Maryland and Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report
The Bay and its tributaries have finally thawed enough for boats to sail and anglers have wasted no time getting back on the water. Fishing options remain slim, as some backwater areas and rivers are still choked with skim ice or large chunks of floating ice that are creating navigational hazards. However, striped bass, yellow perch, pickerel and crappie are fair game for those who can find enough open water to safely fish.
Captain Jamie Clough of Eastern Shore Light Tackle Charters said he got out only once this past week to scout the ice situation and reported very cold water temperatures hovering just above freezing. The skipper believes that in about a week, once water temperatures have stabilized a bit, he and Captain Mike should be back to running striped bass trips. For those who are interested in booking a striper trip with ES Light Tackle Charters, head to their Facebook page for rates and contact information to inquire about their upcoming availability.
Alex Perez at Anglers Sport Center in Annapolis reported:”We are finally able to get out into some open water and wet a line! 80% of the bay is open and ice-free, so it’s time to start fishing again. There was some action over these past few days with anglers heading out to look for striped bass and even some yellow perch. Most anglers have been fishing the power plant in Calvert Cliffs and they’re getting a few striped bass to bite around the warm water discharge. A majority of those fish are between 20- and 30-inches, with a few over 40 inches in the mix. At times, there have been some fish in open water just outside Cove Point to the mouth of the Patuxent River in 30 to 50 feet of water. The bite should continue to improve over the next few weeks as temperatures stay above freezing.
The yellow perch bite at the mouth of the Susquehanna River is starting to pick up; it’s not quite red-hot action yet, but it’s about that time of year when the bite begins to develop. Anglers have found a few smaller schools of yellow perch in the 40- to 60-foot range so far, and like the striped bass fishing, this bite will also improve in the next two weeks.”
Sailing out of Snow Hill on the Eastern Shore, Captain Walt of Light Tackle Charters said: “There are still plenty of floating sheets of ice on the upper Pocomoke River, but I’m able to launch and maneuver around them; I don’t want to try to just plow through because some are a few inches thick. Clients are appreciating my efforts and they’re being rewarded with pickerel, crappie and yellow perch. I usually end my winter trips on the Pocomoke River at the end of February, but things may extend into early March this year.”
We’ve made it through to the other side, folks. Gone are the days of temperatures in the teens. Daily highs are slowly but surely climbing into the 40s, and by this time next week, areas that are still frozen at the time of this writing should be entirely free of ice. The weather looks great on Saturday, so dust off your striper gear, spool up your ultralight combos for perch and pickerel, and seek out some open water before we’re hit with what is hopefully the last of this winter’s storms on Sunday.
2/12/2026
Significant portions of Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries are still frozen over which is keeping boat fishermen docked and the striped bass unbothered. Anglers who are itching to wet a line have either picked up ice fishing or are heading south to Virginia to jump on party boats that are running offshore to the black sea bass grounds. It’s a tough time to be a waterman in the Bay, but it appears there is at least a brief warm up on the way.
Temperatures around Annapolis are forecasted to climb into the 40s and 50s over the next week, and with overnight lows above freezing, the tidal rivers should be slowly beginning to thaw. When open water is once again available, there will opportunities to chase perch, chain pickerel, catfish, and striped bass (catch-and-release only).
For now, consider ice fishing in the mill ponds for largemouth bass and chain pickerel, or making a road trip down to Virginia to jump on a charter and fish for jumbo black sea bass and tautog.
2/5/2026
This is supposed to be a fishing report, not an ice report, but that’s the state of Chesapeake Bay right now. Frozen. So are the tidal rivers, and while the deep freeze has been frustrating for recreational anglers and charter captains/guides alike, there is a silver lining. Historically, very cold winters with plenty of snowfall—which equates to heavy snowmelt in the spring—have been associated with successful striped bass spawns in the Bay’s tributaries come spring. The bass are getting a rest from fishing pressure for now, but Maryland anglers are hopeful that next week’s milder temps will thaw out some of the boat launches and marinas. The striper bite was excellent leading up to the deep-freezes of late January, although the fish had been on the move. They bounced between channels in the bay, occasionally sliding onto shallow flats, and temporarily staging near the mouths of tidal rivers (which have since frozen over).
It’s been so cold, in fact, that speckled trout wintering in Virginia’s bay waters are dying. It’s an unfortunate sight, and nobody is quite sure how this recent fish kill will impact the 2026 trout season. Right now, the best way for anglers to spend their time is with a weekend ice fishing trip, making plans to attend winter fishing expos and boat shows, or swapping out old and rusted terminal tackle on striper lures. You’ll be glad you took advantage of this down time when everything thaws and the striped bass bite picks up again.
From Ocean City, Taylor Bakke of Always Bent Fishing OC reported that not much has changed since last week. Most backwater areas still choked with ice, but sustained sub-freezing temps allowed some folks to take a crack at ice fishing, including Seth Price of Slack Tide Kayak Fishing—a local kayak fishing guide. Bakke said Price recently picked up an auger and caught some largemouth and chain pickerel on a nearby pond. He’s hoping to get on the ice himself assuming the conditions are safe enough over the next week. Aside from some local ice fishing, he said, most people are just waiting out the cold to get back to striped bass fishing in the bay and in the marshes once things warm up a bit.
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Captain Jamie Clough of Eastern Shore Light Tackle Charters said there is too much ice in the bay for him to get out; even if he could, there are large chunks of ice floating with the current wherever there is open water, which poses a hazard to the captain, his boat, and his clients. The last time he recalls the Bay freezing to this extent was in 1977! The skipper plans to get back on the water once enough ice has melted that it’s safe to sail. Head over to his Facebook page for contact info. and trip rates to get a date on the books later this winter.
From the Upper Pocomoke River out of Snow Hill, Captain Walt of Light Tackle Charters said he is still frozen in, but he has trips scheduled for Thursday and Saturday of next week and, given the extended forecast, he is anticipating being able to run those charters. Before the river locked up, his charters were catching crappie by the dozen with some large chain pickerel and healthy largemouth bass mixed in. Head to Captain Walt’s website for contact info. and give him a call to book a trip once the Bay and it’s rivers have thawed.
Maryland and Chesapeake Bay Fishing Forecast
By early next week, daytime temperatures will be above freezing for the first time in a couple of weeks. You can bet charter captains and guides are keeping a close eye on the daily forecast in hopes of resuming their winter striped bass and mixed-bag tidal river trips. But first, we’ve got to hunker down for another windy weekend with temps in the teens and 20s. If you’ve been looking for a chance to give ice fishing a try, now’s the time. In a week, daily highs will be back in the low 40s and areas that are currently frozen will see the ice begin to melt.
Use this weekend to bundle up, drill a few holes, and set some traps on your local pond or organize your striped bass tackle and book a charter for later this month.