CatchWindow fishing intelligence

Windmill Point, VA Daily Water Report — October 4, 2026

Windmill Point gets a qualified green light today: excellent for sailing, solid for boating and fishing, and workable rather than effortless for paddlers. The water is notably small, with representative waves around 0.14 m and a 0.1–0.4 m range, settling to the day’s calmest level near 5 PM. That is a friendly surface for boats and a good platform for divers, whose 7.6/10 score holds steady against the recent record. The catch is the sky. It is overcast, humid, and lightly wet much of the day, with a forecast rain window spanning the full 24 hours. Atmospheric visibility is about 12.3 km, but that does not promise clear water below the surface. NOAA CoastWatch chlorophyll is very high at 5.11 mg/m³, indicating bloom conditions; treat that as a potential water-clarity tradeoff, especially for diving and anyone expecting a clean visual day on the water. SST is a comfortable 22 C, just 0.2 C above average. For anglers, the strongest timing is early: the 6:56–8:56 AM solunar major overlaps the morning high tide at 5:43 AM and arrives just after sunrise. A second worthwhile window runs 6:56–8:56 PM, following the 6:22 PM high tide and carrying into dusk. Fishing scores 7.4/10, a clear improvement over the reconstructed 5.1–6.1 range earlier this week. Pressure is falling from around 1018 hPa, while north winds run mostly light to moderate, 3.3–10.6 knots, before the strongest gusts—up to 13.2 knots—arrive late tonight. Sailors have the day’s best activity rating at 8.4/10: enough north wind to keep things moving without much wave penalty, though it is less breezy than yesterday’s 9.2 sailing score. Boating rates 7.7/10, down from several stronger recent days, while kayaking earns 6.9/10 because the damp weather and northerly breeze make the otherwise low chop less forgiving. Monday and Tuesday turn cooler and somewhat windier, with waves potentially reaching 0.5–0.6 m; Wednesday looks much flatter again. Best bet: launch early, fish through the morning major period, and let the tiny waves—not the gray sky—set the pace.