This is Artificial Lure with your Chesapeake Bay and Baltimore/DC area fishing report for October 26, 2025.

We’re rolling into late October, and the bite around the Bay has that classic fall pulse. Weather this morning is crisp and seasonable, with overnight lows in the high 40s and mid-day temps expected up in the 60s, moderate winds out of the west—perfect for layering up and hitting your favorite spot early. There’s a bit of haze expected as the sun peeks over the horizon, and it’ll rise at 7:22 AM with sunset at 6:13 PM. A bright moon will rise near midday, so plan accordingly.

For those timing the tides, here are your key marks: low tide hit at 8:00 AM, just as lines hit the water for many; next high tide is coming around 1:32 PM, and the evening low lands at 9:05 PM. Tidal swing is moderate today, which should keep bait moving within creeks and along shallow ledges—all good news if you’re fishing structure or chasing that push around channel edges, especially on outgoing water, according to tide-forecast.com.

Let’s get to the fish. Recent action has been robust, with the Lower Bay seeing solid striped bass and red drum stacked up, particularly around the Monitor-Merrimac Bridge Tunnel and the mouths of feeder rivers. Anglers are reporting limits on mid-slot stripers using soft plastics, jigged bucktails, and paddletails. Red drum have been hitting cut menhaden and large soft plastics, especially just after sunrise and on the flood tide, as reported by Great Days Outdoors. There’s a nice push of bluefish scattered throughout—look for diving birds off the shipping channel edges and throw metal spoons or Gotcha plugs for quick action.

Sheepshead and spot are still making a showing near rockpiles and pilings, especially at the Key Bridge and up toward Hart-Miller Island. Fiddler crabs and fresh peeler are hard to beat along those pilings. White perch are snapping too—bloodworms and grass shrimp under a float will put plenty in the cooler.

As for lures and baits, the October pattern is about matching the hatch. Soft plastics in 4-5 inch profiles, particularly bunker and alewife colors, are producing for both stripers and reds. If you’re into live bait, eels and live spot are hot right now for the bigger bass near channel drops. For artificial fans, ¾ oz jigheads with chartreuse or natural shads do the trick. If you’re surface scouting, try walking the dog with a spook at dawn. The bite doesn’t get much better than that topwater strike this time of year.

Hot spots to try:

- **Baltimore Harbor and Patapsco River mouth:** Excellent for stripers and late-season blues working the shipping channel edges at first light.
- **Thomas Point and Severn River mouth:** Solid perch and schoolie action with a shot at decent trout if you’re working the grass flats.
- **Monitor-Merrimac Bridge Tunnel:** Multi-species opportunity for reds, stripers, and sheepshead, especially on the tide turns.

Reports from FishingBooker and recent charters have confirmed that folks are putting together double-digit days on stripers in these spots, with reds showing up in both overslot and keeper sizes. The main complaint is that some days, the fish show up on sonar but don’t want to chew—so keep switching up your presentation until you dial it in. According to BBC Boards and recent kayak tournament updates, jigging metal spoons right into bait balls has been producing great results when fish are chasing shad near the surface.

Don’t sleep on shallow grass beds in the afternoon warmth. Sun-warmed water can crank up speckled trout or surprise you with a late-season flounder.

That wraps up today’s Chesapeake Bay fishing action. Thanks for tuning in to your daily fix with Artificial Lure. Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a tide or a tip.

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