Good morning anglers, this is Artificial Lure with your Chesapeake Bay fishing report for the Baltimore and Washington D.C. areas, Saturday, August 9, 2025.

Sunrise ticked in at 6:16AM, and you’ll have until sunset at 8:02PM to get your lines wet. The tide is essential to watch today: low tide rolled in at 5:38AM, high tide will peak at 10:43AM, with the next low reaching at 5:38PM and another high later tonight at 11:00PM. If you’re heading out early, those pre-dawn and post-sunset hours are when the water temps are coolest, and the fish are liable to be most active, so set the alarm and get on ‘em while the bite’s on.

The weather’s cooperating—muggy August heat on tap, some scattered midday clouds, light south-southwest breezes and a high pushing the mid-80s. Not much wind to stir things up, so boaters and pier jockeys alike can work their favorite stretches comfortably.

Let’s talk fish. According to the latest from FishTalk Magazine’s August update, the striper bite up north—especially around the Conowingo Dam—has been steady, if a touch slow. The bigger schools have dropped off into deeper water with the warm-up, so focus on those channels and current-rips—schools are there, just held deeper. One angler last week put four striped bass in the box from 19 to 25.5 inches working three-way rigs in the dam pool. Timing with that evening power generation flow at the dam can lead to some of the best action.

For lures, locals are getting results on larger soft plastics like Z-Man Minnowz rigged on Trout Eyez jigheads. Cream colors with a flash of glitter or the brighter nuclear chicken scheme are hot if you want a little extra pop. At first light and dusk, don’t be shy about throwing topwater plugs along bridge shadow-lines and rocky points.

The blue catfish bite is red-hot across the lower Susquehanna River, Susquehanna Flats, and Elk River. Multiple 20-pound-plus cats have been landed recently, and there was even a 52-pound monster caught near the dam this week. Cut bait is king: gizzard shad, bunker, eel, even a piece of chicken all do the trick on a fish finder rig, but if you’re feeling sporty, you can jig for them with big plastics on beefier gear—cats here can get mean and big.

Flathead catfish are making headlines, too, concentrating in rocky-bottom sections around Conowingo. These guys smash live bluegill or chunk bait so come prepared, and be ready for a tug of war.

Down in the Lower Bay, reports are in of bull reds (red drum) making a strong showing. Over on Instagram, anglers Junion, Gavin, and Nichols put hands on some beautiful bull reds earlier this week—so if you’re after something that’ll peel drag, look to the channels and open flats near the mouth of the Potomac and Tangier Sound. Target slot and bull reds at swinging tide changes with big paddle tails or Gulp! swimming mullets on 1/2 to 3/4 oz heads. Any lure with flash and vibration will do, especially when those evening clouds settle in.

Off piers and bridges around Annapolis and Kent Narrows, nighttime soft plastics and live eels are fooling stripers and the occasional jumbo white perch. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge pilings remain a sleeper spot—let your bait drift deep next to the pilings on the moving tide.

Two hot spots worth your consideration: the Conowingo Dam pool for both stripers and catfish action, and the deeper ledges off Point Lookout for mixed-bag red drum, stripers and channel cats. If you want to escape boat traffic, the quiet morning current near Sandy Point State Park is a perennial favorite with locals for schoolie stripers and steady perch, especially on small jigs or bloodworms.

That’s your roundup for today—remember, the early bird gets the bite, especially in this August heat. Thanks for tuning in, and make sure to subscribe for your daily local fishing fix.

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Sun’s up over the Chesapeake Bay—bright orange blazed the horizon at 6:14 AM this morning, promising a muggy August Friday for Baltimore and D.C. area anglers. Today’s weather presses on with high humidity, temps climbing into the upper 80s, and a gentle breeze out of the southwest around 5 knots. NOAA warns to keep an eye out for pop-up thunderstorms this afternoon, especially as a weak frontal boundary lingers. Waves will be minimal, making for easy boat traffic, but visibility could tank in squalls, so plan accordingly.

