UTERBluefish fishing in Chesapeake Bay
In Chesapeake Bay, bluefish peak May and September–October and are around April–November, according to Fish Scouter's month-by-month season calendar. May: Big blues at the mouth and the Bridge-Tunnel; mostly snappers up the bay through summer.
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.
Bluefish in Chesapeake Bay, month by month
- JanuaryNot here
- FebruaryNot here
- MarchNot here
- AprilArrivingStriper 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.
- MayPeakBig blues at the mouth and the Bridge-Tunnel; mostly snappers up the bay through summer.
- JuneAround
- JulyAround
- AugustAround
- SeptemberPeakSnapper blues and some choppers on the middle-bay breaking fish.
- OctoberPeakThe 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.
- NovemberLeaving
- DecemberNot here
Where to fish bluefish 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.
What to use for bluefish
- Finger mulletLip-hooked on a 2/0 to 4/0 circle hook and free-lined, or on a fish-finder rig in the surf. Cut mullet on the bottom for redfish and drum.
- 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.
- 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 58–80°F water, best at 62–74°F.
Questions anglers ask
When is the best time to catch bluefish in Chesapeake Bay?
Peak season is May and September–October. Bluefish are in Chesapeake Bay April–November. May: Big blues at the mouth and the Bridge-Tunnel; mostly snappers up the bay through summer.
Where do bluefish hold in Chesapeake Bay?
Look on fishing pier, channel edge — around Annapolis, Kent Island, Solomons, Tilghman Island, Crisfield, Deltaville.
What is the best bait for bluefish in Chesapeake Bay?
Live bait: finger mullet, pilchards (whitebait), threadfin herring (greenbacks), sand eels. Finger mullet: Lip-hooked on a 2/0 to 4/0 circle hook and free-lined, or on a fish-finder rig in the surf. Cut mullet on the bottom for redfish and drum. Tackle: leader 20–40 lb fluorocarbon, hook #1–4/0, jig head 1/8–1/2 oz, braid 10–30 lb.
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