Chilly Chesapeake Bay Offers Trophy Stripers, Speckled Trout Despite Winter Conditions

As of today, January 12, 2025, the fishing scene on the Chesapeake Bay is quite active despite the chilly winter weather. Here’s what you need to know: ### Tidal and Weather Conditions This morning, the high tide at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel was at 6:53 AM with a height of 0.9 meters (2.95 feet), and the next low tide is expected at 1:14 PM with a height of -0.07 meters (-0.24 feet)[2]. The sunrise today is at 7:17 AM, and the sunset will be at 5:08 PM. The weather has been cold, with significant wind, but there are occasional warming trends that can bring fish into shallower waters. ### Fish Activity The winter season is a great time for catching and releasing trophy striped bass, particularly in the lower Bay areas. Yesterday, there were reports of steady catching of striped bass, especially around the Eastern Shore near Cape Charles. Sho-Nuf Sportfishing and other boats have been catching some very nice trophy fish, which were tagged and released[1]. In the tributaries around Norfolk and Virginia Beach, anglers have been catching a mixture of speckled trout, red drum, and striped bass. These fish are mostly in deeper water but move into shallower areas during the brief warming trends. Speckled trout have been caught using MirrOLure Mirrodine slow sinking twitchbaits, with one angler reporting a limit catch in just a few hours on the Elizabeth River[1]. ### Best Lures and Bait For striped bass, especially at night, fishing near dock and building lights can be very effective. Soft plastics on 1.5-ounce heads have also been successful in areas like Chesapeake Beach and the mouth of Eastern Bay[3]. For speckled trout, MirrOLure Mirrodine slow sinking twitchbaits have been the go-to choice. Red drum, or puppy drum, have been active in shallow waters of less than five feet during the warmer parts of the day[1]. ### Hot Spots - **Eastern Shore near Cape Charles**: This area has seen steady action for migratory striped bass. - **Tributaries around Norfolk and Virginia Beach**: These areas are producing speckled trout, red drum, and striped bass. - **Chesapeake Beach**: Known for short-lived bird action and catches of rockfish over 40 inches using soft plastics. - **Mouth of Eastern Bay**: Pods of fish can be located on sonar suspending in 40’ to 60’ of water[1][3]. Overall, despite the cold weather, the Chesapeake Bay is offering some great fishing opportunities, especially for those targeting striped bass and speckled trout. Make sure to bundle up and take advantage of the warming trends to find the best catches. This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.