Fishing Report
Chesapeake Bay (middle), VA
Summary: 5/1/26 - Middle Bay Post-spawn striped bass are coming down from the upper Bay spawning sites, and striped bass have been leaving the Choptank River for weeks. Water temperatures in the middle Bay are holding at 60 degrees or slightly above. Light-tackle anglers have been enjoying good catch-and-release fishing in the shallows of the Bay’s shores and soon they will be able to keep a slot-sized striped bass. The waters of the Bay are extraordinarily clear this month due to the lack of rain, so sight fishing in the shallows is a fun option. Topwater lures offer the most fun, and paddletails are another excellent choice. Trolling the channel edges is another popular option once the harvest season begins, but anglers need to be aware that only six lines can be trolled. Lures must be barbless and no stinger hooks. If fishing with bait, non-offset circle hooks are mandatory and eels are prohibited as bait. White perch are being found in the lower portions of the tidal rivers and moving into their typical summer habitat. When fishing deeper waters, small jigs tipped with grass shrimp or small minnows or bottom rigs baited with pieces of bloodworms work well. As they move into areas around structure in the form of docks, prominent points, jetties, and oyster bars, a simple bottom rig baited with grass shrimp or pieces of bloodworm is very popular. Blue catfish can be found in the Choptank River in good numbers. There are blue catfish in all the region’s tidal rivers and creeks to a lesser extent. The area from the town of Choptank to Denton tends to hold the greatest numbers of blue catfish due to high salinity values.