UTERTautog fishing in Chesapeake Bay
In Chesapeake Bay, tautog peak November–April and are around year-round, according to Fish Scouter's month-by-month season calendar. January: Tog on the Bridge-Tunnel islands, the Cell and the lower-bay wrecks; blue crab and fiddlers tight to the structure.
The fall bay: birds working everywhere, the speck bite starts. Jig and topwater the breaking stripers; drift the lower-bay grass and creeks for specks and puppy drum; the yellowbelly spot run off the piers.
Tautog in Chesapeake Bay, month by month
- JanuaryPeakTog on the Bridge-Tunnel islands, the Cell and the lower-bay wrecks; blue crab and fiddlers tight to the structure.
- FebruaryPeakColdest water of the year — tog, perch and released stripers. Tog on the lower-bay wrecks on calm days; white perch deep in the tributaries; slow jigs for stripers where it's legal to target them.
- MarchPeakWhite perch run up the rivers; spawning stripers move in. Shad darts and grass shrimp in the tidal rivers for the perch run. Maryland's spawning rivers and the Susquehanna Flats close to striper targeting March 1 — know the maps.
- AprilPeakStriper spawn in the rivers; the first big blues and drum at the mouth. Main-bay stripers catch-and-release in Maryland (spawning reaches closed); tog on the Bridge-Tunnel; black drum and bull reds start on the Eastern Shore shoals. Virginia closed speckled trout April–June in 2026.
- MayAround
- JuneAround
- JulyAround
- AugustAround
- SeptemberAround
- OctoberArrivingThe fall bay: birds working everywhere, the speck bite starts. Jig and topwater the breaking stripers; drift the lower-bay grass and creeks for specks and puppy drum; the yellowbelly spot run off the piers.
- NovemberPeakThe fall tog bite on the Bridge-Tunnel and the Chesapeake Light Tower wrecks.
- DecemberPeakBig ocean stripers back at the mouth; tog and winter specks. Trophy migrants return to the lower bay and the Bridge-Tunnel (Maryland catch-and-release from December 6 in 2026); tog on the Bridge-Tunnel; specks in the Elizabeth River.
Where to fish tautog 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 tautog hold on.
What to use for tautog
- Fiddler crabsA #1 hook through the back corner of the shell, dropped tight to the piling — the sheepshead bait.
- Blue crabsWhole and small for permit and tarpon; halved or quartered on the bottom for black drum, redfish and cobia.
- Leader30–60 lb fluorocarbon
- Hook2/0–7/0
- Braid30–65 lb
Feeds in 44–72°F water, best at 50–64°F.
Questions anglers ask
When is the best time to catch tautog in Chesapeake Bay?
Peak season is November–April. Tautog are here year-round. January: Tog on the Bridge-Tunnel islands, the Cell and the lower-bay wrecks; blue crab and fiddlers tight to the structure.
Where do tautog hold in Chesapeake Bay?
Look on artificial reef, wreck, bridge, fishing pier, marker / buoy — around Annapolis, Kent Island, Solomons, Tilghman Island, Crisfield, Deltaville.
What is the best bait for tautog in Chesapeake Bay?
Live bait: fiddler crabs, blue crabs. Fiddler crabs: A #1 hook through the back corner of the shell, dropped tight to the piling — the sheepshead bait. Tackle: leader 30–60 lb fluorocarbon, hook 2/0–7/0, braid 30–65 lb.
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