Fishing Report
Chesapeake Bay (middle), VA
Summary: 5/22/25 - Striped bass is on every Chesapeake Bay angler’s mind this week and despite strong winds and rough bay conditions, anglers enjoyed good success over the weekend and can look forward to calmer conditions this week. The Choptank River and its tributaries downstream of a line drawn from Holland Point to a point of land at the west entrance of Chapel Creek are open. Many anglers reported they were able to tuck in to a leeward shore and enjoy good fishing for striped bass on light tackle by casting and jigging. Casting a mix of paddletails, jigs, crankbaits and topwater lures presented a fun way to catch striped bass. Trolling is always a popular option and the channel edges on the western side of the bay offered good fishing and some protection from the wind. The weekend was a good time to be in a large boat. Striped bass anglers are urged to report their catches and fish they release on the DNR Volunteer Angler Survey. The information from anglers is very important to the striped bass program biologists. Water temperatures in the middle Bay are holding around 70 degrees this week and offer near-perfect conditions for striped bass. They can be found in the shallower waters near points and submerged rock jetties during the morning and evening hours and offer fun light tackle topwater action with poppers or anglers can choose to cast paddletails and jerkbaits. The rocks at Poplar Island, the Naval Academy, and the lower Choptank are excellent places to fish. Jigging soft plastics along the steep channel edges where striped bass can be located suspended close to the bottom will be a great option when concentrations of fish can be found on depth finders. The mouth of the Choptank River, Buoy 83, and any channel edge where fish can be located can offer good fishing. Trolling is always a popular way to fish, especially on the larger charter boats. Umbrella rigs towed behind inline weights with bucktails, and soft plastic swimbaits will be used as trailers. Tandem rigged bucktails and swimshads will be popular also and the bucktails are usually dressed with a soft plastic shad or twistertail to attract the attention of fish in the 19-24 inch slot. Steep main channel edges are usually the target for those trolling. White perch are steadily moving into their summer habitats in the lower sections of the region’s tidal rivers and creeks. They will adhere to structure in the form of dock piers, breakwaters, and oyster reefs. When fishing off docks a simple one hook bottom rig and a one-ounce sinker is all that is needed for a straight down drop near a dock. Grass shrimp makes a wonderful bait, and pieces of bloodworm are also welcomed by white perch. In the morning and evening hours, drifting along a promising shoreline and casting small spinners and soft plastic spinnerbaits is a fun and exciting way to catch white perch on light tackle. Spot and small croakers have arrived in the middle Bay region and the tidal rivers. The spot are the perfect size for live lining for striped bass; the croaker are only about 6 inches long.