Chesapeake Bay fishing report for the week of October 8, 2026. The fall striper run is building as the water cools. The bay is full of bait, and the birds are working the channel edges. The new moon this weekend should make for strong tides.
What’s Hitting
Striped bass are the headliners, with fish feeding at the Bay Bridge, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and the channel edges. Bluefish and Spanish mackerel are around, speckled trout are in the lower bay and the creeks, and red drum are on the Virginia shoals. White perch and croaker are in the rivers.
Where to Find Them
The Bay Bridge pilings, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and the channel edges near Tilghman are the places to start for stripers. The Virginia Beach shoals and the lower bay hold red drum and trout. The Choptank and Patuxent rivers produce stripers and perch.
Tides & Conditions
The new moon brings stronger tides, and the current concentrates bait along the edges of the channels. The wind can be a factor on the open bay, so watch for small-craft advisories. The cooling water makes the fish more active during the day.
Tackle & Tactics
Casting and jigging are the main methods. A soft plastic on a jig head or a metal jig works for stripers in the channels. Live eels or bunker are the baits at the bridges. Trout take soft plastics and live shrimp. Use a wire leader for bluefish.
The mid-Bay channel edges, such as the Hill and the Cut, hold fish when the wind is calm. Look for the schools of birds and the surface activity, or use your fish finder to locate the bait schools and the striper marks underneath.
Local Intel This Week
Public access includes Sandy Point State Park, Point Lookout State Park, Matapeake Park near Kent Island, and Solomons Island. Fish are concentrating at the bridges and the channel edges. Check current Maryland DNR and Virginia Marine Resources Commission regulations and seasons before keeping any fish, as striped bass rules change often.
This Week’s Tip
Watch the birds. Gulls diving over a patch of water mean stripers pushing bait to the surface. Cast a jig or a soft plastic and let it sink.
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