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Fishing the Chesapeake: Stripers, Cats, and Schooling Blues in Early September
Published 7 months, 3 weeks ago
Description
Artificial Lure here with your early September fishing report for Chesapeake Bay, bringing you the local scoop from Baltimore to the Washington D.C. corridor.
At daybreak, expect sunrise around 6:02 AM, with sunset just shy of 8:00 PM. Tides are running strong this week, boosted by the full moon coming up on the 8th, so keep an eye out for those above-average tidal currents and plan your trips around them. This morning’s low tide hit around 5:30 AM with the next high swing at about 8:30 AM, making the early hours prime for casting along the shorelines and structure.
Weather today brings seasonable temps with a light NE breeze, clouds early giving way to sun—comfortable conditions to be on the water.
Now to the fish talk: Striped bass are the stars, especially in shallower zones where cooling water temps have brought them in tighter to shore. The Conowingo Dam pool remains a top spot—locals are catching nice stripers on swimbaits and paddletails, especially around the turbine wash where the bait is stacked. The Patapsco River bite cooled off near the traditional spots, but within Baltimore Harbor, tossing topwater lures and paddletails around dawn or dusk is the ticket. Try the inside bends and pier lines at sunrise when the oxygen levels are still decent. Eastern Bay, the lower Choptank, and Taylors Island are also producing; topwater lures in the morning and evening hours have been drawing aggressive hits.
Blue catfish are showing strong in the upper tidal rivers and farther up Chester River due to higher salinity and lower rainfall. These bruisers are chewing steadily—chunk cut bait or fresh panfish will do the trick. Flathead catfish remain a reliable bet below Conowingo.
Spot and croakers are still active at hard-bottom haunts like Eastern Bay and Tolly Point. Sandy Point near Annapolis is holding steady numbers of spot; a cold snap could move them out fast, so get in while it’s good. For white perch, action’s been fair—try fishing around deep piers or docks with grass shrimp. Dropper rigs work well on knolls in open Bay for perch still hanging around.
Lower Bay anglers trolling surge tubes and small spoons behind inline weights and planers have scored Spanish mackerel and bluefish. At times you’ll find surface-breaking fish chasing bay anchovies—a well-placed metal jig gets right into the bite. Main channels near Tangier Sound and south toward the Virginia line are producing steady numbers.
Flounder reports have picked up, especially near channel edges and reefs throughout the middle and lower Bay. Try drifting with live minnows or Gulp-style soft plastics.
Best baits and lures right now:
- **Striped bass:** Paddletails, topwater plugs, swimbaits, live spot, live eels, soft crab
- **Bluefish & Spanish mackerel:** Metal jigs, surge tube lures, small spoons
- **Catfish:** Cut bait, sunfish
- **Spot & croaker:** Bloodworms, squid, grass shrimp
- **White perch:** Grass shrimp, small jigs near pilings
Local hot spots worth hitting:
- *Conowingo Dam Pool* for stripers and big cats
- *Eastern Bay* and the east side of the Bay Bridge near the 30-foot contour for bass and spot
- *Thomas Point* for bridge pier striper action
- *Baltimore Harbor piers and shorelines* for early morning topwater bites
Keep your eyes open for those breaking schools of blues and mackerel up and down the main channel, and don’t overlook the shallow flats at sunrise as striper feeding windows are tight but productive.
Thanks for tuning in to this Chesapeake Bay fishing report. Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss the best days on the water.
This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in pa
At daybreak, expect sunrise around 6:02 AM, with sunset just shy of 8:00 PM. Tides are running strong this week, boosted by the full moon coming up on the 8th, so keep an eye out for those above-average tidal currents and plan your trips around them. This morning’s low tide hit around 5:30 AM with the next high swing at about 8:30 AM, making the early hours prime for casting along the shorelines and structure.
Weather today brings seasonable temps with a light NE breeze, clouds early giving way to sun—comfortable conditions to be on the water.
Now to the fish talk: Striped bass are the stars, especially in shallower zones where cooling water temps have brought them in tighter to shore. The Conowingo Dam pool remains a top spot—locals are catching nice stripers on swimbaits and paddletails, especially around the turbine wash where the bait is stacked. The Patapsco River bite cooled off near the traditional spots, but within Baltimore Harbor, tossing topwater lures and paddletails around dawn or dusk is the ticket. Try the inside bends and pier lines at sunrise when the oxygen levels are still decent. Eastern Bay, the lower Choptank, and Taylors Island are also producing; topwater lures in the morning and evening hours have been drawing aggressive hits.
Blue catfish are showing strong in the upper tidal rivers and farther up Chester River due to higher salinity and lower rainfall. These bruisers are chewing steadily—chunk cut bait or fresh panfish will do the trick. Flathead catfish remain a reliable bet below Conowingo.
Spot and croakers are still active at hard-bottom haunts like Eastern Bay and Tolly Point. Sandy Point near Annapolis is holding steady numbers of spot; a cold snap could move them out fast, so get in while it’s good. For white perch, action’s been fair—try fishing around deep piers or docks with grass shrimp. Dropper rigs work well on knolls in open Bay for perch still hanging around.
Lower Bay anglers trolling surge tubes and small spoons behind inline weights and planers have scored Spanish mackerel and bluefish. At times you’ll find surface-breaking fish chasing bay anchovies—a well-placed metal jig gets right into the bite. Main channels near Tangier Sound and south toward the Virginia line are producing steady numbers.
Flounder reports have picked up, especially near channel edges and reefs throughout the middle and lower Bay. Try drifting with live minnows or Gulp-style soft plastics.
Best baits and lures right now:
- **Striped bass:** Paddletails, topwater plugs, swimbaits, live spot, live eels, soft crab
- **Bluefish & Spanish mackerel:** Metal jigs, surge tube lures, small spoons
- **Catfish:** Cut bait, sunfish
- **Spot & croaker:** Bloodworms, squid, grass shrimp
- **White perch:** Grass shrimp, small jigs near pilings
Local hot spots worth hitting:
- *Conowingo Dam Pool* for stripers and big cats
- *Eastern Bay* and the east side of the Bay Bridge near the 30-foot contour for bass and spot
- *Thomas Point* for bridge pier striper action
- *Baltimore Harbor piers and shorelines* for early morning topwater bites
Keep your eyes open for those breaking schools of blues and mackerel up and down the main channel, and don’t overlook the shallow flats at sunrise as striper feeding windows are tight but productive.
Thanks for tuning in to this Chesapeake Bay fishing report. Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss the best days on the water.
This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in pa