Fishing guides › Virginia & Chesapeake Bay
FISHING GUIDE · VIRGINIA
Lower Chesapeake Bay and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel (CBBT) Fishing Guide
The mouth of the Bay is where ocean and Bay fish meet. The CBBT pilings, rock islands and tunnel tubes hold tautog, sheepshead, spadefish, flounder, drum and striped bass much of the year. Cobia and big red drum cruise the shoals and buoys around the bridge in summer.
📍 Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Hampton, Cape Henry, Lynnhaven Inlet, Thimble Shoals, the four CBBT islands, Fisherman Island, Kiptopeke
📅 Virginia Fishing Calendar — best months, closed seasons, bait & rigs →
Map: spots, ramps and marinas
★ Fishing hot spot · ● Boat ramp · ● Marina · ▭ Protected area (solid red = no fishing, dashed = fishing with rules)
Open the full Virginia & Chesapeake Bay map →
Quick facts
- The CBBT is 17.6 miles shore to shore (about 23 miles with approach roads). The first span opened April 15, 1964; the second span opened April 19, 1999.
- It has four man-made islands (about 5.25 acres each) and two mile-long tunnels: Thimble Shoal Tunnel and Chesapeake Channel Tunnel. More than 5,150 concrete pilings hold up the bridges.
- VMRC calls the CBBT one of the focal points of Bay fishing and notes it is often called the world's largest artificial reef.
- Virginia records from here: sheepshead 20 lb 12 oz (Sea Gull Fishing Pier, 2005), gray trout 19 lb (CBBT, 1983), tripletail (CBBT 3rd Island, 2025).
- Sea Gull Fishing Pier on the first island has been closed since October 2017 during the new Thimble Shoal tunnel project.
What you can catch
- Striped bass (rockfish)
Big fish along the CBBT late fall and early winter; Bay season rules apply. - Tautog
On the CBBT tubes and islands; best in cool water, spring and late fall to winter. - Sheepshead
Around the islands and pilings, May-October; fiddler crabs and clams. - Spadefish
Around the CBBT and buoys, May-September; clam baits. - Cobia
Buoys, shoals and the CBBT; peak mid-June to mid-September. - Red drum
Schools of big bull reds around the CBBT islands in summer; puppy drum in inlets. - Black drum
2nd and 3rd islands peak late June to early August. - Flounder
Big fish along the CBBT, July-October. - Gray trout (weakfish)
Big fish at the CBBT, best May-June and October.
Month by month
| January | Tautog on the tubes and islands when water stays in the low 40s or warmer; Bay striped bass season closed. |
|---|---|
| February | Slow; tautog on deeper structure on mild days. |
| March | Tautog bite starts to pick up as water warms. |
| April | Tautog and first flounder; croaker start to show in the Bay. |
| May | Black drum, flounder, gray trout and spadefish arrive; spring striped bass season opens May 16; tautog closes May 16. |
| June | Cobia season opens June 15; sheepshead, spadefish and black drum at the islands; striped bass season ends June 15. |
| July | Cobia, spadefish, sheepshead, flounder; bull red drum around the islands; tautog reopens July 1. |
| August | Cobia, sheepshead, spadefish, flounder and Spanish mackerel. |
| September | Flounder on the CBBT; cobia season ends Sept 20; spot run in the lower Bay. |
| October | Fall striped bass season opens Oct 4; tautog and gray trout good; flounder still biting. |
| November | Tautog strong; bigger striped bass start showing along the CBBT. |
| December | Peak for large striped bass along the CBBT and Bay mouth; tautog on the tubes. Bay striper season ends Dec 31. |
Tips
- Local knowledge from BigJoe: you can't land on the islands; you fish them from a boat. Every island holds fish, and the fish move from island to island and under the bridge pilings, so if one spot is slow, move.
- Local knowledge from BigJoe: the 3rd and 4th islands are his favorites, and the boat channel is the place for flounder.
