Big stripers running Delaware Bay beaches as the spring push peaks

What's Biting

What's Next

Delaware Bay is entering its peak Memorial Day window with water at 57°F, and the bay's spring striper run shows no sign of tapering. Big Dave's Tackle, per The Fisherman's Southern NJ coverage, described the Delaware Bay bayfront fishing as 'firing on all cylinders,' with both sides of the bay producing oversized fish to 46 inches on bloodworms and clam. That bite should hold through the holiday weekend; the bigger story ahead is what warm Memorial Day temperatures will do for species that have been waiting in the wings.

Stripers and black drum are the locks right now. Higbee's Bait and Tackle out of Fortescue reports 'all oversize fish from 36 to 46 inches' and confirms bloodworms remain the top producer, with some anglers doubling up on bloodworm balls or bloodworm-and-clam combos wrapped in spawn net. Early morning sessions before wind develops have been the most productive window on the bay. Wind-driven whitecaps and dirty water hampered midday fishing through the week leading up to this report, so timing your launch around calm morning windows pays dividends. Target incoming tides when stripers stack in beach cuts and along the bayfront.

Black drum are sharing the bay with the stripers. Dockside Café and Marina confirmed drum to 15 pounds in back-bay waters on clam baits, and Anthony Califano's South Jersey report in The Fisherman noted these fish 'find the cooler water to their liking' alongside the striper push. Clam or bloodworm rigs fished at dawn or dusk have been consistent producers across the bay.

Flounder are the big watch heading into June. The Fisherman's NJ/DE Bay regional forecast flagged the first Cape May County doormat of the season at 11.86 pounds this week, a sign quality fish are staged and ready to feed when conditions cooperate. Fluke need water temperatures to climb a bit further before they really ignite in the bay; outgoing tide in shallow back-bay water is the best near-term setup. Check current state regulations for size and possession limits before targeting summer flounder.

Sea bass at the inshore wrecks and reefs have been lagging through May, per Anthony Califano's South Jersey report in The Fisherman. Early June warming should be the catalyst. Also worth noting: per NJ Fish and Wildlife News, seasonal closures are in effect through September 7 at five Wildlife Management Areas statewide, so confirm access at any WMA boat launch or access point before heading out.

Context

The late-May Delaware Bay striper run is one of the most reliable late-spring bites on the Jersey Shore, and 2026 is delivering on that expectation. Oversized stripers from 36 to 46 inches at the Fortescue beaches align with the seasonal pattern for the final week of May, when the spring push is still holding on NJ bayfront structure before larger fish work their way north.

The 57°F water temperature at buoy 44009 runs slightly cool compared to a typical late-May Delaware Bay reading, which in average years can approach the low 60s by Memorial Day. The Fisherman's DE/MD/Chesapeake correspondent Eric Burnley noted 56°F at the Delaware Lightship Buoy as of May 17, suggesting only modest warming through the final weeks of spring. This cool, wind-disrupted season is the consistent theme across Southern NJ reports: as Anthony Califano noted in The Fisherman, the cold water and persistent winds that delayed the fluke bite have simultaneously extended the striper and black drum window well into late May.

Black drum appearances at Delaware Bay bayfront beaches are right on schedule. These fish typically arrive in the Cape May County and Cumberland County beach zone in mid-to-late May, and both Big Dave's Tackle and Dockside Café and Marina, per The Fisherman's Southern NJ coverage, confirmed their presence in bay waters on clam and bloodworm baits.

What stands out about 2026 is the quality of the striper fishing despite cold and wind disruptions. Fish to 46 inches from the bayfront represents a strong showing for oversized bass. Memorial Day weekend historically marks the transition from spring striper mode to summer fluke-and-sea-bass mode on Delaware Bay, and the calendar is now right at that inflection point. Whether the shift happens quickly or gradually depends on how fast the warm weather forecast materializes into sustained water temperature gains in the upper bay.