i"ve got to take a trip down to visit some family that moved to bethesda. when is primetime for bass down there? might as well do a little fishing while i'm down there. also looking for a guide for down there, someone who does 2 guy charters/lite tackle stuff.

Bethesda....
you will be @3.5 to 4 hours from the ocean (fall striper, hit or miss) , so that leaves the bay .
1 to 1.5hours to Annapolis..
i don't fish the bay but that might give you some idea of travel time ..
hopefully else will chime in that fishes the bay and be able to give you more info ..

thanks derf. would be targting the bay

thanks derf. would be targting the bay

ok . as i said i'm not familiar , don't fish it ; but let me see what i can find out :)

We have a spring run of stripers in April to May in the Chesapeake bay. Then we have a fall run in late september to october. The fish winter down by the Chesapeake bay bridge tunnel and can be caught until Dec 31.

There are a lot of guides, I will check with my brother.

There are fish in the bay right now but mainly smaller ones. Fishing in the fall will be a lot better and less crowded. There are a number of guides down here but not that many light tackle so you'll have to look around. I fish the Potomac a lot for smallies and that's good summer and fall. The river's also good for stripers and shad in late March through mid to late May. You can rent little row boats and have a blast with these guys right in DC waters (which are a lot nicer than you think/used to be) and you're only 10 minutes from Bethesda. If you want to fish the bay you basically have to have a guide or a kayak or something, there is almost no access except for really crowded places, within a reasonable drive of Bethesda. There is also some great trout fishing about an hour from Bethesda.