Artificial Lure here with your Chesapeake Bay fishing report for Friday, October 31, 2025, keeping you in the know from Baltimore down through the DC-area waters.
The **weather this morning starts out rough**: according to WBOC's marine forecast, we've got gusts up to 45 knots and waves running 3 to 5 feet on the open bay. There’s a *Gale Warning* in effect through 6 p.m. today, so if you’re on smaller craft, play it safe and stick to protected waters until conditions ease up.
**Tidal movements are classic for late October.** At the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, first high tide hits around 3:57 a.m. with a second swing at 4:23 p.m.; low tides fall at 10:04 a.m. and 10:39 p.m. Up around Baltimore, expect a similar pattern but shifted a bit later. Sun comes up at 7:27 a.m. and sets at 6:07 p.m., meaning those dusk bites will line up perfectly with the evening incoming tide—just as the weather calms down.
**Fish activity is strong as fall cools the bay:** The warming days are behind us, and water temps dipping into the upper 50s means **striped bass**—locally called rockfish—are getting aggressive and packing on weight for winter. Captain Mike Lintzenich with FIN-ATIC Sport Fishing reports the rockfish bite around bridges and channel edges has been hot, with fish hitting live eels and large soft plastics in deeper water. Slot fish (28 to 31 inches) are showing up regularly, especially at low light and at night.
Side catches have been solid: Black sea bass are leading the parade, with most boats on the lower bay easily reaching their bag limits on fish over 13", and anglers are still picking off a few triggerfish, sheepshead, and flounder up to 24" near structure, especially the Outer Wall and pilings. Bloodworms are producing lots of **white perch** and small stripers in the rivers and creeks—local shops in Kent Narrows and the Chester report bloodworms and grass shrimp as top baits for perch.
**Best lures and baits:** For rockfish, work 5-7” chartreuse or white soft plastics (ZOOM Flukes or BKD lures) on 1- to 1.5-oz jigheads near structure, and don’t overlook a bucktail tipped with Gulp! on the outgoing tide. Bluefish remain in the mix and will attack shiny spoons or metal lures—just bring extra leader material. Live eels fished deep are a go-to after dusk for bigger linesiders. If you’re working bottom around the bridge pilings, green crab or sand fleas are catching sheepshead and tautog.
**Flounder** are still hanging around the drop-offs by the Key Bridge and Bay Bridge, with the top producers being white or pink Gulp! mullet bounced right on the bottom, close to pilings.
**Hotspots:**
- **Baltimore Harbor Shipping Channel edges**—great for jigging stripers and late blues as they herd bait schools.
- **Matapeake Pier and Kent Narrows**—always reliable for perch and slot stripers, especially at first light or right before dark.
- **Chesapeake Bay Bridge pilings**—strong numbers of rockfish, sheepshead, and tog; focus on slack or turning tide.
- The **Potomac near the Wilson Bridge**—producing stripers and perch, with the occasional blue catfish for those soaking cut bait.
Recent reports from Lewes Harbour say weekenders brought in some banner days, limits of sea bass and a handful of big flatties, when folks could get offshore before the blow.
That’s your rundown for this wild-weather Halloween—remember to check those regulations before heading out, keep an eye on the sky, and fish smart. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe for more local fishing intel.
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