Fishing Conditions Forecast

December 12 - 18, 2018

With Bay temperatures at the low-40s (°F) and dropping, Bay fish are moving towards (or are at) winter holding areas or migrating out of the Bay. With plenty of cool waters and oxygen from surface to bottom, look for concentrations of fish in some of the remaining warm water areas. In the main bay, warmer bottom waters (> 50ft) are located from the Bay Bridge south to near the Maryland State line on areas with good structure such as underwater points, oyster bottom, reefs, channel edges, and large schools of baitfish. The other warm water areas to consider are near the water discharges of your local power plants.

The following fishing condition details are a big-picture view, for more information and up-to-date fishing conditions in your area of the Chesapeake Bay, be sure to check out Eyes on the Bay’s Click Before You Cast.

Fishing Condition Details:

• Pattern Stability - It will be cool all of this week with a slight warming with rain on Friday and Saturday to the low-50s (°F). Average winds on the bay (<15kts). The rest of the week expect sunny/partly cloudy conditions with daytime air temperatures in the mid-40s with night-time temperatures in the 30s.


• Salinity –  Recent rains will keep Bay waters running fresher than normal since May. Expect more rain on Friday and Saturday.


• Oxygen – Most places have adequate oxygen down to the bottom.  As a new feature, check out the VIMS modeled oxygen forecast which identifies the deepest depth you can fish with adequate oxygen for Bay gamefish.


• Temperature – At the DNR and NOAA buoys, water temperatures continue to cool, near Thomas Point 39°F, and on the Potomac River, Mallows Bay at 39°F and Point Lookout at 43°F. Water temperatures should continue to drop this week due to the cooling air temperatures. However, bottom waters over 50ft are still significantly warmer than surface waters and should remain so until prolonged windy conditions mix bay waters.  


• Clarity – The Main bay is still turbid down to the Bay Bridge, and the Potomac River has below average water clarity down near Colonial Beach. 


• Moving water – Expect above normal flows on the Potomac and Susquehanna rivers and streams from recent and predicted rains on Friday and Saturday.  There will be above average tidal currents all week at the result of the full moon on Thursday, December 12th. For shallow water fishing, fish the moving water times during low light conditions before sunrise (~7:12am) and after the sunset (~4:44pm).


• Putting it all together – The best fishing areas could be further refined by intersecting these prime areas with underwater points, drop-offs, and large schools of baitfish.

For more detailed and up-to-date fishing conditions in your area of the bay, be sure to fully explore Click Before You Cast. Feel free to drop us a line with comments or suggestions!