Tide timing today is classic summer pattern: low tide swept the Fleet Point shoreline just before sunrise at 5:44 AM, with high tide rolling in at 11:23 AM. Expect late morning to midday as your best window for moving water—always a game-changer for bottom action and striped bass feeds. Sunset’s set for 8:09 PM, which means there should be a solid bite through twilight.

Fish activity’s been steady, with local reports from Anglers Sport Center and Maryland DNR saying spot, croaker, blowfish, kingfish, and small sea bass are stacked on channel edges. Southern Bay sections like Point Lookout, Tangier Sound, and up near Cobb Island have been giving up croaker to 13 inches. For bait, bloodworms and peeler crab are the ticket for spot and croaker. Soft crab works magic for bottom fishing near the bridge pilings.

Striped bass have slowed in the heat, and just south of Pooles Island, the deeper channel lumps hold good numbers. Early morning and late evening remain best for casting topwater plugs—think Zara Spooks or Heddon Super Spooks—in shallow water around the Choptank and Patapsco. Live-lining spot and drifting eels at the Bay Bridge piers is producing keepers near the eastern 30-foot edge.

Bluefish action has cooled off a bit; most are hugging bottom near the Target Ship and mouth of the Potomac. If you run into them, cut spot is the surest bet. For artificial lure fans, when water’s clear, throw scaled sardines or translucent whitebait patterns, especially paddle tails and jerkbaits. When the water muddies up after storms, go scented—FishBites or Gulp! attractants get noticed.

Northern snakehead are prowling the muddy shallows of tidal rivers and marshes. Hit sunrise or sunset using weedless frogs or chatterbaits for pulse-pounding strikes—Chesapeake Channa have been a local favorite all season. Be ready for a fight.

Note: Maryland’s striped bass summer closure is in effect this August, as bay states work to protect the fishery during peak vulnerability. If targeting stripers, check regulations and keep it catch-and-release if allowed.

Menhaden fans, heads up: per the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and recent Commission action, heavy summer industrial harvests have pressured menhaden populations, affecting bait availability as well as food for game species. Use local bait shops for fresh menhaden and support smaller harvesters to keep the ecosystem healthy.

Hot spots to try:

- Bay Bridge piers (live spot, soft crab, jigging plastics)
- Choptank River near Cambridge (live-lining spot for stripers and blues)
- Breezy Point and Sharps Island Light (mixed bass/blues)
- Lower Potomac near Cobb Island (croaker, white perch, spot)
- Tidal rivers and marshes for snakehead (frogs and chatterbaits at dawn/dusk)

As always, watch the water color to choose your bait: clear water means fish are picky; go natural with whitebait or sardines. Murky, post-rainwater calls for scented soft plastics and flashy lures. Adapt your approach and you’ll outfish the crowd.

Thanks for tuning in, folks. Be sure to subscribe for your weekly hit of local knowledge and keep an ear out for weather updates—and don’t forget those life jackets when the storms fire up. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai.

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This is Artificial Lure with your Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report for August 6, 2025, covering the Baltimore and D.C. corridor. We’re settling into another warm week on the Bay, but the fishing action remains steady and spirits are high on both sides of the bridge. Weather’s been cooperative—expect mostly stable skies, temps hanging in the low 80s, and just a slim chance of an evening thunderstorm. Winds are out of the east around 10 knots, laying down one-foot waves—good conditions for small craft, but keep an eye out for any pop-up showers, especially late afternoon and evening according to the National Weather Service.

First light is at 6:12am and the sun will set at 8:05pm. Take advantage of the prime bites around these times, especially for those dawn patrols—shallow water action dies off fast when the sun climbs.

Tidal movement today is key: High tide rolled in around 12:11pm, with low tide at 6:41am and again at 8:06pm. That swing offers solid fishing windows just before and after each change. The moving water makes predators more aggressive, so time your spots accordingly.

