I see you guys are all from Joisey.
I can't speak for your fall run but ours has a lot to do with water temperatures like finchaser said and also when the bait moves out. Striperhunter was wondering why you are concentrating on the cape and the ditch. There are other places in the bay that are great long before the fish start to migrate. Have been catching fish all summer near certain creek and river mouths. I like the ditch on weeknights but no offense when everyone from down south is talking about it it can be half over by then. There have been squid and lots of tinker mackeral all summer. Find the deeper water dropoffs near channels and harbor mouths and you can find some decent fish from shore. Of course there is always monomoy but then you need a boat.
Don't you have any fish down in jersey? I saw a pic on the internet of a fishing place that had hundreds of guys lined up. I think that is a famous state park in NJ not sure of the exact name but folks talk about it as the fall to remember. I think it is somewhere around Thanksgiving by you all. Ours starts sooner because of the water temperatures. By Thanksgiving our run is mostly over with only a few small schoolies left.