CatchWindow fishing intelligence

Windmill Point, VA Daily Water Report — October 5, 2026

Verdict: a notably good small-craft day at Windmill Point, with boating the standout at 8.2/10 and kayaking close behind at 7.9/10. The water is modest rather than dead-flat—waves run 0.2 to 0.4 m, with the calmest forecast near 11 AM at just 0.18 m—and a NNW wind around 6 knots should keep the daytime manageable before the breeze and gusts become more assertive late. The cleanest all-around window is late morning through early afternoon, when the low wave point coincides with daylight and the wind remains well below the day’s late peak. For paddlers, that is the sensible time to bank miles before the forecast’s strongest gust, 21.4 knots around 10 PM, makes the evening a different proposition. Boaters get a favorable combination of low seas, no rain indicated, and a weak reported ocean current of about 0.11 m/s toward north; cloud cover is complete, however, so daylight will feel flatter than the calendar suggests. Anglers have a respectable 6.9/10 setup, helped by rising pressure near 1018 hPa and the morning solunar major period from 7:54 to 9:54 AM. The evening major period, 7:54 to 9:54 PM, overlaps the 7:38 PM high tide but also comes as winds trend up, so it offers a timing advantage with a comfort tradeoff. The 1:17 PM low tide is another useful reference for shoreline explorers and the wildlife score, though it is not a safety guarantee. Diving holds steady at 7.6/10, unchanged from the recent reports. Water temperature is about 22 C, slightly above average, and surface conditions are relatively light. Still, the NOAA chlorophyll reading is very high at 5.11 mg/m³, indicating bloom conditions; do not treat the 13.2 km atmospheric visibility forecast as an underwater-visibility estimate. Compared with the reconstructed recent CatchWindow history, boating improves from yesterday’s 7.7, kayaking rebounds from 6.9, while sailing slips to 6.5 from yesterday’s 8.4 as the lighter daytime wind offers less drive. Fishing eases from 7.4 but remains solid. The next few days look generally dry and quiet-water friendly, especially October 7-10, with October 10 forecast nearly flat. Best bet: launch late this morning, enjoy the 0.18 m lull, and be home before the evening gusts decide they want the helm.