CatchWindow fishing intelligence

Ship John Shoal, NJ Daily Water Report — September 5, 2026

Boating and sailing get the nod at Ship John Shoal today, scoring 7.3 and 7.1 against a middling 5.9 for fishing, 6.2 for kayaking, 6.3 for wildlife, and a stuck 4.5 for surfing on a surface that barely wrinkles. Those figures are suitability scores, not safety declarations, and diving is unscored, so it stays off the card. A dry northwest breeze—representative 8 knots, gusting near 12, ranging 1.3 to 9.4—has just enough push to fill canvas without building sea. Waves hold 0.0 to 0.1 meters, swell a token 0.02 meters at 4 seconds from 147 degrees, and marine water sits at 27.6 C under a 0.6 m/s current setting toward 326. The sharpest gust, 13.8 knots, is due around 09:00, a brief tax on an easy morning. Cloud hangs near 92 percent, pressure 1010 hPa and rising through 1012.5, air 20.3 to 27.5 C with a representative 26.5 that feels like 27.9. Atmospheric visibility stretches 36 kilometers; that is not underwater clarity. Rain is nil. Tide falls from a 1.55-meter high at 04:48 to a 0.25-meter low at 11:11, then climbs to the day’s bigger 1.94-meter high at 17:18. Fishing’s mix of solunar timing, tide state, pressure, wind, and available clarity points to the major periods, 07:01–09:01 on the drop and 19:01–21:01 after the evening high. Last-quarter moon, 42 percent lit, rises at 23:55. Boats and kayaks ride the same light wind, tiny waves, and dry air; mind that northwest set, especially as flood builds into late afternoon. Kayaking’s 6.2 is the tradeoff: yesterday it was 7.6 in 6.4-knot air, and late August ran higher still when breeze stayed near 3 knots. Against recent reconstructed days, fishing has slipped from a steady 6.6, sailing has improved on yesterday’s 6.3, and surfing has not moved from 4.5 since at least August 29—there is simply no wave. Sunday through Tuesday stay quiet, waves near nil, winds peaking 7.7 to 10.3 knots, rain chances low. Wednesday and Thursday add breeze, 15.7 then 17.1 knots, with waves only 0.1 to 0.4 meters. Best bet: take the sail or the skiff on the afternoon flood and let the flat, warm water do the work.