Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report: Cobia, Drum, and Sheepshead on Fire This Summer Weekend

You’re tuned in to Artificial Lure’s Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report for Sunday, July 6, 2025. Summer’s in full swing and the bite is on fire from the mouth of the Bay all the way up its tributaries. Today’s weather at the Bay Bridge Tunnel saw partly cloudy skies with gentle winds around 17 mph and comfortable temps, hovering in the mid-60s. Water temp’s holding steady at 63°F, making for prime conditions. Sunrise was at 5:52AM, sunset at 8:26PM, giving us loads of daylight to wet a line. Tides today rolled in with an early morning low at 2:28AM, high at 7:17AM, another low at 2:05PM, and the evening high rolling through at 8:35PM. Now to the fish—let’s talk action. Cobia are stealing the spotlight this week. They’re thick inside the Bay, moving into their spawning phase. Anglers are hooking up using sight-casting with bucktails, live eels, and croaker. If you’re chumming, keep your lines ready—along with cobia, you might tangle with some sharks or skates. Anchoring and soaking live baits like croaker, eel, or even crab is paying off. Red Drum are running strong, especially the big ones. Look for schools near structure—bridges, wrecks, reefs—and don’t be surprised to find them blitzing on the surface. Have a bucktail or large topwater plug at the ready. Puppy drum are prowling the shallows near docks, piers, and grass beds, alongside speckled trout. Topwaters, 4-inch swim baits, and popping corks with scented baits are the go-to choices. Sheepshead have been on fire—word is, an 18-pound 2-ounce fish was checked in over the Fourth of July weekend, according to Virginia Saltwater Fishing. Fish hard structure like rocks, rubble, and pilings using crabs, clams, or sand fleas. These same zones hold black drum as well. Spanish mackerel anglers are doing great both inside the Bay and along the oceanfront, trolling Drone and Clark spoons at around 6 knots. If bluefish show up thick, just bump up your speed a notch. Speaking of blues, pier anglers are catching plenty—along with croaker, sea mullet, and the occasional flounder. Now, flounder have been hit or miss, but the bridge tunnels and ocean structures are still your best bet. Spadefish catches are down compared to years past, but the Chesapeake Light Tower is still worth a visit, especially if you’re looking for variety. Hot spots you don’t wanna sleep on: Lynnhaven Inlet and the Elizabeth River for drum and trout action, and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel—always a classic for cobia, sheepshead, and flounder. If you’re up for a cruise, Mobjack Bay and the Piankatank River are producing steady numbers of puppy drum and speckled trout. To recap your tackle bag for this week: Bucktails and eels for cobia, crabs and sand fleas for sheepshead and black drum, bucktails, swim baits, and big topwater plugs for red drum, popping cork rigs for specks, and spoons for Spanish mackerel. Don’t forget your in-line weights for those trolling setups. Thanks for tuning in to Artificial Lure’s Chesapeake Bay