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COASTAL FISHING FORECAST
Summer is here and it’s time for some mixed species action. Hopefully the tuna bite will be a bit better than last year, but either way by this month the mahi-mahi bailing should be in full swing. Along the beach surf fishers can hope for blues, kingfish, and spot, and don’t forget that last season there were a good number of redfish in the surf of Assateague for those willing to give the night bite a try. We can also expect rockfish to be around the bridges spanning the bay behind OC, flounder to be biting in all of the coastal bays, and bluefish snapping in the inlets.
FRESHWATER FISHING FORECAST
We hope you’re willing to get an early start, because once the heat of July sets in the bass will be looking to cool down and fishing before the sun gets high in the sky will often be the key to success. If you have snakehead in your sights, on the other hand, you’re in luck because these fish don’t mind the heat—look for the thickest growth in the shallows and start popping that frog. In the reservoirs expect crappie to be suspended in relatively deep waters near structure like bridge pilings and standing timber. And even though the bite might not be epic, river anglers often groove on July since this is a great time of year to try some wet-wading and stay cool the natural way.
WAY NORTH FISHING FORECAST
You have two weeks of rockfish until we go into shut-down mode but even after that July will be a great time to hit the Flats, thanks to the snakeheads and bass. This month should provide some good fry ball fishing, so be sure to grab some frogs and flukes. We can also expect the catfish bite to be as hot as the weather this month, especially anywhere in deeper waters within sight of the 95 bridge. Or go a bit farther upriver and time your fishing to coincide with a water release to enjoy the best of the summertime smallmouth bite.
UPPER CHESAPEAKE BAY FISHING FORECAST
It’s all about the rockfish in this zone of the Bay, so be sure to enjoy some catching before the middle of the month arrives. Once the shut-down kicks in hitting the tribs and creeks will be a good move if you’re hoping to target white perch, or head a little farther upriver to hit the snakeheads. Oyster bottom and shoals should be producing plenty of perch and spot right about now, too.
MIDDLE BAY FORECAST
Let’s cross our fingers that by the time the shut-down hits, we have some species other than rockfish to go prowling around after. Everyone’s fingers are crossed for a return of the redfish we enjoyed last year, and with the early appearance of bluefish the chances seem good that plenty of blues will be around all summer long. If we’re extra lucky in 2025 maybe Spanish mackerel will show up on the early side (or at least just show up), too.
LOWER BAY FORECAST
Will those redfish be around in the strong numbers they displayed last year? We can’t predict it, but we certainly hope so. Either way we should be seeing plenty of bluefish, panfish, and hopefully decent numbers of speckled trout as well. Let’s also hope that the flounder numbers keep going up season by season as we’ve seen in the past few years. There should be a good cobia bite going off by now, too, at least up to the Rap and hopefully beyond.
TANGIER, POCOMOKE, AND LOWER SHORE FORECAST
This season started off on the slow side for specks, but hopefully the cold winter wasn’t too harsh on their numbers and more will be showing up as the season progresses. Just remember that once the serious heat sets in the best shallow water bite will likely be early and late in the day, with the fish shifting to slightly deeper structure once the sun is high in the sky. We did have a good start on the redfish in this neck of the woods, so the chances seem better around here for a hot summertime bite targeting this species.
WAY SOUTH AND VA FORECAST
While the opportunities here are basically too vast to list out, there’s no doubt that cobia will take the top billing as summer sets in. Remember that last season they were finicky about what they’d hit, and casting big twitch-baits sometimes out-produced even compared to eels. Another B-I-G tug you’re likely to encounter in this neck of the woods comes from monster bull redfish, which spent much of last summer prowling around the CBBT islands and were often happy to slam six- and eight-inch paddletails. Hopefully we’ll see a repeat of this action, as well.
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