The Chesapeake Bay watershed stretches across more than 64,000 square miles, encompassing parts of six states — Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia — and the entire District of Columbia.
Chesapeake Bay is the largest of 130 estuaries in the United States. About half of the Chesapeake's water volume comes from salt water from the Atlantic Ocean. The other half drains into the Bay from its enormous 64,000-square-mile watershed. Because of this mix of fresh and salt water, the Bay's salinity gradually increases as you move from north to south.
Of the 50 major tributaries that flow into the Bay, just three deliver about 80 percent of Bay's fresh water: the Susquehanna River (48 percent), the Potomac River (19 percent) and the James River (14 percent).
- The Bay is about 200 miles long, stretching from Havre de Grace, Maryland, to Virginia Beach, Virginia.
- The Bay's width ranges from 3.4 miles near Aberdeen, Maryland, to 35 miles near the mouth of the Potomac River.
- The Bay holds more than 15 trillion gallons of water.
- The Bay is surprisingly shallow. Its average depth, including all tidal tributaries, is about 21 feet. A person who is 6 feet tall could wade through over 700,000 acres of the Bay and never get his or her hat wet.
- A few deep troughs running along much of the Bay's length reach up to 174 feet in depth. These troughs are believed to be remnants of the ancient Susquehanna River.
- Two of the five major North Atlantic ports in the United States—Baltimore and Hampton Roads—are on the Bay.
- The Bay and its tidal tributaries have around 11,684 miles of shoreline—more than the entire U.S. West Coast.
- The surface area of the Bay and its tidal tributaries is 125 billion square feet, or around 4,480 square miles.
- The Bay supports more than 3,600 species of plants, fish and animals, including 348 species of finfish, 173 species of shellfish and over 2,700 plant species.
- The Bay produces about 500 million pounds of seafood per year.
From Havre de Grace, Md., to Norfolk, Va., the Chesapeake Bay's
cruising and weekending opportunities abound. The bay's 200 miles
touch three states (Maryland, Virginia and Delaware) and its tributaries
span 64,000 square miles along the Eastern Seaboard from New York
(where you'll find the ancient headwaters of the Susquehanna River)
south to the inland bays of the Carolinas.
Striped Bass Spawning : March through May, peak spawning
occurs in April when temperatures are 13-20 degrees Celsius.
Thats 55 ° to 68° farenheit
Middle Chesapeake Bay (Pocomoke Sound
to Patuxent River)
Depending on the season anglers can expect to catch a wide variety of fish,
including the striped bass - aka rockfish - linesider - as its known in Maryland and Virginia.
Upper Chesapeake Bay (Cove Point
to Annapolis)
Upper Chesapeake Bay (Annapolis to Susquehanna River)
Nine of the state's 23 major rivers and multiple creeks, flow into the Chesapeake
Bay. Not only is there an abundance of freshwater species located in this area
but there is a prolific seafood harvest which includes millions of bushels
of crab, oysters, clams and eels.
In 1994, the Maryland General Assembly passed a law limiting the
number of individuals who can commercially harvest striped bass
in tidal waters. Due to increasing fishing effort for striped bass,
commercial striped bass authorizations were limited to 1231 individuals.
This figure represents the number of individuals that participated
in the 1993-1994 commercial striped bass season. Individuals who
did not participate, but wish to commercially harvest striped bass,
must apply to a waiting list. Currently, there are 422 individuals
on this waiting list, and when an authorization becomes available,
it is issued to the first person on the list.
Chesterton Maryland
As Maryland's smallest county,
surrounding Kent maintains pride in its unspoiled rural
nature. With 11 local, state and federal parks to choose from,
the opportunities for boating, fishing, swimming, hunting and nature-watching
along the riverbanks and coastline are almost endless.
Chesapeake
bay.net
Chesapeake
Bay Striped
Bass fishing Reports
View the striper room DelMarva forum for information and reports.
Maryland,
Delaware and Virginia fishing reports
Our pages on Maryland stripers and Virginia
stripers
Fishing Tackle / Product Reviews
