Artificial Lure here, bringing you your Chesapeake Bay and Baltimore/DC area fishing report for Wednesday, November 26, 2025. With late fall setting in, things are crisp on the water—ideal for those bundled-up diehards chasing season’s last big fish.

**Weather:** We woke to chilly temps in the low 40s, clear skies, and a light northwest breeze steady most of the day. Water temps across the Bay are flirting with the mid-40s. Sunrise was at 6:57 AM, sunset comes early at 4:49 PM—giving us a narrow, actionable window for fishing.

**Tide:** According to NOAA, expect a low around 4:28 AM, then a high at 10:50 AM, before dipping again toward the afternoon. Tides are running moderate, so time your Bay or river outing to catch the moving water—from two hours before high until just after slack[NOAA].

**Fish Activity & Recent Catches:** The striped bass bite remains intense despite dropping water temps. Ken Lamb over at The Tackle Box reports "rockfish flooded the lower Patuxent and Potomac rivers this past week in concentrations not seen in more than a decade." Fish are stacking up from bottom to surface near the mouth of the Patuxent River, feeding hard from daybreak until weekend boat traffic scatters them. Most keepers landed are running 20–28 inches, with plenty of limit-outs on oyster bars and channel edges. The season allows one fish per angler between 19 and 31 inches through December 10 in Maryland’s main stem and tributaries[Southern Maryland Chronicle].

Mid-Bay—especially the stretch between Calvert Cliffs, Choptank, and Poplar Island—has continued producing quality stripers. FishTalk Magazine notes, “schools of fish popping up anywhere from Calvert Cliffs to the Choptank River to Poplar Island,” with some remarkable bites last week. Calvert Cliffs and the west side up toward Franklin Manor are regular late-season hot spots, and don’t sleep on the mouth of the Bay near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel for trophy stripers on the move[FishTalk Magazine].

Blue catfish are also providing action further up the Potomac and Patuxent—fresh cut bait or chicken liver fished on the bottom has been producing steady numbers, some topping 30 pounds. On sunny afternoons, the largemouth bass bite perks up in St. Mary’s Lake and local farm ponds.

**Hot Spots:**
- **Mouth of the Patuxent River**
- **Calvert Cliffs to Poplar Island**
- **West side near Franklin Manor**
- **Mouth of the Potomac near Point Lookout**

**Best Lures & Bait:** For stripers, it’s prime time for **one- to two-ounce leadheads rigged with 7- to 10-inch soft plastics**—white or chartreuse work best on overcast days. *Vertical jigging* spoons are pushing fish up, with silver and gold patterns producing most strikes. On occasion, big topwater plugs (think Spotted Shad or 7” 3oz plugs) still draw hits during surface frenzies. Trollers working umbrella rigs and tandem rigs are picking off bigger fish, but slow down your pace as Bay waters cool.

Anglers in Virginia waters still drift eels—especially after dark along bridge light-lines at the CBBT. For blue cats, use fresh-cut gizzard shad or chicken liver; for largemouth bass, lipless crankbaits and spinnerbaits pulled slow around wood cover continue to score.

**Other News:** Maryland’s young-of-year striped bass survey shows slight improvement, but spawning success remains below the long-term average. Expect tough management years ahead, so handle all stripers with care—use heavier tackle to minimize fight times and increase survival on release.

That’s your Chesapeake Bay report for November 26, 2025. Thanks for tuning in! Don’t forget to subscribe and share for your next local update.

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