Artificial Lure reporting your Chesapeake Bay, Baltimore/Washington D.C. fishing forecast for Monday, November 3rd, 2025. Settle in for the scoop on the bite, weather, tides, tips, and this week’s hottest spots.

Daybreak came at 6:30 AM and we’ll see sunset at 5:04 PM. You’ll have nearly eleven hours of daylight to target the Bay’s fall run. Tidal swings are steady: look for a morning high at 7:30 AM around 2.2 feet, a midday low at 2:47 PM near 0.1 feet, and a high again just before 8 PM at about 2 feet according to the latest from Tide-Forecast.com. Outgoing and incoming tides both have been fishy, so plan trips to hit those moving water periods.

The weather’s started crisp, hovering in the low 50s early with light northwest winds predicted. National Weather Service says we could see gusts up to 20 knots, so bundle up in those open stretches or on the bridges. Water temps are drifting down from the mid-60s to lower 60s, and fish are stacking up ahead of winter.

Now, about the catching: November’s here, and that means an outstanding speckled trout bite is top of the list. Virginia Beach Sport Fishing and other local outfitters report “outstanding” numbers, with nice keeper trout coming from creek mouths and edges all along the upper and middle Bay. Soft plastics in chartreuse or pearl and live shrimp under popping corks have been deadly. If you’re fishing the Baltimore area rivers—like the Patapsco, Magothy, or Severn—focus on shallow grass beds and drop-offs. Mornings and dusk are prime time.

Striped bass are picking up post-storm, and many local anglers say the cool snap plus dropping pressure got the bass on the chew. The past week saw 30-to-40-inch stripers landed around the Bay Bridge pilings and the mouths of the major rivers. Topwater plugs and large paddletails in bunker pattern work well at sunrise; otherwise, switch to jigging metal spoons and white plastics once the sun’s up. Bunker chunks and live menhaden are also producing, especially near deeper structure. The folks at The Average Angler point out that bunker (“peanut” bunker especially) are the big forage now, so match your lures to the hatch.

Puppy drum are still hanging in warmer creeks and flats, and drum sized from slot to upper slot are hitting Gulp baits and cut menhaden. Black sea bass are active around reefs at the mouth, with squid strips and clam the best baits. Tautog are picking up too—green crabs on a simple tog rig, fished close to rocky structure, are hard to beat in November.

If you’re headed toward the southern Bay, red drum remain an option with reports of some big citations landed near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel islands. The CBBT, always reliable, is a top pick for mixed-bag action—stripers, drum, sea bass, and tautog. Farther upriver, try the shallow docks and bridge pilings in Eastern Baltimore County rivers for late-run white perch on bloodworms or small jigs.

Hot spots this week:
- The mouth of the Patapsco River; try soft-plastics on the flats during high tide for specks and bass.
- Chesapeake Bay Bridge piers and rock piles; jigging and live bunker presentations for stripers.
- Magothy River grass beds; early and late light for specks and slot reds.

Best bets for gear: bring your medium-light spinning rods rigged with 1/4 to 3/8 oz jigheads, a selection of paddletails in natural and flashy colors, and don’t forget topwater if you’re out at first or last light. Live bunker, cut menhaden, and bloodworms are top baits in these waters right now. Fly anglers: a 7- or 8-weight rod, intermediate line, and a box of Clousers and Deceivers in olive/white and chartreuse will get you tight.

That wraps it up for today, folks. Tight lines to all, and don’t forget to send in those fish pics. Thanks for tuning in—remember to subscribe to get your bay forecast first. This has been a quiet please production, for more check...

Artificial Lure here with your Chesapeake Bay report for Sunday, November 2, 2025, checking in from the waters around Baltimore and the Washington D.C. corridor.

Sunrise hit at 6:29 AM and we’ll see sunset at 5:05 PM. Tidal predictions at the Bay Bridge Tunnel call for high at 4:55 AM, low at 11:05 AM, and another high at 5:16 PM—a pretty classic setup for moving bait[2]. Above average tidal currents are rolling in through Tuesday thanks to the full moon coming up on November 6, so expect faster water and more concentrated fish[9].

Weather’s coming in colder, riding steady westerly winds this morning and lingering clouds by midday—classic November conditions. That northwest bite in the wind may push fish down a bit deeper, but don’t let the chill keep you off the water; the cooler temps are driving bait out of the rivers and onto the main channel edges[9]. Take it from local sources: when the tide’s moving, fish turn on. Slow water? You’re likely picking through slackers.

Here’s what’s hot on the catch sheet this week:
- **Striped bass (rockfish)** are the main ticket, holding under the Bay Bridge piers, around rock piles, and cruising the deeper edges of every main channel. Folks have been jigging soft plastics and metal jigs right up against the pilings, and trolling umbrella rigs deep with heavy inline weights. Top spots: Eastern Bay, Poplar Island, Choptank River mouth, and Thomas Point[9][10]. The Potomac’s loaded too, with lower tide pulling bass tight to cover. A few tournament angles have reported 25 bass per day isn’t out of reach on a good run[4].
- **White perch** are still on the move—schooling over oyster reefs, hitting dropper rigs with small shad darts, or chewing on grass shrimp and bloodworm bits. You’ll find them grouping up lower in the rivers, then out of the mouths as temps drop[9].
- The **Chesapeake Channa**, or snakehead, continues to flood the system, especially in Maryland tributaries. There’s no limit—bring them home if you hook one[3]. They’ve got a mild flavor and firm texture if you’re into a fish fry, and knocking down their numbers helps every other species.

If you’re chasing numbers, umbrella rigs behind heavy weights are still one of your best bets for big striped bass off the deeper channel edges. For lure choice, paddletails and soft plastics in white or chartreuse remain the fall staple. Live spot are harder to come by, but live eels or small white perch make a solid plan B near bridge structure[9]. Jigging metal or plastic is your top move near river mouths—especially as baitfish flush out under this moon-driven tide.

For bait, grass shrimp and bloodworm pieces work great for perch. Those after speckled trout should focus on Eastern shorelines, near Hooper’s Island and Tangier Sound, casting paddletails when the wind lets up[9].

A couple of legit hot spots:
- **Bay Bridge piers and rock piles**—drift live bait or pitch jigs; you’ll usually find rockfish stacked.
- **Choptank River mouth and Eastern Bay**—tide runs hard here and brings the big bass.
- **Lower Potomac near Piney Point or St. Marys River**—great for jigging deeper water, especially on dropping tides.

Menhaden bait is getting talked up in the news, as catch quotas will be coming down next year. This may mean less easy bait for folks using live stuff, so plan on plastic and metal for consistent action[7].

Quick shout for anyone hunting crabs: jumbo blue crabs are still being found in deeper pockets of the Chester River, so keep that net handy if you’re bottom-fishing[9].

That’s your rundown for today from Artificial Lure—thanks for tuning in! Don’t forget to subscribe for more reports and local tips. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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