The month of May takes most anglers down to the southern reaches of Chesapeake Bay. This area starts to light up with some of the early-summer migratory species that are beginning to return to the region.
The southern portion of the bay around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel becomes an early-season hot spot for bull reds. Redfish (or red drum) start to make their way into Chesapeake Bay to spawn, and they stay through the summer until late fall. Fishing for bull reds this time of the year can be exciting because of the massive schools moving north along the channel edges and into the bay, feeding on bunker, crabs, or anything that they can find. Using side scan is essential when searching for schools of reds, especially when they are in deep or shallow, murky water. At times, when the water is clear and visibility is good, you can see them just beneath the surface or tailing in shallow water. The school looks like a big golden-brown spot, so they are often mistaken for a patch of dirty water or a current break, with dirty water on one side of the rip line.
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The most popular way to find reds is to explore channel edges or shoal areas using side scan and keeping a sharp eye on the surface. Most anglers use a 1½-ounce jighead with a strong hook paired with a 6- to 8-inch soft-plastic paddletail or straight tail. A Z-Man 7-inch DieZel Minnow or the 8-inch Z-Man StreakZ XL are some of the most productive plastics, particularly in bubble-gum pink and chartreuse colors. Most Maryland anglers chasing after bigger fish head down to the lower eastern shore of Virginia, since Maryland’s striped bass fishery is closed for half of the month and even catch-and-release fishing is forbidden.
Another option for Maryland anglers in May is to head to the Tangier Sound area and look for some speckled trout. These fish tend to spawn around the first to second week of May, depending on the water temperature, and can be found in most small creeks. Some of the better spots to look for them are marsh areas and creeks around Smith Island to the north side of Bloodsworth Island in the lower section of Maryland’s eastern shore.
Small 3- to 4-inch paddletails and jerkbaits work well for trout; even a popping cork with a 3- to 4-inch trailer may work when the fish are in an aggressive mood. Some of the speckled trout can measure up to 30 inches, but most fall into the 14- to 19-inch range. Many anglers will hook smaller striped bass as bycatch, but remember to keep them in the water and release them as quickly as possible.
This time of the year also offers some of the best conditions to go after freshwater fish, especially largemouth bass. May marks the start of the spawn for largemouth bass in most of local reservoirs like Loch Raven, Rocky Gorge, and Liberty. Bed fishing is popular in these reservoirs because the gin-clear water allows you to see the fish bite. The average-size bass is between 1 and 4 pounds, with a few pushing to 5 and 6 pounds. There is the potential for some bass as heavy as 8 pounds, although they are not very common. Using bright-colored worms and bluegill patterns can produce some good bites; bubble-gum-colored Senkos and red or orange curly tail grubs are some local favorites. The tidal bass fishing in the upper Chesapeake Bay around the Susquehanna Flats area is another hot spot for some big bass. The Northeast River, Bush River, and the Susquehanna Flats can be productive, plus there is always bycatch of different species like snakeheads and even some striped bass. Some of the snakeheads in the Flats can get up to 15 pounds with most being in the 3- to 8-pound range; hollow-body frogs, chatterbaits, and 4- to 5-inch paddletails on a weedless swimbait hook are the most popular lures anglers use in this region. You can find the snakeheads on most grass edges and grass flats; they give themselves away by coming up to the surface to breathe air and hang over the top of the grass where they can be easily spotted.
White perch begin to move back to the main parts of the Chesapeake after they are done spawning and can be found around most shorelines with some kind of structure like rocks, grass, and oyster bars as well as deep water. Spot begin to show up around the lower and middle bay areas. Using bottom rigs tipped with bloodworms and grass shrimp are the most common ways to target perch and spot, but artificial lures can also be used for white perch, especially when fishing shallow water. Using small spinnerbaits for perch can be really entertaining for kids to expert-level anglers. Mepps, Perch Pounders, and Beetle spins are the most popular spinners that anglers use in the region and are often responsible for catching anywhere from 15 to 30 perch on a good day.
