Chesapeake Bay Striper Fishing: Complete Angler’s Guide

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The Chesapeake Bay is among the major spawning grounds for one of the most beloved game fish on the East Coast: The striped bass.

In the bay and surrounding rivers, anglers have a chance almost all year to catch these fish, which some locals call rockfish. You’ll raise those odds at Chesapeake if you follow the striper fishing tips in this article.

The Chesapeake Bay gathers striped bass when they’re preparing to spawn in a way no other geological feature can, which at certain times of the year gives anglers a shot at some of the largest stripers they’ll see anywhere.

Do note that regulations are in effect to protect these spawning stocks, so pay attention and proceed accordingly. Also, migration times can vary based on the weather in any given year, so the time frames described are approximate. 

Of course, the Chesapeake also offers excellent fishing for many other game fish and shellfish. See our complete guide linked below.

Chesapeake Bay Striper Season

Mature striped bass use the Chesapeake’s tributaries to spawn in March, April and May, while juvenile striped bass remain in the bay for their first two and five years.

These younger fish are smaller and remain in the bay year-round for anglers to target as the regulations allow.

When targeting Chesapeake stripers, be sure to follow all rules to the letter. We have linked to the latest regulations at the bottom of this article, but note that some areas have seasonal closures. Again, read up on the rules before fishing.

It is worth noting that circle hooks are mandated when targeting striped bass in Virginia waters and in almost all situations when anglers target stripers in Maryland waters.

The Chesapeake is one of three major spawning destinations for these fish. The other two are the Hudson River in New York and Delaware Bay, and careful fishery management is crucial to the health of the entire East Coast striped bass population.

Follow our seasonal guide to have your most successful striper season ever.

Chesapeake Bay Spring Striper Fishing

Late winter and early spring, when water temperatures in Maryland and Virginia rise to between 55 and 60 degrees, usually means adult stripers will engage in spawning behavior.

At this point, we’ll see stripers moving in from the coast into the Chesapeake Bay and up the nearby rivers (such as the Potomac and the James) to spawn in a more protected freshwater environment. 

As mentioned, when fishing the bay, it’s critical to know which areas are open for stripers and when, including during this spring season. Maryland publishes a handy color-coded map that we link to at the conclusion of this article.

One of the top spring fishing windows occurs in March when catch-and-release fishing is available in some areas.

Drifting eels near bridge pilings, jigging, and trolling large swimbaits can all be effective methods for targeting early spring stripers, and you can see exactly how to execute those techniques in our how-to section below.

Typically, days with a rising barometer and direct sunlight lifting the water temperature in the bay offer the best fishing.

The exception here would be a rapidly falling barometer that will have fish feeding voraciously before a storm.

Summer Stripers

In the summer months, larger stripers head to cooler waters along the coast, from Delaware Bay up through Maine.

The remaining stripers in the Chesapeake will be juvenile striped bass, which will move to deeper, colder water within the bay.

Jigs, discussed later, are an essential part of your toolbox in the summer.

You’ll have to rely more heavily on a fishfinder to locate structure or schools of bait. Stripers that stay behind will be much less likely to corral bait in shallow bays, where water temperatures will have reached the 70s, uncomfortably warm for striped bass of any size.

Targeting striped bass in any way between July 16 and July 31 is illegal in the Chesapeake and tributaries due to the dangers of even catch-and-release fishing on striper survival during the warmest weeks of the year.

Chesapeake Bay Fall Striper Fishing

In the fall, the entire bay opens back up to recreational anglers targeting stripers. By late fall, the biggest stripers start returning to the bay after fattening up farther north.

We’ll typically see the first migratory fish arriving in early November, with waves of stripers coming through December.

Striped bass will be shallower and feeding more actively this time of year with the cooler water temperatures, so inshore structures like near-shore sand bars and drop-offs will be a more effective target.

Winter Striper Fishing on Chesapeake Bay

The channel edges of tributaries that flow into the Chesapeake can be prime places to target stripers in the winter.

Heavier jigs, big bucktails, and paddle-tail soft plastics can all be effective. 

The warm-water discharge of power plants can be an attractive place for all manner of baitfish and the stripers that will follow them.

Deeper areas of the bay tend to have more stable temperatures, so use your fish finder to search for schools of bait at or below 50 feet. Remember that stripers are less active in colder water temperatures, so slow your presentation.

Chesapeake Bay Striper Fishing Hot Spots

Chesapeake Bay, of course, has different areas that can produce fish to varying degrees throughout the year. We’ll start with the most iconic place:

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel is a stunning 17.6-mile-long bridge with underwater support structures that attract bait and stripers.

