The tide’s fluctuating movements affect waterways all along Trenton’s riverbanks and creeks. When water levels increase in Delaware Bay, an upstream surge can occur through streams and wetlands such as Marsh Creek or Crosswicks Creek and move up river to Trenton.
The DGS provides vital monitoring of natural hazards such as stream and tidal floodplain levels to help local communities prepare for and mitigate their effects.
Water Temperature
The temperature of the water plays a pivotal role in fish behavior and activity. Cold temperatures inhibit them, while warm waters stimulate movement among them. That is why it’s essential to be aware of water temperature at high and low tide times – higher temperatures mean more active fish!
The tidal range has increased by three feet since 70 years ago due to the rise in sea level and the filling in of wetlands along the Delaware River, shifting its flow pattern and shifting the ebb and flow pattern at high tide. High tide water moves into and out of Crosswicks Creek and affects the water levels of adjoining creeks and marshes like Delaware Bayshore Marsh.
These charts present the times and heights of high and low tides at Marcus Hook for the next seven days. The red line marks the current time and estimated height, and clicking any day expands it for a detailed view. The chart is centered on Marcus Hook, with an approximate 6.10-foot tidal range; tide times reflect local time in this area. To gain further information on fishing tides on the Delaware River, please visit this page.
Moon Phase
The moon’s proximity to Earth can have a direct effect on tide height and current speeds due to gravitational pull caused by distance differences between it and Earth, measured by tidal coefficient. Stronger tides, known as spring tides, and weaker ones, known as neap tides, will have higher values while weaker ones have lower values – the speed with which tides change from high to low is determined by moon phase; new moon and full moon nights provide maximum light for fishing opportunities!
As the tides rise and move up the Delaware Bay and river, they cause changes to water volumes in Crosswicks Creek and Marsh, leading to changes that affect fishing conditions.
Tidal changes cause salt water to drain from the Marsh more rapidly than it enters, leading to seaweed growth on piers, bridges, and other shore structures. Furthermore, this can reduce fish habitat. To minimize fish loss, it’s wiser to fish during flood tide rather than during an ebb tide.
Solunar Periods
Tide times on the Delaware River can vary hour by hour, depending on moon phases and sunlight patterns in the sky, which affects tide height and speed as water flows in and out of Marshlands – this back-and-forth movement of water causes tidal currents.
The Delaware River experiences high and low tides that vary by as much as 12 miles due to the moon’s elliptical orbit around Earth and tilt on its axis. Seasonally, depth also fluctuates according to the moon’s phase position relative to sunlight.
Solunar tables can help predict the optimal times and tides for fishing, boating, kayaking, beachcombing, surfing, hiking, and birding activities. The chart below displays tide predictions at New Castle over the next 30 days – all times are local times.
Use the table by choosing the month, start date, and total days and pressing Get Tides. Alternatively, you can select specific sites from the list, such as Hope Creek (0.6 miles above the entrance in New Jersey), Salem Nuclear Plant Artificial Island, Pea Patch Island Bulkhead Shoal Channel, Del Salem Canal entrance, Delaware River NorthJersey Westville Rt 47 bridge Big Timber Creek NewJersey.
Water Level
Delaware Bay and Trenton both experience the ebb and flow of ocean tides due to the lack of dams on their respective rivers, meaning high and low tides rise and fall with moon orbit around Earth; marsh areas (particularly Crosswicks Creek ) now see higher tidal range due to sea level rise as well as channelization during 1940s-1950s channelization projects upriver from Trenton. The tidal range in both these locations is three feet higher today compared to 70 years ago due to the rise in sea level combined with channelization initiatives undertaken during those same decades in addition to channelization efforts during those decades channelized through canalization projects upriver from Trenton.
Today’s tidal coefficient stands at 75, an indicator of high tides and currents. At noon it drops down to 70 with heights expressed as feet referencing Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW).
To view tide times for specific locations, select one from the list below and then a day from that period’s calendar to see high and low tides for that day – all times are generated in local time, taking daylight saving changes into account. Clicking any day expands it into a more excellent detail view. For an accurate localized tide prediction, use the Nautide app on your smartphone for maximum efficiency – saving time when searching the web!
