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Coastal Fishing Forecast
Offshore anglers will be pointing the bow east with visions of yellowfin tuna dancing in their heads. This is generally one of the strongest months of the year to tangle with these beasts, and by now there’s also a shot at hooking up with a billfish. Mahi will likely be around, too, in growing numbers as the month progresses. Meanwhile back at the beach, the coastal bays should be swarming with a solid mix of fish ranging from flounder to bluefish to redfish. Surf anglers can count on better numbers of panfish including kingfish to now be in attendance as well, so pony up for that bag of bloodworms.
Freshwater Fishing Forecast
As June begins bass will still be biting strong and crappie will, too, though by the end of the month if we have high temps the action may well begin to ramp down for summer. But you know what that means: it’s time to target those snakeheads! By now there will almost certainly be a strong topwater bite and enough weed growth that casting frogs into the pads and reeds leads to epic explosions. Late in the month spawning will likely begin (which temporarily makes for a tough bite) but then we can start searching out fry balls. Also expect the blue catfish action to remain strong through the month.
Way North Chesapeake Bay Fishing Forecast
The arrival of June means slot rockfish are now in season here and the timing is awesome, because the bite on the Flats should transition from mostly bass to mostly stripers right about now. In the recent past it’s been a very strong fishery for those slinging plastics and topwater at daybreak or dusk, though it will likely slow up during the midday hours when temperatures start soaring. They’ll likely be hitting well in the dam pool, too, unless heavy rains cause a washout. In any case, you can depend on flatheads and blue catfish to be biting in the river.
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Forecast
You know what it’s all about, people: rockfish, rockfish, and ROCKFISH! If the past is any indication the mouth of the Patapsco, Love Point, and the Bay Bridge pilings will be top prospects. By mid-month white perch should start showing up in the rivers, too—cross your fingers for a better showing than last year, because for long stretches of time it was tough finding those perch in many areas.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Forecast
Again, we shout ROCKFISH! June is generally an excellent time to visit Poplar and cast topwater to the rocks early or late, and sling jigs midday. Or head for the Bay Bridge pilings… or the shallows of the Choptank… or the shallows of the Pax. Hopefully the heat will hold off for a while because once it sets in expect the bite to become tougher with the better windows at dawn and dusk. Note that last year we enjoyed a relatively early run of big bluefish, too, particularly around Sharp’s Island where the trollers did well.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Forecast
Virginia anglers will have the first half of June to go after rockfish (PRFC and Maryland waters remain open for the rest of the month) and specks remain off-limits in VA until July arrives, but we should have more than enough options to stay occupied in these waters for all of June. This is historically an excellent month for chasing puppy drum in the shallows of the tribs, croaker and spot should be around in full force, and bluefish could make a red-hot return to the Target Ship zone. All of this is, of course, slightly overshadowed by the opening of cobia season mid-month. For several years running by the time this date hit the fish were already up to Windmill Point and the Targets.
Tangier, Pocomoke, and Lower Shore Fishing Forecast
Rockfish will be the main game in the shallows and it remains to be seen how many specks show up after that tough winter; VA waters, of course, will remain closed for that species through the month. Fortunately there should be plenty of other species to keep anglers busy on the east side. If 2026 is like 2025 big blues will be patrolling around and willing to smash topwater, especially near wrecks and reefs. Bull reds will likely be around cruising the grassbeds (June is when FishTalk contributor Adam Greenberg was getting them at night from shore last year). And of course everyone will have their fingers crossed for a strong return of cobia this year.
Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Forecast
While the options in this zone are essentially endless, many area anglers will be counting down the days to June 15 and cobia season. The CBBT and the northern shoals are sure to be hot zones for sight fishermen, while chummers will undoubtedly be picking through rays while waiting for a “real” strike. Bull reds, meanwhile, can be counted on to be schooling up around the CBBT islands. Hopefully we’ll get a better run of Spanish mackerel, which was sub-par last year, as well as flounder along the channel edges. And note that sheepshead had a bit of a slow start last season, too, but if you go back to seasons past June should be a good month for them, especially if you get an early start because the first fish to arrive are usually the biggest.