CatchWindow fishing intelligence

Ship John Shoal, NJ Daily Water Report — October 7, 2026

Ship John Shoal gets a strong go for boating and a very good go for kayaking today, with fishing and sailing respectable rather than spectacular. The water is essentially flat: waves are running 0.0–0.1 m, with a representative 0.02 m swell at five seconds and only a light west wind around 4 knots. That is the kind of surface that makes travel easy but gives sailors little to work with until the breeze builds later. The cleanest all-around window is from dawn through late morning. First light arrives at 6:36 AM, sunrise is 7:03, and the tide rises to a 1.81 m high at 7:59 AM. Winds stay light through much of the day, rain is not indicated, and skies are forecast nearly clear. Boating earns 9.1/10 and kayaking 8.3/10 under the supplied wind, wave, current, and precipitation setup. Flat water is friendly water, but it can also make small craft traffic and changing light more consequential; keep the low-angle morning and evening sun in mind. Fishing rates 6.9/10, helped by manageable wind and tide timing, with the stronger solunar major period from 9:33–11:33 AM. The afternoon low arrives at 2:16 PM, followed by a smaller solunar minor period from 4:03–5:03 PM. Pressure is falling from around 1019 hPa, so the score is useful guidance, not a promise. Wildlife also sits at 6.1/10; the late-afternoon low-tide timing is the more relevant window in its model. The tradeoff comes toward evening. Wind can reach 12.7 knots, with the day’s strongest gust near 17.5 knots around 7 PM, while the next high tide reaches 1.98 m at 8:21 PM. That is still not a wave-heavy forecast, but it is a meaningful change from the glassier daytime feel. Air temperatures range from 7.6 to 18.1 C, while marine SST is 19.4 C, so dress for the cooler air and the possibility of immersion rather than the pleasant afternoon number. Compared with the recent CatchWindow history, today’s boating score improves on yesterday’s 8.6, while sailing slips from 7.5 to 6.9 as the light wind limits drive. The next three days remain mostly dry with low waves, before wind and rain chances rise sharply Sunday and Monday. Best bet: launch early, use the rising morning tide and near-flat water, and be back ahead of the evening gusts.