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Chesapeake Perch Bite Stays Hot as Spring Fishing Heats Up in Baltimore and DC
This is Artificial Lure reporting from the Chesapeake Bay region with your May 2nd, 2025 fishing update for Baltimore and Washington D.C. anglers.
The weather this week is looking mighty fine—steady, warm conditions are expected and you really can’t ask for better spring fishing weather on the Bay. Sunrise is at 6:03 AM and sunset at 7:58 PM, giving us plenty of daylight to work the waters.
Tides today in the mid-Bay area start with a low around 8 AM and a high tide coming in just after 2 PM. With a solid incoming tide through midday, expect fish activity to pick up as water moves over oyster beds and into shorelines.
The main buzz is still around the perch bite. White perch are moving out from their spring haunts in the upper rivers and are spreading into creeks and smaller tidal rivers all through the middle Bay. Some hot spots to check out are the mouths of the Magothy and the creeks off the Choptank, which are both holding good numbers of perch this week. Folks fishing off the docks at Solomons Island and in the coves around Sandy Point have reported steady perch action.
Anglers are having best luck using grass shrimp or bloodworm pieces on simple bottom rigs, fished tight to structure or off dock pilings. For those who like to cast, small shad darts, spinners, and soft plastics are pulling in fish, especially during early morning and evening hours when perch move in shallow to feed. Numbers have been solid—a couple dozen fish in a two-hour outing is typical, though many are running smaller with a handful of keepers mixed in.
Pickerel are still around in the creeks and are now legal to harvest in tidal waters as of May 1st, with a 14-inch minimum and a 10-fish creel limit. Chain pickerel fishing on the Severn has been slow with post-spawn fish a bit beat up, but persistent anglers are still finding a bite here and there. Try flashy spinners or a white twister tail.
Don’t forget, in Maryland waters the striped bass closure remains in effect until May 16, so no targeting or keeping stripers just yet. However, the recent spawn in the Choptank was strong, and you may see some big spawners heading back downriver—take care to avoid disturbing them.
Bait of choice right now is definitely grass shrimp and bloodworm for perch, with small jigs for pickerel. Bring a light rod, watch the tide, and hit the creeks early for best success.
Hot spots to fish today include the creeks along the Choptank River, especially near Cambridge, and the piers at Sandy Point State Park—both have been steady producers this week.
That’s your on-the-water report. Tight lines and see you out there.
The weather this week is looking mighty fine—steady, warm conditions are expected and you really can’t ask for better spring fishing weather on the Bay. Sunrise is at 6:03 AM and sunset at 7:58 PM, giving us plenty of daylight to work the waters.
Tides today in the mid-Bay area start with a low around 8 AM and a high tide coming in just after 2 PM. With a solid incoming tide through midday, expect fish activity to pick up as water moves over oyster beds and into shorelines.
The main buzz is still around the perch bite. White perch are moving out from their spring haunts in the upper rivers and are spreading into creeks and smaller tidal rivers all through the middle Bay. Some hot spots to check out are the mouths of the Magothy and the creeks off the Choptank, which are both holding good numbers of perch this week. Folks fishing off the docks at Solomons Island and in the coves around Sandy Point have reported steady perch action.
Anglers are having best luck using grass shrimp or bloodworm pieces on simple bottom rigs, fished tight to structure or off dock pilings. For those who like to cast, small shad darts, spinners, and soft plastics are pulling in fish, especially during early morning and evening hours when perch move in shallow to feed. Numbers have been solid—a couple dozen fish in a two-hour outing is typical, though many are running smaller with a handful of keepers mixed in.
Pickerel are still around in the creeks and are now legal to harvest in tidal waters as of May 1st, with a 14-inch minimum and a 10-fish creel limit. Chain pickerel fishing on the Severn has been slow with post-spawn fish a bit beat up, but persistent anglers are still finding a bite here and there. Try flashy spinners or a white twister tail.
Don’t forget, in Maryland waters the striped bass closure remains in effect until May 16, so no targeting or keeping stripers just yet. However, the recent spawn in the Choptank was strong, and you may see some big spawners heading back downriver—take care to avoid disturbing them.
Bait of choice right now is definitely grass shrimp and bloodworm for perch, with small jigs for pickerel. Bring a light rod, watch the tide, and hit the creeks early for best success.
Hot spots to fish today include the creeks along the Choptank River, especially near Cambridge, and the piers at Sandy Point State Park—both have been steady producers this week.
