Fishing Report
Chesapeake Bay (lower), VA
Summary: 5/22/25 - Reports from anglers tell of good to excellent fishing for striped bass this week, the winds have calmed down and the more open waters of the Bay are more accessible. Through the weekend many anglers tucked into wind-protected shores and enjoyed fun light tackle action by casting and jigging. Many fished the Patuxent River below Point Patience and the lower Potomac River. A fair percentage of the striped bass caught were a little over the 24-inch maximum but most everyone managed a fish in the 19-24 inch slot if they were keeping a fish. It was apparent in reports that everyone was happy to see such robust striped bass, well filled out and beautifully colored. 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. Some anglers may be interviewed dockside by fisheries personnel about their day of fishing, and catch cards will be distributed as part of a new pilot program. See more about the catch card project on this DNR notice. Trolling deep along main channel edges with umbrella rigs pulled behind inline weights with bucktails dressed with soft plastics as a trailer were popular for those trolling off charterboats. Tandem-rigged bucktails and swimshads were popular trolling set up when trolling shallower channel edges. Large red drum are moving into the shallower waters on the eastern side of the Bay along with some speckled trout, sheepshead, and black drum. Soft crab baits are the most popular baits being used and when it comes to black drum and red drum the baits are usually not dropped till the drum are spotted on a depth finder. It is that time of the year when the lower bay is overwhelmed with cownose rays eager to gobble up soft crab or peeler crab baits. The speckled trout can be found at the mouths of marsh creeks and the grassy shallows along the marshes of Tangier and Pocomoke sounds. Casting soft plastic paddletails or drifting peeler crab baits are good choices to target them. The sheepshead are being caught near the Target Ship on peeler crab. Bluefish are also moving into the region and tend to be in the two-pound size range. White perch are being found in the lower sections of the region’s tidal rivers and creeks this week. They can be caught by casting small spinnerbaits, spinners and small soft plastic jigs near promising looking shorelines. Fishing with grass shrimp or pieces of bloodworm off docks or near submerged rocks or oyster reefs is another good option for white perch. Fishing for Chesapeake Channa remains good this month in the tributaries of the Potomac River, the Patuxent, Nanticoke, Wicomico and Pocomoke rivers. Grass beds are filling out and the fish are holding close to them and are in a pre-spawn mode of feeding behavior. There will be a Chesapeake Channa and blue catfish fishing tournament on June 1 at the Anacostia River, which features a fishing tournament and a list of educational activities. Check the DNR calendar for more details. The spot and small croaker have arrived in the lower Bay and can be found in shallower areas and the lower sections of the region’s tidal rivers. The spot are a good size for live lining; the croaker are only about 6 inches long. Anglers fishing pieces of bloodworm are also catching kingfish when fishing for spot. Slowly the blue crab fishery is gaining traction as water temperatures warm and blue crabs shed to larger sizes. Recreational crabbers report that the best catches are coming from the lower Eastern Shore in waters 12 feet deep or less. Catches per outing range from a dozen in the middle Bay to a fair portion of a bushel in the lower Bay.