Good morning anglers, Artificial Lure here with your Chesapeake Bay and Baltimore/Washington fishing report for Saturday, November 1st, 2025.

Let’s kick it off with the **tide report**: If you're on the central Bay near the Bridge Tunnel, expect high tide just after 5:00 AM at 2.7 feet, low at 11:06 AM, then rising again for a 5:22 PM high at nearly 2.8 feet. Sunrise clocks in at 7:28 AM with sunset at 6:06 PM—so you’ve got a full day’s light to work those tides according to Tide-Forecast.com.

**Weather-wise, we’re coming off the back of that big storm system.** Winds are pushing from the west, still pretty stiff, with a Gale Warning just lifting by daybreak and a Small Craft Advisory in effect until 6 AM. Expect waves around 2-3 feet out on the main stem—so keep safety in mind, especially if you’re planning to hit the open water, as reported by WBOC Weather. The good news is, those heavy winds and quick drops in pressure often push the fish to feed aggressively right before and after the blow, as noted by local bloggers like The Average Angler.

**Water conditions are clearing up with the cool front, and November’s chill is definitely in the air.** The daytime is expected to stay cool and sunny with little chance of rain, according to The BayNet’s foliage and weather forecast. As leaves peak, water clarity in the rivers should improve, especially as outgoing tide drains the creeks.

Now—the main attraction in the Bay right now is still **rockfish (striped bass)**. Anglers have been catching them from the lower Potomac up into the Bay Bridge pilings and even some mid-Bay structure. FishTalk Magazine says the mouths of the Potomac and Rappahannock are solid bets, and if you’re local to Baltimore/Annapolis, look for birds and breaking fish near the Bay Bridge, the Patapsco, and Love Point.

Stripers are pushing bait hard—especially peanut bunker and silversides. Recent ASMFC reports and on-the-water chatter say the catches have been modest in numbers but decent in size, with the migration not quite peaking like 2024’s mayhem. Still, there are quality fish around, even with those management discussions making headlines this fall.

For **baits and lures**, fall is a prime time for both artificials and natural offerings. Soft plastics like the Prawn USA shrimp imitation (from Salt Strong) are killer around docks, bridges, and marsh banks—skip-casting them tight and slow across structure. Try them on a 3/8 to 1/2 oz jighead, varying your retrieve as the water chills. Also, classic bucktails paired with large soft trailers work wonders on deeper edges or when jigging under birds. Don’t overlook metal jigs such as Spoon Minnows or Kastmasters for the breaking schools—cast, let drop, and rip with erratic pops.

If you want to soak some bait, stick with **fresh-cut bunker or live eels**, especially on those deep channel edges or around the mouths of the rivers. Fish are still holding tight to moving water and dropoffs, and live bait with enough scent is nearly impossible for big rockfish to ignore. Remember to check your local regulations on circle hook requirements for bait fishing to help with catch and release survival.

Other reports show white perch and some decent spot remain in upper tributaries, and the occasional late-season speckled trout has been caught in southern reaches. For panfish, bloodworms, grass shrimp, and small jigs will fill buckets along the shoreline.

**Hot spots today:**
- The pilings of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, especially on moving tide near sunrise.
- The mouth of the Patapsco River and Love Point rip-rap.
- For bigger, late-season stripers, the deeper ledges of the lower Potomac and the mouths of the Rappahannock.

Thanks for tuning in to today’s report. Be safe, fish smart, and don’t forget to subscribe for more local intel and updates! This has been a quiet please production,...