Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report – October 24th, 2025!

Rocktober is still in full swing, and anglers are finding rockfish around both shallow water structure and in open water along channel edges and under birds. Reports this week came from areas like Love Point, the Bay Bridge, Hart-Miller Island, Pooles Island, and the Patapsco River. Target shallow structure with live spot, paddletails, or diving plugs. In open water, try paddletails or straight tails on heavier jigs as well as diving plugs if fish are found at the surface. Trolling tandem and umbrella rigs along channel edges has been effective as well. Pickerel have woken up from their summer slumber and are feeding hard. Target grassy shorelines, docks, and downed trees in the Magothy, Patapsco, and Severn Rivers to find fish. Paddletails and spinnerbaits were effective for anglers this week. White perch have been biting well at the mouths of Upper Bay rivers. You can find them hanging around deeper water structure like reef sites. A Chesapeake sabiki rig tipped with grass shrimp, bloodworms, or minnows should continue to be effective.

The hottest zone for rockfish right now seems to be the Middle Bay, with reports of success flowing in by the dozens. Eastern Bay, Poplar Island, Thomas Point, the West River, and the mouth of the Patuxent River. Fish have been caught around shallow water structure and under birds on paddletails, topwater plugs, and diving plugs. Some anglers are still live lining spot both in the shallows and over deeper water structure. Along channel edges, anglers are finding rockfish by trolling tandems and umbrellas, as well as by jigging heavier metal jigs and jig heads paired with soft plastics. There are a few speckled trout being caught in the Patuxent and Choptank Rivers. Target them the same way you would target rockfish, just downsize your lures and add scent like ProCure. White perch are being found at the mouths of the rivers and off of Matapeake, with anglers finding success using sabiki rigs tipped with grass shrimp, bloodworms, or minnows. The bluefish seem to have moved south with the recent cold front. Spot can be caught bottom fishing with bloodworms or Fishbites but will soon start moving out as well.

Rockfish are biting well in areas like the Potomac River and the Tangier Sound. Shallow water structure, deep water structure, and bird shows are producing fish on paddletails, topwater plugs, and diving plugs. Live lining spot or trolling umbrella rigs along channel edges has been successful as well. Speckled trout and a few puppy drum are also still biting in the Lower Bay shallows. Use the same lures you would for rockfish, but try mixing in a popping cork rig if you aren’t getting bites. Anglers are still catching the occasional bull red in the shallows too. Bottom fishing with cut spot or peeler crab is a good bet, as well as casting large jigs and plugs. Reef sites and hard bottom have been holding spot as well as some black sea bass. A metal jig or bottom rig tipped with squid, bloodworm, or Fishbites should get the job done.

Freshwater fishing is often at its best during the fall months. The DNR has been stocking trout throughout the state, so be sure to check their website for details on where to target these fish. A split shot rig baited with Powerbait, spoons, and inline spinners should all catch trout. Pickerel are firing up as the weather cools down. Target them in the Eastern Shore millponds and upper reaches of tidal rivers using paddletails and spinnerbaits. The fish this week were reported as relating to grass, docks, and laydowns. Crappie are schooling up and will suspend around deeper water structure like laydowns and rock piles. Target them in ponds, lakes, and reservoirs with live minnows, small spinners, and micro jigs. Largemouth bass are still putting on the fall feed bag, and can be caught around dying grass, laydowns, and points. Moving baits like chatterbaits and topwaters work well in waters with shad or bluegill as the primary forage, and a finesse jig, ned rig, or Texas rig paired with a soft plastic craw should be effective in areas with crawfish as the main food source. Smallmouth continue to bite well in the Upper Potomac and Monocacy River and have started moving shallow. Target them in stronger current with soft plastic paddletails, plopper-style topwaters, and chatterbaits. In slower moving water, try throwing  a jerkbait, finesse jig, or ned rig. Snakehead are moving away from dying vegetation and into more open water. Topwater baits are less effective this time of year, so try a chatterbait, spinnerbait, or paddletail in areas like Blackwater or tributaries of the Upper Potomac. Blue catfish can be caught along channel edges almost anywhere in the Bay right now. Cut alewife is the hot bait.

Recent winds have made things pretty difficult for anglers fishing in Ocean City. Boats that were able to get out to the canyons reported a decent bite for swordfish while deep dropping squid. Some mahi are still around but are low in numbers. Blueline tilefish are still biting in 400 feet to 600 feet of water, as well as some black belly rosefish. The offshore wrecks and reefs have been producing a good number of black seabass, triggerfish, tautog, and some flounder. Bottom rigs tipped with squid or heavy jigs tipped with Gulp have been catching fish. In the inlet, anglers are still catching tautog, but the sheepshead bite has begun to slow down. Target tog with bottom sweeper jigs tipped with sand flea or fiddler crab. The RT 50 Bridge continues to produce rockfish and bluefish for anglers using heavy jigs, diving plugs, live eels, and cut bait. In the surf, we still are hearing reports of a good bull red drum bite, as well as some bluefish and flounder in the mix.

Crabbing continues to hold strong across most areas of the Bay, though activity is shifting deeper as temperatures drop. 12 to 15 foot depthsare holding the best concentrations. Many rivers and tributaries report solid catches. The lower tidal reaches remain dependable. The crabs right now are big and heavy, so get out there while you can.