Damn Good Chesapeake Bay Fishing Charters

The best fishing charters in Chesapeake Bay are:

• Nauti Dog Sportfishing guided by Kaleb U.
• Lucky Strike Charters guided by Shawn B.
• Fin N' Feather Chesapeake guided by Derick T.
• Rowe Boat Sportfishing guided by Lance R.
• Puttin'n Sportsfishing guided by Preston H.

Our Damn Good Guides currently offer 31 trips in Chesapeake Bay, and the most popular trips in the area are Flyfish The Eastern Shore guided by Denny, Full Day Fishing Trip - 40’ Evans guided by Buck, and Half Day Trip – Backcountry guided by Doug.

Our guides in Chesapeake Bay are rated a 4.54 out of 5 based on 8383 verified reviews on Captain Experiences.

All guides on Captain Experiences are vetted by our team. You can access their reviews, click through trip photos, read bios to get to know them, and preview trip details like species, techniques, group sizes, boat specs and more.

Looking for kid friendly charters / fishing lessons in Chesapeake Bay? Check out our beginner and family friendly charters in Chesapeake Bay.

Inshore fishing is the most popular type of fishing in Chesapeake Bay as well as nearshore fishing, river fishing, and flats fishing.

The most commonly sought after species in Chesapeake Bay are: 1. striped bass, 2. redfish, 3. bluefish, 4. spanish mackerel, and 5. speckled trout.

The most common fishing techniques in Chesapeake Bay are light tackle fishing, bottom fishing, and trolling but live bait fishing and jigging are popular as well.

Prices in Chesapeake Bay can range anywhere from about $651 to $2,538, but the average price for a half day trip in Chesapeake Bay is $1,310. The average price for a full day trip in Chesapeake Bay is $1,667.

Hiring a guide provides a number of benefits and many choose to book a fishing guide for a combination of experience, local knowledge, convenience, and cost-effectiveness.

Working with experienced fishing guides who know the best local spots and techniques can dramatically increase your odds of a great day. Having someone who is on the water every day and knows the area like the back of their hand is going to give you the best chances of success.

Booking a guide is also more cost effective, especially if you only get out a handful of times per year. When you consider all of the costs you would incur on your own such as the price of a boat, maintenance, insurance, gas, high-quality gear and tackle, repairs, and more, you’ll find that DIY is sometimes not worth the expense.

Even if you’ve got a great setup already in your home waters, booking a guide also provides a great opportunity to experience new techniques, new locations, or even a chance at a new target species to knock off the bucket list.

The most popular season for fishing in Chesapeake Bay is summer, and most anglers book their trips 59 days in advance.

See here for more information on fishing licenses in Chesapeake Bay, bag limits for target species, and fishing season regulations in Chesapeake Bay. When in doubt, your guide will always know all the relevant rules and regulations in Chesapeake Bay.

The Chesapeake Bay is a unique fishery that has a diversity of species and environments found nowhere else. People often separate the Bay into the Upper, Middle, and Lower Chesapeake Bay areas but you can divide this even further if you include the rivers and tributaries that feed into it. The Chesapeake Bay is a paradise for anglers with more spots to catch fish than you could ever explore.

Hit the Bay in early summer for black drum, perch, and spot fishing while late Summer into Fall is ideal for cobia, redfish, and even Spanish mackerel. If you love catching monster bull redfish or cobia Chesapeake bay needs to be on your bucket list. The shad run on the Virginia side can be particularly fun in the spring as well. The Chesapeake Bay is a gorgeous and inspiring place to visit that happens to have incredible fishing opportunities.

While the Chesapeake Bay is home to many species including bluefish, redfish, speckled trout, perch, and fluke, it is the striped bass(in the area commonly called rockfish) that takes the cake as the signature fish of the Bay. It is a state fish of both Maryland and Virginia because of its popularity among anglers for sport and food.

Trolling the Chesapeake Bay for rockfish is a great way for any angler to spend their day. Head out with an umbrella lure in the upper Bay during the May trophy season for your chance to land a beast. October (or Rocktober) is when the main season is firing on all cylinders and the fish go into a feeding frenzy when it starts to get colder. If trolling isn’t for you, rockfish arent too picky - you can fish with spoons as well, and many locals swear by nightcrawlers and bloodworms.