Late Fall Fishing Report from Chesapeake Bay, VA - Stripers, Trout, Tautog and More

Artificial Lure here with your Thursday morning fishing report from Chesapeake Bay, Virginia—right at sunrise on November 20th, 2025. It’s a classic late fall morning: mostly cloudy skies, winds are light but there’s a chill, temps starting near 44°F and expected to top out just above fifty by mid-afternoon. Water temps have dropped into the low 50s, so fish metabolism and feeding windows are changing. The forecast calls for a mix of clouds, calm wind, and seasonable temps according to the National Weather Service. Today’s tide at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel features a low right before dawn around 4:45 am at 0.39 ft, rising to a high at roughly 11:06 am hitting 3.41 ft, then falling again by 5:32 pm to 0.46 ft. The solunar calendar shows major bite windows in sync with late morning and early afternoon, so plan casting around those periods for best luck. Sunrise was right at 7:16 am, with sunset set for 6:20 pm. These transitional November days mean shorter windows of good daylight fishing. Let’s talk about what’s biting. Striped bass—rockfish—are still the headline. According to the Maryland DNR’s late 2025 report, the juvenile striped bass index ticked up a notch, but spawning success is still below average. Still, the fall migration is keeping adult stripers moving up the Bay, with most catches between 20" and 28". Anglers are reporting steady catches around the CBBT using live eels or jumbo bloodworms on bottom rigs, but casting 1-2 oz jig-headed soft plastics (white or chartreuse) and umbrella rigs have put plenty of healthy fish in the boat. Speckled trout is holding near mouths of tidal creeks—spots like Lynnhaven Inlet and Rudee Inlet are prime. Most trout are in the 14-20“ range. Gulp! jerk shads in nuclear chicken or rootbeer gold have been hot sellers, while the Strike King Speckled Trout lure has landed plenty, especially during outgoing tides. If you’re after bottom-dwellers, tautog and sheepshead are hugging deeper pilings and rock—especially at the CBBT. Reports from November 14th around the bridge-tunnel show tautog up to 6 lbs being landed on crab and fiddlers. Sheepshead action is slowing but not over, so use smaller hooks and fresh bait for best results. Old timers will tell you bluefish are scattered, but a few snapper blues are still mixed in schools down near Kiptopeke and inside the Eastern Shore creeks. Metal spoons and flashy crankbaits are working when birds are working bait, and a patient cast from the surf can still get you a surprise. For baits: live eels, jumbo bloodworms, and peeler crab are best for big rockfish and tautog. Soft plastics work well for trout, and fresh shrimp or sand fleas will get bites from black drum and sheepshead, especially in the deeper channels. Recent catches have included a notable pompano dolphinfish landed offshore—7 lbs, 8 oz—but inside the Bay, anglers are mostly reporting mixed bags of stripers, trout, tautog, and the occasional schoolie blue. Offshore longfin albacore are m This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.