Chesapeake Bay Fishing Forecast: Stripers, Redfish, and a Bouncy Bite on the Back Bays

As of October 18, 2024, the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia is buzzing with fishing activity, despite some challenging environmental conditions for certain species. ### Weather and Tidal Conditions The weather is expected to be partly cloudy with northwest winds, making the back bay areas a bit bouncy. However, this should switch to northeast winds by the weekend. Water temperatures have dropped to around 63 degrees in the middle Bay and 67 degrees in the lower Bay, which is ideal for fall fishing. Sunrise is at about 7:15 AM, and sunset is around 6:15 PM. Tides are moderate, with high tide expected in the late morning and low tide in the late afternoon. ### Fish Activity The shallow water bite is getting good as fish start to feed more aggressively with the cooling water temperatures. Striped bass, also known as rockfish, are active in the shallow waters, particularly in the early morning and late evening hours. Despite the low spawning success reported for striped bass this year, anglers are still catching them, especially in the middle and lower Bay areas. ### Types and Amounts of Fish Anglers are reporting catches of striped bass, red drum, bluefish, and speckled trout. The striped bass are mostly under-slot size, but there are some slot-size fish being caught. Red drum, including both slot and over-slot fish, are being found in deeper waters. Bluefish schools are abundant, with most fish in the 20-to-24-inch range, and some up to 30 inches. Speckled trout and flounder are also being caught in the shallower waters. ### Best Lures and Bait For striped bass, casting poppers and Zara Spooks in the early morning and late evening hours is highly effective. In areas without grass, using paddletails, spin-jigs, crankbaits, and jerkbaits works well. For red drum, jigging Stingsilvers in 30 to 40 feet of water has been successful. Bluefish are being caught using number one and two planers with surgical hoses. For speckled trout and flounder, five-inch chartreuse Jerk Shad and four-inch Gulp paddletails on 3/8th ounce jigheads are recommended. ### Best Fishing Spots Hot spots include the bayfront near Point Lookout, where anglers have encountered a mix of redfish, speckled trout, and striped bass. The area around the Target Ship is also consistent for bluefish and other species. The lower Potomac River, particularly around the Rappahannock and Whitestone areas, is productive for slot red drum and other species. ### Additional Tips Recreational crabbing remains good, especially in waters less than 8 feet deep, with collapsible crab traps yielding better catches. For those targeting white perch, fishing near structure with bottom rigs baited with grass shrimp or minnows is effective. Overall, the fall transition period is an excellent time to fish in the Chesapeake Bay, with a variety of species active and plenty of bait around to attract them. This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.