September on the Chesapeake is a transition worth being on the water for. The cobia are still on the lower bay for the last stretch of the season, Spanish mackerel are blitzing from the Bay Bridge-Tunnel up to the Potomac, and the speckled trout are starting to show in the Eastern Shore creeks and the western rivers. I fished this bay hard during my Mid-Atlantic editing years, and early September was always the week I tried to squeeze in one more cobia trip.
What’s Hitting
What’s hitting this week: cobia are still on the lower bay buoys, the Bay Bridge-Tunnel pilings, and the Latimer Shoal area, with sight-casters picking up fish on the surface in the flat mornings. Spanish mackerel are everywhere the bait is — the mouth of the York, the Cell, the Target Ships, and the western shore from Cape Charles up to the Rappahannock. Speckled trout are on the grass beds and the creek mouths on the Eastern Shore and in the Piankatank and Mobjack rivers. Red drum are on the shoals at the bay mouth, spot and croaker are thick in the rivers, and rockfish are on the Bay Bridge pilings and the deeper channel edges up the bay.
Where to Find Them
Cobia sight-casting is best around the Bay Bridge-Tunnel, Latimer Shoal, and the buoys off Cape Charles. Spanish are on the Cell, the Cabbage Patch, and the mouth of the Rappahannock. Speckled trout in Mobjack Bay, the Piankatank, and the Eastern Shore creeks around Onancock and Cape Charles. Rockfish on the Bay Bridge pilings early and the channel edges off Poplar Island.
Tides & Conditions
Bay temps are in the low 80s and the fish are feeding early and late. The moving tides at the bay mouth and around the bridge-tunnel are prime for cobia and Spanish. Calm, flat mornings are what the sight-casting depends on — pick the light-wind days. Watch the tropical outlook; a distant system can push swell into the lower bay.
Tackle & Tactics
Cobia want a live eel or a bucktail with a big curly tail cast to sighted fish on 50-pound braid and 60-pound leader. Spanish take a small spoon trolled fast or a Gotcha plug cast into the breaking fish. Speckled trout take a soft plastic on a jig head or a popping cork with a shrimp. Rockfish at the bridge want a bucktail or a live spot on the pilings. Keep the tackle light for spot and croaker if you want to fill the cooler.
Local Intel This Week
Public ramps: the Gloucester Point ramp on the York, the Kiptopeke State Park ramp on the Eastern Shore, the Deltaville Fishing Center area ramps, and the Sandy Point State Park ramp near the Bay Bridge. Fish are concentrating at the bay mouth for cobia and Spanish and in the rivers for trout and rockfish. Virginia cobia season closes in September and the rules include a slot and a one-fish limit — check current Virginia Marine Resources Commission and Maryland DNR regulations before keeping any fish.
This Week’s Tip
Cobia on the surface in September are often following rays. Scan for the rays first — the brown shapes are easier to spot than the fish — and then look for the darker shadow riding alongside.
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