Stripers will hold in these current breaks and ambush schools of bait passing by, and they’ll be hard-pressed to pass up a live eel. For specifics on eel fishing, see our how-to section below.

Bait anglers also use chunked or live menhaden rigged on a circle hook around the bridge supports. 

Remember that outside the bay, in the open Atlantic, stripers may be kept year-round as long as they are between 28 and 31 inches. 

Eastern Bay

Between a peninsula known as Romancoke and Poplar Island, there is a portion of the Chesapeake in Maryland known as Eastern Bay that is historically a popular and productive spot for all manner of game fish, striped bass included.

If you examine the Navionics chart of Eastern Bay, you can see where shoals rise as shallow as 13 feet, and drop-offs go as deep as 50, near one another.

The sharp drops and shoals give stripers the structure they need to corral bait like sand eels and menhaden, making the area a particularly productive one.

Diamond jigs and swim shads should produce well here.

Poplar Island

Stripers always use structures like underwater humps, bridge pilings, sunken bridges, or islands to their advantage when corralling baitfish.

Poplar Island is about two miles long and can be a striper magnet. Tide pushing up against rocky shores of the island will dislodge small crabs or pin baitfish on the rocks, and they don’t call stripers “rockfish” in these parts for nothing.

Stripers pick the crabs and baitfish out of the rocks as the tide dislodges them. Fish the island’s northern end when the tide is dropping (outgoing) and the southern end with an incoming (rising) tide.

Romancoke and Matapeake Fishing Pier

The 600-foot Romancoke Pier near Stevensville stretches out into the Eastern Bay for shore anglers hoping to intercept stripers.

The 650-foot Matapeake Fishing Pier on Route 8 is ideal for shore anglers who want to fish in the main bay. This pier is open 24 hours a day, so anglers can fish at first and last light or into the night.

Both of these locations also have boat launches and other facilities and usage fees.

The Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel

Virginia has its share of great striper fishing as well. Among them, the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel offers more structure where stripers can hold near pilings where the bridge meets the shore.

Drifting eels can be effective around the bridge, as can tossing swim shads and bucktails near pilings. 

Fort Monroe Fishing Pier

Nearby anglers fishing from shore would be well advised to head to the Fort Monroe Fishing Pier near the Hampton end of the I-64 bridge in Virginia. 

Also called the Engineer Wharf Fishing Pier, this is a great place for anglers of all ages and skill levels to catch various species, including rockfish. 

Grandview Beach Nature Preserve

For anglers looking for a sandier experience, try the nearby Grandview Beach in Virginia for surf stripers.

With more than 450 acres of salt marshes, creeks, and beachfront, the Grandview Beach Nature Preserve is a haven for all manner of wildlife. You can park on State Park Drive. The area is open from sunrise to sunset.

First and last light will be your best bet, especially when they coincide with high tides. Try moving up and down the beach, looking for surface activity from menhaden.

More Virginia Stripers

We also have a guide to all sorts of striped bass fishing in Virginia, including Chesapeake Bay as well as the commonwealth’s top striper beaches, rivers and reservoirs.

Wrecks, Reefs & More

Want to have some fun? Check out this NOAA site, which gives you a detailed description of wrecks and other sunken habitats along the coast. Wrecks provide structure that will always attract bait and typically stripers as well. 

Patuxent River Mouth

Right where the Patuxent River dumps into the bay in Maryland, the wreck of the Columbia (Wreck 4007) combines structure with moving water. That scenario checks a lot of boxes for drawing in rockfish, and it’s one of the more popular wrecks for Chesapeake anglers.

For anglers unfamiliar with wreck fishing, note that it’s best to use a depth finder to mark the wreck and then fish near it, as fishing right on the wreck will often result in snags or lost tackle.

Point Patience

Farther up the Patuxent River, you’ve got Point Patience near Johnstown. Just off the point is another wreck, labeled S-49.

The combined structure of the wreck itself and the peninsula of Point Patience reaching out into the river are both draws for stripers corralling bait. 

Cove Point Beach

Just off Cove Point Beach, near Cove Point Lighthouse, the state of Maryland has allowed the placement of artificial breakwaters, called reef balls, to protect the erosion of the nearby beach where residents have property.

Erosion protection spurred the initiative, but the artificial reefs have attracted various species of baitfish and the stripers feeding on them. There are two artificial reefs just off Cove Point Beach, and both hold schools of bait that stripers will feed on.

Mimic the predominant forage at the time, whether bunker, sand eels or crabs, and you’ll find cooperative fish.

Taylor’s Island Reef

Off the coast of the Taylor’s Island Wildlife Management Area, southwest of Cambridge, Maryland, there is what is known as the Taylor’s Island Fish Haven.

