Striped bass, bluefish rebound as nor'easter clears Delaware Bay
Delaware Bay water sits at 65°F this morning per NOAA's CO-OPS station 8557380, holding in the typical range for late September as the nor'easter that pounded the coast all last week finally clears. The Fisherman's DE/MD/Chesapeake desk reported bluefish still willing to eat metal lures on the incoming tide even through 40-to-50-knot winds at Old Inlet Bait and Tackle, and boats that managed to clear the inlet once the blow passed, per Hook 'em and Cook 'em, put a dozen or so blues in the box. Ahead of the storm, Hands Too Bait and Tackle (New Jersey & Delaware Bay Surf) had striped bass, bluefish and weakfish keeping anglers busy on most tides, and The Fisherman (Northeast)'s regional forecast confirmed New Jersey's fluke season closed September 25 after what it called 'the year of the short fish.'
New to these readings? What water temp, tide, and moon phase mean for fishing →
What's biting
Fish this water?
We're light on local intel here. Send us your report and we'll credit you.
Send a reportWhat's next
With the storm's wind and surge behind us, expect striped bass to turn back on quickly along Delaware Bay's sod banks and back-bay flats. Fin-Atics (Southern New Jersey) is already calling for stripers to feed heavily as conditions settle, and Pier 47 Marina (Southern New Jersey) had good pre-storm nighttime striper action on the flood tide using bucktails and swim plugs, a pattern worth returning to. Big Dave's Tackle (Southern New Jersey) had a tautog bite building on sandfleas and green crabs before the blow interrupted it, and Fin-Atics's Delaware Bay Surf report is hoping that bite rebounds this week too.
Plan around the moving water: the bay's NOAA tide station puts the next high near 10:58 AM and the next low around 5:12 PM today, so a dawn flood-tide push and a dusk session on the outgoing water are the two windows worth building a trip around. The waning gibbous moon adds extra current this week, which should help stir bait out of the back bays as temperatures ease toward true fall levels.
Context
Late September is the seasonal hinge for Delaware Bay: striped bass and bluefish typically build as baitfish evacuate the back bays ahead of falling temperatures, and this year's pattern is on schedule apart from the storm's week-long interruption. Fluke season closing on the calendar date is normal; the 'short fish' complaint reflects a broadly tough keeper-size year rather than anything specific to this bay. Tautog activity typically strengthens through October as water cools further, so the current lull is early-season, not a sign of a slow bite ahead.
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.
EVERY SATURDAY MORNING
Weekly fishing intelligence
Nationwide conditions, what's biting, and honest gear deals. One email, no noise.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.