UTERSummer flounder fishing in Chesapeake Bay
In Chesapeake Bay, summer flounder peak May–September and are around April–October, according to Fish Scouter's month-by-month season calendar. May: Drift the lower-bay channel edges, the Bridge-Tunnel islands and Virginia's seaside inlets with Gulp and minnows.
No note for October — see the months around it.
Summer flounder in Chesapeake Bay, month by month
- JanuaryNot here
- FebruaryNot here
- MarchNot here
- AprilArriving
- MayPeakDrift the lower-bay channel edges, the Bridge-Tunnel islands and Virginia's seaside inlets with Gulp and minnows.
- JunePeakCobia 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, cobia and specks in the grass; stripers at dawn. Troll Clark spoons fast for Spanish on the lower-bay rips; topwater specks at dawn in Mobjack and Tangier; sheepshead on the Bridge-Tunnel pilings.
- AugustPeakBig fluke on the Bridge-Tunnel pilings and the ocean wrecks; bucktail and strip bait.
- SeptemberPeak
- OctoberLeaving
- NovemberNot here
- DecemberNot here
Where to fish summer flounder 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 850 wreck, 42 artificial reef spots in the The Chesapeake map area — the kinds summer flounder hold on.
What to use for summer flounder
- Mud minnows (killifish)Lip-hooked on a jig head or a 1/0 hook dragged along the bottom — the flounder bait.
- SquidStrips on a bottom rig for snapper, grunts and porgies; whole on a deep-drop rig.
- Menhaden (pogies)Nose-hooked on a circle hook and free-lined or slow-trolled; cut in chunks for the bottom.
- Sand eelsFree-lined or on a light jig head for stripers, fluke and bluefish; strips teased on a fluke rig.
- Leader20–40 lb fluorocarbon
- Hook#1–4/0
- Jig head1/8–1/2 oz
- Braid10–30 lb
Feeds in 56–80°F water, best at 62–74°F.
Questions anglers ask
When is the best time to catch summer flounder in Chesapeake Bay?
Peak season is May–September. Summer flounder are in Chesapeake Bay April–October. May: Drift the lower-bay channel edges, the Bridge-Tunnel islands and Virginia's seaside inlets with Gulp and minnows.
Where do summer flounder hold in Chesapeake Bay?
Look on channel edge, artificial reef, wreck, bridge, fishing pier, grass flat — around Annapolis, Kent Island, Solomons, Tilghman Island, Crisfield, Deltaville.
What is the best bait for summer flounder in Chesapeake Bay?
Live bait: mud minnows (killifish), squid, menhaden (pogies), sand eels. Mud minnows (killifish): Lip-hooked on a jig head or a 1/0 hook dragged along the bottom — the flounder bait. Tackle: leader 20–40 lb fluorocarbon, hook #1–4/0, jig head 1/8–1/2 oz, braid 10–30 lb.
Fish it with the tide in your pocket
Fish Scouter scores summer flounder for this hour on this water, draws every reef, wreck and access point near you, and keeps your spots. $9.99 a month, 14 days free.
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