Tog and weakfish turn on as fluke season closes on Delaware Bay
Delaware Bay's NOAA station 8537121 read 66.9°F this afternoon, with low tide due around 5:30 PM local under this week's Full Moon. The Fisherman's Southern New Jersey report has Higbee's Bait and Tackle seeing a mixed bag of bluefish and weakfish for anglers drifting small baits, while fish anchored on structure are finding tautog moving in heavy on sand fleas, green crabs and fiddlers. The same report has Big Dave's Tackle noting weakfish building on soft plastics fished near the lighthouses, and Pier 47 Marina seeing striped bass feed hard after dark on staging peanut bunker and mullet around lighted docks and sod banks, with fish to 31 inches on paddletails, rubber shads and bucktails. Higher tides are producing the better numbers on that night bite.
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Fluke season closed in New Jersey on September 25, per The Fisherman (Northeast), and The Fisherman's Southern New Jersey report has anglers at Boulevard Bait & Tackle pivoting to tautog and black sea bass on the bay's wrecks and reef sites, with tog also working inshore around jetties and bridges.
The nor'easter moving through this week should stir up the bay and push more of the mullet, spearing and peanut bunker already staging in the back bays out toward open water, which typically sharpens the night striper bite once the wind lays down. With the Full Moon overhead, the evening low around 5:30 PM is worth building an after-dark trip around, and the tautog push should hold into early October as water continues cooling.
Context
Water in the upper 60s and a fall pivot from fluke to tautog and black sea bass is right on schedule for late September in Delaware Bay, where the flounder fishery typically closes in the final week of the month and hands off to bottom fishing on wrecks and reefs. Night-time striper activity around staging baitfish in the back bays is a classic early-fall pattern here, and it usually builds through October as the water keeps cooling.
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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