CatchWindow fishing intelligence

Atlantic City, NJ Daily Water Report — September 4, 2026

Diving is the day’s winner around Atlantic City, with boating a close second. Forecast waves hold in a narrow 0.5–0.6 m band at about 7 seconds, swell near 0.4 m from 130 degrees, and wind waves almost nil, which is why diving lands at 8.8 and boating at 8.4. Sailing (7.5) and kayaking (7) ride the same quiet water and a mostly modest west-northwest breeze; surfing (5.9) and fishing (5.7) stay ordinary, and wildlife sits at 6. Those numbers are suitability scores, not a safety stamp. The tradeoff is timing. Representative wind is about 7 knots, gusting to 14, but the day’s range reaches 13.1 knots and the strongest gust is 31.1 knots at 04:00—well before the 06:29 sunrise. After that early pulse, the water settles. Waves are calmest near 10:00 at 0.52 m, which is the daily minimum, not a dramatic lull, and that late-morning stretch into the 13:38 high (1.46 m) is the cleanest window for boats and paddlers. The 07:06 low (0.20 m) and 20:27 low (0.27 m) frame a stronger afternoon flood. A south-setting current near 0.4 m/s is in the mix: plan for it rather than ignore it. Air is warm and sticky—representative 26 C, feeling nearer 30, ranging 23.1–29.1 C—under almost no cloud and no rain. Pressure is near 1012 hPa and falling, one of the inputs in the fishing score along with solunar timing, tide state, and wind. Major solunar windows run 05:53–07:53 and 17:53–19:53; they are timing cues, not promises. Marine sea-surface temperature is 25.7 C, about 1.6 C above average. Last-quarter moon, 53 percent lit, rises at 22:53. Versus yesterday’s reconstructed scores, fishing eased from 6.9 while sailing jumped from 4.6 as the breeze filled in from 2.5 knots. Diving has been the week’s steady high. Saturday stays small near 0.5 m with a 13 percent rain chance, then waves build toward 0.4–1.1 m Sunday and hold near a meter early next week as winds freshen later. Best bet: take the late-morning minimum for a dive or an easy boat run, and leave the 4 a.m. gusts alone.