Artificial Lure here, with your Saturday, October 25, 2025, Chesapeake Bay/Baltimore-Washington fishing report. We’re up early with sunrise at 7:21 a.m. and sunset coming at 6:14 p.m. Expect crisp, classic fall weather: temps in the mid-40s early, some sun breaking through, and a gentle westerly breeze around 7 mph according to Annapolis weather. Water’s cooling, and bait is thick—prime time for Chesapeake Bay action.

Tidal information is especially useful today. Low tide rolls through much of the Bay just after sunrise (Chesapeake Beach low tide at 1:10 a.m., another around 7:22 a.m. in the lower Bay), with the next high tide peaking around 12:53 p.m. That means your mid-morning to early afternoon hours should see fish on the move, especially near structure and channel edges, as rising water floods the shallows and brings bait in, according to Tide-Forecast.com.

Now, on to what’s biting. Stripers, or rockfish, are the headline this time of year. We have local reports from FishTalk Magazine and the On The Water planner confirming good numbers of 18-25” resident fish with a few larger, migratory ones starting to appear, particularly north from Chesapeake Beach to south of Annapolis and at the mouth of the Choptank. Livelier schools are holding near the deeper edges of channels and bridge pilings—matching up with historic patterns and big concentrations of peanut bunker and adult menhaden showing in the area.

Best baits and lures right now? Bridge and channel anglers are finding success with 1- to 3-ounce jigheads paired with large BKD soft plastics, especially in chartreuse or white, and heavier 40-pound leaders are recommended for those larger migratory fish that can tip 30+ pounds, as covered by Sport Fishing Magazine’s pro bridge tips and validated by On The Water. If the bite is slow, try downsizing to ¾-ounce jigheads and smaller shad bodies for resident schoolies, or tossing soft plastics into bait pods.

Live bait fans: menhaden and spot are still available if you can net them, and drifting these baits near structure is a go-to play. If you’re working the pilings, don’t ignore a big topwater plug early morning or just before sunset—rockfish sometimes blow up bait tight to structure when the light’s low.

Looking for other targets? Reports are thinner this season on American shad in the James River per WHRO, but white perch and catfish remain steady in the upper Bay rivers. A fat bloodworm fished near bottom structure will score you catfish and perch.

For local hot spots, look to:
- The pilings of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge—classic for fall stripers holding deep.
- The shipping channel edges off Chesapeake Beach south to Parker’s Creek—bait thick, bigger fish mixed in.
- Eastern Bay mouth, especially just after low tide as water pushes back in.
- The mouth of the Choptank River—historically productive for chasing those late-fall stripers.

Boat or shore, keep an eye on those tide swings and chase the bait for your best shot. As always with the fall run, “find the bait, find the fish”—big bunker schools equal trophy opportunities.

Thanks for tuning in to today’s report—don’t forget to subscribe for updates on weather, tides, hot lures, and local tips to help you hook up more often. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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