How To Find Redfish in Virginia in 60 Seconds or Less

Whether you’re fishing out of Virginia Beach, Rudee Inlet, the Eastern Shore, or even up the Chesapeake Bay, this coastline is massive. And figuring out where the fish are feeding on any given day can feel overwhelming.

In an area this large, you need a way to quickly eliminate dead zones and FIND THE FEEDING FISH. Otherwise, you’ll waste precious fishing days (and lots of gas money) wandering aimlessly.

What makes it even more difficult is that FISH MOVE A LOT. Even in the course of a single day, they can be in ENTIRELY different spots. Which means the old school “spot maps” are not going to help you, and probably just leave you frustrated. It’d be like trusting a broken clock, yes, it might be right twice a day, but that’s it.

Instead, you need to find fish based on their BIOLOGY and TRENDS. A great angler can calculate where feeding fish will be stacked up based on the tide, wind, temperature, season, moon phase, and water clarity, just to name a few factors… This is why it can take some anglers 30 years to master.

If you don’t have 30 years or can’t be on the water every single day to follow the fish around, there is a solution.

The video below will demonstrate how you can take a massive section of the Virginia coastline, and INSTANTLY identify the best spots to fish FOR ANY GIVEN TIME. Please watch below. This method is already being employed by thousands of Anglers in your area and it can help you too.

👉 Learn how to get the Smart Fishing Spots tool here

3 Steps to Find Feeding Redfish in Virginia Fast

There is a proven formula for finding feeding fish that the best Virginia anglers can recite in their sleep. The formula itself is actually quite simple; that’s the beauty. But the steps to implement it can be incredibly time-consuming without the right tools (that’s why we showed you the video above, please watch it!). Most anglers fail because they only know a couple of pieces to this formula, OR they don’t have the information they need to execute it. We’re going to cover both for you right now.

Step 1. Find Structure

Structure attracts fish. Bait congregates around it for protection, and big fish use it for an ambush. But just one piece of structure by itself doesn’t make it a good spot. Not all structure is created equal… The BEST SPOTS will have multiple forms of structure to maximize your success.

• Oyster Reefs: Start your search with oyster reefs—these are absolute fish magnets along the Virginia coast, especially in areas like Lynnhaven Inlet, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, and around Mobjack Bay. These reefs offer ambush points for predators and attract all kinds of life. Using the Smart Fishing Spots App, you can see oyster reefs with the click of a button. No more having to pinch, zoom, squint, and scroll trying to identify them.

• Marsh Grass Edges: In Virginia, marshy shorelines and SAV (submerged aquatic vegetation) lines provide incredible redfish habitat. These areas are loaded with bait and provide ideal ambush spots for predators. Redfish often cruise the edges of these grass lines or tail up shallow on flood tides. But locating the right edges can be tough without visibility tools—that’s where satellite imagery comes in handy.

• Virginia Shoreline Features: There is a ton of unique shoreline in Virginia. Instead of drifting aimlessly, focus on features like small feeder creeks, points, docks, mud flats, and submerged structure. These features break up current flow and give predators a strategic advantage when ambushing bait.

Once you find areas where multiple forms of structure come together—like oyster reefs near a feeder creek, or a grass line next to a mud flat—you’re stacking the deck in your favor.

Step 2. Find Depth Changes

Multiple Depths Hold More Fish:

Once you’ve found spots with multiple structures (like oyster reefs, feeder creeks, and marsh edges), the next key is to check for nearby depth changes.

In Virginia, many of the best inshore fishing zones have a mix of shallow flats that drop into creeks, ditches, or deeper holes. Redfish, trout, and flounder use these transitions to their advantage—they rest deeper and move shallow to feed.

Look for drainage cuts, small sloughs, and subtle drop-offs along the marsh edges and oyster points. Even a 1-3 foot change can be enough to concentrate bait and predators.

Don’t waste time drifting aimlessly or trying to read your sonar in skinny water. With the Smart Fishing Spots App’s 1ft Contour Lines Layer, you can spot ledges, holes, and channels before launching the boat.

Take your structure-rich areas and focus on those with depth changes close by. These two steps alone will get you on fish way more consistently.

Step 3. Fish at the Right Time

You’ve found the structure… you’ve identified the depth changes… Now it’s time to layer in the final piece of the puzzle: current and timing.

Current is what flips the feeding switch on. It pushes bait into ambush zones and helps predators conserve energy while food comes right to them.

In Virginia waters, this is especially true around:

• Cuts and creek mouths
• Flood and ebb tide marsh drains
• Wind-blown banks and structure points

Some areas turn on during the incoming tide, others on the outgoing. But dead slack tide? Usually a dud. That’s why matching your timing with the right current flow can mean the difference between fish or frustration.

The Smart Fishing Spots App pulls in real-time Virginia tide data right onto your fishing map—no need to bounce between apps or tide charts. Whether you’re on the water or planning your trip, you can see exactly when the current will be moving at your target location.

Not sure how to weigh things like wind, temp swings, or moon phase? The Strike Score Indicator handles all of that, showing you the prime windows to fish.

GET THIS PROCESS DONE FOR YOU

Discover the Hottest Spots with a Single Click: If you can remember the formula above, you’ll have the basis to find good spots. But, if you want the GPS FAST-TRACK SHORTCUT right to the smartest spots in your area, then you should be using the Smart Fishing Spots App.

Whether you’re launching out of Virginia Beach, the Eastern Shore, or up around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, this app pulls in local knowledge, real-time data, and environmental factors to highlight when and where the bite will be best!

So even if you only get one trip a week, you can spend more time catching and less time guessing.

Planning a weekend trip? Sitting at the ramp wondering where to go? Not getting bites at your usual spot?

Pull up the app and click the Smart Spots Layer to see exactly where to go.

This is the most powerful Inshore Fishing Tool software ever created.

Click Here to See All the Smart Spots in Your Area (and start catching more fish).

Salt Strong Fishing Club: Match the Tech With the Tackle and Teachings

The Smart Fishing Spots App is available to all Salt Strong Insiders. The Salt Strong Fishing Club is the largest, most helpful Inshore Fishing Club in America, focused on saving you time and money on the water, catching more fish, and connecting with other friendly anglers in your area.

With the Smart Fishing Spots App, proven custom tackle, real-time fishing trends, and an active Community, you get a GUARANTEED SYSTEM FOR CATCHING MORE FISH.

Learn more and try it out risk-free below.

👉 Join the Club & Get the App

We’d love to see you in the club!

Joe Simonds
Salt Strong Cofounder