Fishing Conditions Forecast

Weekly Fishing Conditions Forecast Summary

July 15 - 21, 2026

Main Bay surface and river mouth water temperatures have risen to the low 80 (°F) and will likely continue to rise all week. Smaller rivers and streams temperatures have risen to the upper 70s/low 80s (°F). With warming waters, bottom oxygen levels are decreasing. Currently there is adequate oxygen in most Bay bottom waters except near Indian Head to the Wicomico River (Potomac River) and in the Bay from the Sassafras River down to the Bay Bridge area. Additionally, expect low oxygen in the bottom waters along the lower western shore from the Severn River down to Chesapeake Beach. The warm water and low oxygen continue to impact the amount of suitable habitat conditions for striped bass.

For more detailed and up-to-date fishing conditions in your area of the bay, be sure to check out Eyes on the Bay's Click Before You Cast (opens in new tab).

Fishing Condition Details:

  • Pattern Stability - Unstable conditions this week with air temperatures of 80/90’s during the day and 70’s at night. Chance of rain on Saturday and Tuesday. Expect 5-15kt winds all week. Sunrise next week around 5:55am and sunset at about 8:29pm.
  • Salinity - Flows to Maryland waters are running normal so salinity is above normal for this time of year (opens in new tab).
  • Oxygen - Recent oxygen conditions are as follows:
    • Stateline up to Point Lookout: Adequate oxygen to ~39 ft
    • Point No Point up to the Gooses: Adequate oxygen to ~36 ft
    • Little Choptank up to Choptank River: Adequate oxygen to bottom
    • Bloody Point: Adequate oxygen to ~26 ft
    • Bay Bridge: Adequate oxygen to ~13 ft
    • Swan Point: Adequate oxygen to ~13 ft
    • Still Pond up to the Susquehanna Flats: Adequate oxygen to bottom
    • Potomac River: Adequate oxygen to bottom

    For oxygen forecasts, see VIMS Depth to 3 mg/l (opens in new tab).
    To identify your local conditions, see "Don't fish below this depth" (opens in new tab).
    For information on Maryland's main bay oxygen conditions, see Maryland's latest hypoxia report (opens in new tab).
  • Temperature (°F) - Main Bay and river mouth surface temperatures are holding in the low 80s (°F). Upper river and small creek temperatures are holding at the upper 70s/low 80s (°F). As recorded at the real-time NOAA and DNR buoys, daytime Bay water temperatures are as follows:

    • Upper/mid-Bay:
      • Susquehanna River at Darlington (USGS): 81°F
      • Tolchester: 83°F
      • Baltimore/Patapsco River: 85°F
      • Thomas Point: 76.3°F
      • Annapolis NOAA Buoy: 83°F

    • Mid/lower-Bay:
      • NOAA/DNR Gooses Reef buoy: 83.1°F
      • Bishops Head: 86°F
      • Choptank, Cambridge: 85°F

    • Potomac River:
      • Point Lookout NOAA buoy (surface): 83.7°F
      • Lewisetta: 83°F
      • Mallows Bay: NR
      • Washington DC at Little Falls (USGS): 87°F

    To see water temperature by depth, check out our interactive “Water Temperature by Depth map” (opens in new tab).
    For water temperatures in some of Maryland’s smaller rivers and streams, check “NOAA’s Mid-Atlantic Water Temperatures” (opens in new tab).
  • Clarity - Expect average clarity for most Maryland portions of the Bay and rivers. To see the latest water clarity conditions on NOAA satellite maps, check "Eyes on the Bay Satellite Maps" (opens in new tab).
  • Habitat - To see locations of key Bay bottom habitat, see the "Bay Bottom Habitat Mapper" (opens in new tab).
  • Moving water - Expect below average flows for most of Maryland rivers and streams (opens in new tab). There will be above average tidal current (opens in new tab) through Sunday because of the new moon on Tuesday, July 14th.
  • Putting it all together - The best fishing areas could be further refined by intersecting these prime areas with underwater points, hard bottom, drop-offs, and large schools of baitfish.

For a step-by-step way to find the best fishing areas based on water conditions, be sure to check out Eyes on the Bay's Click Before You Cast (opens in new tab). Have a safe and enjoyable fishing trip, and as always, drop us a line (opens in new tab) with comments or suggestions.