Where to fish

  • Forecast
  • Catches

Mine

  • Favorites

Where to fish

  • Forecast
  • Catches

Mine

  • Favorites
ForecastCatchesFavorites
AboutHow the forecast worksWhere fish livePrivacyTerms[email protected]
© 2026·AI-powered bite forecast
0.1.0+2163 · 92c14a40

We use cookies for analytics and advertising. Cookies necessary for the site to function are always kept. Learn more

United States / Delaware / Delaware Bay

Bite forecast: Delaware Bay

  • 689.4 sq mi
Loading map…

Best fishing days for the next week

  1. TuesdaySeptember 8weather-based forecast
    57/100medium activity

    Partly cloudy: 61–82 °F

Loading map…

Delaware Bay (Delaware) — a spot well known among anglers. About 1785.6 km² in area. Nearest town — Dover. A coastal water: the bite here is modelled for the sea, not for a river or a lake. See when the bite is best: hourly fish activity for the days ahead, computed from the weather, pressure, and season.

Catches

Recorded 6 catches here. Most commonly caught: Largemouth bass, Striped bass, Bluefish. Peak season: year-round.

  • Bluefish
    Delaware Bay
    Oct 15, 2018
  • Flounder
    New Jersey, Cape May County
    43 °F4 mph
    Feb 24, 2018
  • Largemouth bass
    Maurice River
    43 °F13 mph
    Jan 24, 2018
  • Striped bass
    Delaware, Kent County
    54 °F9 mph
    Nov 28, 2017
  • Striped bass
    Delaware, Kent County
    54 °F9 mph
    Nov 28, 2017
  • Largemouth bass
    Union Lake
    52 °F7 mph
    Nov 25, 2017

Nearby rivers

  • Fortescue Creek6 mi
  • Oranoaken Creek7 mi
  • Dividing Creek8 mi

Nearby water bodies

  • BayDelaware Bay0 mi
  • BayDelaware Bay0 mi
  • BayDelaware Bay0 mi
WednesdaySeptember 9weather-based forecast
57/100medium activity

Cloudy: 68–90 °F

  • ThursdaySeptember 3weather-based forecast
    51/100medium activity

    Drizzle: 73–82 °F

  • Nearby towns

    • Dover6 mi

    Bite calendar

    7–Sep 13
    Mon
    Tue
    Wed
    Thu
    Fri
    Sat
    Sun
    Bite activity:highmediumlowslow
    Based on:weatherseasonal
    What is a bite calendar?
    FlounderRed drumStriped bassBluefishBlack drumSpanish mackerelSpotted seatrout

    Black drum

    7/10 · Good

    Hourly activity

    0:006:0012:0018:0023:00
    Bite activity:highmediumlow

    The bite is strong — fish are active. Pressure is rising — activity tends to be more subdued.

    Peak bite hours

    Best time — 00:00–04:00 and 22:00–23:00 (nighttime activity).

    Tactics

    Look for structure — reefs, flats, channel edges; work them slowly near the bottom.

    Lures

    In clear water, natural colors work best: soft-plastic jig or live bait.

    Gear

    It's a hot day — a hat, sunglasses, and plenty of water are a must.

    Summary

    Worth going — it's a productive day.

    How this forecast is calculated

    Why this forecast

    The computed water temperature is around 73 °F — inside the 61–79 °F comfort range for Black drum, so baseline activity is high.

    Computed water temperature by month; the green band is the 61–79 °F comfort rangecomfort 61–79 °F73 °F
    JFMAMJJASOND

    Black drum feeds at night: the peak falls in the dark hours, between sunset and sunrise.

    The day: daylight hours and when Black drum feeds0:0012:0024:00

    Pressure is dropping 0.03 inHg over the day — fish are usually more active ahead of a weather change.

    Pressure through the day, 0.03 inHg change
    00:00 · 30.2423:00 · 30.21 inHg

    One more input — the moon's feeding windows: within their hours the score sits higher than across the rest of the day. The window times are in the “Solunar feeding periods” card below.

    Feeding windows on the day scale0:0012:0024:00

    September is an active season for Black drum here.

    JFMAMJJASOND

    These are the same values the bite curve above was computed from. How the forecast works

    Tides

    • Low water00:51-3.8 ft
    • High water06:480.8 ft
    • Low water12:54-4.0 ft
    • High water19:101.8 ft
    0:006:0012:0018:0023:000:006:0012:0018:0023:00
    Sea level height by hour
    00:0001:0002:0003:0004:0005:0006:0007:0008:0009:0010:0011:0012:0013:0014:0015:0016:0017:0018:0019:0020:0021:0022:0023:00
    -3.6 ft-3.8 ft-3.4 ft-2.6 ft-1.5 ft-0.3 ft0.6 ft0.8 ft0.3 ft-0.6 ft-1.7 ft-2.9 ft-3.8 ft-4.0 ft-3.6 ft-2.7 ft-1.4 ft0.0 ft1.2 ft1.8 ft1.5 ft0.7 ft-0.6 ft-2.0 ft

    Open-Meteo tide model, grid point 2.1 mi away

    Water

    Water temp.
    80 °F
    In the model
    73 °F
    Wave
    0.6 ft
    Period
    4 s

    Open-Meteo Marine model, grid cell 2.1 mi from the waterbody. Values are daily means.

