Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report: Flounder, Croaker, Trout & More Biting Across the Bay

Good morning anglers this is Artificial Lure with your Chesapeake Bay Virginia fishing report for Sunday May 18th 2025 Sunrise rolled in at 553 am with sunset coming up at 808 pm. Skies are mostly clear today with air temps climbing into the upper 70s perfect for a day on the water. Winds are light and variable and the tide schedule favors morning and evening fishing with a moderate incoming tide just after sunrise and a falling tide in the afternoon. Water temperatures are pushing 70 degrees and that’s sparked a real uptick in fish activity across the Bay and along our coastlines. The flounder bite has turned on in a big way. Anglers are pulling nice keepers from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and in deeper channels near Lynnhaven and Rudee Inlets. Squid strips, cut bait, and Gulp swimming mullets are all getting hits in 15 to 30 feet of water. Try drifting with live minnows or working bucktail jigs tipped with soft plastics for your best shot at a doormat flattie[4]. Croaker season has arrived strong and they’re abundant from the Hampton Roads piers to the mouth of the James River and all along the CBBT. They’re hitting bloodworms, fishbites, and small strips of squid on bottom rigs. Light tackle is all you need for a bend in the rod and a bucket of tasty panfish[4]. Gray trout, also known as weakfish, are another hot bite right now. Look for them in the lower Bay, especially around structure and channel edges. They’re taking squid, peeler crab, shrimp, and live spot, with some larger fish coming to those slow-trolling live bait rigs[4]. Striped bass season opened May 16 in Virginia waters with a 20 to 28 inch slot and a one fish per day limit. Look for schoolies prowling shallow flats at first and last light. Jigging soft plastics like BKDs or paddle tails around drop-offs, or tossing topwater plugs early in the morning, has put fish in the box for many anglers[5][1]. Remember to check the slot and local regs. Surf fishermen are reporting red drum and bluefish showing up in better numbers along the Virginia Beach stretch and into the lower Bay. The drum are taking peeler crab and fresh cut bunker while the bluefish prefer metal spoons or mullet rigs[3]. If you are looking for hot spots this weekend, try setting up near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel for mixed-bag action on flounder, croaker, and stripers, or drift the edges of Lynnhaven Inlet for flatties and gray trout. For those on foot, the Buckroe Fishing Pier and James River Fishing Pier are always reliable for croaker and spot. Best of luck out there and tight lines. This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.