South, West and Rhode Rivers

South of Annapolis, the South, West and Rhode rivers are three short, heavily used tidal rivers that open onto the Bay between Thomas Point and Shady Side. They fish much like the Severn: stripers along shoreline structure at dawn and dusk from June into fall, a light-tackle mixed bag of white perch, croaker, snapper bluefish, puppy drum and even speckled trout in late summer, and schools of stripers and bluefish at the river mouths in October and November as bait leaves the rivers.

When to fish

• Spring: channel catfish in the West River. The rivers open to striped bass on June 1.
• June and July: stripers around grass beds and hard structure in clear water, early and late. Deep water along this shore can run low on oxygen in midsummer. August is closed to striped bass fishing.
• Late summer: the South River's mixed bag of white perch, croaker, small stripers, snapper blues, puppy drum and speckled trout on spinners and small jigs.
• September and October: poppers, crankbaits and paddletails along the shorelines; breaking fish at the river mouths.
• November: stripers wait on the channel edges at the mouths to intercept young menhaden leaving the rivers.

Where to fish

• The mouths of the South and West rivers: shallow-water casting in summer and breaking fish in fall.
• Shoreline structure and grass beds in the lower rivers.
• The main channel edges just outside the mouths: late-fall stripers.

How to fish it

Cast topwater lures, paddletails, jerkbaits, crankbaits and spinnerbaits to shoreline structure at first and last light; small spinners, spin jigs and small paddletails catch the late-summer mixed bag. In fall, look for gulls and breaking fish and jig or cast soft plastics.

Getting there

Anne Arundel County has cartop (canoe and kayak) launches at Quiet Waters Park and Mayo Beach Park on the South River, Carrs Wharf and Beverly Triton Nature Park near the Rhode, and Galesville Wharf on the West River, which also has a pier; none takes trailers, and Mayo Beach needs an online gate code and a summer weekend reservation pass. The county's Discovery Village ramp in Shady Side closed in 2025; the nearest public trailer ramp is the city of Annapolis's Truxtun Park ramp on Spa Creek. You need a Maryland Chesapeake Bay and Coastal Sport Fishing License.