    8 SepTuesday, September 8
    +78°

    Partly cloudy · feels like +78°

    Low / high
    +60°…+82°
    Precipitation
    0.00 in
    Wind
    6 mph SSW
    Cloud cover
    66%
    Humidity
    44%
    Pressure
    30.27 inHg
    00:00+64°—3 mphwest wind, 3 mph64%0%
    01:00+63°—4 mphsouthwest wind, 4 mph66%1%
    02:00+62°—5 mphsouthwest wind, 5 mph67%2%
    03:00+61°—5 mphwest wind, 5 mph68%1%
    04:00+60°—5 mphwest wind, 5 mph68%1%
    05:00+60°—5 mphwest wind, 5 mph68%7%
    06:00+61°—5 mphwest wind, 5 mph68%26%
    07:00+62°—4 mphwest wind, 4 mph67%51%
    08:00+63°—4 mphwest wind, 4 mph65%68%
    09:00+67°—4 mphsouthwest wind, 4 mph60%66%
    10:00+72°—5 mphsouthwest wind, 5 mph54%56%
    11:00+76°—6 mphsouth wind, 6 mph48%53%
    12:00+78°—6 mphsouth wind, 6 mph44%66%
    13:00+80°—7 mphsouthwest wind, 7 mph40%86%
    14:00+81°—7 mphsouthwest wind, 7 mph38%100%
    15:00+82°—7 mphsouthwest wind, 7 mph37%100%
    16:00+82°—8 mphsouthwest wind, 8 mph38%100%
    17:00+81°—9 mphsouthwest wind, 9 mph40%100%
    18:00+78°—9 mphsouthwest wind, 9 mph45%100%
    19:00+75°—9 mphsouthwest wind, 9 mph51%100%
    20:00+72°—9 mphsouthwest wind, 9 mph55%100%
    21:00+71°—9 mphsouth wind, 9 mph56%100%
    22:00+72°—10 mphsouth wind, 10 mph56%99%
    23:00+72°—10 mphsouth wind, 10 mph56%99%
    +82°+71°+60°
    Weather throughout the day
    0:006:0012:0018:0023:00

    Sun and moon

    Tuesday, September 8
    The day: daylight and the hours the moon is above the horizon. Local time0:0012:0024:00
    DaylightMoon above the horizon
    Sunrise
    06:36
    Sunset
    19:21
    Day length
    12 h 45 min
    Sunshine hours
    12 h
    UV index
    6
    high
    Moon
    Waning crescent
    Moonrise
    03:29
    Moonset
    18:04

    The day is 2 min shorter than yesterday.

    Sunshine hours count direct sun only — cloud cover cuts it, so it is shorter than daylight.

    Solunar feeding periods

    +13% in the windowTuesday, September 8
    Feeding windows on the day scale, local time0:0012:0024:00
    Major periodsMinor periods
    • Minor02:59–03:59Moonrise
    • Major09:53–11:53Moon overhead
    • Minor17:34–18:34Moonset
    • Major22:19–00:00Moon underfoot

    The windows are set by the moon's transit and rise, and the forecast above already accounts for them: within these hours the bite score sits higher than across the rest of the day, while the day's overall level still comes from the catch-calibrated model.

    What are solunar periods?

    BiteGuide·From anglers’ reports

    What actually worked on this water

    Based on 6 verified catchesPeriod: 2017–2018

    This is a summary of anglers' reports, not a proven cause of the bite: conditions lining up does not mean they drove it.

    By fish species

    vertical axis — number of catches

    012
    2211
    Largemouth bassStriped bassBluefishFlounder
    By fish species
    ValueCatchesShare
    Largemouth bass233%
    Striped bass233%
    Bluefish117%
    Flounder117%

    By month

    vertical axis — number of catches

    023
    1113
    JanFebOctNov
    By month
    ValueCatchesShare
    Jan117%
    Feb117%
    Oct117%
    Nov350%

    Air temperature, °F

    5 catches have this data · vertical axis — number of catches

    023
    23
    4150
    Air temperature, °F
    ValueCatchesShare
    41–48 °F240%
    50–57 °F360%

    Pressure, inHg

    5 catches have this data · vertical axis — number of catches

    012
    1112
    29.7229.9230.1230.31
    Pressure, inHg
    ValueCatchesShare
    29.72–29.88 inHg120%
    29.92–30.08 inHg120%
    30.12–30.28 inHg120%
    30.31–30.47 inHg240%

    Wind direction

    5 catches have this data · vertical axis — number of catches

    012
    1211
    ESESWNW
    Wind direction
    ValueCatchesShare
    E120%
    SE240%
    SW120%
    NW120%

    Wind speed, mph

    5 catches have this data · vertical axis — number of catches

    012
    221
    4913
    Wind speed, mph
    ValueCatchesShare
    4–7 mph240%
    9–11 mph240%
    13–16 mph120%