Let’s talk catches: Striped bass are still the big story up north and in city waters near the Key Bridge, around Pooles Island, and along the channel edges toward the Patapsco. Early birds have been landing schoolies and some slot fish by tossing soft plastic paddletails and fluke-style jigs at first light on the Susquehanna Flats. Live-lining spot is getting the consistent bites near Love Point rocks and Bodkin Point shoal—if you can find spot in the shallows, keep ‘em lively on a circle hook, and you’ll pull a striper. Some folks are also trolling with red and green surgical tube rigs for blues and Drone spoons plus bucktails for bass, especially around the False Channel and below Buoy 83.

On the bait-and-bottom front, blue catfish are stacked up in the Susquehanna and Elk Rivers and throughout the tidal creeks. Just about anything smelly works—cut bunker, chicken, or scented commercial bait—fish them on a bottom rig and hang on. Spot fishing is red hot in the Chester River opposite Hail Point, around the mouth of the Magothy, and the west end of the Bay Bridge. You’ll also find small croaker mixed in. Clam and bloodworm bits on a double-drop rig are tough to beat.

White perch are keeping family anglers busy under docks, piers, and near rocks in the lower stretches of rivers; grass shrimp and small chunks of peeler crab are best, but little spinnerbaits and Beetle Spins cast toward structure work during low light.

Down south toward Poplar Island and Chesapeake Beach, hard bottom spots keep producing for a mix of spot, perch, and croaker. The name of the game is finding the rough stuff, especially in 8-15 feet of water. Don’t forget a few speckled trout have been popping up for those tossing paddletails in skinny water at first and last light—major bonus if you connect.

Hot lure of the week: paddletail soft plastics in chartreuse or white, and for bass in heavy grass or pressured areas, a heavier lipless crank (like the Berkley War Pig in yellow perch pattern) has been a difference-maker according to some local tournament anglers. Sometimes a weight change or offbeat color gets those bigger bites.

Hot spots: Susquehanna Flats and dam pool for sunrise stripers; Sandy Point State Park if you want steady spot action; Pooles Island and Love Point rocks for versatile catches, and Chester River for easy access to a pile of cats, perch, and spot.

Keep tabs on the weather and tides, match your bait and approach to the target species, and most important, get out before the sun’s high for the best chances at those summer linesiders.

Thanks for tuning in! Don’t forget to subscribe for more up-to-the-minute Chesapeake Bay fishing reports and tips. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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Good morning, anglers! Artificial Lure here with your June 22, 2025, Chesapeake Bay fishing report, covering the Baltimore and D.C. corridor down to the Lower Bay. Let’s get right to what’s biting, where, and what’ll put ‘em in the boat.

We’re starting off with the tides: high at 5:55 AM and again at 6:28 PM, with low tide at 11:48 AM. Sunrise hit at 5:45 AM, and sunset’s not till 8:27 PM, so you’ve got a long window to chase today’s bite. According to Tide-Forecast.com, we’re seeing a strong tidal coefficient, meaning active flows—great news for anyone chasing fish around structure.

The weather holds steady with calm early conditions and light southerly winds building through the afternoon. Temperatures top out in the low 80s, and skies are partly cloudy—no major storms in sight. With water temps warming, activity is picking up across the board.

Let’s talk species. In the upper and middle Bay, the rockfish (striped bass) bite is the main attraction. FishTalk Magazine points out that the Patapsco River, Love Point, and the stretch down to Tolchester have been producing well, especially early and late. Topwater lures at daybreak and dusk are hot—think classic walk-the-dog plugs or paddletail plastics on a ⅜ oz jighead. Don't overlook live spot or soft crab if you’re going natural. There’s also been a solid perch bite in the creeks and river mouths, especially around the Magothy and Severns, with white perch responding well to Gulp 2.5” minnows on bottom rigs, along with bloodworm-tipped hooks.

Down in the lower Bay, the action’s heating up for flounder, sea bass, and cobia. According to Great Days Outdoors, the cobia season is in full swing. Cobia have been reported around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel (CBBT), with anglers sight-casting to fish on the surface using large bucktails tipped with eel or soft plastics. Sea bass and flounder are coming off the wrecks and reefs—try jigging Gulp swimming mullets or baiting with squid strips.

