Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel Tide Charts & Fishing
Thursday, November 12 · NOAA station 8638863 (Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel)
Tides live · forecast as of 6:35 PM ET
Tide chart and current conditions
Tide now
1.1 ft
▲ Rising · 0.4 ft/hr
Next high
10:02 PM
2.3 ft · in 3h 27m
Next low
3:47 AM
0.5 ft · in 9h 12m
Wind
12 mph WSW
Moderate breeze · gusts 20
Fishing score
69 /100
Very Good
drag to pan · scroll or pinch to zoom · hover for detail
| Day | Tide | Time | Height |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Nov 12 | Low | 3:10 AM | 0.4 ft |
| Thu, Nov 12 | High | 9:44 AM | 3.0 ft |
| Thu, Nov 12 | Low | 4:06 PM | 0.5 ft |
| Thu, Nov 12 | High | 10:02 PM | 2.3 ft |
| Fri, Nov 13 | Low | 3:47 AM | 0.5 ft |
| Fri, Nov 13 | High | 10:24 AM | 2.9 ft |
| Fri, Nov 13 | Low | 4:47 PM | 0.6 ft |
| Fri, Nov 13 | High | 10:45 PM | 2.2 ft |
Today's Tide Times in Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel
Today in Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, high tide arrives at 9:44 AM (3.0 ft) and again at 10:02 PM (2.3 ft), and low tide bottoms out at 3:10 AM (0.4 ft) and again at 4:06 PM (0.5 ft). That's a 2.6-foot swing — a gentle neap-cycle swing, so focus on dawn and dusk rather than mid-tide current.
The sun rises at 6:40 AM and sets at 4:56 PM, under a waxing crescent (10% illuminated). Tidal range is in the middle of its two-week cycle.
Tomorrow starts with a low tide at 3:47 AM (0.5 ft) — see the 7-day outlook below to plan the week.
Fishing Score · Now
65/ 100
Best windows today
- 5:30 AM – 7:30 AMVery Good
- 12:00 PM – 2:00 PMVery Good
incoming tide · dawn bite window · light wind
Sun & Moon
- Sunrise
- 6:40 AM
- Sunset
- 4:56 PM
Waxing Crescent
10% illuminated
Moderate tidal range this week.
Conditions
62°F
Clear
- Wind
- 12 mph WSWgusts 20
- Waves
- 1.1 ft @ 3s
- Water temp
- 62°F
Moderate breeze — A little chop — very fishable
7-Day Fishing Outlook
Today
64° / 57°
Very Good
Best: 5:30 AM–7:30 AM
Fri, Nov 13
58° / 47°
Very Good
Best: 6:00 AM–8:00 AM
Sat, Nov 14
53° / 44°
Very Good
Best: 6:00 AM–8:00 AM
Sun, Nov 15
54° / 46°
Very Good
Best: 7:00 AM–9:00 AM
Mon, Nov 16
51° / 48°
Very Good
Best: 7:00 AM–9:00 AM
Tue, Nov 17
53° / 49°
Very Good
Best: 4:30 AM–6:30 AM
Wed, Nov 18
56° / 50°
Very Good
Best: 5:30 AM–7:30 AM
7-Day Tide Table for Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel
High and low tide times and heights for the next seven days, with sunrise (↑) and sunset (↓). Heights are relative to MLLW. NOAA predictions for station 8638863; local time.
| Day | Tides | Sun |
|---|---|---|
| TodayThu, Nov 12 |
| ↑ 6:40 AM↓ 4:56 PM |
| TomorrowFri, Nov 13 |
| ↑ 6:41 AM↓ 4:56 PM |
| Sat, Nov 14 |
| ↑ 6:42 AM↓ 4:55 PM |
| Sun, Nov 15 |
| ↑ 6:43 AM↓ 4:54 PM |
| Mon, Nov 16 |
| ↑ 6:44 AM↓ 4:54 PM |
| Tue, Nov 17 |
| ↑ 6:45 AM↓ 4:53 PM |
| Wed, Nov 18 |
| ↑ 6:46 AM↓ 4:52 PM |
What's Biting at Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel
Activity ratings reflect typical feeding seasons — not legal seasons. Regulations, closures, and size/bag limits change; always check current VMRC regulations before keeping any fish.
