Hey there anglers, it’s Artificial Lure with your Chesapeake Bay fishing report for Wednesday, June 18th, bringing you the scoop from Baltimore and Washington D.C. down the Bay.

Today’s sunrise rolled in at 5:40 AM, with sunset slated for 8:32 PM, giving you plenty of daylight for a full day of casting lines. Tides will be running pretty average—highs around 2:11 PM and lows near 9:01 PM per the Bayville tide charts. With this moderate tidal swing, expect moving water and active fish especially around structure and shoals.

Our weather today is classic early summer—mild, low 80s with just a light breeze and mostly clear conditions. Water temperatures are up and hovering in the low 70s, which has really kicked off the summer bite.

Let’s talk fish: the striped bass season is in full swing. The bite’s been mixed—some days are hot, others slow, but there are solid reports of keeper rockfish (19-24 inches) from the Patapsco, Severn, and Magothy Rivers. The best action has been casting jigging plastics near the Bay Bridge or trolling ledges near river mouths. Pink, white, and chartreuse five-to-six-inch baits have been the ticket. Live-lining spot near bridge pilings and rockpiles—especially in the eddies during running tide—will get results, with several anglers reporting quick limits on the better days, according to FishTalk Magazine and Anglers Annapolis.

White perch are heating up big time on the rivers—Severn, Magothy, and Patapsco—showing up shallow around docks, riprap, and oyster beds. Charlie and Anna reportedly had a banner day just south of the Bay Bridge with good numbers of larger perch. A simple tip: Gulp! 2.5-inch plastics on top and bottom rigs, or small bloodworms and Fishbites on #4 hooks, are getting bit. You’ll also find some croaker mixing in, though nothing huge yet, but it’s a sign that the water’s finally in the perfect summertime range.

Down towards the mouth and Eastern Shore shallows, big schools of red drum and some early cobia are moving up—both are slamming large paddletails, topwater lures, and jerkbaits. Cobia season just opened June 15th, so now’s your chance if you want an early shot at these brutes. For bluefish, look to the open Bay near the Target Ships and various reef sites—two-to-three-pounders have been popping off, especially on topwater and shallow-diving cranks near structure, as reported by The Tackle Box.

For hot spots:
- Bay Bridge pilings and Love Point Light are holding stripers. Fish the backside of pilings for best results.
- Shallow points and grass beds in the Severn and Magothy Rivers are loaded with perch and a few specks.
- The Target Ships and surrounding open Bay structure for bluefish and the occasional red drum.

Best baits and lures:
- Jigging plastics and paddletails in pink, chartreuse, and white for stripers
- Topwater spooks for trout and rockfish at sunrise and sunset
- Bloodworms, Gulp, and Fishbites on bottom rigs for perch and croaker
- Large soft plastics and bucktails for cobia and drum

That’s it for today’s report. Thanks for tuning in! Don’t forget to subscribe for the latest updates and tackle tips. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.