week of Sep 28 · SST 67–72°F
Mid-Atlantic — this week
SST 67–72°F · Atlantic Croaker, Black Drum, Black Sea Bass prime. Live MUR satellite water temperatures (change is vs. seven days ago). Tap any spot on the chart with Fish mode on for a point-by-point breakdown.
Water temperature — south to north
| Spot | Now | Week Δ |
|---|---|---|
| Virginia Beach | 72°F | -2.7°F |
| Ocean City | 69°F | -1.4°F |
| Cape May | 67°F | -1.4°F |
| Sandy Hook | 67°F | -1.1°F |
| Montauk | 67°F | +0.4°F |
Migration line — weekly movement
| Species | Prime water reach | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Striped Bass | prime water reaches Montauk | steady |
| Bluefish | prime water reaches Montauk | steady |
| Yellowfin Tuna | prime water reaches Virginia Beach | steady |
| False Albacore | prime water reaches Montauk | steady |
| Atlantic Bonito | prime water reaches Montauk | steady |
The northernmost sampled spot whose water sits in the species' habitable band, now vs. a week ago. Fish follow temperature — this is the leading edge, not a sighting report.
In season now — temperature fit
| Species | Fit | Prime | Measured at | Technique |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic Croaker | 100 | 59–82°F | seabed | Shrimp or squid on a bottom rig over mud and shell in the bays and nearshore lumps. |
| Black Drum | 100 | 54–82°F | seabed | Fresh crab or clam on the bottom along channel edges and hard against bridge and jetty rock. |
| Black Sea Bass | 100 | 46–72°F | seabed | Squid or clam on hi-lo rigs directly over wrecks, reefs and rockpiles. |
| Northern Kingfish | 100 | 61–79°F | seabed | Bloodworm or shrimp bits on a small hi-lo in the surf trough and inlet sloughs. |
| Red Porgy | 100 | 61–77°F | seabed | Cut bait on a two-hook bottom rig over deep live bottom, often between the snapper drops. |
| Scup (Porgy) | 100 | 46–70°F | seabed | Small hooks with squid or worms over hard bottom and mussel beds. |
| Summer Flounder (Fluke) | 100 | 46–68°F | seabed | Bucktail + strip bait drifted over sand near channel edges and structure. |
| Tautog | 100 | 45–64°F | seabed | Green crabs tight to rocks, mussel beds and wreck rubble; light tide. |
| Bluefish | 100 | 64–75°F | surface | Metal lures or poppers through bait schools and birds; wire leader. |
| Striped Bass | 100 | 54–68°F | surface | Live bait or plugs on rips, ledges and boulder fields; dawn/dusk moving tide. |
| Weakfish | 100 | 63–77°F | surface | Soft plastics or bloodworms on channel edges at dusk; light tackle. |
| Atlantic Bonito | 100 | 63–73°F | surface | Trolled small feathers or cast metals around bait; moving water. |
| Bigeye Tuna | 100 | 66–81°F | surface | Troll the canyon edges at first and last light, or chunk overnight on the drop-off. |
| Chub Mackerel | 100 | 63–75°F | surface | Small metals or sabikis around bait balls on the edge — a late-summer arrival that draws everything bigger. |
Named grounds in Mid-Atlantic
The Mud Hole
Summer Flounder (Fluke) · Black Sea Bass · Bluefish
Baltimore Canyon
Yellowfin Tuna · White Marlin · Bluefin Tuna
Wilmington Canyon
Yellowfin Tuna · Mahi-Mahi · White Marlin
Chesapeake Light Tower
Cobia · Red Drum (Redfish) · Spanish Mackerel
Method: habitat-envelope scoring against live NOAA MUR SST at the sampled spots; season windows and envelopes hand-curated from NOAA Fisheries profiles. No catch hearsay — when it says a species fits, it means the water does.
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