CatchWindow fishing intelligence

Yorktown USCG Training Center, VA Daily Water Report — October 6, 2026

This is a strong all-around water day at Yorktown, with boating the clear winner and paddling, diving, and sailing all comfortably in play—provided you dress for the cool start and give the early gusts their due. The water is relatively tame: waves run about 0.44 m on a short 2.85-second period, mostly wind chop rather than meaningful swell, with a 0.42 m wind-wave component. Conditions should ease substantially late, with the day’s calmest wave height near 0.1 m around 11 PM. A NNW wind around 7 knots is manageable for most scored activities, but gusts reached 20.2 knots around 6 AM and can make exposed water feel less polite than the representative number suggests. Boaters get an 8.8/10, while kayaking rates 7.8/10; the difference is a useful reminder that a small chop and a gust can be a bigger deal from a paddle seat. For fishing, the best timing is the 8:48–10:48 AM solunar major period, arriving after the 6:21 AM high tide and ahead of the 12:32 PM low. The 6.9/10 fishing score is an improvement on yesterday’s 6.3, with stable 1021 hPa pressure, no rain indicated, and light-to-moderate winds helping the outlook. A second major period runs 8:48–10:48 PM, after the 6:48 PM high tide, though it comes after sunset at 6:45 PM. Diving scores 8.4/10, supported by modest seas and a marine SST of 22.9 C, but do not confuse the forecast 26.4 km atmospheric visibility with underwater visibility. Sailors get a 7.5/10: enough breeze to work with, but the gust spread is the day’s main compromise. The air starts near 12 C and feels closer to 11 C before warming toward 19.5 C, so the water may be mild while the launch ramp is decidedly autumn. Compared with recent days, boating improves on yesterday’s 8.3 but remains just shy of the exceptionally easy late-September run. The next few days look even flatter, with 0.1–0.2 m waves forecast Wednesday and Thursday; rain chances rise markedly by Sunday. Best bet: launch after the early gusts settle, fish the mid-morning major period, and enjoy a calm, dry October window before the evening tide turns.