Where to fish

  • Forecast
  • Catches

Mine

  • Favorites

Where to fish

  • Forecast
  • Catches

Mine

  • Favorites
ForecastCatchesFavorites
AboutHow the forecast worksWhere fish livePrivacyTerms[email protected]
© 2026·AI-powered bite forecast
0.1.0+2163 · 92c14a40

We use cookies for analytics and advertising. Cookies necessary for the site to function are always kept. Learn more

United States / Virginia / Elizabeth River

Bite forecast: Elizabeth River

  • length 7 mi
Loading map…

Best fishing days for the next week

  1. TuesdaySeptember 8weather-based forecast
    55/100medium activity

    Cloudy: 52–84 °F

Elizabeth River (Virginia) — a spot well known among anglers. About 11 km long. Close by — Norfolk, Portsmouth and Newport News. Here you'll find a bite prediction — when fish are active and which hours give the best chances, adjusted for weather and pressure.

WednesdaySeptember 9weather-based forecast
55/100medium activity

Partly cloudy: 61–91 °F

  • ThursdaySeptember 3weather-based forecast
    51/100medium activity

    Clear: 73–91 °F

  • Nearby towns

    • Norfolk0.5 mi
    • Portsmouth0.7 mi
    • Newport News6 mi

    Nearby rivers

    • Craney Island Creek2 mi
    • Lilly Creek2 mi
    • Lafayette River3 mi
    • Sterns Creek4 mi
    • Western Branch Elizabeth River4 mi
    • Hoffler Creek4 mi
    • Baines Creek4 mi
    • Wayne Creek5 mi
    • Streeter Creek5 mi

    Nearby water bodies

    • LakeLake Kingman1 mi
    • LakeThe Hague2 mi
    • LakeSouth Cell3 mi
    • LakeCrawford Bay3 mi
    • LakeCenter Cell3 mi
    • ReservoirLake Jean3 mi
    • ReservoirHorseshoe Lake3 mi
    • LakeNorth Cell4 mi
    • LakeLake Ballard4 mi
    • LakeBurbage Lake4 mi
    Loading map…

    Catches

    Recorded 2 catches here. Most commonly caught: Striped bass. Peak season: April.

    • Striped bass
      Elizabeth River
      77 °F13 mph
      Apr 15, 2018
    • Striped bass
      Elizabeth River
      77 °F13 mph
      Apr 15, 2018

    Bite calendar

    Thursday, September 3

    Aug 31 – Sep 6
    Mon
    Tue
    Wed
    Thu
    Fri
    Sat
    Sun
    Bite activity:highmediumlowslow
    Based on:weatherseasonal
    What is a bite calendar?
    Smallmouth bassStriped bassWhite bassWalleyeBlack crappieBrook troutWhite crappieBlue catfishBluegillCarpChannel catfishFlathead catfishLargemouth bassRainbow troutSpotted bass

    Black crappie

    6/10 · Fair

    Hourly activity

    0:006:0012:0018:0023:00
    Bite activity:highmediumlow

    The bite is moderate — fish feed in short bursts. Pressure is dropping — this usually boosts the bite.

    Peak bite hours

    Best time — 06:00–08:00 (dawn bite) and 19:00–21:00 (dusk bite).

    Tactics

    Work the cover — snags, weed edges, hole entrances; retrieve the lure with pauses.

    Lures

    In clear water, natural colors work best: small jig or minnow bait.

    Gear

    It's a hot day — a hat, sunglasses, and plenty of water are a must.

    Summary

    An average day — best chances during peak windows.

    How this forecast is calculated

    Why this forecast

    The computed water temperature is around 74 °F — inside the 57–75 °F comfort range for Black crappie, so baseline activity is high.

    Computed water temperature by month; the green band is the 57–75 °F comfort rangecomfort 57–75 °F74 °F
    JFMAMJJASOND

    Black crappie works the twilight: the peaks are pinned to sunrise and sunset — their times are in the sun-and-moon card above.

    The day: daylight hours and when Black crappie feeds0:0012:0024:00

    Pressure is dropping 0.06 inHg over the day — fish are usually more active ahead of a weather change.

