Chesapeake Bay Fishing Forecast: Specks, Rockfish, and More Biting Strong in Late November

As of November 24, 2024, the fishing scene in the Chesapeake Bay is quite active, especially with the cooler temperatures setting in. ### Weather and Tidal Conditions The weather forecast looks promising through the early part of the week, although it is expected to gust up by Wednesday evening. Water temperatures in the lower Chesapeake Bay range from 59.2°F at Sewells Point to 61.5°F at the Chesapeake Light Tower. Sunrise today is at around 6:53 AM, and sunset will be at approximately 4:43 PM. Tides are moderate, with high tide expected around 10:30 AM and low tide around 4:30 PM. ### Fish Activity The Speckled Trout (Specks) bite is exceptionally strong right now, particularly inside the rivers and inlets of the bay. Hotspots include the Lynnhaven River, Rudee Inlet, Little Creek Inlet, and the Elizabeth, Piankatank, and Rappahannock rivers. Anglers are having great success using live Mullet, shrimp, paddle tail swim baits, and popping corks. Rockfish activity is increasing, especially around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel pilings, where larger fish typically show up towards the end of November and in December. School-sized fish are abundant throughout the lower bay, especially at night around bridges and piers with lights. Lipless crankbaits and jerk baits are proving effective, while trolling with swim shads, bucktails, and plugs in the Rappahannock and James rivers is also yielding good results. Other species like Puppy Drum, Sheepshead around vertical structures, and Tautog are also being caught in good numbers. Bluefish up to 28 inches are being caught in various places inside the bay, and there is an excellent black seabass bite on offshore structures. ### Best Lures and Bait For Speckled Trout, use live Mullet, shrimp, paddle tail swim baits, and popping corks. For Rockfish, lipless crankbaits, jerk baits, swim shads, bucktails, and plugs are effective. Soft plastics and metal jigs are also working well for striped bass, especially on ledges with abundant bait. ### Hot Spots - **Lynnhaven River**: Specifically around Linkhorn, Broad Bay, and Western Branch. - **Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel**: The pilings here are hot for Rockfish. - **Rappahannock and James Rivers**: Good spots for trolling and catching Rockfish and Puppy Drum. - **Rudee Inlet and Little Creek Inlet**: Active areas for Speckled Trout. Overall, the Chesapeake Bay is offering a diverse and exciting fishing experience this time of year, with multiple species active and a variety of effective lures and baits to use. This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.