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Where to fish

  • Forecast
  • Catches

Mine

  • Favorites
ForecastCatchesFavorites
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© 2026·AI-powered bite forecast
0.1.0+2163 · 92c14a40

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United States / Virginia / Delaware Bay

Bite forecast: Delaware Bay

  • 689.4 sq mi
Loading map…

Best fishing days for the next week

  1. TuesdaySeptember 8weather-based forecast
    60/100high activity

    Cloudy: 52–84 °F

Delaware Bay (Virginia) — a popular fishing spot. About 1785.6 km² in area. This is a sea water — its bite forecast is a marine one, computed apart from rivers and lakes. See when the bite is best: hourly fish activity for the days ahead, computed from the weather, pressure, and season.

WednesdaySeptember 9weather-based forecast
59/100medium activity

Partly cloudy: 61–91 °F

  • ThursdaySeptember 3weather-based forecast
    55/100medium activity

    Clear: 73–91 °F

  • Loading map…

    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

    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 drumCobiaSheepsheadKing mackerelSpanish mackerelSpotted seatroutTarpon

    Black drum

    6/10 · Fair

    Hourly activity

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

    The bite is moderate — fish feed in short bursts. 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

    An average day — best chances during peak windows.

    How this forecast is calculated

    Why this forecast

    The computed water temperature is around 67 °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 °F67 °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 rising 0.15 inHg over the day — the bite usually settles down after a rise.

    Pressure through the day, 0.15 inHg change
    00:00 · 30.1123:00 · 30.24 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

    • High water05:380.7 ft
    • Low water11:53-3.6 ft
    • High water18:191.7 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
    -2.8 ft-2.5 ft-1.9 ft-1.0 ft-0.1 ft0.6 ft0.6 ft0.2 ft-0.6 ft-1.6 ft-2.6 ft-3.4 ft-3.6 ft-3.3 ft-2.5 ft-1.4 ft-0.1 ft1.1 ft1.7 ft1.5 ft0.9 ft-0.2 ft-1.5 ft-2.7 ft

    Open-Meteo tide model, grid point 2.1 mi away

    Water

    Water temp.
    80 °F
    In the model
    67 °F
    Wave
    0.8 ft
    Period
    4 s

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

    7 SepMonday, September 7
    +74°

    Partly cloudy · feels like +76°

    Low / high
    +52°…+79°
    Precipitation
    0.00 in
    Wind
    3 mph SSE
    Cloud cover
    60%
    Humidity
    46%
    Pressure
    30.15 inHg
    00:00+57°—5 mphnortheast wind, 5 mph82%59%
    01:00+55°—5 mphnortheast wind, 5 mph87%24%
    02:00+54°—4 mphnortheast wind, 4 mph91%5%
    03:00+53°—4 mphnortheast wind, 4 mph94%5%
    04:00+53°—3 mphnortheast wind, 3 mph96%0%
    05:00+52°—3 mphnortheast wind, 3 mph96%5%
    06:00+52°—3 mphnortheast wind, 3 mph96%6%
    07:00+52°—4 mphnortheast wind, 4 mph96%7%
    08:00+56°—3 mphnortheast wind, 3 mph89%6%
    09:00+62°—3 mphnortheast wind, 3 mph72%6%
    10:00+67°—2 mpheast wind, 2 mph60%94%
    11:00+71°—2 mphsoutheast wind, 2 mph51%100%
    12:00+74°—3 mphsoutheast wind, 3 mph46%60%
    13:00+76°—3 mphsouth wind, 3 mph43%98%
    14:00+77°—4 mphsouth wind, 4 mph40%100%
    15:00+78°—6 mphsouth wind, 6 mph38%100%
    16:00+79°—9 mphsouth wind, 9 mph37%100%
    17:00+78°—9 mphsouth wind, 9 mph38%92%
    18:00+74°—8 mphsouth wind, 8 mph43%69%
    19:00+69°—7 mphsoutheast wind, 7 mph51%39%
    20:00+65°—6 mphsoutheast wind, 6 mph59%22%
    21:00+62°—4 mphsoutheast wind, 4 mph66%28%
    22:00+59°—2 mphsoutheast wind, 2 mph73%47%
    23:00+56°—0 mphsoutheast wind, 0 mph78%65%
    +79°+65°+52°
    Weather throughout the day
    0:006:0012:0018:0023:00

    Sun and moon

    Monday, September 7
    The day: daylight and the hours the moon is above the horizon. Local time0:0012:0024:00
    DaylightMoon above the horizon
    Sunrise
    06:52
    Sunset
    19:37
    Day length
    12 h 45 min
    Sunshine hours
    12 h 34 min
    UV index
    6
    high
    Moon
    Waning crescent
    Moonrise
    02:13
    Moonset
    17:29

    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

    +12% in the windowMonday, September 7
    Feeding windows on the day scale, local time0:0012:0024:00
    Major periodsMinor periods
    • Minor01:43–02:43Moonrise
    • Major08:57–10:57Moon overhead
    • Minor16:59–17:59Moonset
    • Major21:25–23:25Moon 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%

    Nearby rivers

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

    Nearby water bodies

    • BayDelaware Bay0 mi
    • BayDelaware Bay0 mi
    • BayDelaware Bay0 mi