This is actually a sunken barge deposited in 2003 and later covered with concrete rubble to build an even more robust reef near where St. John’s Creek dumps into the Chesapeake.

The presence of freshwater flowing in and a substantial structure make this a priority spot to target for striper anglers in the bay.

More Wrecks and Reefs

There are plenty more wrecks and artificial reefs worth investigating. Down-imaging sonar will be your most effective means of finding and fishing each, but those pinpointed above are great places to start.

More Maryland Stripers

Where else can you catch stripers in Maryland beyond the Chesapeake? Well, you’ve got coastal beaches and inlets, big rivers and a handful of reservoirs all more than capable of dishing up some great striped bass fishing.

Check out our statewide striper fishing guide to Maryland.

Spotting Stripers

Besides trying top spots like those described above, successful striper anglers always keep their eyes out for signs of feeding rockfish.

There are a couple methods of finding schools of actively feeding fish on the bay.

A timeless way of finding stripers pushing bait is by searching for birds. Striped bass will push smaller baitfish like sand eels or bunker into a ball near the surface. When that happens, sharp-sighted birds like seagulls or cormorants will take advantage from above.

Whenever you see multiple birds diving, there’s likely a school of bait beneath. When motoring over, cut the outboard at a safe distance so as not to spook the stripers underneath.

Casting paddle-tail shads, bucktails, or – and especially in this particular instance – topwater lures, can be deadly. 

If you’re not seeing dropping birds, your best bet is to use your electronics to spot stripers on the screen rather than on the surface of the water. Really, what you’re looking for more often are large masses of bait near the bottom.

Narrow your underwater search by examining a depth chart and finding areas where sand bars, drop-offs and coves will give stripers a structural advantage.

If you’re marking large schools of bait, dropping diamond jigs down and jigging back up through the schools is your most effective bet. 

Chesapeake Bay Striper Fishing Techniques

Now that we know some top places to target stripers in the Chesapeake, let’s focus on exactly how to fish for them most effectively. 

Trolling the Bay

One popular way to target these fish is by trolling giant swimbaits in the spring. Large paddle-tail swimbaits, in the 6- to 9-inch size, in either chartreuse or a menhaden pattern, can be extremely effective.

Use 8- or even 12-ounce jigheads and fish them in the middle of the water column, or roughly between 20 and 40 feet, depending on water temperature and weather. Those larger jigheads will help you get down. 

Vary trolling speeds between 3 and 5 miles per hour, and adjust your troll speed based on the results as you go.

Eeling the Bridge 

From Massachusetts to Virginia, eels are a particularly popular striped bass bait, and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge is no exception.

You’ll want to get a number of these baits if this is your primary means of targeting stripers. Although a bait can last for multiple fish, it typically doesn’t. Eels can be bitten off, or they can tie themselves into knots.

You’ll want to subdue but not kill your eel, making it easier to handle and a more tempting bait. Most anglers either dunk them in frigid water or knock them on the head a time or two.

Run a circle hook through the upper and lower jaw of the eel so that it is free to swim most naturally.

You’ll want an egg sinker of at least a half ounce, depending on current strength, to get the eel down into the strike zone.

Many anglers will use a barrel sinker between two barrel swivels between 18 and 24 inches above a fluorocarbon leader to bring the eel down into the strike zone. Adjust the weight of the barrel sinker depending upon the depth you’re targeting and the strength of the current.

Eels are a particularly promising big-striper bait, but fishing them requires a little finesse and patience, especially with circle hooks. It’s best, when eel fishing, to hold your rod (rather than placing it in a rod holder) so that you can feel the bait get nervous and, ultimately, eaten.

Although it’s tempting, don’t set the hook as soon as you feel the eel get inhaled. Use a circle hook, and allow the fish to run, giving yourself a three-count (one Mississippi, two Mississippi…) before setting the hook.

Because eels are a larger bait, often a striper will chase them or eat them in a few attempts, so reacting to that first strike could pull the eel away.

These tactics also work at the Hampton Roads Bridge and Tunnel through Virginia waters.

Menhaden Madness

If there’s a bait that could vie for a striper favorite with the eel, it’d have to be Atlantic menhaden, also known as pogies or bunker.

Menhaden are silvery, oily baitfish ranging from a juvenile about the size of a car key to an adult that can be almost as big as a license plate. 

What makes menhaden such an attractive bait for rockfish, and any number of species, is that they travel in large, dense schools (often called pods), meaning that with one well-timed swipe, a striper or humpback whale, for that matter, can get an enormous amount of protein. 

However, what makes menhaden such an attractive bait for anglers is what they do when game fish threaten them: They swim to the surface, often creating a visible commotion for the observant angler.

