Autumn Angling on the Chesapeake: Striper Schoolies, Tautog, and Jumbo Perch in Your Midweek Fishing Report

Artificial Lure here with your Chesapeake Bay fishing report for Wednesday, November 5th, 2025. Sunrise hit at 6:31 AM and you can expect sunset about 5:03 PM tonight. Today’s weather is proper fall: brisk air in the low 50s with west winds around 10 to 15 knots early, tapering to calmer breezes by tonight—just remember there’s a Small Craft Advisory in effect from 6 a.m. till 6 p.m., so hang tight if you’re in a smaller rig. Waves are running 2 to 3 feet according to WBOC’s latest marine update. Turning to tides, Chesapeake Beach saw a solid morning high right after sunrise—peak was around 3.57 feet at 6:35 AM, dropping to low at 12:56 PM, and another high tide pushes in around 6:57 PM, crested about 2.95 feet by evening. That first light tide change is exactly what you want for active fish, especially if you’re targeting stripers, so if you slept in, plan your outing around the dusk window or an outgoing tide in the late afternoon. Fish activity is classic fall pattern, but you gotta work for your bites. The Fisherman and Southern Maryland Chronicle report striped bass are on the move, feeding heavy when you find ‘em schooled up on channel edges around the Key Bridge, down to the flats near Tolchester, and the traditional haunts near the Bay Bridge pilings. Lots of schoolies, with a few slot fish—most in the 19 to 24 inch range. Outgoing tide into slack produces the hottest bites, and dawn and dusk have been best. Best lures for these stripers are five-inch white Z-Man Diesel Minnows fished on half-ounce jig heads, blue and chrome Rat-L-Traps, and the ol’ reliable Chartreuse Bomber Long A after dark. A slow retrieve with soft-paddle tails has been out-fishing fast jerks. Don’t be afraid to toss a topwater spook if you see surface busts—especially at sunrise. For bait, fresh bunker is king if you can get it; otherwise, cut menhaden, live eels, and soft crab all draw strikes. Tautog fishing is hanging strong on hard structure—think pilings, reef balls, and rockpiles on the Severn River mouth and at the Bay Bridge. Main bait is green crab or half-hard sand fleas, fished tight to the bottom. These fish are finicky this time of year, so keep baits small and presentations natural. White perch are moving into their winter holes. Your best bet is targeting deeper drop-offs around bridge abutments, pier pilings, or the mouths of the Patuxent and Magothy. Dropper rigs tipped with bloodworms or grass shrimp work great, or small jigs with Gulp for artificials. Bluefish numbers are dwindling but a few are hanging near the Potomac and Chester mouths, especially on an outgoing tide. Metal spoons and epoxy jigs are still producing the last of the run. For speckled trout, as Salt Water Sportsman notes, colder weather pushes trophies toward the deeper holes and grass beds in the southern Bay, particularly on the flats near Lynnhaven and Back River—try twitch baits at nightfall if you’re after a wall-hanger. Hot spots today: - The Bay Bridge pilings for This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.