That’s your on-the-water report. Tight lines and see you out there.
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By Quiet. PleaseThis is Artificial Lure reporting from the Chesapeake Bay region with your May 2nd, 2025 fishing update for Baltimore and Washington D.C. anglers.
The weather this week is looking mighty fine—steady, warm conditions are expected and you really can’t ask for better spring fishing weather on the Bay. Sunrise is at 6:03 AM and sunset at 7:58 PM, giving us plenty of daylight to work the waters.
Tides today in the mid-Bay area start with a low around 8 AM and a high tide coming in just after 2 PM. With a solid incoming tide through midday, expect fish activity to pick up as water moves over oyster beds and into shorelines.
The main buzz is still around the perch bite. White perch are moving out from their spring haunts in the upper rivers and are spreading into creeks and smaller tidal rivers all through the middle Bay. Some hot spots to check out are the mouths of the Magothy and the creeks off the Choptank, which are both holding good numbers of perch this week. Folks fishing off the docks at Solomons Island and in the coves around Sandy Point have reported steady perch action.
Anglers are having best luck using grass shrimp or bloodworm pieces on simple bottom rigs, fished tight to structure or off dock pilings. For those who like to cast, small shad darts, spinners, and soft plastics are pulling in fish, especially during early morning and evening hours when perch move in shallow to feed. Numbers have been solid—a couple dozen fish in a two-hour outing is typical, though many are running smaller with a handful of keepers mixed in.
Pickerel are still around in the creeks and are now legal to harvest in tidal waters as of May 1st, with a 14-inch minimum and a 10-fish creel limit. Chain pickerel fishing on the Severn has been slow with post-spawn fish a bit beat up, but persistent anglers are still finding a bite here and there. Try flashy spinners or a white twister tail.
Don’t forget, in Maryland waters the striped bass closure remains in effect until May 16, so no targeting or keeping stripers just yet. However, the recent spawn in the Choptank was strong, and you may see some big spawners heading back downriver—take care to avoid disturbing them.
Bait of choice right now is definitely grass shrimp and bloodworm for perch, with small jigs for pickerel. Bring a light rod, watch the tide, and hit the creeks early for best success.
Hot spots to fish today include the creeks along the Choptank River, especially near Cambridge, and the piers at Sandy Point State Park—both have been steady producers this week.
That’s your on-the-water report. Tight lines and see you out there.
The weather this week is looking mighty fine—steady, warm conditions are expected and you really can’t ask for better spring fishing weather on the Bay. Sunrise is at 6:03 AM and sunset at 7:58 PM, giving us plenty of daylight to work the waters.
Tides today in the mid-Bay area start with a low around 8 AM and a high tide coming in just after 2 PM. With a solid incoming tide through midday, expect fish activity to pick up as water moves over oyster beds and into shorelines.
The main buzz is still around the perch bite. White perch are moving out from their spring haunts in the upper rivers and are spreading into creeks and smaller tidal rivers all through the middle Bay. Some hot spots to check out are the mouths of the Magothy and the creeks off the Choptank, which are both holding good numbers of perch this week. Folks fishing off the docks at Solomons Island and in the coves around Sandy Point have reported steady perch action.
Anglers are having best luck using grass shrimp or bloodworm pieces on simple bottom rigs, fished tight to structure or off dock pilings. For those who like to cast, small shad darts, spinners, and soft plastics are pulling in fish, especially during early morning and evening hours when perch move in shallow to feed. Numbers have been solid—a couple dozen fish in a two-hour outing is typical, though many are running smaller with a handful of keepers mixed in.
Pickerel are still around in the creeks and are now legal to harvest in tidal waters as of May 1st, with a 14-inch minimum and a 10-fish creel limit. Chain pickerel fishing on the Severn has been slow with post-spawn fish a bit beat up, but persistent anglers are still finding a bite here and there. Try flashy spinners or a white twister tail.
Don’t forget, in Maryland waters the striped bass closure remains in effect until May 16, so no targeting or keeping stripers just yet. However, the recent spawn in the Choptank was strong, and you may see some big spawners heading back downriver—take care to avoid disturbing them.
Bait of choice right now is definitely grass shrimp and bloodworm for perch, with small jigs for pickerel. Bring a light rod, watch the tide, and hit the creeks early for best success.
Hot spots to fish today include the creeks along the Choptank River, especially near Cambridge, and the piers at Sandy Point State Park—both have been steady producers this week.
That’s your on-the-water report. Tight lines and see you out there.