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York River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

History’s fishing hole: the York’s deep channel and oyster edges feed stripers and specks between Yorktown’s bluffs.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Next tide
Low 10:34 PM
Air / High
93 / 93 F
Wind
E 5 mph

Sources: NOAA tides 8637689, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

York River offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. Today brings clear skies, wind E around 5 mph, rising pressure near 1012 hPa and a high of 93. Tides: high 3:01 AM and 3:29 PM, low 9:10 AM and 10:34 PM: the moving water either side of each change is when this place feeds. Water sits around 72 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

BluefishExcellent

Follow the bunker and mullet schools: blitzes can erupt anywhere on the beach. Wire or heavy leader always.

Redfish (red drum)Excellent

Prime sight-fishing: tailing fish on shallow flats, schools pushing water. Weedless spoons, shrimp under a popping cork, cut mullet in the guts.

Striped bassGood

Surface action windows at dawn; otherwise free-lines and planer boards over long points and humps.

Tomorrow: Similar at 90 F with a rain chance. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

Tides

NOAA station 8637689 (Yorktown USCG Training Center). Fish the moving water either side of each change.

Fri
HIGH3:01 AM2.2 ft
LOW9:10 AM0.5 ft
HIGH3:29 PM2.8 ft
LOW10:34 PM0.7 ft
Sat
HIGH4:04 AM2.2 ft
LOW10:17 AM0.5 ft
HIGH4:36 PM2.8 ft
LOW11:41 PM0.6 ft

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp93 F
High / Low93 / 78 F
WindE 5-10 mph
Pressure1012.1 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 20%
Sunrise / Sunset06:38 / 19:30
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~72 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Overcast, 93/78 F, wind 12 mph, rain 20%

Fair or better. A 12 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on York River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Striped bass illustration

Striped bass

Best: spring and fall

The reservoir heavyweight. Follows shad and herring schools in open water year-round. Surface action windows at dawn; otherwise free-lines and planer boards over long points and humps.

Bluefish illustration

Bluefish

Best: Sep-Oct blitzes

The ocean's most honest fish: when blues blitz bait on the beach, everything with hooks gets bit. Follow the bunker and mullet schools: blitzes can erupt anywhere on the beach. Wire or heavy leader always.

Redfish (red drum) illustration

Redfish (red drum)

Best: Sep-Nov bull run

The copper-flanked king of the flats and surf: tailing in inches of water, schooling by the hundred in fall. Prime sight-fishing: tailing fish on shallow flats, schools pushing water. Weedless spoons, shrimp under a popping cork, cut mullet in the guts.

When to come: the York River calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Striped bass
Bluefish
Redfish (red drum)
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 72 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~72 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks York River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 90 F, wind to 10 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 88 F, wind to 21 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 91 F, wind to 10 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Virginia requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Virginia saltwater license (or registry). Striper seasons are windowed in the bay: check current VMRC dates and slot limits before targeting them.

Access

Yorktown fishing pier and seawall, Gloucester Point Beach and ramp, Back Creek and Croaker Landing ramps, York River State Park.

About this water

A deep tidal Chesapeake tributary from West Point to the bay at Yorktown, dividing Gloucester and York counties, Virginia.

Fishing York River: the full guide

The deep tidal york

The York forms where the Mattaponi and Pamunkey meet at West Point and runs 34 tidal miles past Yorktown to the Chesapeake: one of the bay’s deepest tributaries, with a 60-foot channel that funnels fish along its whole length. Speckled trout and puppy drum work the grass and oyster edges, stripers stack the structure (the Coleman Bridge pilings are a fishery unto themselves), croaker and spot fill summer bottom rigs, and the fall run brings bay-sized action to the river mouth.

Working the edges

Specks and puppy drum: fish the Guinea marshes, Sarah Creek edges and the grass flats off Gloucester Point with popping corks, paddletails and topwater at dawn: fall (September-November) is prime, with a spring reprise in May. Stripers: the bridge pilings, channel ledges and the Yorktown fishing pier lights at night: jigs and live bait by season (mind the seasonal striper closures). Big red drum cruise the lower river’s shoals in early summer for the specialist.

A pier-and-shore river

The York treats boatless anglers unusually well: the Yorktown fishing pier is free and lighted, Gloucester Point Beach fishes the bridge shadow, and the seawall along Water Street produces stripers and specks all fall. Kayaks launched at Gloucester Point or Sarah Creek reach the best marsh edges in minutes: the tide moves hard: plan around slack windows.

Colonial logistics

Ramps at Gloucester Point, Back Creek and Croaker Landing (upper river) cover trailer boats. The river’s width and channel traffic ask for weather respect: small craft hug the edges on wind. Yorktown’s battlefield, Riverwalk and the state park at Croaker round out family trips: few fisheries come with this much history per cast.

Common questions

When is speck season on the York?

September through November is the show: falling water temps stack fish on the marsh edges. May offers the quieter spring bite.

Can I catch fish without a boat?

The Yorktown pier and Gloucester Point put stripers, specks and bottom fish in honest range: the York is one of Virginia’s best shore fisheries.

What about the striper rules?

Bay striper seasons open and close in windows with slot limits: verify current VMRC regulations: the dates move nearly every year.

Is fishing good at York River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Virginia Beach36 miChickahominy Lake39 miJames River68 miRoanoke River88 miLake Anna97 miLake Gaston97 mi
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