Fluke's final days share the stage with albies and blues in NJ

What's biting

What's next

With water still near 78°F, expect the fluke bite to hold through the final stretch of the season before it closes, and for bluefish blitzes and false albacore runs to keep building along the beaches and back bays as bait pushes out with the shorter days ahead. The pattern OTW Northern New Jersey describes, albies and bluefish holding steady while other action slows, typically strengthens through late September as water temperatures ease down through the fall transition.

First Quarter moon this week keeps tidal swings moderate rather than peaking, so the bigger currents around the full and new moons later in the month are worth planning around for stronger albie and bluefish pushes. Anglers should check state regulations before harvesting fluke as the season nears its close.

Context

This is on schedule for a Delaware Bay-area September: warm residual summer water lingering into the back half of the month while fall migrants like false albacore and bluefish arrive to overlap with the tail end of fluke season. That overlap window, typically running from mid-September into early October, is one of the more productive stretches of the year for surf and back-bay anglers before water temperatures fall enough to push fluke offshore for good.