Delaware Bay tog and bunker-chunking stripers hold steady

What's biting

What's next

Today's predicted high tide arrives around 12:07 PM local time, with the next low near 6:56 PM. That gives a falling tide through the afternoon and a moving-water window leading into dusk. Moving water is what the bunker chunkers and bucktail throwers have been working. The waxing crescent moon sets early, so tide timing will matter more than moonlight for evening trips.

On Southern NJ and Atlantic-side reports, the picture is mixed. OTW Northern New Jersey calls striper action spottier this week, particularly for surfcasters. Captains in the Northern NJ column describe dogfish moving in whenever the west wind blew and the bunker schools broke up. If wind keeps the bay choppy, tog on structure with green crabs is the steadier plan. If bunker pods push toward the bay mouth, stripers may follow, so carry fresh bunker and a few bucktails. The Fisherman (Northeast) reports jumbo stripers blitzing on adult bunker along the Jersey beaches, and Fin-Atics noted bluefish of 5 to 8 pounds on mullet and bunker along the coast. Neither was reported in the bay itself this week.

Context

Mid-November is typically the back half of the fall run in this part of the Mid-Atlantic. Striped bass tend to follow bunker and other baitfish south as water cools. Tautog are usually at their best once temperatures settle into the 50s, and they sit tight to hard structure. Bluefish activity generally fades as the water keeps dropping, so any that show up late are a bonus rather than the plan.

A 57.7°F reading fits that on-schedule picture. It is warm enough to keep bait and stripers around, and cool enough to keep tog feeding. Weather windows tend to decide how much fishing time anglers actually get this time of year. Check current state regulations on size and possession before keeping fish, since seasons and slots change.