Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

Spotted seatroutShoulder season

Bar · New Jersey

Elbow of Cross Ledge

39.17°N · 75.24°W · Bar · Delaware Bay waters north of East Point NJ to Slaughter Beach DE

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 7 AM · Spotted seatrout

77/100Great
Now
499 AM EDT
Best window
9 AM-1 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing4.8 ft ▼

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

Notify me when Elbow of Cross Ledge scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 9 AM · now

Time9ANOW
Score49Good
Tide4.8 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.1 kn
Wind12 kn NNEgusts 23 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.8 ft · 3 s
Air temp59°Mild
WeatherOvercast76% chance of rain
Water73°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Spotted seatrout 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 Spotted seatrout is best here

Shoulder season for Spotted seatrout · 1 more week at shoulder

Spotted seatrout season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Spotted seatrout · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Spotted seatrout in New Jersey

Spot profile

Elbow of Cross Ledge

Depth
15-20 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Ledge · Inner · Semi-exposedLedge · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonSpotted seatrout

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 Elbow of Cross Ledge

Elbow of Cross Ledge is a bar in Delaware Bay waters north of East Point NJ to Slaughter Beach DE, New Jersey. Depth is 15-20 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads ledge, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are scup, little tunny and sheepshead. It is peak season now for scup, little tunny, sheepshead and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for black sea bass, bluefish, king mackerel and tautog. Scup peak from June through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Sheepshead peak from July through September.

Tackle & technique

Spotted seatrout
Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.
Scup
Scup school over hard and mixed bottom, rock piles, mussel beds, piers and jetties, usually in 10 to 60 feet of water. Fish a high-low rig with small hooks and squid or clam strips on the bottom, and chum with clam to hold a school under the boat. If nothing bites within 15 minutes, move to the next piece of structure.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Cross Ledge

    Bar · 0.5 mi

    74
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 74
    • Little tunny 68
    • Sheepshead 67

    12 kt NNEL 1:34 PM · 0.7 ftH 7:54 PM · 6.1 ft

  • Cross Ledge Range

    Channel · 3.7 mi

    73
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 73
    • Spot 70
    • Sheepshead 67

    12 kt NNEL 1:46 PM · 0.8 ftH 8:02 PM · 6.6 ft

  • Brandywine Range

    Channel · 0.5 mi

    70
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 70
    • Spot 70
    • Sheepshead 67

    12 kt NNEL 1:34 PM · 0.7 ftH 7:54 PM · 6.1 ft

  • Main Maull Range

    Channel · 2.9 mi

    69
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 69
    • Spot 68
    • Sheepshead 65

    12 kt NNEL 1:34 PM · 0.7 ftH 7:54 PM · 6.1 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.