Autumn Anglers: Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report for October 1, 2025

Good morning anglers, this is Artificial Lure with your Chesapeake Bay fishing report for Wednesday, October 1, 2025, coming to you from in and around the Baltimore and D.C. corridor.

We’re waking up to **clear skies and calm conditions**, with temperatures settling comfortably in the mid-70s—almost textbook autumn weather for Maryland’s shoreline, just as Ken Lamb from The Tackle Box in Lexington Park described in his latest report. **Sunrise was at 7:07 AM** with sunset expected around 6:34 PM tonight, which gives you plenty of daylight to chase the bite.

**The tides are in our favor this morning:** A high tide rolled through before dawn, and we’re seeing it fall now, setting up prime action at river mouths and around nearshore structure. If you’re timing your outing today, remember fish in the Bay and its tributaries have been far more aggressive on moving water, so plan to work creek mouths and bridge pilings during the outgoing flows—especially around the Route 4 bridge on the Patuxent, Point No Point, and area salt islands, where the rockfish and blues are crashing bait[Southern Maryland Chronicle].

And speaking of action, the fish have been absolutely **lighting up the bay recently**. Just last weekend, anglers reported hot runs of **stripers (rockfish)** swarming the shallows near salt islands and the mouths of feeding creeks—especially as the outgoing tide kicked in. The **Patuxent River is on fire for rockfish jiggers and trollers** alike, with live spot or eels drawing the most violent hits at the bridge pilings and stone piles. Over on the Potomac, **Ragged Point** and **Swan Point** have been solid for lure casters and trollers.

**Bluefish** are making their presence known all over, both in the bay proper and up the rivers. In the bay, you’ll find chopper blues up to 10 pounds, while rivers and creeks are holding fish anywhere from pan-size up to 4 pounds. For lure selection, nothing beats the classic chrome or bright-blue metal jig, heavy spoons, and soft plastics that mimic spot and peanut bunker. If you want to stick with bait, fresh cut bunker or live spot will put you in business for both blues and stripers.

There’s a massive run of **spot** in the Patuxent right now, biting day and night on bloodworms, while the same rigs are also tipping the scales with a mixed bag of speckled trout, white perch, and black drum for those working the creek mouths in the evenings. No real sign of steady perch schools, but they’re popping up here and there with the right tidal push.

Lower Potomac and up the Patuxent, the **blue catfish** are thick as thieves—perfect targets if the winds pick up or you want to fill your cooler. Cut menhaden or chicken livers are the top baits for these whiskered invaders, and with the latest conservation push, there’s no reason to let any big eaters go; they’re delicious and help the ecosystem out[Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Seafood News].

For the artificial crowd, **crankbaits in bright chartreuse or shad patterns** are killing it in stained river water, especially when bumped off rocks or bridge pilings. Medium-diving crankbaits, soft swim shads, and bucktail jigs are also top producers wherever bait schools are present, following the advice from On The Water on matching the hatch and working eddies and current breaks.

**Hot spots you shouldn’t miss today:**
- **The mouths of the Patuxent and the Route 4 bridge pilings**—nonstop action for rockfish, blues, and spot.
- **Point No Point Lighthouse and nearby salt islands**—top-tier for stripers, blues, speckled trout, and puppy drum on an outgoing tide.

Don’t forget, Maryland DNR has a one-rockfish per angler daily limit (19-31 inches), 25 spot, 50 white perch, and 10 bluefish—so know your regs, and make sure you’ve got your fishing license in hand.

Thanks for tuning in to this Chesapeake Bay fishing update—remember to subscribe and stay hooked for your next tide turner. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI