Waters · Coast · VA · Thu, Aug 13

How's the bite at Virginia Beach today? Picky — get there by six.

Work for it.

4/10
Picky

Today's bite windows

12 AM6 AMNoon6 PM11 PM
Major
12:36 AM–2:36 AM
Moon underfoot
Minor
6:44 AM–7:44 AM
Moonrise
Major
1:01 PM–3:01 PM
Moon overhead
Minor
8:07 PM–9:07 PM
Moonset

Sunrise 6:20 AM · sunset 7:59 PM · tomorrow's first major 1:25 AM–3:25 AM · windows on every water

Solunar · computed updated 4:36 AM

Conditions right now

Water temp
82°F
NOAA CO-OPS 8638610 updated 4:30 AM
Tide level
0.482ft
-0.18 ft in 24h
NOAA CO-OPS 8638610 updated 4:30 AM
Pressure
29.88inHg
steady · +0.4 hPa/12h
NOAA KNGU updated 3:59 AM
Wind
6mph SSW
NOAA KNGU updated 3:59 AM
Moon
1% waxing
Solunar · computed updated 4:36 AM

What this means

Striped bass
82°F is above the comfortable band. Fish deep water and the first hour of light.
Work deep.
Redfish
82°F sits in the sweet spot. Work the first few feet early.
Work shallow to mid.

Virginia Beach water level today

0.482 ft above MLLW down 0.18 ft in 24 hours

That sits 15% of the way up the band it has held over the last 8 days, between -0.1 and 3.73 ft. Over the week it is down1.55ft.

08-04 -0.10–3.73 ft 08-13
USGS 8638610 updated 4:30 AM

The week ahead

Fri 6 Biting
Sat 5 Picky
Sun 5 Picky
Mon 5 Picky
Tue 5 Picky
Wed 6 Biting
Thu 6 Biting

Forecast days carry solunar and the wind outlook. Pressure and gauge movement land the morning of.

Before you go

A VA fishing license covers this water. The state agency sets the rules and is the one that counts.

Nearby waters today

Questions people ask about Virginia Beach

Answered from the same readings as the rest of this page. Where we have no basis for an answer, there is no entry — spot-by-spot local knowledge is not something we can claim for Virginia Beach.

Is it worth fishing Virginia Beach today?
4 out of 10 — picky. Work for it. The strongest stretch is 12:36 AM–2:36 AM. That number is worked out fresh each morning from the solunar windows, the pressure trend, the water level and the water temperature.
What time should you fish Virginia Beach?
Today's major windows run 12:36 AM–2:36 AM and 1:01 PM–3:01 PM, with minor windows at 6:44 AM–7:44 AM and 8:07 PM–9:07 PM. Sunrise is 6:20 AM and sunset 7:59 PM. A major landing on first or last light is the stretch worth setting an alarm for.
What is the water temperature at Virginia Beach?
82°F, read at 4:30 AM from NOAA CO-OPS station 8638610. That is 0.6 degrees cooler than 24 hours ago.
What is the water level at Virginia Beach right now?
0.482 ft above MLLW, read at 4:30 AM from NOAA CO-OPS station 8638610. Over 24 hours it is down 0.18 ft.
Can you eat the fish you catch in Virginia Beach?
That is a health question and it belongs with the state, not with us. VA publishes fish consumption advisories through its health or environmental agency, and those are the ones that count. We give no eating advice.
What size fish can you keep in VA?
It depends on the species, and several have slot limits rather than a simple minimum. Open to harvest today: striped bass (rockfish), summer flounder, black sea bass, bluefish. Seasons here change mid-year by agency order, so the status is re-checked every morning.

Check a length against the rules

Where these numbers come from

Sewells Point in Norfolk is the closest station that reports water temperature, about eleven miles from the oceanfront; the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel station out at the bay mouth stands alongside for water level at the structure people actually fish.

No one types these in by hand. If a source goes quiet, the page says so instead of showing you yesterday.