Tautog move onto Delaware Bay structure as fluke season closes

What's biting

What's next

Expect the tautog bite to keep building over the next several days as bay water continues its seasonal cool-down; sand fleas, green crabs and fiddlers fished tight to structure should keep producing into October. The weakfish pattern is worth watching too, per Big Dave's Tackle — the night bite on soft plastics near the lighthouses could firm up further as water eases down from the current 67°F reading.

Tonight's Full Moon means stronger spring tides through midweek, which typically sharpens the bay's drift bite and stirs bait around lighted structure after dark, a good window for that weakfish pattern. With fluke now closed on the New Jersey side, the bluefish and weakfish mix reported by Higbee's should carry the bay's action into the first weeks of October, alongside the building tautog bite.

Context

Late September into October is prime tautog season on the Delaware Bay, as fish move onto structure to feed heavily ahead of winter, and this year's push lines up with that typical timing. A weakfish night bite holding this late in the month is also consistent with the bay's fall pattern, as the species tends to linger around structure while the water cools. The bay's mixed-bag bottom fishery typically runs strongest through October before the coldest weeks arrive, so anglers have a solid window ahead.