Waterlands

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Black sea bassShoulder season

Bar · New Jersey

Dunks Bar

39.36°N · 75.39°W · Bar · Delaware Bay waters north of East Point NJ to Slaughter Beach DE

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Best score today · 12 PM · Black sea bass

74/100Great
Now
6411 AM EDT
Best window
11 AM-2 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing3.9 ft ▼

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 11 AM · now

Time11ANOW
Score64Good
Tide3.9 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.2 kn · toward WSW
Wind11 kn NEgusts 22 · building
Sea stateLight chop1.0 ft · 2 s
Air temp61°Mild
WeatherOvercast35% chance of rain
Water73°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Black sea bass is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with NJFW before you keep a fish.

Source: NJFW · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Black sea bass is best here

Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder

Black sea bass season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Black sea bass in New Jersey

Spot profile

Dunks Bar

Depth
6-15 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bar · Inner · Semi-exposedBar · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonBlack sea bass

NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 13 on a 3.4 m grid. Depths are feet below NAVD 88, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.

About this spot

Fishing Dunks Bar

Dunks Bar is a bar in Delaware Bay waters north of East Point NJ to Slaughter Beach DE, New Jersey. Depth is 6-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bar, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, spot and Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, Spanish mackerel and sheepshead, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, weakfish and Atlantic croaker. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August through October. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September.

Tackle & technique

Black sea bass
Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
Little tunny
Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.
Spot
Spot school over mud and sand in bays, tidal creeks and channels and around piers and bridges, generally in less than 25 feet of water. Fish a two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and bits of bloodworm or shrimp, and move until you find a school. In fall the biggest fish run out of the sounds past piers and inlets, and the bite can go all day.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Dunks Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    76
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 76
    • Spot 72
    • Sheepshead 68

    11 kt NEL 2:50 PM · 0.7 ftH 9:03 PM · 5.9 ft

  • Cut Through

    Channel · 1.5 mi

    76
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 76
    • Sheepshead 72
    • Summer flounder 70

    11 kt NEL 2:50 PM · 0.7 ftH 9:03 PM · 5.9 ft

  • Cohansey Point

    Cape · 2.0 mi

    74
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 74
    • Spot 70
    • Sheepshead 67

    11 kt NEL 2:50 PM · 0.7 ftH 9:03 PM · 5.9 ft

  • Arnold Point Shoal

    Bar · 2.1 mi

    74
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 74
    • Spanish mackerel 72
    • Spot 72

    11 kt NEL 2:34 PM · 0.8 ftH 8:38 PM · 6.7 ft

Scores and forecasts are for planning only and can be wrong. Conditions on the water change fast; check the marine forecast before you go. Regulations change during the season, so confirm limits and closures with NJFW before you keep a fish.