UTERSpanish mackerel fishing in Chesapeake Bay
In Chesapeake Bay, Spanish mackerel peak July–September and are around June–October, according to Fish Scouter's month-by-month season calendar. July: Spanish on Clark spoons trolled fast along the lower-bay tide rips and up to Point Lookout.
No note for October — see the months around it.
Spanish mackerel in Chesapeake Bay, month by month
- JanuaryNot here
- FebruaryNot here
- MarchNot here
- AprilNot here
- MayNot here
- JuneArrivingCobia month at the mouth; stripers chunked up the bay. Sight-cast bucktails and eels to cobia on the lower-bay shoals and buoys; chum and chunk stripers on the middle-bay lumps; fluke on the Bridge-Tunnel.
- JulyPeakSpanish on Clark spoons trolled fast along the lower-bay tide rips and up to Point Lookout.
- AugustPeakMaryland closes stripers — reds, specks and cobia carry the month. Maryland closes ALL striper targeting August 1–31 (2026). Bull reds on the middle-bay schools, puppy drum and specks in the lower-bay grass, tripletail under the pot floats, big fluke on the Bridge-Tunnel.
- SeptemberPeak
- OctoberLeaving
- NovemberNot here
- DecemberNot here
Where to fish Spanish mackerel near Annapolis, Kent Island, Solomons
The biggest estuary in the country: 200 miles of brackish bay fed by the Susquehanna, Potomac, Patuxent, Choptank, Nanticoke, Rappahannock and James, with oyster bars, channel edges and lumps in the main stem, marsh islands down Tangier Sound, and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel's pilings and islands at the mouth. Salinity climbs from fresh at the Flats to ocean at Cape Henry.
Fish Scouter charts 42 artificial reef spots in the The Chesapeake map area — the kinds Spanish mackerel hold on.
What to use for Spanish mackerel
- Glass minnows (bay anchovies)Thrown by the handful as chum for Spanish, trout and ladyfish, or several on a tiny hook.
- Pilchards (whitebait)Free-lined or under a cork, hooked through the nose on a #1 to 2/0 circle hook. The one bait that catches everything inshore.
- Threadfin herring (greenbacks)Nose-hooked on a circle hook and free-lined, or slow-trolled. Fragile — handle them wet and fast.
- Spanish sardinesNose-hooked and free-lined in a chum slick, or slow-trolled on a stinger rig.
- Leader30–40 lb fluorocarbon
- Braid10–20 lb
Feeds in 64–84°F water, best at 68–78°F.
Questions anglers ask
When is the best time to catch Spanish mackerel in Chesapeake Bay?
Peak season is July–September. Spanish mackerel are in Chesapeake Bay June–October. July: Spanish on Clark spoons trolled fast along the lower-bay tide rips and up to Point Lookout.
Where do Spanish mackerel hold in Chesapeake Bay?
Look on artificial reef, marker / buoy — around Annapolis, Kent Island, Solomons, Tilghman Island, Crisfield, Deltaville.
What is the best bait for Spanish mackerel in Chesapeake Bay?
Live bait: glass minnows (bay anchovies), pilchards (whitebait), threadfin herring (greenbacks), spanish sardines. Glass minnows (bay anchovies): Thrown by the handful as chum for Spanish, trout and ladyfish, or several on a tiny hook. Tackle: leader 30–40 lb fluorocarbon, braid 10–20 lb.
Fish it with the tide in your pocket
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