New Jersey fishing reports
659 reports for New Jersey — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Fall run building as sea bass holds strong off Sandy Hook
Sandy Hook's NOAA CO-OPS station is reading 66.7°F this afternoon, a comfortable transition temperature as Raritan Bay shifts from summer species into the fall pattern. The weekend's nor'easter has cleared, per OTW Northern New Jersey's October 1 report, which noted the storm had put all fishing on hold along the Jersey Shore. Before the blow, Capt Ron out of Atlantic Highlands was running solid bottom-fishing trips in around 55 feet of water, mixing keeper and short black sea bass with everyone going home with dinner, and he flagged his recent outing as possibly the last strong day of fluke fishing for the 2026 season. Grumpys Tackle is already running a bucktail sale timed to the fall run and reporting bluefish showing up in numbers. That lines up with OTW Northern New Jersey's prior report noting improving fall-run striped bass action alongside lingering bluefish and false albacore as the season turns over.
Delaware River smallmouth hold decent ahead of nor'easter reset
Delaware River smallmouth bass fishing was decent through late September, per Dave's Sport Shop in Doylestown, with improved water levels giving both boat anglers and waders good access alongside catfish action. The shop also noted decent crappie fishing nearby at Nockamixon. Down in the Pine Barrens, Allen's Dock on Bass River reported anglers pulling boats ahead of this week's nor'easter, which brought heavy wind and rain through the watershed and put most freshwater trips on hold.
Striped bass push builds along the Jersey Shore after the nor'easter
Sandy Hook's NOAA CO-OPS station is reading 67.1°F this afternoon, with Cape May a touch warmer at 68.4°F, as Jersey Shore docks reopen after the nor'easter that kept boats tied up most of last week. The Fisherman — New Jersey edition's regional forecast already has the first fall reports of striped bass over 50 inches along the north coast now that the storm has cleared. Before the blow hit, The Fisherman — Southern NJ had striper action on the sod banks "very good" at night on the flood tide, per Pier 47 Marina, with fish mostly 16 to 29 inches and a few past 31, and sea bass "stacked" on the wrecks and reefs per Hands Too Bait and Tackle. The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf adds that blackfish, weakfish, stripers, blues, croakers and kingfish were all keeping Cape May anglers busy on most tides right up until the storm. Grumpys Tackle says blues are in and has bucktails on sale for the fall run, and sea bass charters are producing well — Blue Chip Sportfishing reports most trips getting limits for everyone aboard, while Capt. Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands called one of the last days of 2026 fluke season "awesome," with all-day action in deeper water.
Delaware Bay stripers and tog turn on as nor'easter clears
NOAA CO-OPS station 8537121 recorded 67.8°F overnight, with the next high at 2:28 a.m. and the next low at 8:51 a.m. local. The Fisherman — Southern NJ reports Delaware Bay's sod banks lit up with striped bass on flood tide, best on naked bucktails and Mag Darters, with fish running 16 to 29 inches and the occasional striper past 31. The same report notes a strong tautog bite at the bay's bridges and lighthouses on sandfleas and green crabs, plus black sea bass stacked on the wrecks and reefs heading into that season. After a washout week from the nor'easter, the report says peanut bunker, mullet and spearing are holding thick in the back bays, setting up a hard striper push now that the storm has cleared. The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf adds that blackfish, weakfish, stripers and bluefish all kept Cape May anglers busy on most tides right up until the blow arrived.
Fall bite builds in Raritan Bay as bluefish and sea bass turn on
Water temperature at the Sandy Hook gauge reads 67.1°F this morning, still holding onto early fall warmth as the season's transition gets underway in Raritan Bay. Grumpys Tackle in Red Bank reports blues are in now, and the shop's bucktail sale is timed for the striped bass push they're calling the start of the fall run. Out of Atlantic Highlands, Capt. Ron logged a strong black sea bass bite in the days before last week's storm, with keeper sea bass mixing in on bottom drops in deeper water. Friday's trip, likely the last fluke outing of the 2026 season, produced shorts, keepers, and quality sea bass from start to finish.
Smallmouth bass action resumes on the Delaware as storm clears
Smallmouth bass are turning back on in the Delaware River now that floodwaters from last week's nor'easter are receding, with Dave's Sport Shop in Doylestown reporting decent smallmouth and catfish fishing once better water levels opened up both boat and wade access. The same shop noted bass and crappie holding steady on Lake Nockamixon. Further north on Lake Wallenpaupack, Capt. Pete Wagner of Hyper Striper Charters, via The Fisherman's NJ/DE Freshwater report, said smallmouth, largemouth, hybrids and crappie all stayed very good through the blow, with anglers who got out finding solid action despite fewer people on the water. Across the wider Delaware River and Pine Barrens system, shops described lakes and ponds that had just turned over before the storm arrived, the seasonal shift that typically sets up the best stretch of fall freshwater fishing once things settle.
First 50-Inch Stripers Show as Jersey Shore Fall Run Takes Hold
Water temps are holding in the mid-60s at the Jersey Shore CO-OPS stations, 66.4°F and 67.8°F this morning, warm enough to keep the fall transition moving now that last weekend's nor'easter has cleared out. The Fisherman — New Jersey edition reports the first 50-inch-plus striped bass of the season along the north coast, with black sea bass also showing well in the surf and bay. Grumpys Tackle (NJ) has blues in and is running a bucktail sale to match the timing. Before the storm shut things down, Pier 47 Marina, via The Fisherman — Southern NJ, had stripers from 16 to 29 inches, a few over 31, feeding heavily on mullet and peanut bunker during flood tide on the sod banks, and Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ put together one of the better fluke trips of the year, with John Froelic landing eight keepers on what may be close to the last good day of the season. Black sea bass charters are running strong too: Blue Chip Sportfishing (NJ) says most trips are filling out, and Hands Too Bait and Tackle, via The Fisherman — Southern NJ, found them stacked on the wrecks in Cape May.
