November fishing outlook: stripers push south, tautog at their fall peak
The striper migration is running hard from the NY/NJ Bight into Virginia as November opens. Tautog seasons are at their fall peak in Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey. King mackerel continue south past Cape Fear. Florida Indian River Lagoon spotted seatrout goes to catch-and-release on November 1. Summer flounder is closed from Maine to New York; the Atlantic bluefin General Category is shut through November.
November is the month when the calendar and the fish move in opposite directions along the East Coast. The striper migration is running south at full intensity, tautog and blackfish are in their best fall window, and the king mackerel run is still live in the Carolinas. At the same time, summer flounder is closed from Maine to New York, Connecticut blackfish shuts at the end of November, and the Atlantic bluefin General Category is closed for the rest of October and November. The window for some of the best fishing of the year is open right now.
New England water temperatures this week are in the upper 50s across the offshore ledges and mid-50s inshore. NDBC buoy 44020 (Nantucket Sound) recorded 55-degree water at 4:10 AM EDT Monday; buoy 44098 (Jeffrey's Ledge, NH) showed 54 degrees and 3-foot seas at the same hour. In Massachusetts, tautog are open year-round with a six-fish daily limit and a minimum size of 16 inches; confirm current rules at /regulations/ before loading the cooler. Connecticut blackfish season runs through November 28; Rhode Island blackfish is open through December 31. Cod are beginning to show inshore along the Gulf of Maine as surface temperatures drop, though no reports from this week are in the data hub. For the striper fishery, Massachusetts striped bass regulations are state-specific; the current slot and bag limits are at /regulations/.
The NY/NJ Bight is the center of the striper migration right now. By October 27, Tightlines With Al Ristori reported large numbers of stripers actively feeding on bunkers in the Bight, with 25-to-30-pound fish observed following presentations, but the fish were highly selective: even hooked live baits drew follows more than strikes, per that report. Capt. Ron Santee out of Atlantic Highlands found stripers building at the beaches on October 26, with most fish too large to keep under the New Jersey slot. BND Charter Fishing out of Atlantic Highlands ran an October 26 morning session with fish to 47 inches on shad bait over heavy bunker schools; the afternoon open-boat trip produced stripers to 35 pounds. New York striped bass are open through December 15 in both the ocean and Long Island Sound. New Jersey striped bass is open in ocean waters with a 28-to-38-inch slot and a one-fish daily limit; confirm current rules at /regulations/. NJ summer flounder closed September 25 and NY summer flounder closed October 15. Tautog are at their fall prime: Long Island Sound runs through December 9, the NY Bight through December 22, and New Jersey tautog is open through December 31. Anglers targeting nearshore bluefin from New Jersey should note that NMFS closed the Atlantic bluefin General Category for the rest of October through November on October 20. That closure applies to commercially permitted General Category vessels. The HMS Angling Category for private recreational boats remains separate; current Angling Category sub-quota status and daily limits are at fisheries.noaa.gov.
The Carolinas have been under sustained nor'easter conditions since late October. As of 3 AM EDT Monday, NDBC buoy 41064 (Onslow Bay Outer, NC) recorded ENE winds of 23 knots gusting to 31 knots; buoy 41159 (Onslow Bay Outer) showed 8-foot seas at 72-degree water; buoy 41025 (Diamond Shoals, NC) recorded NNE winds of 21 knots gusting to 25 knots at 66-degree water. Those conditions are expected to ease by late this week. When they do, king mackerel are still in southward run past Cape Fear and into November; the Cape Fear offshore fleet has been the most active near-shore target since mid-October. False albacore are in their final run along the Outer Banks and Cape Lookout corridor before they clear south for the season. Red drum and speckled trout are open in both North Carolina and Virginia through year-end. In South Carolina, striped bass are open year-round in the lower Savannah River and through December 31 in other coastal waters. On the Florida Atlantic coast, Capt. Adam White of St. Lucie Flats Fishing Charters reported snook, trout, and redfish in the Indian River Lagoon flats through October, including an over-slot snook on a live croaker (per Coastal Angler Magazine, October 2026 St. Lucie County inshore report). Starting November 1, the Indian River Lagoon and Banana River spotted seatrout fishery closes to harvest through December 31 under Florida FWC rules; catch-and-release fishing continues. Controlling source for Florida regulations is myfwc.com.
As of October 28, the NWS Melbourne FL Gale Warnings for the Space Coast, Treasure Coast, and Jupiter Inlet corridor expired at 2:00 AM EDT; NDBC station 41114 (Fort Pierce, FL) recorded 8-foot seas and water at 76 degrees Fahrenheit at 10:26 AM EST, so seas remain rough and will take time to subside as winds ease. NWS Jacksonville FL issued a new Coastal Flood Warning at 2:48 AM EDT Wednesday for Coastal Glynn and Coastal Camden in Georgia, in effect through 2:00 AM EDT Friday, October 30. Brunswick, St. Simons Island, St. Marys, and Kingsland are inside the warned zones; marina access roads, boat ramp approaches, and waterfront parking in low-lying tidal areas remain at risk through the Wednesday and Thursday high-tide cycles. Check weather.gov/jax before any departure or waterfront access in coastal Georgia through Thursday night. These are attributed reports and official buoy observations. Season dates are drawn from current state regulations; exact bag limits, size limits, and season windows are at /regulations/. Absence from this piece does not mean fish are absent from areas not mentioned.
As of October 29, On The Water's Southern New Jersey report showed striped bass running the Ocean County beaches, tautog at inlets and bridges, and offshore anglers finding swordfish and mahi-mahi in the canyons. The Northern New Jersey report the same day added boats loading on live bunker and surfcasters working bass after dark, with blackfish at the wrecks, reefs, and inlets. On The Water's Long Island report described another push of stripers on the South Shore alongside strong blackfish action. The Fisherman's October 29 NJ/DE Bay Regional forecast called Halloween weekend the traditional launch of the fall striper run at the Jersey Shore, with westerlies in Friday's forecast as a favorable setup for both boat and beach anglers. Tightlines With Al Ristori's October 28 report credited Dave Lilly with a 50-pound striped bass from the NY/NJ Bight, the first claim of that size from the fleet in some time per that source. In Carolina waters, NDBC station 41064 (Onslow Bay Outer, NC) recorded NE winds of 17 knots gusting to 25 with 6-foot seas at 10:08 AM EST October 29; station 41025 (Diamond Shoals) showed NNE 14 gusting to 17 knots at the same time. Fort Pierce station 41114 measured 6-foot seas and 77-degree water at 10:26 AM EST October 29, down from 8 feet the prior morning.
On the water: Rules and conditions can change quickly. Confirm current regulations and official marine forecasts for your exact trip.