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Coastal Fishing Forecast
October is often an excellent time for chasing tuna and daytime swordfish deep-dropping, so you can bet many anglers will be watching for the right weather-window to head offshore right about now. Closer to home wreck and reef fishing should be fantastic this month, and while sea bass and flounder may provide the bulk of the action, this is when all sorts of cool fish show up in the catch: triggerfish, porgies, cutlassfish, bluefish, and who knows what else. Surf fishing should be on the uptick, too, and in October everything from red drum to pompano can show up along with the usual kingfish and flounder. Let’s hope the winds stay low!
Freshwater Fishing Forecast
The bite’s in full swing this month, people—everything from bass to bluegills will be feeding hard to fatten up for winter before the waters turn cold. Expect the pickerel to start biting, too, as water temps get back into their preferred range. In the rivers smallmouth should be hitting hard as October begins, and depending on just how cool the nights are, by the end of the month start shifting into the deeper holes where they’ll winter. Trout anglers should think about tying on streamers or nymphs, and don’t forget that fall stocking is a thing in many areas; check the Maryland DNR trout and Virginia DWR trout stocking pages to see the latest.
Way North Chesapeake Bay Fishing Forecast
Fall is a great time to be fishing the northern reaches of Bay country and if past is prelude fishing below the dam should be excellent this month with a mix of stripers, smallmouth, and walleye ready to strike lures cast into the pool. blue cats will almost certainly be rampaging this month, too, for anyone willing to drop cut baits in the river especially from Havre De Grace to Port Deposit. The flats may well start off producing fish but expect that bite to become tough as grasses start dying off and floating around. We also note that the last couple of years white perch fishing in the Elk has shined in October, particularly for those using grass shrimp.
Upper Chesapeake Bay Fishing Forecast
The month of Rocktober has arrived, but if this year is anything like the recent past the fish won’t kick into high gear until late in the month. That said, we can hope for rockfish to bite to some degree in the mouth of the Patapsco, around Pooles Island, in the lower Chester, and around the Bay Bridge. As the waters cool off we can also expect the pickerel bite to crank up in the Baltimore area creeks and upper portions of the tributaries. The Upper Bay shoals, meanwhile, should hold white perch for those dropping Chesapeake Sabikis or top-and-bottom rigs baited with bloodworm, Fishbites bloodworm flavor, or grass shrimp.
Middle Chesapeake Bay Fishing Forecast
It is Rocktober, or is it merely October like the past few years? That all depends on the weather but if it stays warm look forward to Rockvember and if it cools down early, dust off the binoculars and look for those birds. There will likely be rockfish in the vicinity of the Bridge, Eastern Bay, and off Chesapeake Beach, but the hands-down winner in recent years has been the mouth of the Choptank. Early in the month we’ll likely still have some bluefish, croaker, and spot around, too, and they’ll stick around as long as the temperatures stay up. A question on everyone’s mind: will sea bass make a return to the Middle Bay this fall? Last year was a disappointment so cross your fingers people, cross your fingers.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Forecast
Rockfish are surely on everyone’s minds this month, as PRFC and Maryland waters remain open and Virginia waters open on the fourth of the month. The Potomac is “old reliable” but we can also expect to see plenty of stripers show up in the Western Shore tribs. As the waters cool off they’ll travel to the river mouths and school up, and with a little luck, bird shows will ensue to light tackle caster’s delight. If not, expect trollers to do best pulling tandems and umbrellas. Also remember that October usually sees a nice uptick in the speckled trout bite, especially in tribs where you can locate grass beds like the Corrotoman, Piankatank, and Mobjack Bay.
Tangier, Pocomoke, and Lower Shore Fishing Forecast
The shallows of the sounds should be on fire this month with rockfish blasting topwater; channel edges should be ripe for action on bull reds for anglers fishing peeler crab or fresh cut spot; and while speck action has been anemic at best this year October should present you with the best opportunity to score on ‘em in 2026 thus far. Note that last year there were also reports of sheepshead and black drum on the reefs and wrecks into mid-month, which could provide an interesting change of pace.
Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Forecast
Specks of decent size have been in short supply all around the dial but if you want to shoot for ‘em, October in the Way South zone is probably your best bet. The best part? The same areas to target, like the lower James, the Elizabeth, and Lynnhaven, are also good bets for encountering stripers. If that species is your focus, however, night fishing at lighted bridges and piers has been the best move you could make the past few seasons. Meanwhile out at the CBBT, expect the bull reds to be in attendance as the month begins but note that they’ll likely be heading south by the time October ends. Same goes for sheepshead, but on the flip side of the coin tautog action will start kicking in. Fiddlers or green crab? In October bring both!