It's not easy to find the best Chesapeake Bay fishing charter, especially because the Bay is full of knowledgeable guides and charter captains ready to show you the ropes. Narrowing it down to just one can be tough. To help, we've put together a directory of top professional light tackle guides, charter fishing boats, and head boats that can get you started on your quest. Whether you like light tackle jigging, fly fishing, trolling, or bottom fishing, there’s a local expert who can lend a hand. If you're just now trying to learn how to fish our Fishing for Beginners articles are perfect for you, but if you'd like to jump-start the learning process nothing will be more effective than stepping aboard for a Chesapeake Bay fishing charter.
Coastal | Upper Bay | Middle Bay | Lower Bay
Potomac River | Tangier Sound and Lower Shore | Way South
Coastal Charter Fishing
Capt. Monty's Morning Star
Sea bass, tautog, and flounder fishing on inshore wrecks.
Capt. Monty Hawkins, 443.235.5577
Ocean City, MD
morningstarfishing.com
Schedule Sea Charters
True offshore charter boat fishing on an authentic Carolina boat in the heart of Ocean City. Target species include bluefin tuna, yellowfin tuna, white marlin, blue marlin, mahi mahi, wahoo, swordfish and tilefish.
Capt. James Coane, 772.485.1185
fishoceancity.net
Upper Chesapeake Bay Charter Fishing
Stella Charters
Family light tackle guided fishing! Rockfish, redfish, pickerel, speckled trout, tuna in Ocean City, and bird watching trips
Capt. Eric Goodrich, 301.257.0838
stellacharters.com
Middle Chesapeake Bay Charter Fishing
Badfish Charters
Half day, full day striped bass fishing charter trips, & cruises.
Capt. Mike Kent, 410.708.6754
Kent Narrows,Grasonville, MD
badfishcharterfishing.com
Back Creek Charters
Light tackle charters for rockfish, perch, and spot. Kids summer fishing camps.
Capt. Pat Love, 410.707.3805
Annapolis, MD
backcreekcharters.com
Fish With Weaver
Light tackle and fly fishing charters for rockfish, redfish, spanish mackerel, speckled trout, and pickerel.
Capt. Tom Weaver 410.533.0928
Annapolis, MD
fishwithweaver.com
Griffin’s Guide Service
Chesapeake Bay light tackle and fly fishing guided trips for bull redfish, cobia, rockfish, and speckled trout.
Capt. Steve Griffin & Capt. Drew Grahame, 443.624.0088
Deale, MD
griffinsguideservice.com
Good Fish Outdoors
Family-friendly crabbing and light tackle fishing charters on the Severn River and Middle Chesapeake Bay.
Capt. Josh Pasquariello, 410.934.7230
Annapolis, MD
goodfishoutdoors.com
Mikey's Guide Service
Light tackle charter fishing out of Chesapeake Beach for rockfish, bluefish, perch, spot, trout, and drum, and Chincoteague, VA for flounder.
Capt. Mike Johns, 667.301.6644
Chesapeake Beach, MD
mikeysguideservice.com
Rock On Fishing Charters
Family friendly light tackle & fly Chesapeake Bay fishing charters.
Capt. Scott Barmby, 240.372.1864
Chesapeake Beach, MD
fishrockon.com
Salty Siren Fishing
Chesapeake Bay light tackle fishing guide for striped bass fishing and more.
Capt. Chuck Jones, 410.353.0589
Pasadena, MD and Solomons, MD
saltysirenfishing.com
School of Rockfish
Light Tackle fishing lessons | 5-hour fishing trip | 1-3 anglers
Captain Tim Sughrue, 410.935.4023
Trappe, MD, on Porpoise Creek
[email protected], schoolofrockfish.com
Lower Chesapeake Bay Charter Fishing
Fish Redeemer
Fish Redeemer is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization designed specifically to meet the needs and concerns of wheelchair bound guests.
301.706.0375
Ridge, MD
fishredeemer.org
Four Seasons Guide Service & Light Tackle Charter
Specializing in Chesapeake Bay light tackle fishing guide services from Rock Hall to Point Lookout.
Capt. “Walleye” Pete Dahlberg, 703.395.9955
St. Leonard, MD
walleyepete.com
Potomac River
Apex Predators Potomac Creek, LLC
Guided fishing trips targeting snakehead, catfish, rockfish, and crappie.
Capt. Mike Sielicki & Capt. Chris Evans, 540.408.3113
Potomac Creek, VA
fishapex.com
Fish The Potomac
Washington, DC monster blue catfish fishing charters and tours aboard a Grady-White 330 Express, Boston Whaler 230 Dauntless, or Parker 2320 SL.
Capt. Tim Blanchard, 202.703.1141
The Yards Marina, Washington, DC
fishthepotomac.com
Tangier Sound and Lower Eastern Shore Charter Fishing
Tangier Sound Charters
Specializing in fishing, scenic cruises, and Island exploration.
Capt. C.L. Marshall, 410.251.7341
[email protected]
Way South
Custom Tides Guide Service
Saltwater Light Tackle & Fly Fishing
Capt. Jason Yost, 757.650.2291
customtidesguideservice.com
Hear some tips from the best Chesapeake Bay charter guides around, in this short video.
Tips and Tactics from Chesapeake Bay Fishing Guides
The professional fishing guides and charter captains who are in FishTalk are offered the opportunity to help all you anglers out there catch more fish by participating in our Ask the Expert column. Check out this series and you'll gain angling intel on all sorts of topics. Captain Tom Weaver shares his favorite pickerel fishing tips; Captain Mike Sielicki talks about fall snakehead fishing; Captain Pete Dahlberg discusses light tackle fishing for striped bass; and many more Chesapeake Bay charter fishing sharpies chime in.
Why Hire a Chesapeake Bay Charter?
There are many reasons dedicated anglers hire charters and fishing guides on the Chesapeake Bay. They may not have a boat capable of hitting a certain fishery, they may be traveling and unable to take their boat with them, or they may simply want to learn the tactics and tackle that the pros use. Take out a fishing charter and you’ll discover that no matter how good an angler you may or may not be, you’ll learn a ton by seeing how different fishermen do things differently. But anglers, especially those who rarely hire a boat, should consider a few items from the charter’s perspective in order for the experience to be a good one for everyone involved:
- Mates generally work for tips, and in the fishing world, 15 percent is considered sub-par and 20-percent is considered the norm.
- Surcharges for losing or breaking expensive gear, or clean-up fees for unusually bad messes made due to carelessness (both of which are commonly disclosed upfront or on a charter’s webpage), are not abnormal.
- Glass bottles are generally not acceptable on boats, so get beverages in cans.
- Captains set their own policies on drinking alcohol aboard, but as a rule of thumb, while drinking beer is generally accepted drinking hard liquor often is not. Getting drunk aboard is never acceptable.
- The captain and crew generally have a much wider network of fishing intel, and a good feel for what’s biting and what isn’t. Listen to their advice, or accept that you may have a low catch rate.
Paying clients, fishing charter captains, and mates all have the same ultimate goal: having a fun, enjoyable trip. Catching lots of big fish is a part of that, but it is never the sole determining factor. A professional mate once told us that his biggest tip of the year came from a party that had an excruciatingly difficult day of fishing, and didn’t put a single fish in the cooler. After tipping him, they rebooked the boat for another day. The reason why? The captain and crew showed them a great time and they had a ton of fun. That, anglers, is what fishing is all about. And if you want to have fun while learning from a professional Chesapeake Bay fishing guide, those listed above can help make it happen.