Share your catch
US

Chesapeake Bay (Annapolis) Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

America's estuary at Annapolis: rockfish culture, chumming fleets and two hundred rivers' worth of fishing braided into one great bay.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Next tide
Low 10:03 PM
Air / High
61 / 62 F
Wind
NE 8 mph

Sources: NOAA tides 8575512, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Chesapeake Bay (Annapolis) rewards those who follow the bait as the water cools. Today brings clear skies, wind NE around 8 mph, steady pressure near 1027 hPa and a high of 62. Tides: high 3:14 AM and 3:52 PM, low 9:35 AM and 10:03 PM: the moving water either side of each change is when this place feeds. Water sits around 64 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:40 AM-11:40 AM and 10:09 PM-12:09 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Striped bassExcellent

Spring and fall are the shoreline seasons: ODWC points to windblown points, riprap and dams during the May shad spawn and the pre-winter feed.

BluefishExcellent

Fall turns the migration south toward the South Atlantic Bight, and fish feed along beaches and inlets on the way. Follow the bait and the birds.

Redfish (red drum)Excellent

Late summer into fall is spawning time (mid-August to mid-October on the Gulf, per TPWD), and big adults gather off passes and beaches. Surf and pier anglers soak fresh cut mullet, larger live mullet or blue crab on bottom rigs.

Tomorrow: Similar at 60 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

Maryland requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $32.00 for residents, and salt water needs its own licence here. What a Maryland licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing striped bass here? Check the size and bag limits with MD DNR before you keep anything. The season dates for Maryland, read off the agency, are on the Maryland seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings.

Tides

NOAA station 8575512 (Annapolis, US Naval Academy). Fish the moving water either side of each change.

Fri
HIGH3:14 AM1.4 ft
LOW9:35 AM0.5 ft
HIGH3:52 PM1.4 ft
LOW10:03 PM0.6 ft
Sat
HIGH3:55 AM1.4 ft
LOW10:13 AM0.3 ft
HIGH4:41 PM1.5 ft
LOW10:58 PM0.6 ft

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp61 F
High / Low62 / 49 F
WindNE 8-12 mph
Pressure1027.3 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:23 / 18:16
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~64 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Chesapeake Bay (Annapolis) this week

The best day on Chesapeake Bay (Annapolis) this week looks like Sunday Oct 25, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Sunday, Oct 25 β€” good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
9:40 AM-11:40 AM and 10:09 PM-12:09 AM
Minor period
4:01 AM-5:01 AM
Sun
07:23 to 18:16
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Partly cloudy, 11 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Chesapeake Bay (Annapolis): seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Striped bass illustration

Striped bass

Best: spring and fall inland; on the coast, during the seasonal migrations

The largest of the temperate basses, a sea-run fish of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts that now also lives in reservoirs across much of the country after hatchery stocking. Inland, it follows schools of shad and herring through open water. Spring and fall are the shoreline seasons: ODWC points to windblown points, riprap and dams during the May shad spawn and the pre-winter feed.

Bluefish illustration

Bluefish

Peak harvest: May-Oct, most in Jul-Aug (NOAA)

Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) are sharp-toothed schooling predators that move up and down the Atlantic coast with the seasons and feed in surface blitzes on menhaden, silversides and squid. Fall turns the migration south toward the South Atlantic Bight, and fish feed along beaches and inlets on the way. Follow the bait and the birds.

Redfish (red drum) illustration

Redfish (red drum)

Best: late-summer and fall bull run; inshore all year

Red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), called redfish across the South, is a bronze inshore drum with a black spot near the tail, fished on grass flats, oyster bars, marsh creeks and beaches from the Chesapeake around Florida to Texas. Late summer into fall is spawning time (mid-August to mid-October on the Gulf, per TPWD), and big adults gather off passes and beaches. Surf and pier anglers soak fresh cut mullet, larger live mullet or blue crab on bottom rigs.

When to come: the Chesapeake Bay (Annapolis) calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Striped bass
Bluefish
Redfish (red drum)
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 64 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~64 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Chesapeake Bay (Annapolis) today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 69 F, wind to 9 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 67 F, wind to 10 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 70 F, wind to 10 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used if we need to ask you about your report. No mailing list, no spam.

Before you go

License

Maryland requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Maryland Chesapeake Bay sport license. Striped bass: seasonal windows/slots change yearly: check MD DNR before every trip.

Access

Sandy Point SP, Truxtun Park, Tucker Street ramps; charter fleets creek-wide.

About this water

The mid-bay at Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, MD. America's rockfish estuary.

Fishing Chesapeake Bay (Annapolis): the full guide

The bay of bays

The Chesapeake is America's largest estuary: 200 miles of drowned river valley whose name means rockfish (striped bass) to every mid-Atlantic angler. Our Annapolis anchor covers the mid-bay heart: the Bay Bridge's pilings, the Eastern Bay grass, the chumming fleet's anchored city off Podickory and the light-tackle jigging revolution that remade the fishery.

Rockfish rhythms

The striper year runs: spring trophy season (big migrants at the channel edges: trolling parades under strict windows), summer's chum-and-jig standard (bridge pilings, Love Point, the Hill), fall's bird-chasing blitzes bay-wide, and the winter deep-jigging that modern electronics unlocked. Seasons and slots shift annually with the stock: check Maryland's current rules always: the bay manages hard because it matters.

Beyond the rock

White perch fill every river and pier (the bay's democratic fishery), spot and croaker run the summer bottom, blue catfish exploded through the tidal rivers (harvest encouraged: they eat everything), snakeheads rule the creeks' grass (a bowfishing-and-frog-lure cult), and red drum push north in warming summers: the bay's cast keeps evolving.

Annapolis practicalities

Sandy Point State Park's ramps face the Bay Bridge (the mid-bay's launch of record), Truxtun and Tucker street ramps serve the Severn, and the charter fleet sails from every creek. Wind against tide builds the bay's famous chop: small boats respect the forecast: and the Bridge's pilings remain the single most reliable structure in Maryland water.

Common questions

When is striped bass season on the Chesapeake?

Windows shift annually with stock health: Maryland sets spring trophy, summer-fall and closure periods each year. Review current DNR rules: the bay's future depends on the discipline.

What else does the mid-bay fish well for?

White perch everywhere, blue catfish (huge and harvest-encouraged) up the rivers, summer spot, and snakeheads in the creeks. The rock is the crown: the menu is deep.

Is fishing good at Chesapeake Bay (Annapolis) right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Patuxent River11 miChoptank River30 miLoch Raven Reservoir33 miLiberty Reservoir36 miGunpowder River42 miSusquehanna Flats42 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

Tide predictions
NOAA CO-OPS 8575512 β€” Annapolis, US Naval Academy
Harmonic predictions, datum MLLW, local time. 12 high and low events returned for today and the next two days. A prediction, not a measured water level: wind and surge move the real thing.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 38.9800, -76.4800 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written guide was drafted with AI assistance. Unlike our newer pages, it does not yet list the official pages its facts were checked against: that audit is under way, and anything it cannot verify will be taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.