Water Your Favorite Temperatures?

 

The Inland bays at Masseys ditch is in the high sixties.  The water temperatures have been bouncing around all week in the low seventies now down to the upper sixties.  That would explain why all the short striped bass are getting excited and feeding more around the inland bays, tidal creeks, and rivers.  Especially at night under the lights and when the tide is outgoing along mud banks and bait fish are dumping into the bay..  The upper Delaware bay is in the low seventies and the lower bay at Lewes and Cape May is sixty eight degrees.  The weather as of late is helping drop the temperatures, from cool runoff water to low temperatures at night.  Today (Wednesday) was a rather cool to crisp, and overcast fall afternoon, something you would expect to see in the fall.

 

Everyone wants to know what will the weekend be like with hurricane Mathew,  So far it is not coming near us but will be close enough for some storm surge.    DMS is still having their surf fishing tournament.  It looks like all the models are sending Mathew up the coast of Florida and then it hooks out to sea below North Carolina.  We shall see.  I remember last year about this time we had a storm that rocked the coast for a few days, just before the weekend.  Flooded flat beaches, stuck vehicles.  That was also the weekend of the DMS tournament, the day Corby and I winched a Jeep out of a swale.  I tried to fish the rough surf right in front of naval crossing during that storm, the current almost knocked me off my feet and I was standing about ten feet from the drive on access.  Today the water was a little chilly, and that is good for the catching.  So far the largest waves being called for by NOAA is up to six feet for Sunday. The wind will be up too, and gusting Saturday night out of the north.  There is a small craft advisory until Friday afternoon.  We will see some weather this weekend, but it should be fishable.

 

Lot of bluefish still hitting fresh mullet on mullet rigs the last few days in that rough surf.  Cut bait on top and bottom rigs will pick up kingfish and blues.  Skates, dogs and sharks are a given.  Sharks will be gone soon enough, they don’t like that cool water for too long.  Fall is definitely here, striped bass are hitting readily in the surf if you run into a school.  They are hitting mullet rigs, bloodworms on top and bottom rigs, even squid or fishbites.  They have been in random places along the beaches.  Small weakies are hitting along the bay beaches, up to eighteen inches in length.  The larger ones (four pounds) are hitting on occasion at Indian River Inlet at night.  Striped bass, bluefish, and shad action at night up there is good.  Some sheepshead and tautog are hitting along the walls.  Sandfleas are working pretty well and are still easy to dig up at the beach.  Green crabs and box crabs will work too and are available at all the shops.   Tautog action out in the Delaware bay sites and outer wall has been decent.  Hardest part is finding a window of decent weather, today was a bit nautical.  The last few days boats have made some trips and done well.

 

The Cape Henlopen pier has better flounder action according to the boys at the shop.  Kingfish, bluefish, croaker, and spot were hitting during and after the storm.  The inner wall protected the pier waters during the last storm and anglers were able to do some catching, not just fishing.  The harbor of Safe Refuge is a great part of the Delaware Bay.  Roosevelt Inlet has some decent weakie and small bluefish action if you are there when they come through.  Small sea bass at high tide, are hitting all over the rocks.  The canal has been producing croakers and some flounder.  Have a safe weekend and we hope everyone is safe in Florida and above that will see hurricane Mathew.

Fish On!!

Rich King

Tides IRI …

10/05	Wed	05:10 AM	0.59 L
10/05	Wed	11:55 AM	3.06 H
10/05	Wed	06:01 PM	0.76 L
10/06	Thu	12:10 AM	2.61 H
10/06	Thu	05:47 AM	0.68 L
10/06	Thu	12:37 PM	3.01 H
10/06	Thu	06:45 PM	0.88 L
10/07	Fri	12:54 AM	2.52 H
10/07	Fri	06:29 AM	0.76 L
10/07	Fri	01:25 PM	2.95 H
10/07	Fri	07:36 PM	0.97 L
10/08	Sat	01:44 AM	2.45 H
10/08	Sat	07:18 AM	0.82 L
10/08	Sat	02:19 PM	2.91 H
10/08	Sat	08:32 PM	1.0 L
10/09	Sun	02:41 AM	2.42 H
10/09	Sun	08:15 AM	0.83 L

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NOAA Marine Forecast …

COASTAL WATERS FROM CAPE MAY NJ TO CAPE HENLOPEN DE OUT 20 NM-
COASTAL WATERS FROM CAPE HENLOPEN TO FENWICK ISLAND DE OUT 20 NM-
358 PM EDT WED OCT 5 2016

...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON...

.TONIGHT...NE WINDS 15 TO 20 KT WITH GUSTS UP TO 25 KT...
DIMINISHING TO 10 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. SEAS 5 TO 7 FT.
MAINLY IN E SWELL WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF 8 SECONDS.
.THU...NE WINDS AROUND 15 KT WITH GUSTS UP TO 20 KT. SEAS 4 TO
6 FT. MAINLY IN E SWELL WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF 9 SECONDS.   
.THU NIGHT...E WINDS 10 TO 15 KT WITH GUSTS UP TO 20 KT. SEAS
4 TO 5 FT. MAINLY IN NE SWELL WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF
9 SECONDS.   
.FRI...E WINDS AROUND 15 KT WITH GUSTS UP TO 20 KT. SEAS 4 TO
5 FT. MAINLY IN E SWELL WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF 9 SECONDS IN
THE MORNING...BECOMING LIGHT. 
.FRI NIGHT...E WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT. 
.SAT...NE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT. SCATTERED SHOWERS IN
THE AFTERNOON. 
.SAT NIGHT...N WINDS 10 TO 15 KT WITH GUSTS UP TO 20 KT...
INCREASING TO 20 TO 25 KT WITH GUSTS UP TO 30 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT.
SEAS 3 TO 5 FT. SCATTERED SHOWERS IN THE EVENING. 
.SUN...N WINDS 20 TO 25 KT. SEAS 4 TO 6 FT. 
.SUN NIGHT...N WINDS AROUND 20 KT. SEAS 4 TO 6 FT. 
.MON...N WINDS 15 TO 20 KT...DIMINISHING TO 10 TO 15 KT IN THE
AFTERNOON. SEAS 4 TO 6 FT. 
.MON NIGHT...N WINDS 10 TO 15 KT...DIMINISHING TO 5 TO 10 KT
AFTER MIDNIGHT. SEAS 4 TO 6 FT.