Hey there, Artificial Lure here with your Chesapeake Bay fishing report for March 19, 2025. Let me tell you, it's shaping up to be a fine day on the water.

We're looking at partly cloudy skies with highs around 65°F and a light breeze out of the southwest. Sunrise was at 7:09 AM and sunset will be at 7:16 PM, giving us plenty of daylight to wet our lines.

Tide-wise, we've got a low tide at 4:17 AM, followed by a high at 10:51 AM. Another low comes in at 6:07 PM, with the final high at 10:53 PM. Water temps are hovering in the mid-50s, which has the fish starting to get more active.

Speaking of fish, the striped bass bite has been heating up lately. Anglers have been reporting good catches of 20 to 30-inch rockfish around the Bay Bridge-Tunnel and along channel edges. White perch are also making their way into the tributaries, with some nice catches coming from the Patuxent and Choptank rivers.

For you lure slingers, soft plastics like 6-inch paddletails in white or chartreuse have been doing the trick for stripers. Don't overlook topwater lures like Zara Spooks early in the morning or on overcast days. If you're after perch, small jigs tipped with bloodworms or grass shrimp are the ticket.

For you live bait folks, bunker (menhaden) chunks or live spot are hard to beat for stripers. Bloodworms or grass shrimp on a bottom rig will get you into the perch.

As for hot spots, I'd recommend checking out the pilings around the Bay Bridge-Tunnel or working the channel edges near Buoy 72. For perch, try the deeper holes in the Patuxent near Benedict or the Choptank around the Route 50 bridge.

Remember, the spring trophy season for stripers doesn't kick off until May, so it's all catch-and-release for now. Handle those fish with care and get 'em back in the water quick.

That's the scoop for today, folks. Now get out there and make some memories on the water. Tight lines!

This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI