Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report: Stripers, Cats, and Invading Stone Crabs

Hey folks, Artificial Lure here with your Chesapeake Bay fishing report for Friday, September 12th, 2025, coming to you from right here on Virginia’s salty doorstep. Sun rose over the bay at 6:44 AM and we’ll lose that final light just after 7:16 PM. Today’s tide rundown is key: your morning low slipped through at 8:37 AM with a skinny 0.07 feet, and the next high will be stacking up around 2:12 PM at just over 2.3 feet. That last evening low settles in at 9:40 PM. With these late summer swings and a soft NE breeze, water clarity should hold steady, though recent weather briefings warn of elevated tides and minor flooding during tomorrow’s midday high—so keep an eye on that shoreline if you’re launching from lower-lying ramps. Now, let’s talk water and weather. Surface temps have been above normal all week, which matches up with what marine biologist Romuald Lipcius from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science described as *historic* warmth for this time of year. That’s big news for crabbers—a few have already plucked “chunky stone crabs” from local pots, a species normally found farther south. They’re moving in on our oyster reefs, drawn in by the heat and the growing shellfish beds. These big-clawed newcomers can crush most anything, so don’t be surprised if you see more stone crab claws at the markets soon. On the angling front, we’re seeing a shifting bite. Striped bass—rockfish—continue to be a challenge in the Upper and Middle Bay. Folks targeting them around the Bay Bridge piers, Thomas Point, or up near the Susquehanna are working hard for their keepers. Low-light is your best ally: dawn and dusk casting with soft plastic jigs, paddletails, and surface poppers is turning up the best fish. Some are also picking up stripers by live-lining spot or drifting cut spot or soft crab right up tight to structure, especially during a good running tide. Blue catfish are hot all over, especially up around the lower Susquehanna and in deep holes like beneath the old railroad bridge. Fresh cut shad or chicken livers tossed out on sturdy rigs are pulling in cats up to 30 pounds—great for filling a cooler. The Chester, Choptank, and even the tidal Potomac are giving up heavy cats. Now, if you’re trolling outside the river mouths or working the channels, Spanish mackerel and bluefish have surged in the Lower Bay, especially between the Target Ship, Cedar Point, and Point No Point. Small Drone spoons in silver or gold, or Clark spoons rigged behind number two planers, are bringing fish over the rail. Mix in a few surgical tubes for a shot at a blue. Folks at the Target Ship and near Tangier Sound are also running into the occasional red drum—look for working birds or slicks, then drop large soft plastics or baited soft crab to the marks on your fishfinder. Perch are hanging around docks and oyster beds, and white perch action is picking up on dropper rigs tricked out with little soft plastics or Sabiki rigs tipped with grass shrimp or bits of peeler This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.