BY BILL HALL, Eastern Shore Post, Aug. 8, 2025
The mouth of the Chesapeake Bay continues to provide the most consistent fishing action around our little peninsula. Spadefish, sheepshead, red drum, spot, croaker, flounder, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, and whiting are all available in the waters between the mouth of Cape Charles Harbor down to the third island of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.
The lower bay cobia bite is either really good or really bad, depending on who you talk with. The rest of the surrounding waters are not so productive as of recently.
Even the offshore yellowfin tuna bite has slowed down over the last week. Let’s hope the offshore weather system that is playing havoc with the field of the White Marlin Open will stir the fishing up and pump some much-needed oxygen into relatively unproductive warm waters.
Upper Shore
Captain Matt Abell, at the Sea Hawk Sports Center, did not have a lot of good news to report pertaining to angling action in the upper Chesapeake Bay. Bluefish continue to provide the most consistent action in the middle bay. Anglers locating sporadic schools of surface-breaking blues have had success casting topwater lures to the voracious feeders. Captain Abell recommends ”The Lonely Angler” brand of topwater lures for this type of casting action.
On the seaside, yellowfin tuna action is occurring in the canyons for vessels trolling ballyhoo and Sidewinders. There have been some large dolphin (mahi mahi) caught as part of the trolling action. Smaller dolphin have been caught inshore of the canyons inside of 20 fathoms. The smaller mahi have been schooled around anything of size floating on the surface, including fish pot buoys and grass lines.
Closer to the beach, Spanish mackerel and bluefish have been caught by anglers trolling small spoons, while the flounder wreck fishing has been described as inconsistent.
Wachapreague
Captain Lindsay Paul, aboard the Almost Persuaded, described the inshore flounder fishing out of Wachapreague as “fair,” with most of the fish undersized. Berkley Gulp Swimming Mullets fished along with a live minnow or silverside is still the go-to bait combination. The flood tide is the most favorable time to wet a line, as the waters are cooler then.
A few sand mullet (whiting) are being caught near the inlet on strips of squid. Sharks weighing up to 100 pounds are being caught and released in Green Channel. Spanish mackerel are being caught outside the inlet along the color change. Black sea bass, along with a few flounder, are coming from the ocean wrecks. The offshore bite has been on the slow side. A white marlin was released from the Teaser and a 25-pound dolphin was landed by Johnny “Mo” Morrison at the Lumpy Bottom. Captain Paul was hoping that this week’s offshore winds would stir up the waters and improve the fishery.
Lower Shore
Tyler Nestor, at Oceans East —Eastern Shore told me that the cobia are starting to “pod” up. Sight casting has been the most productive technique. Anglers have enjoyed success casting live eels, spot, and croakers, as well as bucktails adorned with large paddletails.
The red drum bite has been good during the evening hours near the high-rise section and around the second and third islands of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. Chunks of crab, as well as bouncing bucktails on the bottom, have proved effective on the drum.
The Kiptopeke State Park pier has produced catches of spot, croaker, and roundheads (whiting) on bloodworms, Fishbites, squid, and shrimp.
Flounder have been caught off the pier on Berkley Gulp/live minnow combinations.
Larger flounder have been caught around the fourth island using ball jigs with 5- to 6-inch Gulps.
Sheepshead catches have come from around the bridge pilings for anglers dropping 1 1/2- to 2-ounce jigs tipped with fiddler crabs or chunks of blue crab.
Bluefish and Spanish mackerel have been caught by anglers trolling Clark Spoons around the bridge-tunnel.
Jeb Brady, at Bailey’s Bait & Tackle, described the recent angling action as “slow,” blaming the high water temperatures. He hopes the recent cooler air temperatures produce a turn for the better.
Recent cobia action was limited to a few fish seen cruising on the surface but not a lot of action.
Flounder action on the deeper water wrecks and reefs has remained steady, but the inshore action has slowed.
Spadefish remain around the fourth island of the bridge-tunnel and sheepshead are still being caught along the bridge’s pilings.
Schools of Spanish mackerel and bluefish have been reported off Cape Charles. The lower bay piers are reporting catches of small croakers and trout.
The writer was the first Eastern Shore resident to achieve Virginia Saltwater Master Angler status. He has been named Virginia Saltwater Angler of the Year and Virginia Saltwater Release Angler of the Year. He has won numerous Virginia Press Association awards for his columns.
