Waterlands

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Spotted seatroutShoulder season

Cape · New Jersey

Kelly Point

39.65°N · 75.54°W · Cape · Delaware Bay waters north of East Point NJ to Slaughter Beach DE

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Best score today · 7 PM · Spotted seatrout

80/100Great
Now
5411 AM EDT
Best window
7-10 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing4.9 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 11 AM · now

Time11ANOW
Score54Good
Tide4.9 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentFlood0.5 kn · toward NNE
Wind11 kn NNEgusts 23 · steady
Air temp59°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
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

Kelly Point

Depth
Up to 30 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · slope
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 Kelly Point

Kelly Point is a cape in Delaware Bay waters north of East Point NJ to Slaughter Beach DE, New Jersey. Depth in the nearest water is up to 30 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

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

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.
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

  • Marsh Point

    Cape · 4.3 mi

    78
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 78
    • Spot 71
    • Scup 70

    10 kt NNEL 4:03 PM · 0.7 ftH 9:49 PM · 5.8 ft

  • Baker Range

    Channel · 12 mi

    78
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 78
    • Sheepshead 73
    • Summer flounder 71

    10 kt NNEL 3:11 PM · 0.8 ftH 9:10 PM · 6.5 ft

  • Deepwater Point

    Cape · 4.0 mi

    76
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 76
    • Little tunny 72
    • Spot 69

    11 kt NNEL 4:36 PM · 0.7 ftH 10:21 PM · 6.0 ft

  • Baker Shoal

    Bar · 11 mi

    75
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 75
    • Spot 74
    • Spanish mackerel 73

    10 kt NNEL 3:11 PM · 0.8 ftH 9:10 PM · 6.5 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.