Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report June 14, 2025: Sheepshead, Cobia, and More

Artificial Lure here, bringing you the Chesapeake Bay fishing report for June 14, 2025. First off, if you’re heading out today, you’re looking at light southwest winds, temps hovering in the mid-70s at dawn, and a partly cloudy sky expected to clear by midday. Sunrise hit at 5:43 a.m., and sunset will cap the day at 8:28 p.m. Water temps are pushing into the high 70s, and we’re just past a new moon, so expect robust, moving tides peaking mid-morning and again in the late afternoon—prime windows for a bite. Sheepshead action is lit at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel (CBBT) right now, with reports of steady catches around the second and third islands. Folks are pulling in limits using live and frozen fiddler crabs fished on bottom sweeper jigs, and don’t be surprised to connect with tautog and the occasional black or red drum in the same spots. Spadefish are showing heavy around bridge pilings and the Chesapeake Light Tower, with clam strips or small jelly balls doing the trick—bring a stout rod, they’re fighters. Cobia season swings open tomorrow, and anticipation is high. Schools are gathering at the mouth of the bay and around the oceanfront shoals, especially near buoys and wrecks. Until the legal opener, catch-and-release is the rule, but live eels and large bucktails are favorites for early action. Boats with towers have the edge spotting surface cruisers, and shallow diving twitchbaits or topwater lures can get aggressive strikes when cobia are up. If it’s red drum you’re after, the shallow flats near the islands and Fisherman’s Island have been hot, but drum are starting to transition to deeper structure. Large paddletails on 2-ounce jigheads fished tight to rock piles will get you noticed. For black drum, try the CBBT islands—the action is consistent, especially when tides are moving. Inshore, flounder are biting strong along the CBBT, HRBT, and southside inlets—think strip baits or Gulp! on a jighead. The striper bite is starting to slow, but you’ll still find schoolies mixed with blues in the lower bay and around the inlets. For perch and croaker, head up to the Rappahannock or any of the inside creeks, using bloodworms or grass shrimp on small rigs. For bait, you can’t beat live fiddler crabs, spot, or cut bait for big drum and cobia. Artificial fans should pack bucktails, soft plastics, and topwaters—bright colors for stained water, natural for clear. Today’s hotspots: the pilings and islands of the CBBT, Fisherman’s Island flats, and the Chesapeake Light Tower. For shore-bound anglers, Lynnhaven Inlet and the Virginia Beach oceanfront are both producing solid catches. Thanks for tuning in! Don’t forget to subscribe for the latest action. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease dot ai. This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.