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Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report May 3, 2025: Perch, Cats, and Snakeheads Abound in Warm Spring Waters
Artificial Lure here with your Chesapeake Bay fishing report for May 3, 2025, covering Baltimore and the Washington D.C. area.
Weather is holding beautifully steady this week—warm days and light winds are making for pleasant conditions out on the water. Sunrise was just before 6 a.m., and sunset is coming in around 8 p.m., giving you plenty of daylight to get lines in and enjoy the bite.
Now, on to the fishing. Water temps are sitting in the upper 50s to low 60s through most of the middle Bay, warming up a touch more in the rivers. We’re still about two weeks out from the start of striped bass season in Maryland’s portion of the Bay, so no targeting stripers just yet. That said, the recent cool snap stretched out the striped bass spawn, and they’re still active in the deeper river reaches, which bodes well for the season opener coming up soon. For now, best leave them be and focus on other species[3][4][5].
White perch action is picking up nicely in the creeks and tidal rivers off the Bay. The perch are slipping out of their spawning runs and holding in deeper spots near docks, bridge pilings, and channels. Anglers are doing well with bottom rigs baited with grass shrimp or bits of bloodworm. Cast small spinners or soft plastics along shorelines early and late in the day for some great light tackle fun. These perch will stick around all summer, making them a go-to for easy and frequent action[2][5].
Catfish are another hot ticket, especially in the tidal Potomac between the Route 301 Bridge and Wilson Bridge. Blue cats are abundant, with steady action throughout the channel edges and deeper holes. The Patuxent above Benedict and the Nanticoke near Sharptown are also holding strong populations. Cut bait—menhaden, chicken, or even hot dogs—continues to pull in big blues[2].
In the grass beds of the tidal rivers, snakeheads are showing up thick, particularly in the lower Potomac, Patuxent, and creeks off the Eastern Shore. Target these aggressive fish by tossing chatterbaits with white soft plastics, paddletails, or topwater frogs right up in the grass. Early morning is prime, and these fish are more than willing to crush a well-placed lure[2].
If you’re hungry for a little adventure, black drum are being found down in the Pocomoke and Tangier sounds, as well as near the Target Ship and Mud Leads. Most anglers are slow-drifting with soft crab baits once they mark fish on the finder[2].
Hot spots to try today would be the Chester River and its nearby creeks for perch, the main channel of the Potomac for big blue cats, and the grass beds in Mattawoman Creek for snakeheads. For families, the bulkheads and docks around Sandy Point and the Severn River are good bets for perch action.
Best baits right now are grass shrimp and bloodworms for perch, cut bait for catfish, and white chatterbaits, paddletails, or frogs for snakehead.
Good luck out there, and may your nets be full! This is Artificial Lure, signing off until next tide.
Weather is holding beautifully steady this week—warm days and light winds are making for pleasant conditions out on the water. Sunrise was just before 6 a.m., and sunset is coming in around 8 p.m., giving you plenty of daylight to get lines in and enjoy the bite.
Now, on to the fishing. Water temps are sitting in the upper 50s to low 60s through most of the middle Bay, warming up a touch more in the rivers. We’re still about two weeks out from the start of striped bass season in Maryland’s portion of the Bay, so no targeting stripers just yet. That said, the recent cool snap stretched out the striped bass spawn, and they’re still active in the deeper river reaches, which bodes well for the season opener coming up soon. For now, best leave them be and focus on other species[3][4][5].
White perch action is picking up nicely in the creeks and tidal rivers off the Bay. The perch are slipping out of their spawning runs and holding in deeper spots near docks, bridge pilings, and channels. Anglers are doing well with bottom rigs baited with grass shrimp or bits of bloodworm. Cast small spinners or soft plastics along shorelines early and late in the day for some great light tackle fun. These perch will stick around all summer, making them a go-to for easy and frequent action[2][5].
Catfish are another hot ticket, especially in the tidal Potomac between the Route 301 Bridge and Wilson Bridge. Blue cats are abundant, with steady action throughout the channel edges and deeper holes. The Patuxent above Benedict and the Nanticoke near Sharptown are also holding strong populations. Cut bait—menhaden, chicken, or even hot dogs—continues to pull in big blues[2].
In the grass beds of the tidal rivers, snakeheads are showing up thick, particularly in the lower Potomac, Patuxent, and creeks off the Eastern Shore. Target these aggressive fish by tossing chatterbaits with white soft plastics, paddletails, or topwater frogs right up in the grass. Early morning is prime, and these fish are more than willing to crush a well-placed lure[2].
If you’re hungry for a little adventure, black drum are being found down in the Pocomoke and Tangier sounds, as well as near the Target Ship and Mud Leads. Most anglers are slow-drifting with soft crab baits once they mark fish on the finder[2].
Hot spots to try today would be the Chester River and its nearby creeks for perch, the main channel of the Potomac for big blue cats, and the grass beds in Mattawoman Creek for snakeheads. For families, the bulkheads and docks around Sandy Point and the Severn River are good bets for perch action.
Best baits right now are grass shrimp and bloodworms for perch, cut bait for catfish, and white chatterbaits, paddletails, or frogs for snakehead.
Good luck out there, and may your nets be full! This is Artificial Lure, signing off until next tide.
