Gunpowder, Bush and Middle Rivers

The tidal Gunpowder, Bush and Middle rivers are the marshy, grass-lined rivers of eastern Baltimore and Harford counties, between Baltimore and the Susquehanna Flats. They're the upper Bay's best-known Chesapeake Channa (snakehead) waters, with good largemouth bass, spring white perch and yellow perch runs, and a classic spring shad spot on the Gunpowder. Gunpowder Falls State Park's Dundee Creek Marina is the hub, and it hosts the annual "Snakes on the Dundee" snakehead derby.

When to fish

• Late winter: yellow perch gather near the Route 40 bridge on the Bush River.
• Spring: white perch spawning runs; shad in the Gunpowder near Route 40 (catch and release only); snakeheads move into the upper sections of all three rivers.
• Summer: peak snakehead and bass fishing over grass and in the shallows.
• Fall: snakeheads and bass keep feeding until the grass dies back, and blue and channel catfish move from the deep channels onto nearby shoals as the water cools.

Where to fish

• Dundee and Saltpeter creeks and the Gunpowder River: reached from Dundee Creek Marina; a master angler's favorite snakehead water.
• The upper sections of the Bush, Middle and Gunpowder rivers: snakeheads and bass in spring and summer.
• The Gunpowder off Jones Road near Route 40: spring shad, a short walk from an unpaved lot in the state park.
• The Bush River near the Route 40 bridge: late-winter yellow perch.

How to fish it

For snakeheads, DNR suggests white paddletails, bladed jigs, buzzbaits and frogs, or a large minnow under a bobber; a DNR master angler favors hollow-body frogs and weedless swimbaits. Remember that any Channa you keep must be killed. For white perch, small jig heads tipped with grass shrimp, a lip-hooked minnow or bloodworm. For shad, small gold or silver spoons or shad darts, often in tandem, on light spinning tackle with barbless hooks.

Getting there

Dundee Creek Marina in Gunpowder Falls State Park (Middle River) has a ramp, piers, a soft launch and rentals (fee). The park's Hammerman area has a shallow launch suited only to canoes, kayaks and rowboats, and it needs weekend reservations in summer. Mariner Point Park in Joppatowne has a small-boat ramp open from Memorial Day through October, and Baltimore County's Cox's Point and Rocky Point parks have ramps on Back River. Much of the lower Bush and Gunpowder, including the Gunpowder Neck shoreline, is inside the Aberdeen Proving Ground restricted area: you may fish there from a boat only when the Army has the area open, some creeks and part of the Bush are closed at all times, and you may never land. You need a Maryland Chesapeake Bay and Coastal Sport Fishing License.