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Cape May Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Cape May: New Jersey's southern tip between Delaware Bay and the Atlantic, where state rules change at the bay line.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Next tide
Low 1:10 AM
Air / High
59 / 62 F
Wind
ENE 14 mph

Sources: NOAA tides 8536110, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Cape May rewards those who follow the bait as the water cools. Today brings clear skies, wind ENE around 14 mph, steady pressure near 1027 hPa and a high of 62. Tides: high 6:49 AM and 7:10 PM, low 12:29 AM and 12:53 PM: the moving water either side of each change is when this place feeds. Water sits around 64 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:34 AM-11:34 AM and 10:02 PM-12:02 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Striped bassExcellent

Spring and fall are the shoreline seasons: ODWC points to windblown points, riprap and dams during the May shad spawn and the pre-winter feed.

BluefishExcellent

Fall turns the migration south toward the South Atlantic Bight, and fish feed along beaches and inlets on the way. Follow the bait and the birds.

Tomorrow: Similar at 60 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Water and weather

Live readings.

Tides

NOAA station 8536110 (Cape May). Fish the moving water either side of each change.

Fri
LOW12:29 AM0.6 ft
HIGH6:49 AM5.1 ft
LOW12:53 PM0.5 ft
HIGH7:10 PM5.2 ft
Sat
LOW1:10 AM0.3 ft
HIGH7:33 AM5.5 ft
LOW1:41 PM0.2 ft
HIGH7:56 PM5.2 ft

Cape May tide chart: the week and the month β†’

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp59 F
High / Low62 / 45 F
WindENE 14-18 mph
Pressure1027.0 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain11% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:17 / 18:10
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~64 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Cape May this week

The best day on Cape May this week looks like Sunday Oct 25, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Sunday, Oct 25 β€” good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
9:34 AM-11:34 AM and 10:02 PM-12:02 AM
Minor period
3:55 AM-4:55 AM
Sun
07:17 to 18:10
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 14 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Cape May: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Striped bass illustration

Striped bass

Best: spring and fall inland; on the coast, during the seasonal migrations

The largest of the temperate basses, a sea-run fish of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts that now also lives in reservoirs across much of the country after hatchery stocking. Inland, it follows schools of shad and herring through open water. Spring and fall are the shoreline seasons: ODWC points to windblown points, riprap and dams during the May shad spawn and the pre-winter feed.

Bluefish illustration

Bluefish

Peak harvest: May-Oct, most in Jul-Aug (NOAA)

Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) are sharp-toothed schooling predators that move up and down the Atlantic coast with the seasons and feed in surface blitzes on menhaden, silversides and squid. Fall turns the migration south toward the South Atlantic Bight, and fish feed along beaches and inlets on the way. Follow the bait and the birds.

When to come: the Cape May calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Striped bass
Bluefish
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 64 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~64 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Cape May today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 66 F, wind to 13 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 64 F, wind to 14 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 70 F, wind to 14 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used if we need to ask you about your report. No mailing list, no spam.

Before you go

License

New Jersey requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

No saltwater license, but anglers 16 and older must register (free) with the NJ Saltwater Recreational Registry Program. NJ 2026 rules (updated October 5, 2026): striped bass 1 at 28-31 in.; summer flounder 3 at 18 in. (17 in. in Delaware Bay) May 4-Sept 25; black drum 3 at 16 in.; tautog 15 in. with seasonal limits; bluefish 5 (7 on for-hire vessels).

Access

Cape May NWR Two Mile Beach Unit: Atlantic surf Oct 1-Mar 31, Cape May Inlet year-round, half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset; no refuge permit or fee.

About this water

Southern tip of the Cape May Peninsula, Cape May County, New Jersey, at the mouth of Delaware Bay.

Fishing Cape May: the full guide

Bay and ocean rules

Cape May sits where Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic, and New Jersey's summer flounder rule changes at that boundary. In Delaware Bay and its tributaries west of the COLREGS line the 2026 minimum is 17 inches; in the ocean and other waters it is 18 inches, and the Cape May Canal east of the Cape May Ferry Terminal counts with the 18-inch waters. Either way the season is May 4 to September 25 with three fish.

Striped bass

New Jersey's ocean waters out to 3 nautical miles have no closed season for striped bass; other marine waters are open March 1 to December 31. The limit is one fish from 28 to 31 inches, harvest beyond 3 miles in federal waters is prohibited, bait anglers must use non-offset circle hooks, and gaffing is illegal. Holders of a Striped Bass Bonus Program permit may keep one fish from 24 to under 28 inches between May 15 and December 31.

Drum, tautog and bluefish

Black drum have no closed season, a 16-inch minimum and a three-fish limit. Tautog rules change through the year at a 15-inch minimum: four fish in January-February and in April, one fish from August 1 to November 15, and five from November 16 to December 31. Bluefish are five a day, or seven aboard a qualifying for-hire vessel.

Surf fishing at Two Mile Beach

Cape May National Wildlife Refuge allows fishing in its Two Mile Beach Unit: surf fishing on the Atlantic from October 1 to March 31 and along Cape May Inlet all year, from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset. The refuge names Atlantic croaker, bluefish, striped bass and flounder as common catches and requires no refuge permit.

Common questions

Do I need a license for saltwater fishing at Cape May?

New Jersey has no saltwater license, but anglers 16 and older must register, free, with the Saltwater Recreational Registry Program.

Is the summer flounder size the same on both sides of the point?

No. Delaware Bay waters west of the COLREGS line have a 17-inch minimum; the ocean side, including the Cape May Canal east of the ferry terminal, has 18 inches.

Which tide station does this page use?

NOAA 8536110, listed by NOAA as Cape May; it was reporting live water levels on October 8, 2026.

Is fishing good at Cape May right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Broadkill River18 miDelaware Bay19 miRehoboth Bay21 miIndian River Inlet25 miKillens Pond31 miUnion Lake32 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

Tide predictions
NOAA CO-OPS 8536110 β€” Cape May
Harmonic predictions, datum MLLW, local time. 12 high and low events returned for today and the next two days. A prediction, not a measured water level: wind and surge move the real thing.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 38.9680, -74.9600 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 8, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 8, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.