The Cape May, NJ marine forecast covers live wind speed and gusts, tide predictions, wave conditions, and major and minor solunar feeding times, updated continuously from NOAA and Open-Meteo. The strongest fishing windows usually line up with the moving tide and the solunar periods shown below — check current conditions before you head out.
By Steve Wilson, lifelong angler & founder of My Marine Forecast
Last updated: Sep 15, 2026, 8:00 AM
On Tuesday, September 15, Cape May, NJ sees high tide at 12:09 PM (5.5 ft), low tide at 5:41 AM (0.6 ft) and 6:20 PM (0.8 ft). Winds 7–10 mph from the NE gusting to 25 mph. Air temperatures 56–74°F. Current water temperature is about 76°F. The strongest fishing windows line up with the moving water around each tide change, roughly an hour on either side.
Today's Tides · Station 8536110
| Low tide | 5:41 AM | 0.6 ft |
| High tide | 12:09 PM | 5.5 ft |
| Low tide | 6:20 PM | 0.8 ft |
Wind
7–10 mph NE
Gusts
25 mph
Air Temp
56–74°F
Water Temp
76°F
Tides from NOAA Station 8536110 · wind & temperature from Open-Meteo. Open the live forecast for hourly charts and the 7-day outlook.
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Tide data sourced from NOAA Station 8536110
Cape May is the southernmost point of New Jersey, and the convergence of Delaware Bay and the Atlantic creates a mixing zone that concentrates bait and predators in a way that few locations on the coast can match. Striped bass, bluefish, and weakfish all funnel through this point during their migrations, and both surf and boat fishing can be exceptional.
Fall is Cape May's best season. Striped bass move south in October and November, and the surf fishing from Sunset Beach and the surrounding beaches produces excellent numbers. The inlet produces bluefish and bass on every tide during peak migration. Weakfish have been recovering and Cape May has traditionally been one of their strongholds at the bay mouth.
Summer flounder fishing in the Delaware Bay channels near Cape May is among the best in New Jersey. The flats on the bay side hold fluke, and a bucktail with Gulp! drifted through the channels is the proven method. Cape May's inlet also holds kingfish and sea bass throughout the Summer.
The tip of Cape May experiences strong tidal currents where the bay and ocean tides interact. The Cape May Rips — an area of turbulent water at the point — is productive for bluefish and bass during the moving tide. Time your trips around the tide change for the most consistent action.
Spring: Striped bass pour into Delaware Bay in April chasing the spawn run, and boats troll the bay's channel edges while surf casters work the bayside beaches. Late May belongs to black drum, with the fleet anchoring on shell beds off the bayshore at dusk. Summer flounder open in the back bays, and the first bluefish rip through the rips off the point.
Summer: The rips off Cape May Point churn with bait all summer, holding stripers early, then blues, fluke and Spanish mackerel. Keeper fluke come from the Old Grounds, Cape May Reef and the deeper channels. Kingfish run the beachfront for surf anglers, and the canyon fleet out of Cape May finds tuna and white marlin from July on.
Fall: Cape May funnels the entire coastal migration past its beaches. From October into December stripers blitz bait along the oceanfront and through the rips, false albacore mix in early, and sea bass and tautog fishing builds on the wrecks and reefs. It is the most reliable stretch of the year and the town fishes hard until the water hits the mid 40s.
Winter: Wreck fishing carries winter, with tautog the main target on nearshore reefs and rockpiles when the weather cooperates. A few stripers hold in the warm-water discharge areas and deeper holes early in the season. By February effort is minimal and the fleet turns to bottom paint and rigging ahead of the April bass push.
Cape May Point State Park puts surf anglers beside the lighthouse with the famous rips just offshore. Sunset Beach, with the wreck of the concrete ship Atlantus sitting in the wash, covers the bayside corner. The jetties at Cape May Inlet protect the harbor entrance and hold tog, stripers and sheepshead. Higbee Beach on Delaware Bay offers quiet surf for spring stripers and drum, and the Cape May Reef site a few miles off the beach is the local standby for sea bass, tog and fluke.