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Chesapeake Bay (Annapolis) Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 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.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Next tide
High 12:31 AM
Air / High
92 / 92 F
Wind
NW 8 mph

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

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 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.

4/5Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Chesapeake Bay (Annapolis) sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. Today brings cloud cover, wind NW around 8 mph, rising pressure near 1012 hPa and a high of 92. Tides: high 10:32 AM, low 6:01 AM and 5:08 PM: the moving water either side of each change is when this place feeds. Water sits around 72 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Striped bassExcellent

Surface action windows at dawn; otherwise free-lines and planer boards over long points and humps.

BluefishExcellent

Follow the bunker and mullet schools: blitzes can erupt anywhere on the beach. Wire or heavy leader always.

Redfish (red drum)Excellent

Prime sight-fishing: tailing fish on shallow flats, schools pushing water. Weedless spoons, shrimp under a popping cork, cut mullet in the guts.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 83 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

Tides

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

Fri
LOW6:01 AM1.0 ft
HIGH10:32 AM1.2 ft
LOW5:08 PM0.3 ft
Sat
HIGH12:31 AM1.8 ft
LOW7:14 AM1.0 ft
HIGH11:43 AM1.2 ft
LOW6:11 PM0.4 ft

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp92 F
High / Low92 / 72 F
WindNW 8-14 mph
Pressure1012.4 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain98% cloud, 78%
Sunrise / Sunset06:37 / 19:32
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~72 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Showers, 92/72 F, wind 9 mph, rain 78%

Slow. High rain chance; fish the front edge before it arrives.

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

The reservoir heavyweight. Follows shad and herring schools in open water year-round. Surface action windows at dawn; otherwise free-lines and planer boards over long points and humps.

Bluefish illustration

Bluefish

Best: Sep-Oct blitzes

The ocean's most honest fish: when blues blitz bait on the beach, everything with hooks gets bit. Follow the bunker and mullet schools: blitzes can erupt anywhere on the beach. Wire or heavy leader always.

Redfish (red drum) illustration

Redfish (red drum)

Best: Sep-Nov bull run

The copper-flanked king of the flats and surf: tailing in inches of water, schooling by the hundred in fall. Prime sight-fishing: tailing fish on shallow flats, schools pushing water. Weedless spoons, shrimp under a popping cork, cut mullet in the guts.

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 72 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~72 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, Sep 3

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 93 F, wind to 9 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 85 F, wind to 11 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 95 F, wind to 8 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

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: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Nearby waters

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