As we reach the end of summer, the fall fishing season in Chesapeake Bay improves for some species, though we begin to say goodbye to some of the migratory species that call the Chesapeake home for the summer.
September offers us a mix of species to target. With many migratory fish still spread throughout the Chesapeake, anglers get to enjoy most of the month fishing for bluefish, puppy drum, striped bass, and some Spanish mackerel in the middle to upper Bay areas. At times, depending on salinity factors, Spanish mackerel may reach the Bay Bridge just north of Annapolis.
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Most of the bait is a mix of peanut bunker and rain bait, which consists of silversides and bay anchovies. These small, abundant baitfish are enjoyed by all predatory species when the tide cycles happen, forcing bait balls to move around. Casting metal jigs or spoons is the best way to catch bluefish, Spanish mackerel, and striped bass when they are feeding on small rain bait. Some of the most popular jig choices are the 1- to 1½-ounce G-Eye Jigs Rain Minnow, 1- to 2-ounce Sting Silver, and 7/8- to 1¼-ounce Hogy Epoxy Jigs in the olive, silver, and green colors. Just south of Annapolis, Poplar Island is one of the best areas to target all three species, especially during the first and second weeks of September.
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Shoreline structures throughout the upper and middle Bay areas have white perch, striped bass, and even some puppy drum, with most of the stripers and drum ranging from 13 to 19 inches long. Small, 3- to 4-inch paddletails and spinners are two favorite lure options when fishing for perch, striped bass, and puppy drum; some local favorites are the ¼-ounce Perch Hounder and Z-Man MinnowZ on a 3/16- to 1/4-ounce jighead.
The lower Bay from Solomons, Maryland, to Virginia has a good amount of cobia in September. Over the past few years, cobia fishing in Maryland waters has been outstanding during the last few days of the open-harvest season, which ends on September 15. Trolling big red, orange, and purple tubes on planers is one of the preferred methods in Maryland waters. Trolling around the Middle Grounds near the Target Ship and following the false channel to Solomons can produce cobia and even some bull red drum. Sight-fishing for cobia can still be done, and most anglers seek them out from Point Lookout south into Virginia waters. However, you can also sight-cast for cobia around the same areas where most anglers prefer to troll.
Bull reds will still be around the southern portion of the Chesapeake until mid-October, but in Maryland waters, they begin to move south from mid- to late September. The Middle Ground area near the Target Ship holds bull reds as well, and they tend to school and move around, sometimes making them visible on the surface. Bull reds also hold around underwater structure like small reefs. When they are found in schools, casting large soft plastics or big feather jigs can get them to bite. Most anglers opt for something like a 7-inch Z-Man DieZel Minnow on a 1½- to 3-ounce jighead. When fishing hard structure, using a tog jig with a chunk of crab is the best way to catch redfish, and might even entice other species to bite, like black drum.
Once we reach October and the first few storms bring cooler air to the region, fishing starts to change all over the Chesapeake. In the upper Bay, October is well known as Rocktober because striped bass fishing picks up steam as they feed heavily before the winter months. As water temperatures drop in the rivers that feed the Bay, baitfish start to flow out into the main body of the Chesapeake, where they school up to begin their journey south. This is a cue for striped bass to follow the bait as they exit the rivers and head south into the lower reaches of the Chesapeake. Striped bass will be active and aggressive for most of the day during this time of the season and will readily hit most of the lures you cast to them–especially when they are feeding on bait balls on the surface.
Topwater fishing in the shallows is what most locals in the upper and middle Bay prefer, but chasing birds over schools of baitfish is another way to find feeding stripers. Walk-the-dog-style topwater plugs and 5- to 6-inch soft-plastic paddletails on ½- to 3/4-ounce jigheads are the first lures anglers reach for when pursuing stripers this time of year.
As we look south during October, most of the bull reds and cobia have left Maryland waters and headed into the mouth of the Chesapeake. Bull reds will stay there until the end of the month, but cobia will be long gone within the first two weeks. Fishing for bull reds in the first to the second week of October around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge tunnel can bring the best drum fishing of the year. Some of the heaviest fish of the season are caught during that two-week period. Jigging bucktails or soft-plastic paddletails around the bridge pilings is one method, along with live-lining croaker or chunking hard crabs in the same area.
Overall, October can be one of the best months to be a fisherman in the Chesapeake. With striped bass feeding recklessly in the upper portion of the Bay and bull reds doing the same in the lower Bay as they prepare to move out, it’s a bittersweet time of year for many. Get out there and make the most of it.
Alex Gallardo-Perez is the Fishing Manager at Anglers Sport Center in Annapolis, MD, and a monthly columnist for On The Water Magazine. You can follow him on Instagram @mid_atlanticadventures.
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