    Pressure through the day, 0.06 inHg change
    00:00 · 30.0323:00 · 29.97 inHg

    One more input — the moon's feeding windows: within their hours the score sits higher than across the rest of the day. The window times are in the “Solunar feeding periods” card below.

    Feeding windows on the day scale0:0012:0024:00

    September is an active season for Black crappie here.

    JFMAMJJASOND

    These are the same values the bite curve above was computed from. How the forecast works

    3 SepThursday, September 3
    +88°

    Clear · feels like +93°

    Low / high
    +74°…+91°
    Precipitation
    0.00 in
    Wind
    7 mph WNW
    Cloud cover
    0%
    Humidity
    49%
    Pressure
    30.03 inHg
    00:00+79°—1 mphsouthwest wind, 1 mph45%1%
    01:00+77°—4 mphnorthwest wind, 4 mph54%0%
    02:00+76°—2 mphnorth wind, 2 mph57%0%
    03:00+75°—0 mpheast wind, 0 mph60%0%
    04:00+75°—1 mphsouthwest wind, 1 mph58%0%
    05:00+74°—3 mphwest wind, 3 mph55%0%
    06:00+74°—2 mphwest wind, 2 mph54%0%
    07:00+74°—2 mphnorthwest wind, 2 mph55%0%
    08:00+76°—2 mphwest wind, 2 mph57%0%
    09:00+81°—2 mphwest wind, 2 mph56%0%
    10:00+84°—5 mphwest wind, 5 mph53%0%
    11:00+85°—7 mphwest wind, 7 mph51%0%
    12:00+88°—7 mphnorthwest wind, 7 mph49%0%
    13:00+89°—7 mphnorthwest wind, 7 mph46%0%
    14:00+91°—6 mphnorthwest wind, 6 mph43%2%
    15:00+91°—6 mphnorthwest wind, 6 mph41%2%
    16:00+91°—7 mphnorthwest wind, 7 mph40%0%
    17:00+91°—6 mphwest wind, 6 mph41%2%
    18:00+90°—7 mphwest wind, 7 mph39%0%
    19:00+87°—5 mphwest wind, 5 mph43%0%
    20:00+84°—6 mphwest wind, 6 mph46%0%
    21:00+83°—6 mphnorthwest wind, 6 mph48%0%
    22:00+82°—6 mphwest wind, 6 mph47%0%
    23:00+80°—3 mphwest wind, 3 mph46%0%
    +91°+83°+74°
    Weather throughout the day
    0:006:0012:0018:0023:00

    Sun and moon

    Thursday, September 3
    The day: daylight and the hours the moon is above the horizon. Local time0:0012:0024:00
    DaylightMoon above the horizon
    Sunrise
    06:49
    Sunset
    19:44
    Day length
    12 h 55 min
    Sunshine hours
    12 h
    UV index
    6
    high
    Moon
    Last quarter
    Moonrise
    23:07
    Moonset
    13:38

    The day is 2 min shorter than yesterday.

    Sunshine hours count direct sun only — cloud cover cuts it, so it is shorter than daylight.

    Solunar feeding periods

    +12% in the windowThursday, September 3
    Feeding windows on the day scale, local time0:0012:0024:00
    Major periodsMinor periods
    • Major04:55–06:55Moon overhead
    • Minor13:08–14:08Moonset
    • Major17:25–19:25Moon underfoot
    • Minor22:37–23:37Moonrise

    The windows are set by the moon's transit and rise, and the forecast above already accounts for them: within these hours the bite score sits higher than across the rest of the day, while the day's overall level still comes from the catch-calibrated model.

    What are solunar periods?

    Measured river conditions are available for Elizabeth River: current gauge height, streamflow, and water temperature when reported by the source.

    Water

    Water temp · measured
    83 °F
    In the model
    74 °F

    USGS gauge ELIZABETH RIV AT MIDTOWN TUNNEL AT NORFOLK, VA, 2 mi away · measured 2026-09-02 23:54 · data source · provisional data, subject to revision