| January |
Striped Bass, Tautog |
Jigging/chunking deep holes, crab on structure |
Trophy stripers in lower Bay; tautog excellent on CBBT and wrecks |
| February |
Striped Bass, Tautog |
Jigging deep channels, green crabs |
Big rockfish in the lower Bay; tautog peak before spring |
| March |
Striped Bass (spawn run) |
Bucktails, swimbaits in upper Bay |
The Susquehanna Flats spawn run begins — iconic Bay fishing |
| April |
Striped Bass, Yellow Perch |
Live eels, soft plastics, spinners |
Peak trophy striper season on the Flats; yellow perch in tributaries |
| May |
Striped Bass, Cobia |
Topwater, live eels, sight-casting cobia |
Cobia appear at CBBT — sight-casting to fish following rays |
| June |
Cobia, Striped Bass (deep) |
Live eels, downriggers for deep bass |
Cobia peak; summer stripers go deep — target on downriggers |
| July |
Cobia, Spanish Mackerel |
Live spot, topwater at the CBBT |
Cobia continue; Spanish mackerel in the main Bay channel |
| August |
Cobia, Bluefish, Spanish Mackerel |
Live bait, topwater poppers |
Late cobia; excellent bluefish on topwater; red drum building lower Bay |
| September |
Striped Bass, Bluefish |
Topwater plugs, bunker chunking |
Bass season resumes — best topwater fishing of year begins |
| October |
Striped Bass, Red Drum |
Topwater, live bunker, surf fishing |
Peak fall striper run; red drum in lower Bay and tributaries |
| November |
Striped Bass, Bluefish |
Chunking, topwater, surf |
Trophy stripers through mid-November; bluefish migrating south |
| December |
Striped Bass, Tautog |
Jigging deep channels, crab on structure |
Late-season stripers; tautog returns to hard structure |