Black sea bass and fluke lead the bite as NJ's fall striper run builds
Delaware Bay water sat at 66.7°F this afternoon, squarely in the range New Jersey's bottom fishery has been riding hard. Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands logged a very good all-day bite on black sea bass this week, with keepers for the whole boat and a pool-winning 2.5-pound fish, while Blue Chip Sportfishing reports fluke and sea bass being caught on both half-day and full-day trips. Fishermans HQ LBI backs that up, noting decent fluke fishing on the reefs even as the season winds down. Striped bass are moving the other direction: OTW Northern New Jersey's report flags improving fall-run striper fishing now that a recent nor'easter has cleared out, with false albacore and bluefish still lingering along the beaches. NJ Fish & Wildlife News's ongoing Delaware Bay trawl survey, running since 1991, is a reminder this estuary is tracked closely for exactly this kind of seasonal finfish turnover.
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What's biting
What's next
The next low tide at this station lands around 2:16 PM local, useful for timing bottom structure fishing before the turn. With black sea bass and fluke already active on both the Atlantic Highlands and Long Beach Island ends of the state, expect that pattern to hold into the weekend while water stays in the mid-60s.
Striped bass should keep building through the rest of October per OTW Northern New Jersey's outlook, which points to the fall run gaining momentum as daylight shortens and bait moves south. Bluefish and false albacore look likely to stick around the beaches a bit longer before cooler water pushes them out, so anglers working live bait or small metal near bait pods should keep at it this week.
Fluke fishing is decent but fading, leaving a short window before the season closes and cooler water change that picture. Check current size and possession limits before keeping fluke or sea bass.
Context
This is a typical early-October transition for Delaware Bay and the broader New Jersey coast: fluke are on their way out as the season winds down, black sea bass hold strong into fall, and the striped bass run is just getting underway as water cools into the mid-60s.
NJ Fish & Wildlife News's Marine Resources Administration has run a Delaware Bay trawl survey since 1991 specifically to track this kind of seasonal finfish turnover through the estuary. A fall storm briefly shutting things down before the bite resumes stronger, as the recent nor'easter did along the Jersey Shore, is typical for this stretch of the calendar.
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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