Delaware Bay stripers load up on sod banks as nor'easter clears
Our Ship John Shoal reading has the Delaware Bay sitting at 67.6 degrees with high tide rolling in near 1:51 PM, numbers that line up with the warm, bait-stacked water anglers are describing up and down the bay this week. Big Dave's Tackle in Southern New Jersey reports the Delaware Bay and back bays carried most of the early-week action, with plenty of bait pushed up the estuary and a good tautog bite building at the bridges and lighthouses on sandfleas and green crabs. Pier 47 Marina had nighttime striper action running strong on the sod banks during flood tide, with fish from 16 to 29 inches, and a few over 31, hitting everything from quarter-ounce bucktails to 6-inch darters as stripers fed heavily ahead of the weekend's nor'easter. Hands Too Bait and Tackle in Cape May found sea bass stacked on the local wrecks before the blow, a striper bite holding fish to 30 inches on the sod banks, and blackfish, weakfish, croakers and kingfish keeping anglers busy on most tides. Waterfront Marine picked up keeper flounder earlier in the week, just ahead of that fishery's closure.
First fall striper reports reach Sandy Hook as sea bass bite holds
Water temperature at the Sandy Hook NOAA station read 65.1°F this afternoon, still mild enough to keep the fall transition gradual. Capt. Ron out of Atlantic Highlands has kept parties into keeper black sea bass much of the week, working the 55-foot depths and timing drops around the tide change for the best action. The Fisherman's NJ/DE Bay Region forecast reports anglers are back on black sea bass in New Jersey waters now that this weekend's nor'easter has cleared, with winds swinging out of the W/NW and the first fall reports of striped bass over 50 inches showing along the north coast. Grumpys Tackle says bluefish have moved in and is running a bucktail sale ahead of the fall run. Fluke, meanwhile, is done for the season locally — Capt Ron called this past Friday possibly the last trip of 2026, and it produced strong fluke and sea bass action before the storm shut the dock down for over a week.
Delaware River smallmouth hold on as nor'easter clears the Pine Barrens
Delaware River smallmouth are back on the bite after last week's nor'easter scattered action across the region. Dave's Sport Shop in Doylestown, reporting via The Fisherman — NJ/DE Freshwater, says catfish and smallmouth gave anglers decent fishing in the Delaware this past week, with better water levels opening up good access for both boat fishermen and waders. The same feed has Smith's Bait Shop in Leipsic noting that several area lakes and ponds had just turned over for fall and were starting to give up good numbers of fish right as the storm rolled in and shut things down for days. Farther north, Hyper Striper Sportfishing on Lake Wallenpaupack reported very good action for smallmouth, largemouth, hybrids, and a few crappies for anglers who got out despite the wind, and decent bass and crappie fishing was also coming out of Nockamixon. In South Jersey, Hands Too Bait and Tackle noted cooling-driven freshwater action building in the cedar waters near Cape May before the storm interrupted it, and up on Bass River, Allen's Dock described similar activity in the tidal creeks and nearby cedar waters right up until anglers pulled their boats ahead of the blow.
Fall Striper Push Lands at the Jersey Shore After the Nor'easter
Water temperatures are holding at 66-67°F at the NOAA CO-OPS stations in Atlantic City and Cape May, still warm for the first of October after last weekend's nor'easter pushed through. The storm dominated the week's reports: shops from Beach Haven to Atlantic Highlands described flooded lots and lost sailing days, but the fall intel coming out the other side is strong. The Fisherman's NJ/DE Bay Region forecast flagged the season's first 50-inch-and-over striped bass along the north coast now that winds have swung W/NW behind the blow, and notes anglers are back on black sea bass in Garden State waters. Closer to the beach, Pier 47 Marina in Ocean City described a strong pre-storm nighttime striper bite on the sod banks during flood tide, fish mostly 16 to 29 inches with some slot keepers past 31, taking bucktails and Mag Darters. Fisherman's Headquarters in Central New Jersey had stripers and blues on mullet-type plugs the same stretch, and Hands Too Bait and Tackle in Cape May reported blackfish, weakfish, stripers and blues all working before the weather arrived.
Tautog bite holds up as Delaware Bay eyes post-storm push
Delaware Bay's NJ side is holding at 67.3°F this morning per NOAA CO-OPS station 8537121, still warm enough to keep the tautog bite rolling before the fall shift takes full hold. The Fisherman's Southern New Jersey report has Big Dave's Tackle describing a good tautog bite around the back-bay bridges and lighthouse structure on sandfleas and green crabs, with baitfish pushing up the bay and into the inlets all week. In the same report, Hands Too Bait and Tackle says the wrecks and reefs off Cape May have black sea bass stacked up, with anglers anticipating quick limits once this week's wind dies down, and the striped bass bite along the sod banks has been holding, with fish to 30 inches landed before the blow. The Fisherman's NJ/DE Surf report, also from Hands Too, had tautog, weakfish, striped bass and bluefish all keeping anglers busy on most tides right up until the storm chopped up the beaches and bayside flats. Next low tide at this station lands around 7:58 p.m. local.