Waterlands

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Black sea bassShoulder season

Gut · New Jersey

S Creek

39.12°N · 74.77°W · Gut · Delaware Bay waters south of East Point NJ to Slaughter Beach DE

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Best score today · 12 AM · Black sea bass

30/100Fair
Now
301 PM EDT
Best window
1 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Low1.0 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 1 PM · now

Time1PNOW
Score30Fair
Tide1.0 ftLow
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind17 kn ENEgusts 33 · steady
Sea stateVery rough7.5 ft · 8 s
Air temp66°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water69°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.

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

S Creek

Depth
1-4 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · 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 S Creek

S Creek is a gut in Delaware Bay waters south of East Point NJ to Slaughter Beach DE, New Jersey. Depth is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, black sea bass and little tunny. It is peak season now for little tunny, red drum, scup and sheepshead, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, black sea bass, spotted seatrout and striped bass. Atlantic croaker peak from June through August. Black sea bass peak from May through June and from October through November. Little tunny peak from September through October.

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.
Atlantic croaker
Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
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

  • Cat Run

    Gut · 0.7 mi

    30
    Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season
    • Atlantic croaker 30
    • Black sea bass 30
    • Little tunny 30

    17 kt ENEH 6:47 PM · 4.5 ftL 1:23 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Stites Sound

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    30
    Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season
    • Atlantic croaker 30
    • Black sea bass 30
    • Bluefish 30

    17 kt ENEH 6:47 PM · 4.5 ftL 1:23 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Leonard Thorofare

    Channel · 0.9 mi

    30
    Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season
    • Atlantic croaker 30
    • Black sea bass 30
    • Little tunny 30

    17 kt ENEH 6:47 PM · 4.5 ftL 1:23 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Rachael Point

    Cape · 0.9 mi

    30
    Top: Black sea bassShoulder season
    • Black sea bass 30
    • Bluefish 30
    • Little tunny 30

    17 kt ENEH 7:04 PM · 4.5 ftL 1:30 AM · 0.7 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.