For those looking for hotspots, you can’t go wrong with these local legends:
- The mouth of the Patapsco River, particularly the channel edges and the Key Bridge pilings, is delivering on resident stripers and the occasional large perch.
- Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel (CBBT) is firing for cobia, flounder, and sea bass, especially during the moving tide windows.

If you’re near the rivers, don’t forget the white perch are thick in the shallows—great for family fun with simple bottom rigs, bloodworms, or Fishbites.

That’s your Sunday on the water—hope you fill the box and make some memories. Thanks for tuning in! Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss the next report. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

Artificial Lure here with your Saturday, June 21 fishing report for the Chesapeake Bay, Baltimore, and D.C. region.

Today greeted anglers with that classic early-summer weather—light southwest breezes, highs around 81°F, and plenty of sunshine. The sun popped up at 5:45AM and won’t dip below the horizon until 8:27PM, giving us a full day on the water. Tides peaked early this morning at 4:51AM and will rise again at 5:29PM, with lows just before lunchtime and around midnight, according to Tide-Forecast.com. That means moving water and prime bites around the mid-morning ebb and late afternoon flood.

Striped bass (rockfish), bluefish, and speckled trout are lighting up the Bay right now. Reports this week from FishTalk Magazine and The Tackle Box highlight consistent catches of rockfish in the 19–24” slot, especially along the Patapsco, the mouth of the Severn, and out toward Love Point and the east side toward Tolchester. Topwater lures have been drawing vicious strikes in low light, while soft paddletails and jerk shads on moving tide are working well by day.

Blues are running with the rockfish schools, especially near deeper structure and around the Target Ship. A few Spanish mackerel are starting to trickle up as waters hit 80°F, hinting at the hot summer season just ahead. Speckled trout activity is building fast, particularly in grassy shallows north of the Bay Bridge and into the Potomac and Rappahannock. Try popping corks rigged with paddle tails or Gulp! shrimp over the grass beds for your best shot—Eric Packard’s crew boated six specks to 27” fishing that way just days ago.

White perch are pushing up into the rivers—Severn, Magothy, and the Patapsco—chewing well on bloodworms and small plastics, especially around docks and rock piles. Croaker are starting to show, and the blue catfish bite is absolutely on fire in the Upper Bay—don’t be surprised to wrestle a 30- or even 40-pounder from the Flats or Susquehanna.

Best artificial baits: Spooks, Skitter Pops, and Heddon Topwaters at dawn or dusk; Z-Man 5” paddletails and BKDs jigged near structure mid-day. For bait: bloodworms, cut bunker, and peeler crab are pulling the most consistent numbers, especially for perch, croaker, and cats.

Hot spots to try? The mouth of the Severn near Thomas Point, the Patapsco between Fort Carroll and the Key Bridge, and the Tolchester area on the east side—each is producing steady action for rockfish, blues, and big cats. Don’t overlook Poplar Island for mixed bag fishing or the grass beds off the mouth of the Potomac for specks and reds.

That’s your up-to-the-moment Chesapeake Bay report. Thanks for tuning in—make sure to hit subscribe for the latest. This has been a Quiet Please production. For more, check out quietplease.ai.

Artificial Lure here with your June 21, 2025, Chesapeake Bay fishing report for Baltimore and the D.C. area.

We’re rolling out of a warm, mostly clear night with sunrise at 5:45AM and sunset at 8:27PM. The big story today is the tide—high at 4:51AM and again at 5:29PM, with low slack around 10:50AM. These moving tide windows are where you want to be tossing your baits, especially early and late in the day. Water temps are pushing 80 degrees, which is putting a lot of our summer species on the move, and the tidal coefficient sits right around 60, meaning we’ve got enough current to stir up a solid bite.

