Delaware Bay tog and late-October stripers wait on weather
A nor'easter has kept most boats tied up, but the fall pattern is still building. Per The Fisherman — DE/MD/Chesapeake, October was a tale of bad weather, with hopes high for November when big fish have been available from the Delaware Bay out to the Del-Jersey-Land Reef. Smith's Bait Shop reported small stripers and white perch under bridges over tidal creeks and rivers while open water stayed off limits. Across the bay in South Jersey, The Fisherman — Southern NJ notes Port Norris saw its first striped bass blitz in the third week of October, with mixed-size stripers in the back waters and lower Maurice River, and tog on rock piles taking green crabs and sand fleas. Water at the Delaware Bay CO-OPS station 8557380 read 56.8°F this morning.
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Winds and seas should diminish into the weekend, with northwest winds expected by Sunday per The Fisherman (Northeast), which usually opens the first real window to get on the bay after the blow. Expect the first fishable days to favor the back waters and creek mouths, where stripers have been steady, before larger fish move over the reef sites.
Tide timing today: the predicted low is near 12:59 PM local, and the next high comes around 7:15 PM. Moving water on the falling and incoming tide around those turns is the time to plan around, and the waxing moon adds some evening light.
Smith's Bait Shop expects larger stripers, bluefish and perhaps weakfish over the Delaware Bay reef sites by early November as the month goes on. A cooling trend after the storm should help that push, since the Mary M IV captain in Central NJ is hoping the wind cools water that is still relatively warm.
Context
Late October into November is typically the peak of the fall run for the lower bay. Storm weather often delays it, then compresses the action into a short stretch once conditions settle. Tautog usually move onto structure as water cools, and striper and bluefish numbers generally build into the second half of November. Check state regs for slot sizes and seasons 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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