early afternoon. My truck said it was 40 degrees, but the breeze that blew through the river valley was definitely much colder. Thankfully, Mikes enclosure on his boat had a heater and it made the afternoon more than comfortable.

Our first drift yielded our first few keeper perch. The rec. fishing size limit is 9" with a creel limit of 10. Mike decided that we wouldn't keep any fish under 11", and we were hoping to catch the 3rd 14"+ citation sized fish to grace Mike's boat this month.

While a citation never came, we spent the afternoon moving from spot to spot and catching a ton of perch. We took enough home for a few meals, and I was lucky enough to catch and release my first Maryland Walleye.

Mike is running trips daily, and expects the fishing to stay as good as it is through the end of February. $200 and you and 5 of your fishing buddies can spend a half day on the water having a blast and catching a little dinner. Give him a call and tell him I sent you....410 920 8921.

-D

[fish4fun]

Thanks for sharing, looks like a fun trip. I'm not too far from him. Maybe I will give him a call next week - not sure if I can get 5 guys, but I'll see what he says. I can go during the week also. Next week will be a little tough - I'm still banging the hell out of geese and ducks!

[Dave Sikorski]

It's definitely a blast.

Mike is headed out of town late next week, but will be taking perch trips through the end of February as long as the fish continue to cooperate.

-D