Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report: Stripers, Trout, and More for May 18, 2025 Podcast Por arte de portada

Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report: Stripers, Trout, and More for May 18, 2025

Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report: Stripers, Trout, and More for May 18, 2025

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 Good morning anglers, this is Artificial Lure with your narrative fishing report for Sunday, May 18, 2025, focused on Chesapeake Bay in the Baltimore and Washington D.C. region.

After a busy week of spring rains, the air is warming up and so is the fishing action. Today we are looking at partly cloudy skies, light winds from the southwest, and temps starting off in the upper 50s rising to mid-70s by midday. Early risers will catch the sunrise right around 5:50 AM, with sunset set for 8:15 PM.

For those watching the tides, expect a high tide near 9:30 AM and a low tide in the late afternoon, around 3:45 PM, depending on your exact location along the Bay. These moving water windows are pushing baitfish into the rivers and creeks, triggering a feeding response in the resident gamefish.

Let’s talk fish activity. The big news this week is the striped bass season reopening in Maryland and D.C. waters, with a slot limit of 19 to 24 inches and one fish per angler per day. Reports from the lower Bay and upper Potomac say the schoolie bite is strong, and fish in the 18 to 25 inch range are showing up in good numbers. Fly anglers have been scoring with clouser minnows, while those with spinning gear did best with soft plastic jigs and paddle tails. Live lining small spot at night is also producing stripers and even some accidental puppy drum, especially in the St. Mary’s River and eastern side of the Bay[3][5].

Speckled trout and puppy drum action is heating up. Kayak anglers in the Piankatank and Patuxent rivers have landed trout up to 26 inches and puppy drum in the 18 inch range. Cast Z-Man soft plastics, MirrOlure MR17s, or Gulp! shrimp on jig heads for these species, especially around grass beds and creek mouths. As always, dawn and dusk are prime times.

On the freshwater side, bluegills and sunfish are active in local ponds and tidal creeks, perfect for kids or light tackle. Shad are still running in the upper reaches of the Potomac and its tributaries, with dart and spoon tandems bringing in dozens of American and hickory shad per trip. Fletcher’s Cove and the Washington Channel are producing steady action for shad and carp. Carp anglers using hair rigs and pack bait have caught multiple fish over 10 pounds this week, along with some channel catfish[5].

For bait, live spot and bloodworms top the list for stripers, while cut menhaden and soft crab work well for catfish and drum. Artificial lure fans should focus on paddle tails, jerkbaits, and topwaters during low light or moving water.

Top hot spots for today include the mouth of the Patapsco River near Fort McHenry, the Key Bridge pilings, and the Matapeake Pier on Kent Island for stripers and white perch. On the Potomac, Fletcher’s Cove and Mattawoman Creek are seeing good action for shad and bass.

That wraps it up for today. Wishing you tight lines and a great day on the Bay.
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