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This week’s Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report covers late-summer cobia, offshore flounder, tackle preparation, and two upcoming fishing tournaments in Hampton Roads. Host Luke Barton starts with the September 5 cobia tournament at Wallace’s Bait & Tackle at Dandy Point in Hampton, then talks with Jesse Wilkins of Long Bay Pointe Bait and Tackle about flounder fishing around the Windmills, his first speared cobia, and why properly spooled braid can make such a dramatic difference in casting performance.
The second half of the episode features Eddie Delgado and Kent Reef with Cast and Blast 757. They discuss how they got into spearfishing, choosing speargun size for Chesapeake Bay conditions, finding cobia around structure, and the September 20 Cast and Blast tournament benefiting The Honor Foundation.
Conditions Recap
Late-August fishing in the Lower Chesapeake Bay continues to offer a wide mix of opportunities. Offshore, Jesse Wilkins found strong flounder action around the Windmills and nearby structure, with sea bass and cobia also in the mix. On the same trip, the crew encountered a free-swimming group of roughly 20 to 25 cobia before eventually finding fish around structure that could be targeted by spearfishing.
Cobia are beginning to show more of the late-season behavior anglers expect as the migration progresses. Fish are grouping together, and both rod-and-reel anglers and spearfishermen are finding them around open water, bait, buoys, bridge structure, and other areas that concentrate fish.
For divers, visibility remains highly variable. Kent Reef described roughly two feet of visibility around the First Island and approximately four feet around the Second Island on a recent trip. Current and depth also create noticeable temperature changes, with a colder layer developing below roughly 15 feet in some areas. Those conditions make equipment selection and dive planning especially important.
Dandy Point Cobia Tournament at Wallace’s Bait & Tackle
The episode opens with a look at Dandy Point in Hampton and the long connection between the area, the Lower Chesapeake Bay, and cobia fishing. Wallace’s Bait & Tackle has become a major access point, marina, fuel stop, weigh station, and tournament venue for local anglers.
Wallace’s is hosting a one-day cobia tournament on Saturday, September 5. The main entry is $300 and covers up to four crew members, with additional anglers able to participate for $50 each. The event will also include multiple Calcutta options along with youth, lady angler, and trash-fish opportunities.
Lines go in at 6 a.m., with the weigh-in scheduled from 2 to 5 p.m. and the party beginning at 3 p.m. Charters and recreational anglers are both welcome. The event will include food, music, raffles, games, and other activities around the Wallace’s property at Dandy Point.
The tournament will also use an on-site polygraph to verify winning results, adding another level of accountability to the competition.
Windmill Flounder Fishing With Jesse Wilkins of Long Bay Pointe Bait and Tackle
Jesse Wilkins of Long Bay Pointe Bait and Tackle recently made his first offshore flounder trips around the Windmills and nearby structure. Although he has spent years tying flounder rigs and helping anglers prepare at the tackle shop, fishing those rigs offshore gave him a new perspective on how much boat position, line angle, jigging cadence, and bottom contact matter.
The biggest lesson was staying vertical. When the line sweeps too far beneath the boat, the angler loses sensitivity and has a much harder time detecting both the bottom and subtle flounder bites. Jesse found that keeping the presentation close to vertical made it easier to understand what the rig was doing and helped improve hookups.
Boat control is part of that equation. If the line begins sweeping far under the boat, repositioning or using the engines to straighten the drift can bring the rig back into a more effective fishing angle. Jesse says that once he became comfortable reading the bottom, drift, and line angle together, the technique began to feel much more natural.
His preferred recent setup included two- to three-ounce jigs and slow-pitch jigs incorporated into a double-drop rig. Rather than using a plain sinker at the bottom, the jig adds another bait profile, flash, and movement to the presentation. Skirts, longer strips of bait, and other added movement also seemed to help trigger flounder.
Scent remains important. Jesse believes flounder respond well to presentations that combine motion with smell, whether that comes from cut bait, squid, fish strips, or scented soft plastics such as Gulp-style grubs. Fish caught around the Windmills were also seen regurgitating squid, while sea bass had discarded soft-plastic grubs in their mouths, showing just how heavily those fish are feeding around the structure.
Products and gear discussed in this report included two- and three-ounce jigs, slow-pitch jigs, double-drop rigs, skirts, cut bait, squid strips, and scented soft-plastic grubs.
Cobia Fishing and Jesse Wilkins’ First Speared Cobia
The Windmill trip also turned into Jesse’s first real spearfishing experience. Before reaching the dive area, the crew encountered a school of approximately 20 to 25 free-swimming cobia. The anglers hooked multiple fish on rod and reel before eventually deciding the amount of cobia in the area justified getting in the water.
With experienced spearfisherman Parker Reed helping him, Jesse eventually found a cobia at close range and made a successful shot. The fish was hit solidly enough that Jesse initially “stoned” it, giving him a memorable first spearfishing catch after already putting together his first offshore flounder limit earlier in the day.
Jesse’s biggest takeaway was how different the experience feels once the angler enters the water. Current, changing water temperature, limited visibility, breathing through a snorkel, and controlling the gun all add variables that do not exist when fishing from the boat.
