Fishing Report
Chesapeake Bay (middle), VA
Summary: Middle Bay - 7/30/26 Maryland Chesapeake Bay waters will be closed to striped bass fishing this Saturday, August 1 through August 31 as a conservation measure due to increased catch-and-release mortality during warm water temperatures. Prior to the closure, anglers have been finding striped bass along channel edges in the middle Bay by live-lining spot or jigging with soft plastic jigs. The channel edges from Bloody Point south past Sharps Island Light to the CP Buoy have been good places to explore for striped bass. A watchful eye on a depth finder often leads the way to success. Thomas Point has also been reported to hold striped bass along the 20-foot edge. The Kent Narrows is also a good place to live-line spot or cast soft plastic jigs during the early morning and late evening hours. The Bay Bridge piers and rock piles continue to be worth checking on a running tide during the early morning and evening hours for anglers drifting live spot, small white perch, and cut bait to the pier bases. Casting soft plastic jigs to the pier bases is also a good option. Skirts in chartreuse and yellow and gel scent added to the jigs help entice striped bass. Bluefish continue to be a good fishing option in the middle Bay. They can be caught by drifting cut bait in a chum slick, trolling surge tube lures or Drone spoons, or casting into breaking fish. Anglers are urged to release any striped bass caught by accident in the water so they are not exposed to air. A few Spanish mackerel have shown up in the lower Maryland waters and may move into the middle Bay soon. Trolling with gold Clark spoons and various colored Drone spoons behind inline weights at about 7 knots will be the best way to target them, unless breaking fish can be encountered. Casting metal jigs with a rapid retrieve is the best option when casting to breaking Spanish mackerel. A slower retrieve will allow bluefish to chase down a lure. Blue catfish can help provide plenty of fishing action during the striped bass closure. Anglers will most likely find the best fishing for blue catfish in the middle to upper regions of the middle Bay tidal rivers. The blue catfish can be found in the Choptank River close to Denton and holding in the channels. Towards the evening hours the blue catfish have been moving to shallower shelves and flats of about 15 feet. Fishing for white perch can be fun when fishing with light tackle in the tidal rivers and creeks. They can be found near docks and piers and always provide fun fishing for our younger anglers, since no casting is involved. The white perch are usually right under the dock. Grass shrimp, peeler crab, or bloodworms are all that is needed on a simple one hook bottom rig. A No. 4 hook and a half-ounce sinker will get you into the action. DNR’s website offers some tips on catching your own grass shrimp. Spot and croaker can be found almost everywhere in the middle Bay this week. Most hard bottom is holding spot and croaker. The croaker and larger spot can be found in deeper waters and smaller spot in shallower waters. Pieces of bloodworms or artificial bloodworm baits on a small hook and bottom rig will get the job done.