Chesapeake Bay Striper Fishing In Chesapeake Beach

Located on Maryland's western shore of the Chesapeake Bay, Chesapeake Beach is definitely a fishing town. Fishing charters are readily available to take anglers to fish the bountiful waters of the Chesapeake Bay. There's is a lot of fishing history in Chesapeake Beach. Chesapeake Beach is pretty famous for its stripers, too.

While several fish species are big and plentiful here, none garners the attention and respect of Chesapeake Bay fishermen as much as the striped bass, also called the striper or the rockfish. Stripers get huge in the Bay. The largest one on record was a 67.5-pound brute that was landed at Bloody Point. If you want in on some of this exciting angling, come to the Chesapeake and be ready to do battle with a big rockfish!

Spring Trophy Season For Chesapeake Bay Stripers

Few events along the Chesapeake Bay are as eagerly anticipated as the spring trophy season for stripers. Why is this season called the trophy season? Because this is when the striper anglers go after the big boys! In late winter and early spring, the rockfish head to freshwater rivers along the Bay in order to spawn. Trophy striper season changes from year to year, but it generally begins in the middle of April and continues until June, so there's only a short window of opportunity to land a monster rockfish. For 2011, Maryland's spring trophy season for the Chesapeake opens on April 16 and continues through June. During this season, anglers are allowed to keep two stripers. One must be 28 inches or less in length, and one can be larger, but it if it measures longer than 32 inches, a catch report must be filed.

Chesapeake Bay Fall Striper Season

During the cooler months of fall, the rockfish tend to "school up." This means they're often easier to locate, and when you locate one, it could mean that several of its buddies are nearby. Maryland's fall striper season for the Chesapeake and its tributaries opens on October 4 and continues until December 31. During this fishing season, two rockfish per person may be kept, but both must measure longer than 18 inches. Of these two fish, one can be between 18 and 28 inches, and another can be longer than 34 inches. No striped bass measuring between 28 and 34 inches may be kept.

Use An Experienced Chesapeake Bay Fishing Guide Or Charter Service

It can get rather confusing as to which fish are legal during different fishing seasons in the Chesapeake Bay, not to mention the difficulty of being able to navigate all the points, channels, shallows, and wrecks safely and effectively. You'll be much better off hiring one of the Chesapeake Beach fishing charters.

You'll have many from which to choose, but one of the best is Captain Stacey Witherow and his crew on the Mary Ellen, a 41-foot custom fishing boat designed specifically for the Chesapeake Bay of Maryland.