The lower bay is in its best cobia weeks of the year. Flat mornings and clear water have made the sight-casting game as good as it gets, and the rest of the bay has settled into a hot-weather routine of early trout, plentiful panfish, and a striper picture that has gone quiet in the heat.
What’s Hitting
Cobia are the marquee fish, with good numbers of sight-castable fish in the lower bay from the Middle Grounds down to the CBBT. Speckled trout are on the shoreline structure and grass edges, especially on the Eastern Shore and around the Poquoson flats. Red drum are around, both puppy drum inshore and bull reds on the shoals. Spot, croaker, and white perch are everywhere and easy — the best kid fishing of the year. Striped bass are lethargic in the warm water; most of the action is early morning topwater in the rivers, and catch-and-release care is critical.
Where to Find Them
Cobia sight-casting works best from the Cape Charles area south along the buoy lines and over the shoals in 15 to 25 feet — you need sun overhead and light wind. Trout are on the Eastern Shore grass edges and around the CBBT pilings. Puppy drum are on the Poquoson and Mobjack shorelines. Panfish are on any hard bottom in the middle bay and around the bridge pilings. Early stripers are in the Potomac, Rappahannock, and Choptank on topwater at daybreak.
Tides & Conditions
Post-full-moon tides are running strong. Bay water temps are 82 to 85 — very warm, which is why the striper bite has faded and the cobia bite has peaked. Light southwest wind most mornings with a chop building by noon. Afternoon thunderstorms have been frequent and fast-moving.
Tackle & Tactics
Cobia sight-casting is a heavy spinning outfit, 60-pound fluoro leader, and a large bucktail or a live eel to pitch at a fish you have spotted. Trout want a soft plastic on a light jighead or a topwater at first light. Puppy drum take a gold spoon or cut bait on the bottom. Panfish are a simple bottom rig with bloodworm. For summer stripers, use single hooks, skip the treble-armed plugs, and get fish back fast.
Local Intel This Week
The Cape Charles town ramp, Kiptopeke State Park, and the Sandy Point State Park ramp up north are the main public launches. The CBBT islands offer good land-based access. Fish are concentrating on the shoals and structure in the lower bay this week. Cobia and striped bass both have specific Virginia and Maryland seasons and permit requirements — check current VMRC and Maryland DNR regulations and seasons before keeping any fish.
This Week’s Tip
When you spot a cobia on the surface, lead it and let the bucktail sink into its path rather than casting on top of it. A bait dropping in front of a cruising fish gets eaten. A bait that lands on its back sends it down every time.