Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report: Stripers, Snakeheads, and Catfish Bite Strong as Clarity Improves Podcast Por arte de portada

Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report: Stripers, Snakeheads, and Catfish Bite Strong as Clarity Improves

Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report: Stripers, Snakeheads, and Catfish Bite Strong as Clarity Improves

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 Good morning anglers, this is Artificial Lure with your Chesapeake Bay fishing report for Wednesday, May 21, 2025, covering the Baltimore and Washington D.C. region.

It’s a warm, stable week ahead after recent rains, which stirred up plenty of muddy water and floating debris in the upper Bay and lower Susquehanna. Water is still a bit high and off-color in the northern reaches, especially near the Conowingo Dam, making river fishing tough right now. Expect improvement in clarity as we get further into the week, especially in main Bay channels and open water[2][4].

Tidal data for today in Baltimore shows high tide around 9:40 a.m. and low tide near 3:15 p.m., with another high rolling in just before sunset. Sunrise was 5:48 a.m. and sunset will be at 8:17 p.m., giving you a nice, long window for fishing that early morning or late evening bite.

Now to the fish. Striped bass season is open in select main Bay zones south of the Hart-Miller Island to Tolchester line, though closed in rivers and most tributaries until June 1. Double-check regulations before you wet a line. Folks drifting main channel edges and deeper ledges reported decent catches of schoolies up to 27 inches in the open areas, mostly at dawn and dusk on paddle-tail swimbaits in white or chartreuse, and on bloodworms or cut menhaden for the bait crowd[1][4].

It’s also prime time for Chesapeake Channa—our local snakehead—especially in the grass beds and structure along the tidal stretches of the Gunpowder, Middle, and Patapsco rivers. These fish are feeding hard. Anglers using white frogs, chatterbaits, and live minnows are getting steady action. For snakehead, focus on shallow grassy flats early and late, or duck into the shaded creeks for mid-day bites[4].

Catfish are thick in the tidal rivers, though the main Bay bite has been inconsistent. Blue and channel cats are hitting cut bait and chicken livers fished on the bottom, with the best results in the Patapsco and Bush rivers[5]. White perch action is starting to heat up too, especially near docks and hard bottoms with small spinnerbaits or grass shrimp.

Flounder and speckled trout are still rare in the Baltimore/Washington zone, but anglers running farther down the Bay, or south into Tangier or Pocomoke Sounds, are finding action on Gulp jigs in pink or white colors[3].

Hot spots this week include the mouths of the Gunpowder and Patapsco rivers for both snakehead and catfish, as grass beds and creek mouths are loaded with bait. Main channel edges near Pooles Island and in the open Bay south of Tolchester are producing stripers. If you want a mixed bag, try the deeper holes off Rocky Point or the mouth of the Magothy for a shot at both cats and perch.

That’s all for today—watch the tides, keep an eye on floating debris, and match your lure color to the water clarity. Good luck and tight lines from Artificial Lure.
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