Fall Fishing Frenzy in Chesapeake Bay, Virginia

Waves up, folks! Artificial Lure here with the latest scoop on fishing around Chesapeake Bay, Virginia. It’s early morning, Sunday, October 12, 2025, and the water’s talking if you know how to listen. Let’s talk tides first, because tide is life in these parts. At Cape Henry, my go-to station, high tide peaked just after midnight at 2.7 feet, and the next wave rolls in around 2:26 p.m. today. Low is at 7:28 a.m., so you’ve got a solid window to set up before things start moving again, and the afternoon push brings a higher sluice—3.3 feet—so get ready for some serious water movement. Down in Norfolk, the trend is much the same: high at 2:31 a.m. and again at 3:10 p.m., low at 8:54 a.m., and a later dip at 9:29 p.m. This is classic fall action, with big water swings pulling fish into the channels and ripping bait from the shallows. Tide-Forecast and US Harbors both remind us: this time of year, when the tide’s on the move, fish get right on schedule. Weather’s got a little attitude this weekend. The National Weather Service’s briefing from yesterday had a Coastal Flood Warning up for most of the Bay and tidal rivers, and while that’ll ease up today, expect lingering swells and a brisk northeast breeze. Reports from Saturday kept a Small Craft Advisory in place, with northeast winds 10–20 knots and a choppy 1–2 foot chop. Water’s not dangerous, but you’ll feel the push. So, if you’re heading out, keep an eye on the sky and maybe pick spots with some lee from the wind. Sunrise taps at 7:10 a.m., sunset about 6:29 p.m.—so we’re talking decent sun and plenty of fall shadows for sight fishing if you’re into that. And let’s not forget the moon: moonset is at 2:32 p.m., so expect a nice little solunar bump right around midday. Fish know all about this stuff, even if you’re still on your first cup of coffee. Now, what’s biting? Still prime time for striped bass—rockfish—on both the western and eastern sides of the Bay. Plenty of schoolies and a few keeper-sized fish around the Bay Bridge Tunnel and the southern edges of the Bay. Live eel and soft plastic swimbaits in pearl, chartreuse, and white are still getting hammered, especially on the flood and the early part of the ebb. Spearing, menhaden, mullet, and silversides are stacked up, and the stripers are happy to chase. Early morning topwater with a Zara Spook or a popper can be dynamite, but when the sun gets high, switch to a bucktail jig tipped with that eel or a paddle-tail on a jighead, especially near the pilings and around the edges of the shipping channel. Blues and choppers are also patrolling the waters, so don’t be surprised if you pick up a few while you’re hunting stripers. For the best chance at a big blue, try a 3- to 5-inch paddle-tail on a 3/4–1 ounce jig, or rip a metal spoon through a bait ball. Want to bottom fish? Croaker and spot are still chewing, though the numbers aren’t what they were in August. Bloodworms, squid strips, and FishBites are all solid choices. And for the pa