Delaware Bay stripers wake up as the fall tog bite holds
Port Norris got its first striped bass blitz of the fall in the third week of October, per The Fisherman — Southern NJ. Mixed-size stripers are also holding in the back waters of the bay and the lower Maurice River. The CO-OPS station reads 60.8°F, a comfortable temperature for bass and tog to keep feeding. Rock piles and sod banks are giving up a mix of shorts and keeper tautog on green crabs and sand fleas. Boats working ocean structure came back with black sea bass, according to The Fisherman — DE/MD/Chesapeake.
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Tides set the plan today. Predicted high water is about 7:38 AM local, and the next low is about 1:47 PM. That makes a falling tide through the morning and midday, a good window to work current edges and structure for stripers, and slack-to-early-flood is a good moment to drop crabs on the tog rocks.
The NJ/DE Bay forecast from The Fisherman (Northeast) shows another nor'easter easing, with winds and seas diminishing by the weekend and northwest winds possible by Sunday. Expect the best open-water access Sunday and into next week. Dress for a cold start once that northwest flow arrives.
Captains and shops are looking ahead to November. Smith's Bait Shop expects larger stripers, bluefish and perhaps weakfish over the reef sites in Delaware Bay as the month goes on. Eric Burnley notes that big fish have typically been available from the bay out to the Del-Jersey-Land Reef in November. Storm-stirred water may also nudge more migrating bass toward the bay.
Context
Late October is on schedule for the fall transition. Bass move toward the bay and out along the coast, tog sit tight on structure, and shore-based anglers wait for the larger run. Weather has cost many boats days this month, so bay fish have seen less pressure than usual. Check state regulations for current striped bass and tautog limits before keeping fish.
Synthesized from real-time NOAA buoy data, USGS stream gauges, and current reports across regional fishing blogs, captain updates, and angler forums. Check local regulations before keeping fish. Never trust a single source for a trip decision.
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