Reel Spooling and Braid Maintenance With Jesse Wilkins
Jesse also explains why line maintenance deserves more attention than many anglers give it. Luke recently had several older spinning reels respun at Long Bay Pointe and immediately noticed easier casting, smoother line flow through the guides, and much less effort required to make long casts.
Jesse prefers PowerPro braid and says modern braid continues to become thinner and smoother. Old braid can flatten, roughen, stack poorly on the spool, and create added friction during a cast even when the line has not technically failed.
His spooling process is deliberately slow. Rather than simply applying maximum tension and filling the reel as quickly as possible, Jesse hand-controls the tension and watches how each reel lays line. Different reel designs require different treatment.
A Daiwa BG, for example, has a deep spool and a line-lay system that behaves differently from higher-end reels such as the Shimano Twin Power. Jesse adjusts tension and fill level to the reel because the line roller and oscillation system will determine how the braid stacks again once the angler begins fishing.
Products discussed in this section included PowerPro braid, Daiwa BG spinning reels, and Shimano Twin Power spinning reels.
Lower Chesapeake Bay Spearfishing With Eddie Delgado and Kent Reef
Eddie Delgado and Kent Reef joined the report to discuss the local spearfishing community and the techniques they use around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and other structure. Kent has roughly 15 years of local spearfishing experience, while Eddie began about five years ago after extensive time in the water during his military career.
Both emphasize that spearfishing requires a different mindset from fishing aboard a boat. The diver has to manage current, visibility, water temperature, breathing, equipment, fish behavior, and personal comfort at the same time.
For newcomers, both recommend beginning with a freediving or spearfishing safety course. Learning proper breathing technique, buddy procedures, heart-rate control, recovery, and the risks associated with shallow-water blackout can build confidence while making the sport considerably safer.
Spadefish can be a useful first target because they are common, visible, and provide repeated shot opportunities. Kent’s first harvested fish was a roughly 20-pound black drum near the Second Island, while Eddie started with spadefish before progressing into other Chesapeake species.
Choosing the Right Speargun for Cobia, Sheepshead, and Chesapeake Bay Visibility
Kent says speargun size should match both the species and the water conditions. Local spearguns are commonly described by their length in centimeters. A 50- or 60-centimeter gun is easier to maneuver in poor visibility, heavy current, and tight bridge structure, while a 75-centimeter gun offers more range when visibility improves.
Larger guns become useful in very clear water where divers can make longer shots, but they can be difficult to swing in Chesapeake current. Kent says that when he is down around structure with water pushing against the gun, a shorter model is much easier to control.
Cobia require another consideration: power and line capacity. A large cobia can drag a diver if the shot does not immediately immobilize the fish. Kent prefers a larger gun equipped with a reel when specifically targeting cobia so the fish can take line while the diver safely returns to the surface.
His cobia strategy also differs from sheepshead and tautog fishing. For fish holding tight to rocks or pilings, he dives vertically along the structure. When searching for cobia, he often remains in the upper five to eight feet and swims from pylon to pylon or buoy to buoy, covering much more horizontal distance while looking for fish.
Products and gear discussed in this section included 50-, 60-, and 75-centimeter spearguns, speargun reels, fins, masks, snorkels, and larger cobia-capable spearguns.
Cast and Blast 757 Tournament Benefiting The Honor Foundation
Eddie and Kent are helping organize the inaugural Cast and Blast 757 tournament on Sunday, September 20. The concept brings rod-and-reel anglers and spearfishermen into the same event while keeping the two divisions separate for scoring and Calcutta competition.
The tournament entry is $200 per boat. Fishing begins at 7 a.m., fish must be caught in Virginia waters on tournament day, and weigh-ins run from 2 to 5 p.m. at Chicks Oyster Bar. The cobia category is included with tournament entry, with additional Calcutta opportunities available for species and combinations aimed at different skill levels.
The captain’s party is scheduled for Thursday, September 17 from 6 to 8 p.m. at The Shack. Participants will be able to register, enter the Calcuttas, meet other competitors, and prepare for the tournament weekend.
The event is designed as a fundraiser for The Honor Foundation, a nonprofit that helps members of the Special Operations community and their families transition from military service into civilian careers. Eddie went through the program during his own transition from military service and credits it with helping translate military experience into resumes, interviews, career planning, and a clearer path into civilian employment.
The weigh-in party at Chicks will include music, food, drinks, raffles, and donated fishing and spearfishing gear. Tournament organizers also discussed support from companies in the fishing community, including Veterans United Home Loans and spearfishing-industry sponsors.
Spearfishing and Tournament Safety
Eddie and Kent reinforce the safety message discussed throughout recent Lower Chesapeake Bay reports. Tournament pressure can cause anglers and divers to push their boat, equipment, or physical limits harder than they normally would, and that is exactly when basic safety procedures matter most.
For divers, the buddy system is essential. Know where the other diver is, understand shallow-water blackout, maintain adequate recovery time, and never let a fish or tournament prize justify extending a dive beyond a safe limit.
Everyone aboard should also know where critical boat-safety equipment is located and how to use it. Before leaving the dock, review the VHF radio, throwable flotation, vessel controls, battery switches, bilge pumps, emergency gear, and any procedures required to operate the boat if the primary captain is unable to do so.
A float plan and clear communication are especially important when fishing offshore or diving away from the boat. The goal of the tournament is competition and community, but the first priority remains making sure everyone gets home safely.
