Anyone fish the Susq. Flats recently?

I went to the flats last night and the grass was unbelievable. When you look from shore the water looked like a field. I usually love this kind of cover but it was so dense that it was almost unfishable. Just wondering if anyone found some spots off the grass holding fish.

[JonS]

I didn't know folks fished the flats in the summer. though it was a springtime thing.

It's a springtime thing for the striper spawn but the flats hold huge numbers of other species. You can catch resident stripers in the grasses during summer on top water lures which can be a blast but the numbers are pretty low and early morning/evening is really the only time to try. Otherwise, the place is loaded with largemouths and channel cats.

[patv]

Can you recommend any launch points in the flats? I live is NJ about an hour away. I fish is a bass club (as a rider) and as much as I can from my yak. Several guys in the club have fished the flats in their bass boats and love it! I would like to begin fishing there in my yak but don't know where to start. Can anyone direct me to good areas for fishing from the yak??

Thanks
Pat

I launch from the marina on Commerce Street in Havre De Grace. It's very convenient. As you head out from the ramp straight ahead will be shallow flats with heavy grasses. This will border the channel to the left which drops from about 3 feet to 25. It's easy to see where the drop is because it will be along the weed line. I also often fish in the actual Susq. River from a launch ramp a couple miles north on Lapidum Rd. There are a lot of bass in this area as well. Here is a link to the boat ramp map from the dnr.
http://mddnr.chesapeakebay.net/fish/Cntyramps/HA.html

[patv]

Thanks for the info. Is it still good this time of year? Is there a lot of current in the river?

Water temps are perfect right now for bass. I was out last weekend for 2 hrs. and caught 17 striped bass (all in the 14-16 inch range) and 3 largemouths. There were huge schools of small stripers in the Lapidum area of the river. I almost always fish this area with 1/2 ounce silver Rat-L-Traps and do very well.

The river is so large that it certainly has a lot of energy but it's not fast moving. The speed fluctuates depending on whether the tide is outgoing or incoming. Regardless, in the Lapidum ramp area you will have a nice downstream drift and a manageable paddle back. If you don't have a fishfinder I would look up the NOAA chart because there are drastic depth changes across the width of the river. There are a couple of places to put in further upstream but I have found the current there to be too strong.

[patv]

Do you drift along with the current and cast as you go or do you anchor along the drop off and work an area for a while then move on? I have only fished lakes and ponds with no current so I am curious about the techniques for moving water.

During the spring striper spawn I may anchor and put out a chum slick and use cut bait if I find a spot consistently holding fish but if I am casting lures or working plastics I always drift with the current. Unless you know exactly where the fish are holding you want to cover as much water as possible.

[patv]

is the fishing still good? If so, how much longer into the fall season before it slows done on the river? I would like to try and get down there.