Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report: Stripers, Specks, and Tog Bites Hot on November 9

Artificial Lure here with your Chesapeake Bay, Virginia fishing report for Sunday, November 9th, 2025. The sun rose at 6:38 AM this morning and we’ll have about 10 and a half hours of daylight, with sunset set for 5:12 PM. If you’re heading out, the skies are clear with crisp November air and west winds swinging around to northwest at 10-15 knots by afternoon—great conditions but pack an extra layer against that chill. Tides are prime for action today. Low tide hit just before dawn around 4:02 AM, and the high tide rolls in about 10:29 AM, peaking near 3.2 feet at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. Afternoon low is at 4:45 PM, followed by a secondary high near 10:38 tonight. Strong tidal coefficients mean the currents will run high, so expect the fish to be feeding up, especially at tidal turns according to Tides4Fishing. On the bite, striped bass action is heating up as water temps drop. Local captains and pier regulars have reported legal-size schoolies and some high 20-inch fish near the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel and around the CBBT islands. Best results are coming on live eels fished deep, but soft plastics like 5” BKDs in chartreuse and pearl, as well as bucktail jigs tipped with Gulp! trailers, have been producing strikes during the moving tides. Speckled trout catches are still solid inside Lynnhaven and Little Creek inlets. Anglers working MirrOlures and Z-Man paddletails in the marsh creeks just after sunrise have been rewarded with fish to 22 inches. Don’t forget shrimp-tipped popping cork rigs if the bite slows—old school still works on tough days. Tautog reports are turning up with some keeper togs being caught off the rocks at Cape Henry and around Bay Bridge pilings. Green crab and fiddler crab on a 2-3 ounce tog jig are the ticket, and the bite seems best on the last hour of incoming tide. Some steady sheepshead action continues around the CBBT and local wrecks, though numbers are easing up from October’s peak. Drop a fiddler or sand flea tight to structure for a shot at a November bruiser. Bluefish are still scattered but have been showing up in blitzes near the mouth of the bay—gotcha plugs and diamond jigs are the go-tos. Offshore, king mackerel and even a few blackfin tuna have been reported on recent runs, especially by boats targeting the Triangle Wrecks and ocean side lumps, as highlighted by recent Hatteras Harbor Marina reports. For red drum and the occasional slot-sized black drum, soak cut mullet or menhaden on the shoals around Fisherman Island and Kiptopeke. The bait shops are still moving plenty of fresh bunker and peeler crab, so stock up and bring the heavier gear. Top hot spots this week: - The Third Island of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel—especially for stripers as the sun comes up and tide begins to move both ways. - Lynnhaven Inlet for speckled trout and puppy drum—work those grass flats at dawn or dusk. - Kiptopeke State Park Pier is holding mixed drum, with action on peeler crab or live minno This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.