Chesapeake Bay VA Fishing Report: Catfish, Perch, Shad & Drum Biting Across the Lower Bay

This is Artificial Lure with your Chesapeake Bay Virginia fishing report for Monday, April 21, 2025. First light hit at 6:28 a.m. today with sunset coming at 7:42 p.m., giving you a long, mild spring day to wet a line. Weather’s been on the cool side, but daytime temps are heading up into the 60s and light wind means it’s a good day to be on the Bay. Water temps across the lower Bay are in the upper 50s to low 60s, holding steady with the recent cooler air. Tides at Point Lookout saw high tide just after 4 a.m., low at 11:21 a.m., then another incoming tide peaking near 4:30 p.m. Moving water mid-morning and late afternoon should really turn on the bite, especially for catfish and perch. The striped bass season is still closed throughout all Maryland Bay waters until mid-May, so stow the striper gear for now. Instead, blue catfish are stealing the show just about everywhere. The bite’s been excellent north of the Bay Bridge and is also solid in all the lower Bay tidal rivers. Folks are hauling up blue cats well into the double-digits and even topping 30 pounds in places like the mouths of the James and Rappahannock rivers and around the Tolchester and Rock Hall areas. Best bet for bait is fresh-cut gizzard shad or menhaden on a fish finder rig. Channel catfish are also plentiful at the river mouths and flats. White perch are finishing up their runs and starting to move downriver, so targeting creek mouths and lower river stretches with bloodworms, grass shrimp, or small spinner jigs should fill the cooler. Anglers working the upper reaches of the Bay tributaries report steady action on shad—dart and spoon tandems are the ticket, and fly anglers are scoring them too, especially up on the Mattawoman, Rappahannock, and James Rivers. If you’re after something different, black drum are starting to show on the eastern side near the Middle Grounds, Target Ship, and Mud Leads. The drum want fresh soft crab if you can get it, but frozen soft crab or even clams can get the job done. Watch your sounder for big marks close to the bottom and drop bait right to them. Hot spots to try today: Look for blue catfish near the mouth of the James River around the Monitor-Merrimac Bridge Tunnel and up the Rappahannock near Tappahannock. For mixed bag action, White House and Tangier Sound always draw a crowd this time of year. Those after black drum should hit the Middle Grounds when the tide starts moving. Best lures: Cut bait (gizzard shad, menhaden) for catfish, small paddletail plastics for white perch, tandem darts and spoons for shad, and chunks of soft crab for black drum. That’s your report for today—tight lines and save me a spot at the rail! This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.