Striped Bass (Atlantic)
Morone saxatilis
Season: Spring and fall migrations; summer in New England (check regs)
Baits: Live or chunk bunker (menhaden), Clams, Live eels
Stripers feed where moving water pushes bait against structure: inlet mouths, jetty tips, bridge shadows, rips and points. Fish the stronger part of the tide, and dawn, dusk and night, especially in summer. Chunks or clams on the bottom from the beach, eels or swimbaits at night along rocks. Circle hooks on bait; release fish carefully, most of the catch goes back.
Sheepshead
Archosargus probatocephalus
Season: Winter – early spring
Baits: Fiddler crabs, Shrimp, Barnacles
Fish tight to pilings and rocks — the bite is a subtle tick. Set the hook the instant you feel weight; they steal baits for a living.
Tautog (Blackfish)
Tautoga onitis
Season: Spring and fall, as water warms and cools (check regs)
Baits: Green crabs, Asian shore crabs, Fiddler crabs
Tog live in the rocks and eat crabs. Fish a crab on a short leader tight to the bottom against a jetty, wreck or rock pile, and expect to lose rigs. Slack and slow current make it far easier to keep a bait in the strike zone without snagging.
Cobia
Rachycentron canadum
Season: Spring migration along the beaches, again in the fall
Baits: Live eels, Live pinfish or menhaden, Big bucktail jigs
A sight-fishing target that cruises just under the surface along the beach, often shadowing rays, turtles or buoys. From a pier or jetty, watch the up-current side and have a heavy jig ready to pitch. They follow a hooked fish to the boat and can be caught in pairs.
Summer Flounder (Fluke)
Paralichthys dentatus
Season: Late spring through early fall (check regs)
Baits: Squid strips, Live killifish (minnows), Gulp! swimming mullet
Drift or slowly retrieve a bait along sandy and gravel bottom near channel edges, inlets and drop-offs. Moving water is everything: fluke face into the current and ambush bait, so a slack tide usually means a slow bite. Bounce the bottom and give a second before setting the hook.
Gear for These Conditions
TheAnglerStore →Matched to the species feeding at Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel right now.
Surf Rods
Daiwa FT Surf Spinning Rod — 10', 2-Piece Medium
Ten feet is the length most surfcasters land on: enough to clear the first break and keep a bait out past it, still short enough to cast all day without your…
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Line & Leader
Sufix 832 Advanced Superline Braid — 20 lb, 300 yd
Seven HMPE fibers plus one GORE Performance Fiber, braided at 32 picks per inch. The GORE fiber is what makes this line quiet through the guides and stubborn…
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Terminal Tackle
Eagle Claw Lazer Sharp Offset Circle Sea Hook — 4/0, 50-Pack
The circle hook does the work for you: no strike, just let the rod load and the hook finds the corner of the jaw on its own.
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Surf Rods
Okuma Tundra Surf Spinning Rod — 7 ft, 2-Piece
Okuma build the Tundra as a surf series and say so themselves, they describe it as favoured by catfish anglers and cost-conscious surf anglers.
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Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel Tide & Fishing FAQ
›What time is high tide in Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel today?
High tide in Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel today is at 9:44 AM (3.0 ft) and again at 10:02 PM (2.3 ft), measured at NOAA station 8638863 (Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel).
›What time is low tide in Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel today?
Low tide in Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel today is at 3:10 AM (0.4 ft) and again at 4:06 PM (0.5 ft).
›When is the best time to fish in Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel today?
Today's best fishing window at Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel is 5:30 AM–7:30 AM (rated Very Good, 78/100), driven by incoming tide, dawn bite window, light wind. The score blends tide movement, dawn/dusk light, moon phase, wind, and water temperature.
›What fish are biting in Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel in November?
In November, the most active species at Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel are Striped Bass (Atlantic), Sheepshead, Tautog (Blackfish). See the species section above for baits, techniques, and seasons.
›How accurate is this Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel tide chart?
Predictions come directly from NOAA CO-OPS harmonic predictions for station 8638863 (Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel) and are the same data used in official tide tables. Actual water levels can vary with storms and barometric pressure, so treat predictions as planning guidance, not navigation data.
About Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel crosses the mouth of the bay, and its pilings and man-made islands are one of the best-known pieces of fish structure on the East Coast. Everything moving between the bay and the ocean passes through, so it holds striped bass, flounder, sheepshead, tautog, cobia and red drum in their seasons. Current runs hard along the pilings; most anglers fish it from boats, and the moving tide is when it fishes.