Come July 16 and the summer closure for rockfish, Cheapeake Bay fishing will change rather radically. Anglers in southern areas will be counting their lucky stars for the blessing of species diversity, while those up north will be digging for angling options. The farther north you go the fewer those options will be. Still, even with rockfish off the table for a few weeks there’s plenty to catch no matter where you’re located.
Fishing Way North
The way we divvy up the Bay in our reports (which we just sort of made up since no one had done it before) the Way North Chesapeake zone ranges from the lower Susquehanna down to around the Gunpowder-ish area. And you folks already know what alternative species number one is going to be: blue catfish. These critters are in the midst of a population boom and not only does that present a danger to native species, it also presents us with an opportunity to catch huge numbers of fish — including some that are quite massive.
WN Blue Cat Tip: Include a float rig in your spread. Some days a bait hovering a foot or so off bottom will out-catch those laying in the mud by a mile.
For our second alternative species we turn our attention towards another invasive: snakeheads. You’ll need the ability to creep into relatively shallow water so kayak and small boat anglers will have the advantage over larger boats with this one, but the awesome battles and epic meals that snakeheads provide are worth testing your draft limits.
WN Snakehead Tip: If you have draft issues look for areas where channel edges come up fast and pad fields are within casting distance, then go there just as a flood tide begins to drop. On falling water the snakeheads will often move out to the edges of the vegetation near deeper water.
Angling in the Upper Bay
This is a broader area as we define it, stretching from Way North all the way down to the Bay Bridge. Rockfish aren’t just the main target in this zone, they are THE target for most anglers, and if July weren’t closed you can bet that countless boats would be running here from points north and south to get in on the action. However, the Upper Bay has a second card up its sleeve: white perch fishing. Although perch certainly don’t have the same mass as rockfish they are prolific, are almost always willing to bite, and are a great fish to take home for dinner. Fishing over Upper Bay oyster shell bottom on shoals (like Seven Foot Knoll, Snake Reef, Belvidere Shoals, etc.) with a Chesapeake Sabiki tipped with bits of bloodworm or Fishbites bloodworm flavor is often the ticket to a hot bite.
Upper Bay White Perch Tip: Schools of perch will shift around on the oyster beds, so drift until you locate a concentration of fish. Then drop anchor or Spot-Lock in place with a trolling motor and you can enjoy fast action, often for hours at a time.
For the second alternate species we go back to the Way North zone’s prime suspect, the blue catfish. Depending on salinity levels they may or may not be prevalent in the open Bay, though most seasons they will be at least down to the Pooles Island area. If salinity is up or you’re fishing to the south you’ll want to head for the tributaries. The Back, Patapsco, and Magothy rivers are all top prospects.
Upper Bay Blue Cat Tip: The higher the salinity gets, the farther up into the tributaries you’ll want to travel. As a general rule of thumb they prefer salinity below 10 psu (though they can tolerate significantly more).
Middle Bay Fishing
From the Bay Bridge down to the Maryland/Virginia line species diversity improves quite a bit and there’s a wider range of potential targets, but we’re going to choose bluefish as our number one alternative based on its historic availability throughout this entire range. Blues regularly make their way up to the Bridge (and sometimes beyond) by the time summer is in full swing, and as an added attraction they often churn the water and can be found in feeding frenzies under flocks of birds.
Middle Bay Bluefish Tip: When the birds aren’t cooperating try trolling three- to four-inch silver spoons behind inline weights or planers. You’ll be able to cover a lot of ground and hopefully locate some fish even when their presence isn’t obvious.
As for species number two, we’re going to take a bit of a gamble in this case and pick red drum. It’s a gamble because no one can predict at this point if they’ll be around in the same numbers and sizes as they were in 2024, but the species has been on a major uptick in Middle Bay waters for several years running. And if they are present in good numbers again this summer you can bet they’ll be a prime target for a lot of anglers. Their range covers the entire Middle Bay zone (plenty were caught in the Magothy last season, too), and can be found along shorelines and piers in areas similar to those one might target rockfish.
Middle Bay Redfish Tip: Slow down your retrieve and keep it close to bottom when fishing the shallows. Reds prefer to slurp up easy meals as opposed to chasing them down, and a jig that’s slowly hopped and crept along bottom has a much better chance of being hit than one that’s ripped along the surface.
Lower Bay, Tangier, and Way South
Count those lucky stars, people, as you have the option to go for any and all of the above — and then some!