Striper push builds in Raritan Bay as fluke season winds down

What's biting

What's next

Expect the striped bass bite to keep building over the next several days. OTW Northern New Jersey ties the pickup to cooling water and the fall baitfish push, both trends that continue as nights get colder into October. Bluefish and false albacore should hold along the beaches a while longer before moving south, so working peanut bunker and mullet schools stays worthwhile.

Tides at Sandy Hook run low around 4:39 AM and high near 10:47 AM today, with the cycle shifting roughly 45 to 50 minutes later each following day, worth timing dawn trips around the incoming push for both stripers and blues. The waning gibbous moon means smaller tidal swings than a full or new moon, which should keep inshore current speeds manageable.

Fluke season is closing if it hasn't already; check current state regulations before targeting them further. Black sea bass fills the gap well, with bottom rigs producing steadily per Capt Ron's and Blue Chip Sportfishing, a pattern that typically holds through fall.

Context

Late September into October is peak fall-run territory for Raritan Bay and Sandy Hook. Striped bass staging south from New England as water cools is the seasonal signature of this window, and the pattern described this week, a slow start behind a storm followed by a build as false albacore and bluefish linger alongside the first real striper push, is typical for the calendar rather than early or late. Fluke wrapping up in late September is also on schedule for the region's recreational season. Black sea bass picking up as fluke closes is the normal fall handoff here, and it should continue as the bay cools toward the striper run's peak.