After looking back at several years of May reports here’s what should be in store for Chesapeake Bay and Mid-Atlantic anglers this month; remember that if you want to see our current, up-to-date, detailed fishing reports (which go out every Friday at noon) you can subscribe here.
Coastal Fishing Forecast
May is a great time to be at the beaches or fishing in the back-bays. Flounder fishing should be in full swing by now, and tautog, striped bass, and bluefish could all be snapping in and around the inlets. Anglers heading for the wrecks and reefs will be waiting for mid-month when black sea bass come back into season. And offshore anglers may get a shot at yellowfin as they run up the coast. It will likely be surf fishing, however, that is the real highlight this May. Just about all the serious spring surf fishing species could be in play: black drum, red drum, migratory striped bass, big chopper bluefish—all are good prospects.
Freshwater Fishing Forecast
Various species will be spawning this month and just how the different bites progress will depend to some degree on what the weather does. Crappie should be past their spawn by now, headed for structure on or near the shoreline but in slightly deeper water. By mid-month the smallmouth should be finished as well, and begin to feed hard to re-energize. And as for largemouth bass, at the beginning of the month we’re likely to see them on beds and by the end of the month they ought to be in post-spawn patterns. Snakeheads should really wake up this month, too, and begin blasting those frogs and mice.
Way North Fishing Forecast
Shad fishing might still be a thing as April wraps up, although even if they do hang around for a bit that action will likely be done in another week or two. And anglers in this zone will have another month to wait before rockfish come into play, since May remains closed for the upper reaches of the Bay. Fortunately, the past couple of years have seen some very good bass action plus snakeheads on the flats and in the rivers this month. In the Susquehanna catfish including blues and flatheads are usually pretty active right about now, too.
Upper Bay Fishing Forecast
As of the first of the month rockfish are IN, people! If the past few seasons are any indication the Bay Bridge and Love Point are likely to produce fish, while catch-and-release anglers should enjoy good action in the mouth of the Patapsco. Setting those rockfish aside for a moment, here’s a question that’s sure to be on many minds: will white perch show up in the tribs later this month? Or, will they remain difficult to find during 2026?
Middle Bay Fishing Forecast
As of the first of the month rockfish are a go—and the main-stem Middle Bay is entirely open (though most tributaries remain closed to harvest and/or targeting rockfish entirely). The Bay Bridge, the mouth of Eastern Bay, Poplar Island, outside the mouth of the Choptank, and the lower Potomac are all likely suspects. Plus, don’t forget that last season, starting in late April and running through mid-May good numbers of black drum were caught as far north as Sharp’s Island. Fingers are crossed for a repeat of that action.
Lower Bay Fishing Forecast
The middle of the month marks the opening for striped bass harvest season in Virginia and Potomac River Fisheries Commission waters, though you can catch-and-release fish in either at any time this month. Last May anglers enjoyed a few bites in all of the Western Shore lower tribs, with specks and redfish making their initial showing in May as well. This winter’s cold stun may well put a damper on things as far as the speckled trout action goes (note that they're close until June 30 in Virginia waters to protect the spawning stock thanks to that winter die-off), but hopefully some will head northward up the Bay. Last May we also saw some croaker, including some barely-keepers, show up at the mouths of the Rappahannock, York, and James. Fingers are crossed that they come back bigger.
Tangier, Pocomoke, and Lower Shore Fishing Forecast
Lots of options should be in the Sounds and along the lower Shore at this point; hopefully the specks and reds will make a stronger showing in the shallows than they did last season (and let’s hope the specks didn’t get slammed too hard during the winter cold stun; don't forget about that VA closure). And while the slot reds were tough to find last May, bigger drum of both varieties were around on the channel edges and drops, ready to suck down peeler crab baits fished on bottom near the depth changes. Blues made an early appearance last year, too, particularly around relatively shallow wrecks where they were blasting topwater—let’s hope that happens again.
Way South Fishing Forecast
If this season is anything like last year May will prove prime for catching black drum on peeler crab chunks, schools of big bull reds will move into the area, and bluefish will likely be prowling our waters as well. Before the month is out the sheepshead should reappear, too, so get ready to grab those fiddlers and fish ‘em right up against structure. The beginning of the month is also prime time to get in on some tautog action around the CBBT pilings before they go out of season on the 15th. Fortunately, slot stripers come in at the very same time tog go out, presenting yet another option for anglers. Note that in the past the lower Elizabeth has been an excellent bet for making mixed catches of stripers and slot reds, while tossing paddletails and plastics to docks and bridge pilings.