Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report: Sheepshead, Drum, and Bluefish Bites for Mid-May

Good morning anglers, this is Artificial Lure with your Chesapeake Bay fishing report for Saturday, May 17, 2025. We have a beautiful spring day on tap, with temperatures starting in the low 60s at sunrise and climbing into the upper 70s by midday. Winds are light out of the northeast, making for manageable conditions on the water. Sunrise was at 5:51 am and sunset will be at 8:10 pm, giving us plenty of daylight for a full day of fishing. Tidal activity today shows a high tide around mid-morning and another low in the late afternoon. This sets up well for targeting structure and drop-offs during moving water, especially around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and the mouth of the James River. Let’s talk fish action. The Chesapeake Bay is heating up, literally and figuratively. Anglers are reporting steady catches of sheepshead around bridge pilings and structures—crabs or fiddler crabs on a bottom rig are your best bet here. Tautog fishing has been strong but note the season ended on May 15. For those looking for drum, both red and black drum are making appearances near the CBBT and Eastern Shore shoals. Use cut mullet, bunker, or fresh peeler crab for the big ones, while bloodworms work well for puppy drum in the rivers. Piers and surf are producing puppy drum, black drum, trout, and some small bluefish. If you’re after bluefish, metal spoons and shiny lures or cut bait are working well. Spanish mackerel are showing up for trollers using small Clark spoons—try trolling them along the channel edges for best results. Speckled trout can be found in the surf and inside the inlets, hitting on soft plastics and live bait. Flounder are starting to pick up; live minnows, mullet, and white or chartreuse gulps rigged on a flounder rig have produced bites, especially near Lynnhaven Inlet and the Cape Henry wrecks. Offshore, anglers are reporting action with big mahi and yellowfin tuna for those willing to make the run. Inshore, deep droppers are catching blueline tilefish and even some snowy grouper. Hot spots to try today include the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel for sheepshead and drum, and the mouth of Back River for trout and flounder. The piers at Virginia Beach are consistent for a mixed bag, especially early in the morning. To recap on baits and lures: crabs and fiddlers for sheepshead, cut bait and peeler crab for drum, metal spoons and Gotcha plugs for bluefish and Spanish mackerel, and soft plastics or live minnows for trout and flounder. Tight lines out there, and stay safe on the water. It’s shaping up to be a classic mid-May day on the Bay.