Bay Facts

The Chesapeake Bay is North America's largest estuary—an area where fresh and saltwater mix—and the world's third largest.
The Bay watershed supports more than 3,600 species of plant and animal life, including about 350 species of fish.
The rockfish (striped bass) is the prime gamefish in the Chesapeake. Other top Bay sportfish include bluefish, sea trout, speckled trout, flounder, croakers, red drum, cobia, and black drum.
The Bay watershed covers 64,000 square miles and runs through six states and the District of Columbia. From north to south, the Bay is roughly 200 miles long.
The Chesapeake was formed about 12,000 years ago when glaciers melted and flooded the Susquehanna River valley.
Chesapeake derives from the Native American work "Tschiswapeki," meaning "great shell fish bay."
The narrowest part of the Bay is 3.4 miles at Aberden, Maryland and widest point is roughly 35 miles at the mouth of the Potomac River.
The Bay’s average depth is roughly 21 feet and has more than 11,600 miles of tidal shoreline—longer than the West Coast of the United States.

Species Calendar

Species

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Striped Bass

Bluefish

Spanish Mackerel

Weakfish

Redfish

Flounder

Atlantic Croaker

available in the bay available in the upper bay