We waited, and waited, and waited, and now the 2025 rockfish season is ON! From the Chesapeake Bay’s headwaters clear down to its junction with the Atlantic Ocean anglers like us are in a celebratory mood, as we venture forth onto the Bay ISO slot-sized striped bass. Where will you go? What will you do? The choices are limitless, but consider these five options from north to south to get in on the action.
Toss Topwater at the Top of the Bay
Hit the Susquehanna Flats - one of the Top 5 Mid-Atlantic hotsots for shallow water striper fishing - with a wide selection of dog-walking, chug-a-lugging, surface-disturbing plugs. Remember to choose subtle presentations with spooks and gliders when the waters are calm, and switch over to poppers and propbaits that cause a commotion when there’s a chop on the surface. Low light conditions are key and most of the time daybreak and dusk will by far be the most productive times of day for this gig, so get up early or stay out late.
Bonus Tip: It takes some self-control (well, LOTS of self-control), but be sure to hesitate for a second before setting the hook on a strike. Go off on a hair trigger, and you might yank that lure away before the fish has a chance to chomp down. If you need a refresher or are new to topwater take a peek at How to Fish Topwater Lures.
Liveline at the Bay Bridge
We can’t say for sure when good numbers of spot will arrive but there should be plenty around by now, and if not, white perch also make a solid offering. Hold your boat within an easy cast of the pilings and be sure to use enough weight to keep the baitfish 10’ to 20’ down. If you fish a piling for 10 or 15 minutes without a strike, move on to the next. Any of the pilings can prove productive on any given day, but generally speaking two sets stand out: the east side north bridge spider legs just outside of the deep channel water, and the west side south bridge quad-pilings where the bridges start bending northward.
Bonus Tip: Fill the livewell with plenty of baits, at least four or five per person, because you should change for a fresh bait every time you miss a strike. Once some scales get rubbed off the baitfish or it starts swimming in a lethargic manner the rockfish won’t be nearly as enthusiastic about eating it. Check out How to Fish the Chesapeake Bay Bridges for more intel on hitting this hotspot.
Work Piers in the Middle Bay Tribs
If this season is anything like the past few, by the time June hits we can expect many of the fish in the Middle Bay to have moved into tributaries like the Severn, South, Choptank, Little Choptank, and Patuxent. A top method of catching these crafty critters is working along piers and pilings, especially near points, riprap, and areas where the end of the pier reaches five or more feet of water. Try tossing four- and five-inch paddletails on half-ounce heads, varying retrieves so you probe the surface to the bottom all along the structure.
Bonus Tip: Once the sun is high in the sky expect the fish to move under the piers for shade and cover, which concentrates them more than normal. On sunny afternoons with rising or high water, skipping baits under the planks can be deadly.
Troll the Potomac or Rappahannock Channel Edges
Transition zones with 15’ to 25’ of water are a solid bet at this time of year, and trolling umbrellas with six-inch shad, tandems of the same size, and spoonbrellas can be a killer. Weave back and forth across the depth changes and keep speed in the 2.5 to 3.5 mph range. You have plenty of options when it comes to choosing colors, including ones like white, chartreuse, white, chartreuse, white, or chartreuse.
Bonus Tip: This is a great way for kayak anglers to get in on the action. Rather than traditional trolling lures try pulling jerkbaits and diving plugs, and pedal erratically to give them some extra action.
Night Fish the Southern Tribs
Rockfish are one of the few species which often offer the best action in areas of the Bay farther north, but they’re in these waters clear down to the ocean and in these parts they tend to bite best at night. Scout for lighted piers and bridges, and cast swimbaits and jerkbaits where the water’s illuminated. Ambitious anglers can cause a feeding frenzy by cast-netting bunker, then tossing them into the light with a hook in the back. There’s just one problem: you’ll probably have to put up with bites from a few of those pesky redfish, too. Hrumph!
Bonus Tip: While you will catch fish in the middle of the light, you’ll catch more if you work the edges of the light where it fades out into darkness. Predators prefer to hunt along this light-line, where careless bait doesn’t see them lurking.
So, which of these five angling alternatives will you opt to pursue? All of them are great ways to celebrate striper season, so pick your fav and get ready for some fabulous fishing festivities—or enjoy them all one after the next, on a grand angling tour of Chesapeake Country.