Black drum booming on the Jersey side of Delaware Bay

What's Biting

What's Next

With the full moon falling today, tidal exchange across Delaware Bay hits its weekly peak, and that timing lines up almost perfectly with the height of horseshoe crab spawning along the bay beaches. Drum have locked onto that food source hard. Anglers should prioritize moving-water windows, especially the incoming tide pushing onto the flats and beach edges, when drum are most actively feeding. Fresh clams, shedders, and she-crabs on the bottom remain the consensus presentation, per Big Dave's Tackle and Hands Too Bait and Tackle (The Fisherman — Southern NJ).

Black drum should remain the primary target through at least the first two weeks of June. As this week's strong spring tides gradually subside, drum will continue tracking the crab spawn along the shoreline. Anglers targeting trophy-class fish should focus on the Jersey-side beaches from Villas to Slaughter Beach, where The Fisherman — Southern NJ sources are consistently placing fish in the 60- to nearly 80-pound range. Dawn and dusk tide windows tend to produce the largest fish as drum push into shallower water with less boat pressure.

Striped bass anglers face a closing window. Higbee's Bait and Tackle (The Fisherman — Southern NJ) puts the Fortescue Beach run near its end, with fish to 44 inches still responding to bloodworms. Anthony Califano (The Fisherman — Southern NJ) notes that land-based anglers working jetties and bay beachfronts held an advantage over boaters during the Memorial Day weekend weather. If you want a late-spring striper from the bay, this week is likely the last dependable stretch before the migration completes.

Flounder in the back bays is worth watching as water temperatures approach 60°F. Big Dave's Tackle confirms a few keepers including fish over 5 pounds, with outgoing tides at moderate depths producing the most consistent results. Bucktails tipped with live minnows or strip baits are working for anglers who are finding fish.

Bluefish are entering the picture as well. Big Dave's Tackle reported gator blues to 10 pounds mixed into the bay action this past week, and The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf notes small blues pushing into bay waters on plugs. A secondary rod rigged with a popper or chunk of bunker will cover you if a school decides to show at your drum spot.

Context

The black drum run on the Jersey side of Delaware Bay is one of the Northeast's most reliable late-spring events, typically peaking in May and early June as horseshoe crabs stage their annual spawning migration along the bay beaches. This year the timing looks right on schedule, and the size class is drawing notice. Nick at Hands Too Bait and Tackle (The Fisherman — Southern NJ) specifically flagged that the NJ side is producing larger fish than Delaware this season, with 60-pound fish representing a typical catch rather than a standout. A 75-pound fish topping the week's weigh-ins, combined with Big Dave's Tackle (The Fisherman — Southern NJ) reporting fish near 80 pounds at the Coral Beds and Tussy's Slough, points to an above-average trophy class moving through the Jersey side this spring.

Striped bass tapering off in the final days of May is entirely normal for Delaware Bay. The spring run generally peaks from mid-April through mid-May as migratory fish stage before pushing north. Higbee's characterization of the Fortescue Beach run as winding down aligns with that typical seasonal arc. The familiar competition from horseshoe crabs stealing bloodworm baits is a late-May constant for bay striper anglers and signals, more than any calendar date, that the striper season is giving way to drum season.

Flounder building slowly through late May into June is also on trend for the bay. The back-bay flatfish bite typically strengthens as water temperatures cross 60°F. Buoy 44009's current 59°F reading puts that threshold close, and no source this week is reporting exceptional flounder numbers, which is consistent with a normal seasonal ramp rather than anything unusual.

The full moon on May 31 arrives at an opportune moment. Historically, the late-May full moon aligns closely with the peak of the Delaware Bay horseshoe crab spawn, and the resulting strong spring tides pull drum onto the beaches in force. The combination of near-60°F water, active bait, and maximum tidal movement this weekend represents a convergence that typically produces some of the best drum fishing of the entire year.