Species guide · Virginia
Summer flounder fishing in Virginia
Paralichthys dentatus, a bottom species also called fluke, doormat and flounder. Listed for the Mid-Atlantic region. Peak season, about 1 more week.
Right now it scores best in Chesapeake Bay from Little Creek VA to Cape Henry VA including the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel at 65, one of 10 Virginia bay systems where the Waterlands engine is scoring it.
Season now
Peak seasonSeason by month
From the Waterlands saltwater species research: when the fish are present and biting, not whether retention is open.
Mid-Atlantic
Peak season, about 1 more week- Jan: Not present
- Feb: Not present
- Mar: Not present
- Apr: Off season
- May: Shoulder season
- Jun: Peak season
- Jul: Peak season
- Aug: Peak season
- Sep: Peak season
- Oct: Shoulder season
- Nov: Off season
- Dec: Not present
Peak: Jun to Sep. In season (shoulder or peak): May to Oct.
Research notes, Mid-Atlantic region
Fish move into inlets and back bays in late April and May, spread onto ocean reefs and wrecks by midsummer, and the largest fish come off ocean structure in August and September before the fall offshore spawning migration. VMRC citations 2023-2025 peak June-September. States set seasons under ASMFC conservation equivalency; New Jersey and New York typically open from May into September.
Seasons and limits in these notes are background. The regulations below and the regulator’s own page govern.
Where it's scoring now · 10
Virginia bay systems ranked by the Waterlands engine's summer flounder score this hour.
Best window today 7-11 AM (70) · Best day Tue, Sep 29 at 8 AM (76) · 135 named spots
Best window today 6-10 AM (70) · Best day Tue, Sep 29 at 7 AM (73) · 99 named spots
Best window today 8-11 AM (71) · Best day Mon, Sep 28 at 7 PM (75) · 45 named spots
Best window today 7-11 AM (66) · Best day Mon, Sep 28 at 3 PM (73) · 89 named spots
Best window today 4-9 PM (70) · Best day Mon, Sep 28 at 5 PM (74) · 24 named spots
Best window today 3-7 PM (73) · Best day Sat, Sep 26 at 7 AM (76) · 32 named spots
Best window today 6 AM-1 PM (66) · Best day Tue, Sep 29 at 6 PM (72) · 33 named spots
Best window today 6-9 AM (67) · Best day Mon, Sep 28 at 6 PM (73) · 25 named spots
Best window today 9 AM-1 PM (68) · Best day Wed, Sep 30 at 5 PM (75) · 15 named spots
Best window today 8-11 AM (63) · Best day Mon, Sep 28 at 7 AM (67) · 4 named spots
How and where it feeds
- Water temperature
- Feeds from 54°F to 82°F, best between 60°F and 76°F.
- Water depth
- 4 to 110 ft of water.
- Structure
- Inlet, channel, wreck, reef, bar, flat, bay and grass, in that order of preference.
- Tide and current
- Prefers moving water and incoming tide, with moderate current.Fluke face into the current and ambush bait carried past them, so a steady drift with the tide is what anglers need; slack water stalls the drift. In back bays the clean water of the incoming tide is the common choice. A VMRC archival-tag study found tide stage itself did not change fish movement, so treat this as a drift-quality factor.
- Light
- Some lift around dawn and dusk.
- Pressure
- Little response to pressure changes.
- Wind and sea limits
- 18 kt of wind and 4 ft of sea. The Waterlands engine scores hours down as conditions pass them.
Tackle and technique
Summer flounder lie half-buried on sand and shell bottom and ambush bait along channel edges, inlet bars and ocean reefs, from a few feet deep in back bays to about 100 feet offshore. Drift with the tide and bounce a bucktail tipped with a squid or fish strip along the bottom. The bigger fish move to ocean reefs and wrecks in late summer, so follow them out.
- Methods
- drift fishing, bucktail jigging, bottom fishing
- Lures
- bucktail jigs with teaser, soft plastic grubs and swimming mullet, spinner and squid rigs
- Bait
- squid strips, fluke belly strips, live killifish (mummichogs), spearing (silversides), live peanut bunker
Regulations
Virginia Marine Resources Commission. Synced with VMRC Sep 21, 2026.
No reviewed summer flounder rule for Virginia is on file yet. Check with VMRC before you keep one.