CatchWindow fishing intelligence

Ship John Shoal, NJ Daily Water Report — October 4, 2026

Ship John Shoal gets a clear go for small-boat and paddle plans, with a caveat: it is a quiet-water day, not a bright-water day. Boating rates strongest at 8.2/10 and kayaking 8.1/10, supported by a light northeast breeze near 5 knots, tiny 0.1–0.2 m seas, and a modest ocean current around 0.22 m/s toward 153 degrees. The early-morning gust peak, forecast near 20 knots around 4 AM, is the one wrinkle before daylight; conditions should be considerably more civilized once the day gets underway. The best all-around window is around dawn through the morning solunar major period, 6:52–8:52 AM, when the tide is falling from the 4:43 AM high toward the 11:04 AM low. A second useful stretch arrives late afternoon into dusk, with the 5:10 PM high tide followed by the 6:52–8:52 PM major period. Dusk extends to 7:09 PM, so the latter window quickly becomes a low-light proposition. Fishing improves to 7.4/10 today, notably better than the reconstructed 5.1–6.0 range over the previous several days, though the falling 1019 hPa pressure and rain window from 7 AM to 1 PM keep it from being a no-brainer. Diving holds at 7.6/10, matching the last two reported days, while the 20.2 C marine SST remains comfortable by October standards. Still, 100% cloud cover, rain potential through midday, and very high chlorophyll at 9.49 mg/m³ argue for checking actual water clarity on arrival; atmospheric visibility of 13.7 km says nothing about what is happening below the surface. Sailing is merely middling at 5.4/10: the water is smooth, but there is not much wind to work with. By late evening, seas ease toward their calmest forecast level near 0.06 m. Monday looks breezier, with winds up to 15 knots and waves up to 0.3 m, before Tuesday returns to especially light winds and near-flat water. Best bet: launch after dawn, use the gentle morning water before the rain window gets tiresome, and be back with dry gear before the afternoon tide turns.