Early Summer on the Chesapeake - Sheepshead, Spadefish, and Specks Bite Strong

Artificial Lure checking in with your Chesapeake Bay, Virginia fishing report for June 7th, 2025. First light hit the water at 5:46 AM, and anglers heading out early found themselves with ideal weather: a light southerly breeze, temps hovering in the low 70s to start, climbing into the mid-80s by midday, with mostly sunny skies and a gentle chop on the Bay. Sunset will wrap up your day at 8:18 PM. Tidal action is moderate, with an average tidal coefficient today, meaning currents are moving but not ripping—great conditions for working structure and creek mouths. The tide swung low just before sunrise and will push back in through midday, perfect for targeting predators as bait flushes with the incoming water, according to Tides4Fishing. This week’s bite has been classic early-summer action. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel is absolutely lighting up with sheepshead, now in their prime season. Look for those fish tight to the pilings. Fiddler crabs, sand fleas, and shrimp are your best baits—drift your offering close to the structure and hang on, because these fish pull hard. The CBBT is also holding some big spadefish; the Light Tower area has seen impressive catches as reported by Green Top Sporting Goods. Speckled trout are feeding aggressively in the grass beds and creek mouths from Lynnhaven down to the mouth of the Bay. Early mornings and late evenings are best, especially on a falling or just-turning tide. Topwater lures at dawn can be explosive—switch to soft plastic paddle tails in natural hues like pearl or chartreuse as the sun climbs. Live shrimp or mud minnows drifted under a popping cork have also been accounting for nice numbers, as Green Top and local reports confirm. Red drum and black drum continue their run in the lower Bay, especially near the CBBT islands and ocean-facing shoals. Big reds are crushing cut bunker or peeler crab, while the black drum are keying in on fresh clam or crab baits. The Virginia Beach piers have seen a mix of puppy drum, black drum, and the occasional bluefish, especially for folks fishing cut bait or tossing metal spoons. Striped bass action remains steady from the 301 Bridge down to St. Clements Island with both trollers and light tackle anglers connecting. Most fish are in the slot or just above, hitting bucktails, soft plastics, and live eels. In the rivers like the Rappahannock, trout, drum, rockfish, and even some croaker are showing up for persistent bottom fishermen. Hot spots today: - Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel for sheepshead and spadefish—fish the pilings and adjacent structure, especially during the tide change. - Lynnhaven River and Little Creek for speckled trout on topwater. - The Cape Henry area for red and black drum, especially if you can drift a crab bait along the shoal edges. If you’re after something different, the nearshore wrecks are producing flounder on live minnows, Gulp! baits, and strip baits, with the best action coming as the tide turns. Thanks for tuning in to t