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By Quiet. PleaseArtificial Lure here with your Chesapeake Bay fishing report for May 3, 2025, covering Baltimore and the Washington D.C. area.
Weather is holding beautifully steady this week—warm days and light winds are making for pleasant conditions out on the water. Sunrise was just before 6 a.m., and sunset is coming in around 8 p.m., giving you plenty of daylight to get lines in and enjoy the bite.
Now, on to the fishing. Water temps are sitting in the upper 50s to low 60s through most of the middle Bay, warming up a touch more in the rivers. We’re still about two weeks out from the start of striped bass season in Maryland’s portion of the Bay, so no targeting stripers just yet. That said, the recent cool snap stretched out the striped bass spawn, and they’re still active in the deeper river reaches, which bodes well for the season opener coming up soon. For now, best leave them be and focus on other species[3][4][5].
White perch action is picking up nicely in the creeks and tidal rivers off the Bay. The perch are slipping out of their spawning runs and holding in deeper spots near docks, bridge pilings, and channels. Anglers are doing well with bottom rigs baited with grass shrimp or bits of bloodworm. Cast small spinners or soft plastics along shorelines early and late in the day for some great light tackle fun. These perch will stick around all summer, making them a go-to for easy and frequent action[2][5].
Catfish are another hot ticket, especially in the tidal Potomac between the Route 301 Bridge and Wilson Bridge. Blue cats are abundant, with steady action throughout the channel edges and deeper holes. The Patuxent above Benedict and the Nanticoke near Sharptown are also holding strong populations. Cut bait—menhaden, chicken, or even hot dogs—continues to pull in big blues[2].
In the grass beds of the tidal rivers, snakeheads are showing up thick, particularly in the lower Potomac, Patuxent, and creeks off the Eastern Shore. Target these aggressive fish by tossing chatterbaits with white soft plastics, paddletails, or topwater frogs right up in the grass. Early morning is prime, and these fish are more than willing to crush a well-placed lure[2].
If you’re hungry for a little adventure, black drum are being found down in the Pocomoke and Tangier sounds, as well as near the Target Ship and Mud Leads. Most anglers are slow-drifting with soft crab baits once they mark fish on the finder[2].
Hot spots to try today would be the Chester River and its nearby creeks for perch, the main channel of the Potomac for big blue cats, and the grass beds in Mattawoman Creek for snakeheads. For families, the bulkheads and docks around Sandy Point and the Severn River are good bets for perch action.
Best baits right now are grass shrimp and bloodworms for perch, cut bait for catfish, and white chatterbaits, paddletails, or frogs for snakehead.
Good luck out there, and may your nets be full! This is Artificial Lure, signing off until next tide.
Weather is holding beautifully steady this week—warm days and light winds are making for pleasant conditions out on the water. Sunrise was just before 6 a.m., and sunset is coming in around 8 p.m., giving you plenty of daylight to get lines in and enjoy the bite.
Now, on to the fishing. Water temps are sitting in the upper 50s to low 60s through most of the middle Bay, warming up a touch more in the rivers. We’re still about two weeks out from the start of striped bass season in Maryland’s portion of the Bay, so no targeting stripers just yet. That said, the recent cool snap stretched out the striped bass spawn, and they’re still active in the deeper river reaches, which bodes well for the season opener coming up soon. For now, best leave them be and focus on other species[3][4][5].
White perch action is picking up nicely in the creeks and tidal rivers off the Bay. The perch are slipping out of their spawning runs and holding in deeper spots near docks, bridge pilings, and channels. Anglers are doing well with bottom rigs baited with grass shrimp or bits of bloodworm. Cast small spinners or soft plastics along shorelines early and late in the day for some great light tackle fun. These perch will stick around all summer, making them a go-to for easy and frequent action[2][5].
Catfish are another hot ticket, especially in the tidal Potomac between the Route 301 Bridge and Wilson Bridge. Blue cats are abundant, with steady action throughout the channel edges and deeper holes. The Patuxent above Benedict and the Nanticoke near Sharptown are also holding strong populations. Cut bait—menhaden, chicken, or even hot dogs—continues to pull in big blues[2].
In the grass beds of the tidal rivers, snakeheads are showing up thick, particularly in the lower Potomac, Patuxent, and creeks off the Eastern Shore. Target these aggressive fish by tossing chatterbaits with white soft plastics, paddletails, or topwater frogs right up in the grass. Early morning is prime, and these fish are more than willing to crush a well-placed lure[2].
If you’re hungry for a little adventure, black drum are being found down in the Pocomoke and Tangier sounds, as well as near the Target Ship and Mud Leads. Most anglers are slow-drifting with soft crab baits once they mark fish on the finder[2].
Hot spots to try today would be the Chester River and its nearby creeks for perch, the main channel of the Potomac for big blue cats, and the grass beds in Mattawoman Creek for snakeheads. For families, the bulkheads and docks around Sandy Point and the Severn River are good bets for perch action.
Best baits right now are grass shrimp and bloodworms for perch, cut bait for catfish, and white chatterbaits, paddletails, or frogs for snakehead.
Good luck out there, and may your nets be full! This is Artificial Lure, signing off until next tide.