Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report: Cold Temps, Hot Bite - Stripers, Drum, Perch Biting Strong on Tides & Lures

Hey y'all, this is Artificial Lure comin' atcha with your Chesapeake Bay fishin' report for Sunday mornin', January 4th, 2026. Water's chilly 'round 45 degrees, but the bite's pickin' up as we hit winter prime time.

Tides today at Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel got low at 'bout 4:49 AM hittin' 0.8 feet, high 'round 11:24 AM at 3.6 feet, then low again 5:46 PM at 0.9 feet, and evenin' high near 11:40 PM at 2.8 feet—per Tides4Fishing charts. Fish the incomin' tide hard, 'specially 'round mid-mornin' flood. Sunrise was 7:22 AM, sunset 5:13 PM, with solunar activity average but rampin' up—moon risin' late mornin'.

Weather's clearin' after last night's front, light NW winds 5-10 knots, temps in the low 40s risin' to upper 40s—NOAA forecast says calm bays, perfect for runnin' lines. Fish activity's solid on stripers and puppy drum holdin' in channels; recent reports show white perch stackin' winter-style, limits comin' easy off structure. Folks pullin' black sea bass on rigs near the CBBT, and stripers to 30 inches crashin' soft plastics.

Best lures? Jerkbaits in pearl or chartreuse for stripers, paddle-tail swimbaits on 1/4-oz jigheads for drum. Live bloodworms or menhaden chunks top bait—puppy drum can't resist 'em bottom-fished. Sabiki rigs for perch clusters.

Hit these hot spots: CBBT north towers for tautog and stripers, or Rudee Inlet channels for drum on the troll. Bundle up, watch for crab pots!

Thanks for tunin' in, folks—subscribe for more Bay updates! This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai.

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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI