Chesapeake Bay Fishing Seasons

Please scroll down to see a description of the typical seasons we fish throughout the year.  We follow the fish up and down the Chesapeake Bay, to give you the best chance of having a great day on the water!

April - Susquehanna Flats:  This is the world famous Susquehanna Flats that every serious light tackle and fly fisherman has heard about.  We launch out of Havre de Grace, Maryland to take advantage of this trophy catch and release fishery.  At times you can catch very large fish on topwater in just a few feet of water.  If you have never seen a 20 pound or larger rockfish eat a popper in shallow water, it is something to put on your 'to do' list.  Light tackle and fly rods are used along with surface poppers, 6 and 10-inch BKD's on light jig heads, and large flies on strong hooks.  If fly fishing you need to be able to consistently cast a reasonable distance with a large fly, so 9-wt and 10-wt rods are typically used.

May through early June - Mid-Chesapeake Bay:  After leaving the Susquehanna Flats we come back to our home waters of the mid-Bay.  During the first few weeks of May large, post-spawn fish are available on offshore humps and lumps as they chase down large menhaden before heading up the coast for the summer.  At times you can see menhaden up to 14" long getting flipped into the air by rockfish up to 30 pounds and sometimes larger!  Again strong hooks and tackle are a must.  This can be a somewhat technical bite, and we will cast and jig as necessary depending on where the fish are and how fast the drift is that day.  Sinking lines are typically used for fly rods, and jig heads of about 1/2 ounce for light tackle.  This is one of my personal favorite fisheries, and has been extremely reliable the past few years.  Later in May and early June as the larger fish head down the Bay we start to see the summer resident fish as the water warms.

Late July through September - Mid-Chesapeake Bay:  Resident fish start to blitz on bay anchovies during the dog days of summer, and some years continue to do so right into the fall.  This is a great time to learn to fly fish as casts do not need to be as long as in the spring, and its a great time to practice fighting fish on a fly rod.  Fish can be anywhere from 12 inches up to 24 inches, sometimes larger, and bluefish and spanish mackeral are typically in the mix most years, giving you a chance for the Chesapeake Bay Summer Grand Slam.  Some days the sheer number of fish blitzing and caught is amazing.  We typically concentrate on the more open waters of the Chesapeake Bay, as the water temperatures in the tributaries is usually too high for gamefish.  Take a look at the video below, and see what the summer fishery is all about: