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This week’s Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report focuses on a challenging mid-August stretch in Hampton Roads as red tide changes where anglers can effectively fish. The episode features Capt. Austin Hayne of FinaoSportfishing with a cobia report and Capt. Michael Hosang with Fishing4mortgages for a spearfishing update, fish-care discussion, and important safety reminders.
Austin explains why cobia numbers remain excellent despite inconsistent daily visibility, how he uses bait and water quality to decide when to stay or move, and why anglers may need to dedicate an entire day to sight fishing before the fish suddenly rise to the surface. Michael discusses what several missed cobia taught him about checking spearfishing equipment, how red tide has affected diving, his approach to handling harvested fish, and an upcoming September tournament that will include both rod-and-reel and spearfishing divisions.
Conditions Recap
Red tide is the defining condition across portions of the Lower Chesapeake Bay. Both Austin and Michael describe areas where discolored water has pushed fish away from traditional locations and forced anglers and divers to search for cleaner water before they can even begin targeting fish effectively.
Austin said the bloom followed a period of extreme summer heat and heavy rainfall, and the group discussed runoff and warm water as possible contributors. Whatever the exact combination of causes, the practical fishing result has been clear: some normally productive areas have been unfishable or nearly devoid of the species anglers expect to see there. Austin has been moving between the oceanfront, bay, Eastern Shore, bridge areas, and other sections of the region simply to stay ahead of the worst water.
The good news is that cobia numbers remain strong. Austin says fish are widely distributed, and he has caught them after launching from several different inlets. The challenge is that surface activity has become highly inconsistent. An area can appear nearly empty for hours and then suddenly fill with free-swimming cobia, pairs, triples, and larger groups.
Michael reports a similar effect underwater. Red tide can extend well below the surface, and during previous blooms he has watched fish leave affected areas in real time. Recent reports from experienced divers have also been inconsistent, with long stretches of structure producing little before divers finally locate one concentrated pocket of fish.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Cobia Report With Capt. Austin Hayne
Capt. Austin Hayne of FinaoSportfishing has been focusing almost entirely on cobia because red tide has disrupted other summer patterns. Spanish mackerel prefer cleaner water, drum have been less visible than Austin expects this time of year, and many normal fishing areas have been affected by discolored water.
That does not mean the cobia fishing is poor. Austin says this has been an excellent year for numbers. The difficulty is finding clean enough water and then being patient long enough for the fish to rise. On one recent trip, he saw very little through most of the day before the fish suddenly appeared around 2 p.m. From that point through the afternoon, cobia were everywhere.
What made that day especially interesting was that captains spread eight to 15 miles apart reported the same change almost simultaneously. After hours of very little activity, multiple boats suddenly began seeing free swimmers and groups of cobia. For Austin, that reinforced the idea that surface activity can be a region-wide timing event rather than something limited to one tiny patch of water.
His advice is to avoid panicking when the first several hours are slow. Instead, look for signs that the area has the ingredients to produce later. One of the biggest clues is bait showing on the fishfinder. Austin may mark menhaden 15 or 20 feet below the boat long before he can visually see cobia. If enough bait is present, he is willing to stay in that general zone and wait.
When the bait rises, the cobia often rise with it. Austin says that when menhaden schools begin rippling on the surface, or rays and other visible life start riding high in the water, the sight-fishing opportunity can change quickly. That is when he expects to start seeing cobia on top.
Under more typical conditions, Austin sees a stronger relationship between cobia surface activity and the second tide of the day, particularly on the oceanfront. Recently, however, he has found the timing much less predictable. His working approach is simple: find clean water, locate bait, commit to a promising area, and be ready whenever the fish decide to come up.
Cobia Artificial Lures, Live Baits, and Circle-Hook Rigging
When menhaden become abundant, Austin often sees cobia become less aggressive toward eels and other traditional live baits. At that point, he wants an artificial that resembles the baitfish the cobia are already feeding on.
His favorite artificial right now is a six-inch Yo-Zuri twitch bait. The lure runs just below the surface and can be twitched past cruising fish to imitate a menhaden. Austin considers it one of his most dependable artificial options when bunker are present. The drawback is the pair of treble hooks, so he prefers using it on larger fish rather than bringing a small, energetic cobia aboard with multiple exposed trebles.
Bucktail jigs are also producing. Austin reported catching multiple cobia on bucktails during a recent trip, giving anglers another option when fish will not commit to live bait.
For live-bait fishing, Austin remains a strong believer in true inline circle hooks. He says switching from J hooks to non-offset circle hooks has dramatically improved his hookup and landing percentage. Instead of making a hard hookset, the angler lets the line come tight and allows the circle hook to rotate into the corner of the fish’s mouth.
Austin particularly likes the system with clients because a missed attempt is less catastrophic. If a cobia pulls a bait from the angler before the hook engages, the bait often remains intact and the fish may immediately eat it again. The corner-of-the-mouth placement also makes releasing undersized cobia easier and reduces the chance of the leader rubbing against teeth or harder structures inside the mouth.
Products and gear discussed in this report included six-inch Yo-Zuri twitch baits, bucktail jigs, live menhaden, eels, finfish baits, true inline circle hooks, and dedicated cobia sight-casting outfits.
Looking Ahead to Fall Fishing With FinaoSportfishing
Austin expects cobia to remain the main focus through the rest of the harvest season, but his fishing shifts toward red drum and speckled trout as summer gives way to fall. Once the water improves, he expects the large red drum fishery to become one of the major opportunities through September and into October.
