week of Jul 20 · SST 68–79°F
Mid-Atlantic — this week
SST 68–79°F · Bluefish, Summer Flounder (Fluke), 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 | 79°F | +1.1°F |
| Ocean City | 76°F | +0.9°F |
| Cape May | 76°F | +0.4°F |
| Sandy Hook | 74°F | +0.9°F |
| Montauk | 68°F | -2.7°F |
Migration line — weekly movement
| Species | Prime water reach | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Bluefish | prime water reaches Montauk | steady |
| Mahi-Mahi | prime water reaches Cape May | steady |
| Bluefin Tuna | prime water reaches Montauk | steady |
| Yellowfin Tuna | prime water reaches Sandy Hook | steady |
| Cobia | prime water reaches Sandy Hook | retreated (was Montauk) |
| 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 | Technique |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluefish | 100 | 64–75°F | Metal lures or poppers through bait schools and birds; wire leader. |
| Summer Flounder (Fluke) | 100 | 59–72°F | Bucktail + strip bait drifted over sand near channel edges and structure. |
| Black Sea Bass | 100 | 55–72°F | Squid or clam on hi-lo rigs directly over wrecks, reefs and rockpiles. |
| Scup (Porgy) | 100 | 55–73°F | Small hooks with squid or worms over hard bottom and mussel beds. |
| Weakfish | 100 | 63–77°F | Soft plastics or bloodworms on channel edges at dusk; light tackle. |
| Atlantic Bonito | 100 | 63–73°F | Trolled small feathers or cast metals around bait; moving water. |
| Bluefin Tuna | 100 | 59–72°F | Troll, chunk or jig where bait stacks on temperature breaks and ledges. |
| Yellowfin Tuna | 100 | 72–84°F | Troll skirted lures on blue-water edges, rips and canyon walls; chunk at night. |
| Mahi-Mahi | 100 | 75–86°F | Run and gun to weedlines, boards and birds; pitch ballyhoo or jigs. |
| White Marlin | 100 | 75–82°F | Troll naked ballyhoo with dredges over 50-100 fathom lumps and edges. |
| Shortfin Mako | 100 | 63–72°F | Chum slick on temperature breaks near bait concentrations. |
| Spanish Mackerel | 100 | 68–82°F | Small shiny spoons cast or trolled fast through surface bait showers. |
| Cobia | 100 | 70–84°F | Sight-cast jigs or eels to fish on buoys, rays, wrecks and channel markers. |
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.
Reuse is welcome with attribution and a link. Feed: RSS · Share card: auto-updating PNG · Embed: <iframe src="https://chartnav.ai/embed/fishing/mid-atlantic" width="460" height="360"></iframe>
Reuse is welcome with attribution and a link. Feed: RSS · Share card: auto-updating PNG · Embed: <iframe src="https://chartnav.ai/embed/fishing/mid-atlantic" width="460" height="360"></iframe>
