Early June on the Chesapeake means transition. Cobia are building at the bay’s mouth, post-spawn striped bass are feeding through the middle and lower bay, and red drum and speckled trout are filling in. Here is the week’s outlook on the water.
What’s Biting
Cobia are arriving and building at the lower bay and around the mouth — sight-fishing and chumming are both producing. Striped bass (rockfish) are in their post-spawn feed, with school fish chasing bait through the middle bay. Red drum, both bull reds and slot fish, are showing in the lower bay, and speckled trout and flounder are working the grass and the channel edges. Spanish mackerel are starting to show at the mouth.
Where to Find Them
Cobia are at the mouth of the bay and around the CBBT and the buoys — look for fish on the surface and around the structure. Stripers are along the channel edges and over the bay’s lumps and reefs. Red drum are in the lower bay shallows and around the islands. Specks and flounder are on the grass flats and the channel drops of the rivers and the bay’s edges.
Tides & Conditions
Cobia sight-fishing wants calm, clear water — pick the settled days. Stripers feed on the moving tide along the edges. Water is warming through the 70s. Mornings and the moving tides are the most productive windows. Watch the wind for the lower-bay runs.
Tackle & Tactics
For cobia, pitch bucktails or live eels to sighted fish, or set a chum slick and fish live bait on the bottom. Stripers eat jigs, soft plastics, and trolled spoons along the edges. Red drum take cut bait on the bottom and soft plastics in the shallows. Specks fall to popping corks and paddletails over the grass.
This Week’s Tip
When sight-fishing cobia at the CBBT, position the sun at your back and run the structure slowly with a spotter up high. The fish hold tight to the pilings and around the surface clutter — a quiet approach and an early pitch ahead of the fish, not on top of it, makes all the difference.