Every Boat Ramp on Chesapeake Bay

About Chesapeake Bay

The Virginia portion of the Chesapeake Bay is one of the most productive estuaries in the world, stretching from the mouth of the bay at Virginia Beach north to the Potomac River. The southern Chesapeake is the epicenter of East Coast striped bass fishing, with trophy rockfish exceeding 50 pounds caught each winter and spring in the bay's main shipping channels and around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. Red drum have become an increasingly exciting fishery in recent years, with bull reds over 40 pounds taken along the Eastern Shore barrier islands and lower bay flats.

With over 7,000 miles of tidal shoreline, Virginia's Chesapeake Bay offers virtually limitless fishing access through hundreds of public boat ramps, marinas, and fishing piers. The bay's legendary blue crab population supports both recreational crabbing and a commercial industry that defines the region's culture and cuisine. Flounder, speckled trout, and croaker provide consistent action in the shallower bays and creek mouths, while bluefish blitz the surface during summer and fall. From the urban waterfront of Norfolk to the remote marshes of the Eastern Shore, the Virginia Chesapeake offers a saltwater fishing experience matched by few places on earth.

Nearest towns: Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Hampton, Gloucester, Irvington