Stripers, Drum, and Bluefish Abound in the Chesapeake Bay

Artificial Lure here from Chesapeake Bay, Virginia, bringing you your Saturday fishing report for November 8th, 2025. The day started crisp and clear on the bay, with sunrise at 6:41 AM and sunset coming at 5:03 PM according to Tide-Forecast.com. We’ve got 10 hours and 22 minutes of daylight to get your lines wet. Weather conditions are cooperative—light northwest winds around 5 to 10 knots and waves holding at about 1 foot or less after a Small Craft Advisory expired at 5 a.m. this morning, per WBOC Weather. Temps are starting out in the low 50s, climbing to the low 60s by midday, so dress in layers and keep those hands warm. Tide movement’s on the gentle side today, with the tidal coefficient sitting low—just above 30—meaning the curves are mild and the currents aren’t ripping, as reported by Tides4Fishing. High tide came through Cape Charles Harbor around 10:45 a.m., with low tide before dawn; expect another low late afternoon, keeping shallow water action lively. Now, let’s talk fish. Fall’s chill has triggered good movement for **striped bass (rockfish)**, and the locals are reporting strong catches at both dawn and dusk especially near channel edges and drop-offs. There have been solid reports of **keeper slot drum**, hefty **sheepshead**, and a consistent run of **bluefish** in the inshore zones recently according to Hatteras Harbor Marina’s latest catch reviews. Out in the deeper stretches—think the Thimble Shoals and the CBBT (Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel)—boat anglers have decked some **King Mackerel**, **Blackfin Tuna**, and a handful of **Albacore**. Bottom fish like **sea bass** and **triggerfish** are handy too. On the bait front, fresh-cut menhaden, spot, and peeler crab have been choice for stripers and drum. Artificial action’s hot with **5–7 inch swim shads**, bucktails tipped with twister tails, and jigged spoons in deeper rips. Folks casting **soft plastics** around structure early and late are picking up fish. For sheepshead, crab-tipped fiddler rigs are still top dog. Virginia Beach and Cape Charles are always dependable, but the hot spots this week have been: - **CBBT (1st and 3rd Islands):** Striper and tautog, best on slack tide hours. - **Kiptopeke State Park pier:** Drum and blues, sunset bite has been fierce. - **Mouth of Lynnhaven River:** Sheepshead, spot, and scattered specks—try the bridge pilings and adjacent flats on rising water. Reports indicate party boats out of Rudee Inlet are seeing limits of sea bass with bonus blues and scattered mackerel, especially from midday through dusk. Inshore, red drum are around grassy shoreline points, especially near incoming tide. A few tips for today—keep a variety of baits on hand, and swap to smaller jigs and slower retrieves as water temps drop and fish get finicky. If you’re targeting rockfish, work deeper channels with heavier jigs at midday, then switch to topwater lures near dock lights after sunset. Thanks for tuning in to your local fishing report—don't forge