Striped bass are the marquee target right now, and the main stem of the Bay—especially near the Bay Bridge pilings, Thomas Point, and the Hill at Eastern Bay—is producing solid fish in the 19 to 24 inch slot. The Patapsco River and the stretch from Love Point to Tolchester are also red hot, especially on topwater plugs at dawn and dusk or soft plastics jigged along channel edges and structure. Live spot, soft plastics, and bucktails are the lures of choice, with white and chartreuse paddletails getting tons of attention. Early reports from Anglers Sport Center also mention bridge pilings and rock piles as prime real estate—don’t forget your heavier jigheads if the current’s ripping.

Bluefish are starting to mix in, with some impressive catches up to 31 inches reported near the Target Ship and around the main shipping channel between buoys 8 and 10. Spanish mackerel are creeping up from the south; anglers trolling gold or silver spoons at 6-8 knots are seeing increasing numbers, with the action expected to heat up as we close in on July.

For you multi-species anglers, white perch and snakeheads are very active in the upper bay creeks and tidal rivers. A small spinner, grass shrimp, or bloodworm under a float will put perch in the cooler, while frog-pattern topwaters draw explosive strikes from snakeheads in thick grass.

Special mention for the Potomac and Rappahannock rivers—Eric Packard reports jigging over open-water structure and rocky piles has produced banner days, with boats catching 30 to 60 stripers and speckled trout mixed in, including some trout up to 27 inches. For the trout and puppy drum, toss popping corks with soft-plastic shrimp or paddletails, especially over grass beds and during running tides.

Hot spots for today:
- Bay Bridge pilings (striped bass, live spot and jigs)
- Thomas Point and The Hill (stripers, speckled trout, jigging and topwaters)
- Target Ship and channel buoys 8-10 (bluefish, mackerel on trolled spoons)
- Upper Bay creeks (white perch, snakeheads, small spinners, live bait)

Thanks for tuning in to the report! Be sure to subscribe so you never miss the bite window. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

Artificial Lure here with your June 21, 2025, Chesapeake Bay fishing report for Baltimore and the D.C. area.

We’re rolling out of a warm, mostly clear night with sunrise at 5:45AM and sunset at 8:27PM. The big story today is the tide—high at 4:51AM and again at 5:29PM, with low slack around 10:50AM. These moving tide windows are where you want to be tossing your baits, especially early and late in the day. Water temps are pushing 80 degrees, which is putting a lot of our summer species on the move, and the tidal coefficient sits right around 60, meaning we’ve got enough current to stir up a solid bite.

Striped bass are the marquee target right now, and the main stem of the Bay—especially near the Bay Bridge pilings, Thomas Point, and the Hill at Eastern Bay—is producing solid fish in the 19 to 24 inch slot. The Patapsco River and the stretch from Love Point to Tolchester are also red hot, especially on topwater plugs at dawn and dusk or soft plastics jigged along channel edges and structure. Live spot, soft plastics, and bucktails are the lures of choice, with white and chartreuse paddletails getting tons of attention. Early reports from Anglers Sport Center also mention bridge pilings and rock piles as prime real estate—don’t forget your heavier jigheads if the current’s ripping.

Bluefish are starting to mix in, with some impressive catches up to 31 inches reported near the Target Ship and around the main shipping channel between buoys 8 and 10. Spanish mackerel are creeping up from the south; anglers trolling gold or silver spoons at 6-8 knots are seeing increasing numbers, with the action expected to heat up as we close in on July.

For you multi-species anglers, white perch and snakeheads are very active in the upper bay creeks and tidal rivers. A small spinner, grass shrimp, or bloodworm under a float will put perch in the cooler, while frog-pattern topwaters draw explosive strikes from snakeheads in thick grass.

Special mention for the Potomac and Rappahannock rivers—Eric Packard reports jigging over open-water structure and rocky piles has produced banner days, with boats catching 30 to 60 stripers and speckled trout mixed in, including some trout up to 27 inches. For the trout and puppy drum, toss popping corks with soft-plastic shrimp or paddletails, especially over grass beds and during running tides.

