Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report: Mid-August Action from Stripers to Cobia

Chesapeake Bay sun cracked the horizon at 6:13 this morning, casting pink light over a glassy tide rolling toward low at 8:47 AM and climbing to a midday high around 2:26 PM. Temperatures are set to climb into the high eighties with a patchwork of sun and clouds, and a light southwest wind at 10 knots—classic mid-August conditions, so make sure you’ve got sunscreen and plenty of water.

On the fishing front, there’s plenty to chase but you’ll want to time your outing to take advantage of that dawn window before the heat sets in. Just like always this time of year, stripers are laying deep or moving through shaded pier structure; the Bay Bridge tunnel pilings are still producing but the bite is described as hit-or-miss. If you can get on the water right at first light, you might luck into some solid fish in 12–20 feet along the three-mile stretch between Fisherman's Island and the first island. Drifting live spot or chunking soft crab by the pilings is the top ticket here. For those who like to cast—3-inch white or chartreuse paddletails along rocks or riprap move fish, and you’ll often hook into bonus speckled trout at the same spots.

Reports from On The Water echo what locals are seeing: the bluefish are stacked up from the Target Ship down to the HS Buoy. Trolling red and green tube lures or spoons behind in-line weights is the call, and folks are hitting their limits pretty consistently. Metal jigs cast into breaking schools are turning up both blues and the first wave of Spanish mackerel—a handful were landed off Cape Henry just two days ago, and more are showing as water clarity improves with the weaker tides.

If you want a changeup from the usual Bay fare, the inshore grasslines and backwaters are loaded with snakehead right now. These hard-fighters are on the chew post-spawn, so frog lures and noisy poppers dragged over the thick grass in the creeks of Dorchester and the Eastern Shore can get explosive surface strikes. The northern creeks off the York and the backside of Poquoson hold 'em, too.

Sheepshead fans, that’s your best August bite. The bridge tunnel and pilings on both sides of Thimble Shoals Tunnel are hot—dropping fiddler crabs or pieces of blue crab tight to the pilings is pulling steady action, with several fish over 7 pounds checked in at shops from Cape Charles to Seaford. According to folks on the ground and at Rick’s Bait and Tackle, sheepshead numbers are as good as we’ve seen in several seasons.

For trophy hunters, the cobia are cruising the lower Bay channel edges and off Cape Charles flats. Live eels, blue crabs, and croaker are all putting fish in the box, with several fish topping 50 pounds reported by Nauti Dog Sportfishing this week. Sight-casters working bucktails tipped with eel strips have seen fish following rays in three to six feet of water around Latimer Shoal—keep polarized glasses handy.

White perch and spot are still biting well for the family off docks and small boaters, particularly at mouth of the Rappahannock and in Mobjack Bay—piece of bloodworm or Fishbites on a #6 hook gets the job done. And the croaker bite remains consistent on the deep edges after sunset.

Hot spots you shouldn’t miss: the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel pilings for sheepshead and flounder, and the Target Ship area for bluefish and Spanish mackerel. Don’t overlook the mouths of the York and James for early-morning striper action, especially on moving tides.

Best baits and lures this week:
- Live spot, chunked crab, and soft plastics for stripers and trout
- Red/green tubes and small spoons for bluefish and mackerel
- Fiddler crabs and blue crab for sheepshead
- Live eels and croaker for cobia
- Bloodworms and Fishbites for perch and spot

Remember, with warm water and late-summer hypoxia, take care handling all your catch—revive those big fish for another day. Thanks for tuning in to...