His fall program typically includes speckled trout along with catch-and-release fishing for oversized red drum that can range from roughly 46 to 55 inches. Austin says his remaining 2026 calendar is booked, and FinaoSportfishing has already opened bookings for the 2027 season.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Spearfishing Report With Capt. Michael Hosang
Capt. Michael Hosang with Fishing4mortgages has already harvested cobia this season in North Carolina, but his Virginia cobia trips have provided a very different lesson: even experienced divers need to continually inspect their equipment and remain disciplined when a shot opportunity develops.
After several inexplicable misses, Michael eventually discovered that the shaft on his speargun had a subtle bend near the tip. The shaft still appeared to sit normally in the gun’s track, so the problem was easy to overlook until he inspected it carefully. After replacing the spear shaft, spear tip, shooting line, and bands, the equipment was back in proper condition.
The next lesson was patience. Michael later found a buoy holding roughly 50 cobia, including two exceptionally large females. After missing his first opportunity, frustration caused him to rush the next shot, chase the fish, and take a low-percentage attempt. His takeaway was straightforward: equipment problems can cause misses, but so can abandoning good technique after frustration sets in.
For spearfishermen, that means checking shafts, shooting line, bands, tips, and connections before the trip and again after contact with rocks, pilings, barnacles, or other hard structure. Michael also emphasizes staying calm around fish rather than chasing them or forcing a shot that is not there.
Products and gear discussed in this report included spearguns, spear shafts, spear tips, shooting monofilament, replacement bands, GoPro cameras, and other standard freediving and spearfishing equipment.
How Red Tide Is Affecting Lower Chesapeake Bay Spearfishing
Michael says the current bloom has made diving difficult even for experienced local spearfishermen. Some divers are working eight or 10 pieces of structure without finding much life before suddenly reaching one area where the fish are concentrated.
From prior experience, Michael knows the discolored water can extend well below the surface. During an earlier red-tide event near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, he encountered the affected water at approximately 30 feet. He also watched fish begin moving away from the area as the bloom arrived with the current.
That makes water quality an important consideration before committing to a long series of dives. If visibility, odor, fish behavior, or surface water indicate a badly affected area, moving to cleaner water may be far more productive than repeatedly diving structure that the fish have already abandoned.
Fish Handling, Bleeding, Icing, and Michael Hosang’s Dry-Aging Method
Michael puts a great deal of emphasis on caring for a harvested fish immediately. His first step is bleeding the fish by cutting the gills. He also removes the viscera when practical and gets the fish cold as quickly as possible.
For icing, he prefers an ice-and-saltwater slurry rather than simply laying the fish on dry ice. Adding a small amount of saltwater around the ice creates much more contact with the fish and rapidly brings the flesh temperature down. He says properly chilled fish are also easier to clean and fillet.
Michael uses sheepshead as an easy example of the difference bleeding can make. A fish placed directly in the cooler without being bled will often have a darker pink appearance around the fillet and bloodline. A carefully bled and gutted fish can produce noticeably cleaner, lighter flesh.
He also described his personal at-home approach to dry aging fish such as cobia. Michael trims away the bloodline, places the clean fillet with a single layer of paper towel in a sealed bag, and changes the paper towel regularly as moisture leaves the surface. He uses the process primarily when preparing fish for sashimi.
This is Michael’s personal preparation method as described in the episode, not a food-safety protocol. Raw and aged seafood can carry bacterial and parasitic risks, so anglers who want to eat fish raw or experiment with aging should follow appropriate food-safety guidance for the species, handling method, refrigerator temperature, and intended preparation.
Products and gear discussed in this report included ice-and-saltwater slurries, fillet knives, paper towels, food-storage bags, and dedicated dry-aging equipment.
September Spearfishing and Rod-and-Reel Tournament
Michael also discussed an inaugural tournament planned for September 20 with separate rod-and-reel and spearfishing divisions. The event is expected to include cobia along with sheepshead, drum, spadefish, and bluefish categories, with cobia scored as a two-fish stringer.
The captain’s event is planned for September 17, with tournament fishing scheduled for Sunday, September 20. The dock party and weigh-in are expected to follow that afternoon. According to the discussion in the episode, proceeds are intended to support The Honor Foundation.
Michael said Fishing4mortgages buckets will be part of the event sponsorship, with additional support expected from companies in the spearfishing industry, including Mako and Salvimar.
Spearfishing Safety and Emergency Preparation
The tournament discussion led into one of the most important parts of the episode: spearfishing safety. Michael cautions that competitive pressure can cause even experienced divers to push farther or longer than they normally would. Fatigue, dehydration, inadequate recovery between dives, and the desire to make one more drop can all increase risk.
His strongest recommendation is proper freediving safety education and disciplined buddy procedures. Divers should understand shallow-water blackout, know how to recognize an unresponsive diver, and have a practiced rescue plan rather than relying on experience alone.
Michael also stresses hydration and realistic limits. No fish or tournament result is worth extending a breath hold past the point where the diver can safely return to the surface. Spearfishermen should be especially cautious late in the day when fatigue begins to accumulate.
Boat preparation matters as well. Michael carries a dedicated trauma kit in addition to a basic first-aid kit and specifically discussed the importance of having equipment intended for serious bleeding emergencies. The episode also emphasizes having someone aboard who knows CPR, carrying appropriate offshore emergency equipment, communicating a float plan, and making sure the crew knows how to respond if an accident occurs.
Loaded spearguns should be treated as serious weapons. Michael discussed a recent incident elsewhere in which a diver was critically injured after a loaded gun discharged aboard a boat, reinforcing the need for strict handling practices and never allowing excitement or tournament pressure to override basic safety.
Products and safety equipment discussed in this report included freediving safety equipment, trauma kits, tourniquets, first-aid kits, EPIRBs, personal locator beacons, and CPR training.