If you scan the water’s surface and you see a patch that seems like it’s getting rained on heavily (but there’s no rain), it’s often a pod of menhaden pressured from beneath.

If you see what looks like invisible cinder blocks falling amidst the rain, that will be stripers, bluefish or dolphins surging up from beneath to get a mouthful.

As mentioned, if baitfish aren’t so visible on the top, you still can mark them on a fishfinder.

Menhaden school so tightly that they’ll appear like a single fish on the screen. The agitated water or diving birds are great indications of their presence to the naked eye. 

When you’ve got stripers blitzing menhaden, you’ve got two options.

The first is simple: Throw an imitation bait, whether that’s a large paddle-tail swimbait or a topwater plug like a Needlefish, near the periphery of the pod and hang on.

Throwing a topwater bait to mimic a baitfish might seem counterintuitive until you see a menhaden being chased. It flees to the top of the water column, creating a wake along the surface, and you imitate that escape attempt with a topwater lure.

It’s best to work a lure around the perimeter of the pod, where it’s more likely to be noticed, rather than to cast it right into the melee, where numerous baits compete for attention.

Your second option is to throw a weighted treble into the pod and use long, swift sweeps of the rod through the school to snag a menhaden, bring it back, and rig it to deploy back into the school.

Some anglers will “snag and drop,” where you simply snag a menhaden and let it swim around with the embedded treble hook, waiting for a striper to inhale bait and hook.

However, where circle hooks are mandated, this tactic is a violation of the regulations.

So it’s best to re-rig your bait on a circle hook, ideally right through the back, so it swims down beneath the school, where it’s more likely to get eaten.

Trolling

Trolling is perhaps the most effective means of finding more elusive stripers in the vast waters of Chesapeake Bay.

Whether you’re using paddle-tail shads like Storm Wildeye Swimshads, larger hard baits like the Sebile Magic Swimmer, or the immensely popular bunker spoons that imitate menhaden so well, you’ll cover more water trolling than with any other technique. 

Try setups with an umbrella rig for maximum efficiency to mimic a school of baitfish with multiple soft-plastic baits on one large rig. The umbrella rig is highly visible and attractive to schooling stripers. 

Bunker spoons are large, painted spoons that mimic a single menhaden and are another trolling favorite.

The most popular speed range for stripers tends to be between 2 and 4 miles per hour. Start at either end of the spectrum and adjust if you’re not getting strikes.

Remember to note the boat’s speed if and when you start catching fish so you can repeat it.

Chart your trolling course in or around structures like those mentioned previously, and keep an eye on the water for birds dropping and bait breaking the surface.

Jig It

For those who’d rather have a rod in hand, jigging can be a great way of targeting stripers that are pushing balls of bait, but to find success with this tactic, you’ll first need to find the stripers.

A jighead of between ½ and 3 ounces, with soft-plastic baits like a Hogy, a Slug-Go, or a Storm Shad, can be a difference maker.

Jigs can be especially effective during the more extreme temperature seasons. In the summer and winter, stripers large and small will plunge to the more stable conditions of deep water.

Even at depths, feeding stripers will still be pushing schools of bait up against any kind of submerged structure, whether drop-offs, bridge pilings or artificial structures.

Both bucktails with a teaser and soft plastics like a swimbait, Slug-Go, or Hogy fished on a heavier jighead can be effective for targeting these schools of fish. 

Shore Fishing For Stripers

Boat-less anglers needn’t fear, stripers can be caught from shore as well.

We mentioned some piers and beaches known for striper fishing higher up in this article for you to try in both states, but in a place as huge as Chesapeake Bay, you also can find plenty of other rockfish hangouts.

Locals don’t arbitrarily call stripers “rockfish” in these parts. Casting to jetties, rocky shoreline structures, or exposed rocks can be enormously effective.

Standard striper fare, rods between 8 and 10 feet, with either monofilament between 14- and 20-pound test or braid between 20- and 40-pound test are ideal.

Bucktails (Andrus makes some great ones), diamond jigs (Ava makes great ones) and swim shads (like the Storm Wildeye Swimshad) are all popular surf and shore choices.

If you see fish breaking on the surface, topwater plugs like a Needlefish can be enormously effective and fun to boot.

Topwater fishing is particularly effective at first and last light, with the sunrise bite being the more common of the two.

Bait-fishing with bloodworms, live eels, and chunks of menhaden (bunker) can all be effective from shore. Just make sure you’re using a circle hook where required.

I offer some more shore-fishing techniques in my how-to article about surf fishing for stripers.

Striped Bass Fishing Regulations

As mentioned throughout this article, various regulations dictate when, where and how you can fish for stripers in the Chesapeake Bay. It will always pay off to check for specifics and updates before leaving home.