- Local knowledge from BigJoe: on the northern side there is a shark sanctuary plus wildlife reserves. Know where they are and follow the rules there.
- Sea Gull Fishing Pier is closed during tunnel construction; check cbbt.com before you plan a pier trip.
- Give the Thimble Shoal tunnel construction zone plenty of room and watch for work boats.
- Strong tides run along the bridge; use enough weight to stay on the bottom around the pilings and tubes.
- Know which waters you are in: Bay rockfish rules (19-24 inch slot) differ from ocean rules (28-31 inch slot) just outside the Bay mouth.
- Register big fish with the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament citation program at a weigh station.
Rules and license
Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) · Official rules page ↗
- License: anglers 16-64 need a Virginia saltwater license ($17.50 resident, $25 non-resident, $10 for 10 days). Anglers 65 and older and unlicensed anglers 16+ must register free with the Fisherman Identification Program (FIP). No license or FIP is needed on a licensed charter or head boat.
- Striped bass (rockfish), Chesapeake Bay and rivers: spring season May 16-June 15 and fall season Oct 4-Dec 31; slot 19-24 inches; 1 fish per person per day. Closed at other times.
- Cobia: season June 15-Sept 20; 43 inches minimum; 1 per person, no more than 2 per boat per day; gaffing cobia is illegal for recreational anglers.
- Red drum: slot 18-26 inches; 3 per person.
- Summer flounder: open all year; 16 inches Jan 1-May 31 and 17.5 inches June 1-Dec 31; 4 per person.
- Speckled trout: 14 inches minimum, 5 per person, only 1 may be 24 inches or longer. In 2026 the season was closed April 1-June 30 after cold-stun kills.
- Tautog: 16 inches minimum; 4 per person; closed May 16-June 30.
- Black sea bass (state waters): 13 inches; 15 per person; open May 11-Dec 31 in 2026. A special Feb 1-28 season needs a free VMRC permit and reporting.
- Black drum: 16 inches minimum; 1 per person per day.
- Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament (state citation program): striped bass citations are temporarily suspended in 2026.
Rules change. Always check the official page before you fish.
Boat ramps and marinas
The map above shows 17 boat ramps and 6 marinas from OpenStreetMap. Tap any dot for directions.
- Alanton Boat Ramp
- Bluewater Yachting Center
- Boat ramp near Lynhaven Inlet
- Haven Creek Boat Ramp
- Marina Cove Boat Basin
- Norfolk Yacht and Country Club
- Old Point Comfort Marina
- Point Willoughby Sailing Center
- Sunset Creek Boat Ramp
- Willoughby Harbor Marina
- Wise Point Boat Ramp
Sources
- https://www.cbbt.com/explore-old/
- https://mrc.virginia.gov/vswft/2026/MRC_2026_VSWFT_Brochure.pdf
- https://mrc.virginia.gov/vswft/Angler_Guide/angler_web_catch.pdf
- https://mrc.virginia.gov/vswft/Angler_Guide/angler_web_waters.pdf
- https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincode/title4/agency20/chapter252/section80/
- https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincode/title4/agency20/chapter252/section90/
- https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincode/title4/agency20/chapter252/section110/
- https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincodefull/title4/agency20/chapter510
- https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincodefull/title4/agency20/chapter1400
- https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincodefull/title4/agency20/chapter620
- https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincodefull/title4/agency20/chapter280
- https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincodefull/title4/agency20/chapter960
- https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincodefull/title4/agency20/chapter950
- https://mrc.virginia.gov/regulations/recfish-licensing.shtm
- https://mrc.virginia.gov/whatsnew.shtm
- https://fishtalkmag.com/fishing-report/way-south-chesapeake-bay-fishing-report-june-2025
- https://www.fishtalkmag.com/fishing-report/april-2018-way-south-and-va-fishing-report
Checked October 2026. BigJoe does not invent facts: every number on this page comes from the sources listed above.