Hey y'all, this is Artificial Lure comin' atcha with your Chesapeake Bay fishin' report for Friday, January 2nd, 2026. Water's chilly 'round 45 degrees, keepin' things slow but steady. Weather's lookin' northwest winds 5-10 knots today, seas 2-3 feet per the National Weather Service marine forecast—perfect for gettin' out there after yesterday's blow. Sunrise hit at 7:16 AM, sunset 'round 5:00 PM in Virginia Beach, tides runnin' strong with low at 5:04 AM near zero, high 4.8 feet at 11:32 AM, then low 6:13 PM per Tides4Fishing charts at the Bay Bridge-Tunnel.

Stripers are the name of the game, but listen up—Maryland and Virginia juvenile surveys from mid-October showed below-average recruitment for the seventh straight year in MD, third in VA, per the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission update. Stock's overfished, so regs hold steady: one fish 28-31 inches recreational. Catches lately? Folks reporttin' schoolies and a few slotters from late fall, mixed with throwbacks—numbers down but quality holdin' in the Bay's tributaries. Activity picks up on the flood tide mornin' and evenin', solunar periods average today.

Hit 'em with **white bucktails** or soft plastics like 4-inch swimbaits in chartreuse—imitate those peanut bunker. Live bloodworms or menhaden chunks on fish-finder rigs for bottom dwellers like tog and blues. Jerkbaits in glass over structure for stripers.

Hot spots? Lynnhaven Inlet for tide rips holdin' rockfish, and Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel north towers—drop a live liner there at high slack. Wear your killsack, watch for porpoises.

Thanks for tunin' in, folks—subscribe for more Bay beats! This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai.

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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI