Artificial Lure here with your Chesapeake Bay fishing report for Saturday, May 31, 2025, straight from the waters around Baltimore and Washington D.C.

Let’s dive right into the weather. After a spell of tough wind last weekend, today’s shaping up mild, with sunrise at 6:05 AM and sunset at 7:57 PM. Tides near the Bay Bridge see a high at 12:08 AM and another around midday. With a tidal coefficient in the mid-50s to 60s, there’s decent current but nothing extreme—perfect for working those drop-offs and bridge pilings, especially as the water warms into the high 60s and low 70s. Fish will be moving to feed in these active periods, especially on the incoming tide.

Striped bass (rockfish) are the main players right now, as the season just opened and the bite is solid. Reports from Rudow’s FishTalk say slot-sized rockfish are scattered but consistent, especially in areas like Love Point, the Bay Bridge pilings, and drop-offs near the Patapsco and Chester rivers. White and chartreuse tandem rigs trolled along these contours are putting up good numbers, and live-lining spot—easy to gather off Sandy Point or the Bay Bridge on bloodworms or Fishbites—is producing limits for charter boats. Jigging with three to five-inch soft plastics is also working well, especially around bridge structure and in deeper water.

There’s also a nice run of smaller black drum in the 22–24” range, especially in the middle bay, with soft crab dropped near power plants producing a handful earlier this week, though some anglers report thick schools of rays muscling in on the action. Bluefish are popping up, particularly over 20 inches, found pushing bait and occasionally blitzing at the surface near open water and warm-water discharges.

If you’re after invasives or just want a break from the striper crowd, blue catfish action is heating up with the recent fresh water influx—try cut alewife or menhaden in the Chester River, Patapsco, or anywhere near Sandy Point for big cats.

For those who like specifics, two hot spots to check out today:
- The remains of the Key Bridge in the Patapsco, especially near pilings—striped bass and blues are both strong here.
- The drop-offs around Love Point—trolling and jigging both productive, with a bonus shot at some early season spot and croaker if you bottom fish.

In terms of gear, stick to chartreuse or white tandem rigs for trolling, soft plastics in chartreuse or pearl for jigging, and live spot or cut bait for the cats. Bloodworms and Fishbites are dynamite for catching bait and tempting the odd perch or spot.

Thanks for tuning in to today’s report! Don’t forget to subscribe for more updates and on-the-water tips. This has been a Quiet Please production—for more, check out quietplease dot ai.