For November 15, 2024, fishing in the Chesapeake Bay around the Baltimore and Washington D.C. areas is looking promising despite the cooler and breezy weather. Here’s what you need to know:

### Weather and Tidal Conditions
Expect cooler, breezy weather with temperatures hovering around the mid-50s to low 60s. The full moon on November 16 will result in above-average tidal currents all week. Salinity in the Bay is slightly saltier than average, and water temperatures are still above 60 degrees in the tidal rivers.

### Sunrise and Sunset
Sunrise is at around 6:45 AM, and sunset will be at approximately 4:45 PM, giving you a good window for both morning and evening fishing trips.

### Fish Activity
Striped bass fishing has been a bit slow in the upper Bay, but there are some success stories. Anglers have reported catching striped bass at Eastern Bay, Poplar Island, Thomas Point, and the mouth of the Choptank River. At the Bay Bridge, drifting with live eels, spot, or small white perch near the bridge pier bases has been effective. Jigging along channel edges and casting paddletails along promising shorelines are also yielding results[5].

Blue catfish are very active, particularly below the Conowingo Dam, where they are taking cut bait and soft plastic jigs. Smallmouth bass are feeding well in the rocky shorelines and ledges, hitting jerkbaits, crankbaits, and jigs. White perch are now in the deeper waters at the mouths of tidal rivers and can be targeted with metal jigs[4][5].

### Best Lures and Bait
For striped bass, umbrella rigs pulled behind heavy inline weights along channel edges are popular. Bucktails dressed with a sassy shad or twistertail in white or chartreuse are effective. Live eels, spot, or small white perch are good baits when drifting near bridge pier bases.

For blue catfish, cut bait with fresh eel is the top choice. Smallmouth bass are hitting lures that represent crayfish or small baitfish, such as grubs and tubes. White perch can be caught using metal jigs.

### Hot Spots
- **Conowingo Dam**: Excellent spot for blue catfish and some striped bass, especially in the evening hours.
- **Bay Bridge**: Good for striped bass by drifting with live bait or jigging along channel edges.
- **Eastern Bay and Poplar Island**: These areas have seen some success with striped bass.
- **Thomas Point and the mouth of the Choptank River**: Also showing some striped bass activity.

With the cooler weather and changing tides, it's a great time to get out and enjoy the fishing before winter sets in. Make sure to bundle up and take advantage of the good fishing conditions.