Hot spots for today:
- Bay Bridge pilings (striped bass, live spot and jigs)
- Thomas Point and The Hill (stripers, speckled trout, jigging and topwaters)
- Target Ship and channel buoys 8-10 (bluefish, mackerel on trolled spoons)
- Upper Bay creeks (white perch, snakeheads, small spinners, live bait)

Thanks for tuning in to the report! Be sure to subscribe so you never miss the bite window. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

Artificial Lure here with your June 21, 2025, Chesapeake Bay fishing report for Baltimore and the D.C. area.

We’re rolling out of a warm, mostly clear night with sunrise at 5:45AM and sunset at 8:27PM. The big story today is the tide—high at 4:51AM and again at 5:29PM, with low slack around 10:50AM. These moving tide windows are where you want to be tossing your baits, especially early and late in the day. Water temps are pushing 80 degrees, which is putting a lot of our summer species on the move, and the tidal coefficient sits right around 60, meaning we’ve got enough current to stir up a solid bite.

Striped bass are the marquee target right now, and the main stem of the Bay—especially near the Bay Bridge pilings, Thomas Point, and the Hill at Eastern Bay—is producing solid fish in the 19 to 24 inch slot. The Patapsco River and the stretch from Love Point to Tolchester are also red hot, especially on topwater plugs at dawn and dusk or soft plastics jigged along channel edges and structure. Live spot, soft plastics, and bucktails are the lures of choice, with white and chartreuse paddletails getting tons of attention. Early reports from Anglers Sport Center also mention bridge pilings and rock piles as prime real estate—don’t forget your heavier jigheads if the current’s ripping.

Bluefish are starting to mix in, with some impressive catches up to 31 inches reported near the Target Ship and around the main shipping channel between buoys 8 and 10. Spanish mackerel are creeping up from the south; anglers trolling gold or silver spoons at 6-8 knots are seeing increasing numbers, with the action expected to heat up as we close in on July.

For you multi-species anglers, white perch and snakeheads are very active in the upper bay creeks and tidal rivers. A small spinner, grass shrimp, or bloodworm under a float will put perch in the cooler, while frog-pattern topwaters draw explosive strikes from snakeheads in thick grass.

Special mention for the Potomac and Rappahannock rivers—Eric Packard reports jigging over open-water structure and rocky piles has produced banner days, with boats catching 30 to 60 stripers and speckled trout mixed in, including some trout up to 27 inches. For the trout and puppy drum, toss popping corks with soft-plastic shrimp or paddletails, especially over grass beds and during running tides.

Hot spots for today:
- Bay Bridge pilings (striped bass, live spot and jigs)
- Thomas Point and The Hill (stripers, speckled trout, jigging and topwaters)
- Target Ship and channel buoys 8-10 (bluefish, mackerel on trolled spoons)
- Upper Bay creeks (white perch, snakeheads, small spinners, live bait)

Thanks for tuning in to the report! Be sure to subscribe so you never miss the bite window. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

Artificial Lure here with your June 21, 2025, Chesapeake Bay fishing report for Baltimore and the D.C. area.

We’re rolling out of a warm, mostly clear night with sunrise at 5:45AM and sunset at 8:27PM. The big story today is the tide—high at 4:51AM and again at 5:29PM, with low slack around 10:50AM. These moving tide windows are where you want to be tossing your baits, especially early and late in the day. Water temps are pushing 80 degrees, which is putting a lot of our summer species on the move, and the tidal coefficient sits right around 60, meaning we’ve got enough current to stir up a solid bite.

Striped bass are the marquee target right now, and the main stem of the Bay—especially near the Bay Bridge pilings, Thomas Point, and the Hill at Eastern Bay—is producing solid fish in the 19 to 24 inch slot. The Patapsco River and the stretch from Love Point to Tolchester are also red hot, especially on topwater plugs at dawn and dusk or soft plastics jigged along channel edges and structure. Live spot, soft plastics, and bucktails are the lures of choice, with white and chartreuse paddletails getting tons of attention. Early reports from Anglers Sport Center also mention bridge pilings and rock piles as prime real estate—don’t forget your heavier jigheads if the current’s ripping.

