Virginia's Eastern Shore Fishing Guide

The seaside has shallow bays, marsh channels and inlets behind barrier islands, famous for spring flounder and drum. The bayside near Cape Charles and Kiptopeke has big black drum and cobia, and ports like Wachapreague and Chincoteague give access to offshore fishing.

📍 Cape Charles, Kiptopeke, Oyster, Quinby, Wachapreague, Chincoteague, Wreck Island, the seaside barrier islands and inlets

📅 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

Virginia's record red drum, 85 lb 4 oz, came from Wreck Island in 1981; the record black drum, 111 lb, was caught off Cape Charles in 1973.
The Virginia record bluefin tuna, 832 lb 6 oz, was caught off the Eastern Shore in January 2026.
Virginia record wahoo (122 lb 1 oz) was caught off Wachapreague in 2012; record tarpon (130 lb) off Oyster in 1975.
The state record speckled trout, 16 lb, came from Mason's Beach on the Eastern Shore bayside in 1977.
Wachapreague is known to some as the 'Flounder Capital of the World.'

What you can catch

Flounder
Seaside inlets and channels; peak May-July on the seaside.
Black drum
Peak May to early June off Cape Charles, Kiptopeke and the seaside inlets.
Red drum
Seaside inlets and surf; spring and fall runs.
Cobia
Bayside off Cape Charles and Kiptopeke (Cabbage Patch), summer.
Sharks
Seaside coastal waters and inlets, June-October.
Speckled trout
Bayside grass flats and creeks, spring and fall.
Gray trout and croaker
Fill the seaside channels in summer.
Striped bass
Assateague surf in late fall and early spring.
Tuna, marlin and wahoo
Offshore from Wachapreague and Chincoteague in summer and fall.

Month by month

January	Mostly offshore bluefin when weather allows; inshore is quiet.
February	Quiet inshore.
March	Seaside flounder can start as early as late March.
April	Spring flounder run in the seaside channels; striped bass in the Assateague surf.
May	Flounder peak; black drum off Cape Charles and the seaside inlets.
June	Black drum winds down; flounder still strong; cobia season opens June 15.
July	Cobia on the bayside; tarpon possible in seaside inlets; sharks offshore and in the inlets.
August	Croaker and gray trout in the channels; offshore tuna and marlin.
September	Red drum and flounder moving out the inlets; cobia season closes Sept 20.
October	Fall speckled trout in bayside creeks; red drum in the surf.
November	Striped bass in the Assateague surf; gray trout off the seaside.
December	Late striped bass in the surf; inshore slows down.

Tips

Seaside channels shoal and shift often; expect to run aground and watch depths even at familiar spots.
Fish the drop-offs and channel edges rather than the deep middles for flounder.
Flounder tournaments at Wachapreague bring heavy boat traffic; consider a different day or port if you are not entered.
Tidal Eastern Shore waters need a Virginia saltwater license or FIP registration.
Check the 2026 speckled trout rules: VMRC closed the season April 1-June 30 after cold-stun kills.

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.
Summer flounder: open all year; 16 inches Jan 1-May 31 and 17.5 inches June 1-Dec 31; 4 per person.
Red drum: slot 18-26 inches; 3 per person.
Black drum: 16 inches minimum; 1 per person per day.
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.
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.
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.
Striped bass, Virginia ocean waters (0-3 miles): open Jan 1-Mar 31 and May 16-Dec 31; slot 28-31 inches; 1 per person. Federal waters (3-200 miles) are closed to all striped bass fishing.
Federal (NOAA) tuna/billfish: private boats need an HMS Angling permit (charter boats need HMS Charter/Headboat). Yellowfin 27 inches, 3 per person; bluefin limits change during the season and 1 trophy (73 inches+) per boat per year; blue marlin 99 inches and white marlin 66 inches (lower jaw fork length). Report all billfish, swordfish and bluefin landed within 24 hours at hmspermits.noaa.gov.

Rules change. Always check the official page before you fish.

Boat ramps and marinas

The map above shows 42 boat ramps and 22 marinas from OpenStreetMap. Tap any dot for directions.

Boat ramp near Cals Hammock
Boat ramp near Cape Charles Harbor
Boat ramp near Daugherty Creek
Boat ramp near Fisher Cove
Boat ramp near Fleeton Bay
Boat ramp near Gargathy Bay
Boat ramp near Hills Bay
Boat ramp near Oyster Creek Gut
Buzzard Point Marina
Cape Charles Yacht Center
Captain Bob's Marina
Captain Zed's Boat Ramp
Chesapeake Cove Marina
Deltaville Yachting Center
Hudgins Horn Harbor Marina
Ingrams Bay Marina
Mill Creek Landing Public Boat Ramp
Nomad Norview Marina
Onancock Marina
Oyster Farm Marina
Queens Creek Landing Marina
Regatta Point Yachting Center
Roane Point Landing Boat Ramp
Sea Mark Marine
Somers Cove Boat Ramp
Somers Cove Marina
Stingray Point Marina
Sun Retreats New Point
The Narrows Marina
True North Boatworks
Tylerton County Dock
VIMS
Waldens Marina
Windmill Point Marina
Wise Point Boat Ramp

Sources

Checked October 2026. BigJoe does not invent facts: every number on this page comes from the sources listed above.