Summer is a great time to fish on Virginia's Eastern Shore, the weather is great and the fishing really starts to heat up in the Chesapeake Bay and offshore.
Plus, you can enjoy everything Sunset Beach Hotel has to offer. Our waterfront resort is the perfect place for anglers to stay because we're located close to the best launching points and we provide onsite boat parking. Not to mention, we also have fun amenities like two pools, a private beach and a fish cleaning station.
Plan your summer fishing trip now and book your stay at Sunset Beach Hotel. Here's what you can look forward to catching during your stay:
Inshore Fishing
- Cobia- This is an excellent summer quarry. Cobia peak from mid-June to mid-September, and you can hook them around buoys, at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, at the inner middle ground, around Kiptopeke and Latimer Shoal, along coastal beaches and around inshore wrecks and buoys on the seaside.
- Black Drum- Anglers can hook this prize fish from May through September, but from late June to Early August the hot spot for black drum is around the second and third island of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.
- Bluefish- One great thing about bluefish is that they run in a lot of places. If you want to hook a large bluefish, try your luck in coastal waters, offshore and in the Chesapeake Bay from mid-April through July. for smaller fish, stick to the Chesapeake Bay, coastal ocean waters and inlets from May through October.
- King Mackerel- The King Mackerel is another fish that you can fish for offshore, inshore and in the bay. Look for them around wrecks and reefs in ocean waters, off ocean inlets and at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. They run from June to October and peak in the fall.
- Croaker- These croaking fish can be found in the Chesapeake Bay, coastal ocean waters and inlets from March through November.
- Flounder- Flaties start running in the spring. They peak from May to July on the seaside of the Eastern Shore before heading into the Chesapeake Bay, where they heat up from July to October. If you're chasing them on the seaside stick to inlets. In the bay, you can catch flounder around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and in the lower portion of the bay.
- Kingfish- These silvery fish run from May to October. You can hook them in the lower portion of the bay and off piers in the lower bay. If you want to make a day trip up to Assateague, you can try your hand at surf fishing for them.
- Spanish Mackerel- Like their cousins the king mackerel, Spanish mackerel can be hooked offshore, inshore and in the bay. They particularly like seaside inlets and ocean wrecks. They run from June to October.
- Sheepshead- These striped fish run from May to October and can be landed around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and in the lower Chesapeake Bay.
- Spadefish- You can consistently catch spadefish around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and Plantation Light from May to September.
- Spot- These small fish peak from July to September in Chesapeake Bay waters, but can also be caught in inshore coastal waters.
- Striped bass- Also known as rockfish, these hefty fish run all year. They can be hooked throughout the Chesapeake Bay and along inshore waters on the seaside. One of the best concentrations of fish is around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. The largest fish are usually caught around the bridge.
- Tarpon- Head over to the seaside to hook tarpon. They hang out in inlets and off the beaches of the barrier islands along the coast of Virginia's Eastern Shore. They peak from July to August.
- Tautog- The fishing for tautog peaks from March to June, but they run all year long. Look for them around wrecks and reefs in ocean waters and the lower bay, especially around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.
- Gray Trout- Also known as weakfish, these trout can be caught around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel particularly near the fourth island, in the bay along channel edges and over deep water rocks and occasionally in seaside inlets and coastal waters. You can catch them from May to November, but they peak around the bridge-tunnel in May, June and October. They start running in the Chesapeake Bay and the seaside inlets from June to September and in ocean waters from mid-September to November.
Offshore Fishing
If you want to head into deeper waters, there are lots of trophy fish that run in the summer months including Amber Jack, Mahi Mahi, Blue Marlin, White Marlin, sailfish, swordfish, bigeye tuna, bluefin tuna, yellowfin tuna, false albacore and wahoo.
There are a lot of fish in the waters off Virginia's Eastern Shore so pack your tackle and book a stay at Sunset Beach Hotel.
You May Also Like:
Boating Virginia's Eastern Shore
You Guide to Spring Fishing in the Chesapeake Bay