Bluefish are starting to mix in, with some impressive catches up to 31 inches reported near the Target Ship and around the main shipping channel between buoys 8 and 10. Spanish mackerel are creeping up from the south; anglers trolling gold or silver spoons at 6-8 knots are seeing increasing numbers, with the action expected to heat up as we close in on July.

For you multi-species anglers, white perch and snakeheads are very active in the upper bay creeks and tidal rivers. A small spinner, grass shrimp, or bloodworm under a float will put perch in the cooler, while frog-pattern topwaters draw explosive strikes from snakeheads in thick grass.

Special mention for the Potomac and Rappahannock rivers—Eric Packard reports jigging over open-water structure and rocky piles has produced banner days, with boats catching 30 to 60 stripers and speckled trout mixed in, including some trout up to 27 inches. For the trout and puppy drum, toss popping corks with soft-plastic shrimp or paddletails, especially over grass beds and during running tides.

Hot spots for today:
- Bay Bridge pilings (striped bass, live spot and jigs)
- Thomas Point and The Hill (stripers, speckled trout, jigging and topwaters)
- Target Ship and channel buoys 8-10 (bluefish, mackerel on trolled spoons)
- Upper Bay creeks (white perch, snakeheads, small spinners, live bait)

Thanks for tuning in to the report! Be sure to subscribe so you never miss the bite window. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

Artificial Lure here with your June 21, 2025, Chesapeake Bay fishing report for Baltimore and the D.C. area.

We’re rolling out of a warm, mostly clear night with sunrise at 5:45AM and sunset at 8:27PM. The big story today is the tide—high at 4:51AM and again at 5:29PM, with low slack around 10:50AM. These moving tide windows are where you want to be tossing your baits, especially early and late in the day. Water temps are pushing 80 degrees, which is putting a lot of our summer species on the move, and the tidal coefficient sits right around 60, meaning we’ve got enough current to stir up a solid bite.

Striped bass are the marquee target right now, and the main stem of the Bay—especially near the Bay Bridge pilings, Thomas Point, and the Hill at Eastern Bay—is producing solid fish in the 19 to 24 inch slot. The Patapsco River and the stretch from Love Point to Tolchester are also red hot, especially on topwater plugs at dawn and dusk or soft plastics jigged along channel edges and structure. Live spot, soft plastics, and bucktails are the lures of choice, with white and chartreuse paddletails getting tons of attention. Early reports from Anglers Sport Center also mention bridge pilings and rock piles as prime real estate—don’t forget your heavier jigheads if the current’s ripping.

Bluefish are starting to mix in, with some impressive catches up to 31 inches reported near the Target Ship and around the main shipping channel between buoys 8 and 10. Spanish mackerel are creeping up from the south; anglers trolling gold or silver spoons at 6-8 knots are seeing increasing numbers, with the action expected to heat up as we close in on July.

For you multi-species anglers, white perch and snakeheads are very active in the upper bay creeks and tidal rivers. A small spinner, grass shrimp, or bloodworm under a float will put perch in the cooler, while frog-pattern topwaters draw explosive strikes from snakeheads in thick grass.

Special mention for the Potomac and Rappahannock rivers—Eric Packard reports jigging over open-water structure and rocky piles has produced banner days, with boats catching 30 to 60 stripers and speckled trout mixed in, including some trout up to 27 inches. For the trout and puppy drum, toss popping corks with soft-plastic shrimp or paddletails, especially over grass beds and during running tides.

Hot spots for today:
- Bay Bridge pilings (striped bass, live spot and jigs)
- Thomas Point and The Hill (stripers, speckled trout, jigging and topwaters)
- Target Ship and channel buoys 8-10 (bluefish, mackerel on trolled spoons)
- Upper Bay creeks (white perch, snakeheads, small spinners, live bait)

Thanks for tuning in to the report! Be sure to subscribe so you never miss the bite window. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.