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Weekly Fishing Report

Sunday, May 3, 2026  |  Mid-Atlantic Edition

✅ Good Bite

Today's Outlook: Striper harvest opened May 1 — Tolchester Bar is hot for rockfish. Indian River Inlet producing tog, flounder & slot stripers off the north jetty. NW winds easing Sunday, excellent conditions Monday.

⚓

Rock Hall, MD

Upper Chesapeake Bay · Kent County

🐟 What's Biting

🎯

Striped Bass (Rockfish)

Trolling & jigging main channel. Light tackle: paddletails, jerkbaits, glide baits along Bay shoreline. Harvest just opened May 1 — 19–24" slot, 1 fish/day.

🐟

White Perch

Larger females arrived in lower Susquehanna River. Small jig heads with grass shrimp or minnow chunk working well.

🔵

Blue Catfish

Excellent bite in upper tidal rivers. Chester River has best numbers; Conowingo Dam pool producing trophy-size fish.

📍 Hot Spots

📍 Tolchester Bar — Live-lining spot for stripers ("Rockfish candy")

📍 Chester River — Best numbers for blue catfish

📍 Channel edges & oyster bars — Structure holds rockfish

⛔ Susquehanna Flats — CLOSED through May 31 (spawning)

🦀 Crabbing

Early Season — Crabs Moving, Not Peak Yet
Season open Apr–Nov. Bay population ~238M crabs (down from 317M prior year — 6th consecutive below-avg year). May crabs available over docks & grass beds; expect smaller jimmies. Peak: June–September.

🌦 Weather & Tides

Sun May 3

⛅

62°F

NW 10–15 kt
Gusts to 20 kt
Waves ~2 ft

Mon May 4

🌤

65°F est.

S 5–10 kt
Waves 1–2 ft
Improving ✅

⚖️ Regulations

Striped Bass: May 1–Jul 31 harvest, 1 fish/day, 19–24" slot
Open Bay waters only (Brewerton Channel south) — all tributaries closed through May 31

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Indian River Inlet, DE

Coastal Inlet · Sussex County, Delaware

🐟 What's Biting

🪨

Tautog (Tog)

Decent bite with keepers in the mix. North jetty rocks and inlet structure holding fish. Sand fleas the top bait.

🫓

Flounder

Active in Indian River Bay and along inlet rocks. Best on outgoing tide drifting sandbars. Lead head + Gulp! combo working.

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Striped Bass

Slot fish and over-slots from north jetty end. Schoolie rockfish on morning trips. Strong action expected thru Memorial Day.

🐑

Sheepshead

Several fish up to 8 lbs in the inlet. Live sand fleas & frozen shrimp both working.

📍 Hot Spots

📍 North Jetty End — Slot stripers & tog on structure

📍 Inlet Rocks — Flounder on Gulp!, tog on sand fleas

📍 IR Bay Sandbars — Flounder on outgoing tide drift

📍 Surf Zone — Snapper blues on incoming, drum still possible

🪱 Hot Baits

🦟 Live Sand Fleas 🍤 Frozen Shrimp 🪱 Lead Head + Gulp! 🎣 Cut Bait 🟢 Live Green Crabs

🌡 Water & Tides

💧 Water: 54°F (rising)

🌊 Spring Tide Phase

⚡ Bluefish Blitz Incoming! Full blitz expected around Mother's Day (mid-May). A few snapper blues already showing on incoming tide.

🌦 Weather

Sun May 3

⛅

57°F

Partly cloudy
Low 44°F
Fishable

Mon May 4

🌤

Improving

Lighter winds
Spring tide
Good access ✅

⚖️ Regulations

Tautog: Min 16", 4 fish/day (May)   Flounder: Min 12.5" (DE state waters)
Striped Bass: DE coastal regs apply — check DNREC

Sources: Maryland DNR  |  Old Inlet Bait & Tackle  |  DNREC Delaware  |  On The Water  |  US Harbors  |  Tides4Fishing

🎣 FISHING REPORT

May 3, 2026 · Mid-Atlantic