Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report: Sheepshead, Spadefish, and Cobia Heating Up

Artificial Lure here with your Chesapeake Bay fishing report for Friday, June 13, 2025, focused on the waters in and around the Virginia stretch of the Bay. Sunrise hit at 5:45 AM this morning, and you’ll have daylight until a generous 8:21 PM. We’ve got about 14 and a half hours of sun to play with. Tide action today is on the moderate side—typical for early summer—with the coefficient sitting at 52 this morning, dropping to 50 by noon and closing out around 48. Expect gentle tidal swings, which should keep fish active, especially during those windows around the tide changes. High tides are early, dipping to low mid-morning, and then another high pushes in mid-afternoon according to Tides4Fishing. Weather-wise, conditions are classic for June: mild temps and light winds across the Bay, so anglers from small-boat crews to surf casters can get out comfortably. No severe storms on the horizon, just warm water and plenty of daylight. The action on the water? It’s firing on all cylinders. Sheepshead fishing is coming into prime form, especially around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel (CBBT). Look for big fish holding tight to the pilings—kayak and jet ski anglers have been hauling in impressive numbers this week using frozen or live fiddler crabs rigged on bottom sweeper jigs, with some nice tautog mixed in. Virginia Beach bridges and structures are holding their own with a mix of sheepshead, tautog, black drum, and even a few red drum. Spadefish are moving in on inshore structure and schools are stacking up near the CBBT and the Chesapeake Light Tower. Clam strips on hooks are sure to get attention from these fighters. Red drum are still running strong. Look for bulls hanging around the islands of the CBBT and on the shallow flats near Fisherman’s Island. Use large paddletail soft plastics or straight tails on jigheads—scan with side-imaging if you’ve got it, then drop right on top of the school. Black drum are thriving around the same structures, and peeler crab remains your number one bait for them. Cobia are showing in better numbers at the mouth of the Bay, especially by the oceanfront and shoals just inside the Bay’s entrance. Tower boats are finding them cruising on the surface, and with the season set to open June 15, now’s the time to gear up. Until then, try bucktails, topwater lures, and shallow diving twitchbaits. Once open, live eels are the go-to for a sure bite. As for some bonus species, folks fishing inside the Rappahannock are reporting a mix of speckled trout, black drum, rockfish, and croaker. Flounder are heating up along the CBBT and the inlets, and bluefish have shown up early, tearing through baits. Hot spots right now: - CBBT pilings (for sheepshead, spadefish, drum, flounder) - Fisherman’s Island shoals (red drum, cobia) - Chesapeake Light Tower (spadefish, occasional cobia) - Inside the Rappahannock (trout, croaker, drum, rockfish) Best baits and lures this week: live or frozen fiddler crabs for sheepshead, soft p