The lower Chesapeake is firing on all spring cylinders. Cobia have arrived at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, stripers are still being caught (though the season is winding down in MD), Spanish mackerel are showing up, and the cobia sight-casting bite is the headline event.
Cobia — At the CBBT and Beyond
The big news this week: cobia have arrived in good numbers at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and along the Eastern Shore beaches. Sight-casting from tower boats and chumming on anchor at the CBBT pilings is producing.
Live eels, bucktails, and large soft plastics are the top baits. Fish are running 30 to 60 pounds with the occasional bigger one.
Virginia cobia regulations: check current size, bag, and season limits before keeping fish.
Stripers — Winding Down in MD, Open in VA
Maryland’s spring trophy striper season closed May 15. The summer slot season opens June 1 with strict regulations.
Virginia’s spring striper season has closed in the Chesapeake. Surf anglers may still get fish along the Eastern Shore beaches.
Check current Maryland DNR and Virginia VMRC regulations before fishing for stripers — rules change frequently due to conservation status.
Spanish Mac and Bluefish — Arriving
Spanish mackerel have shown up in the lower bay. The CBBT and the mouth of the bay are producing on trolled Clark spoons and Gotcha plugs.
Bluefish are mixed in — a few choppers along with the smaller tailor blues.
Speckled Trout and Reds
Speckled trout are excellent in the lower bay tributaries. The Lynnhaven, Elizabeth, and Hampton Roads are all producing on live shrimp and soft plastics.
Red drum (puppy drum) are in the same areas — cut mullet on the bottom is the simple method.
Conditions
Water temps in the lower bay 65–70°F. Variable winds, fishable most days.
Spots & Access This Week
The lower bay around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel is the cobia and red drum hub — boaters launch from the Lynnhaven, Little Creek, and Kiptopeke ramps for the shortest run to the structure. Mid-bay anglers chasing post-spawn stripers fish the channel edges and the Stone Rock and other lumps, with ramps at Solomons, Deale, and Kent Narrows providing access. Shore anglers score on the lower-bay piers and the islands of the CBBT for drum, specks, and the first Spanish. The Eastern Shore creek mouths hold specks and slot reds on the moving tide.
Tackle Breakdown & This Week’s Tip
Cobia call for a heavy 7-foot spinning rod, 40–65 pound braid, and a bucktail or a live eel ready to pitch to sighted fish, plus a bottom outfit for chumming. Post-spawn stripers eat jigs, soft plastics, and trolled spoons on 20–30 pound braid along the channel edges. Red drum take cut bait on a fish-finder rig in the lower-bay shallows, and speckled trout fall to popping corks and paddletails on a light spinning setup over the grass.
This week’s tip: for sight-fishing cobia at the CBBT, put the sun at your back, run the pilings slowly, and post a spotter up high — the fish hold tight to the structure and the surface clutter, and an early pitch ahead of a cruising fish, not on top of it, is what gets the eat. Mind the current Virginia and Maryland striped bass regulations, which differ by zone and season, before keeping any rockfish.
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