The fishing has been really good this summer, with flounder leading the way, but this week the chances to fish dropped off as Hurricane Erin approached. There’s no telling how the fishing will be after the storm until we actually get to go to the reefs again.
Hopefully, the flounder, triggerfish and sea bass will be there after the storm passes, and be hungry. Only time will tell what we’ll find. Until then, let’s see what happened while the water was calm.
The Sailor’s Delight had their patrons catching fish before the foul weather arrived. Captains John and Stan saw plenty of flounder, croakers and weakfish come over the rail. On one of John’s trips, flounder to 19 inches and weakfish to 17.5 inches helped to make up a nice mixed bag for those aboard.
The Sailor’s Delight fishes the backwaters behind the Wildwoods, which gave them an advantage over the boats fishing the ocean recently. They were able to get out and fish despite the blustery winds that preceded Hurricane Erin.
The Miss Avalon did well on their pre-storm trips, as the anglers aboard caught flounder, sea bass and triggerfish. An occasional weakfish was also caught, which contributed to making for a nice mix of tasty filets.
You can book your trips for ocean fishing on the Miss Avalon, or the Avalon Lady for back-bay fishing, at www.missavalon.com.
The Avalon Lady, as mentioned above, is fishing the back bays, channels and the inlet. Those aboard have been catching flounder, croakers and small sea bass. Sharks, sea robins and rays can also be caught and add variety to the daily catch.
The Starfish, sailing from Sea Isle, was fishing prior to the storm while keeping a wary eye to the horizon. When they fished, the anglers onboard were able to catch flounder, sea bass and triggerfish. To check out their calendar or get additional information, go to www.starfishboats.com.
Boulevard Bait and Tackle reported on some nice flounder action recently. Highlights went to Larry and Mo, who caught their two-man limit of flounder at a local reef, and to Terry, who weighed in a 7.86-pound, 27-inch flounder he caught while fishing with Captain Barry at HTS (Hit the Surf) Charters.
Whale Creek Marina announced that the Strathmere Fishing and Environmental Club is sponsoring the SFEC Crab Fishing Tournament on Saturday, Aug. 30, from 6 a.m. till 4 p.m. You can register at the marina and boats will be available for rent, but reservations are suggested.
The crab count, and measuring for the largest crab, will occur at the Strathmere Firehouse at 4 p.m. Only legal-size crabs, those 4.5 inches from point to point, should be kept. The awards are at 4:30. For more information please contact Brian Hollinger at 609-425-7671 or JB Berenato at 267-249-8477.
Captain Chuck, from the Sea Star III, reported that they were able to get in a full week of fishing before the storm. That means plenty of flounder and sea bass action. He actually called it one of the “best weeks” of the season, as many limits of both fish mentioned were achieved.
Three times during the week the “Progressive Pool” was won. That is a pool that starts, then continues till someone who has entered catches a 6-pound-or-more flounder. Obviously, the first to win it after a period of non-winners claims a larger pot, so three winners, with two quick ones after the first, meant smaller wins. The flip side means that some nice big flounder were caught during the week.
The pool winners, all with fluke, were Adam Abramson (3.75 pounds), Randy Hannings (4.2), Jim Hornbach (4.25), Frank Servocky (5.5), George Schmidt (6.5), Jason Thomas (6.75) and Nicole Ungaro with a 7.1-pound giant.
The Miss Chris, with Captain Mike, continues to do well, as flounder and sea bass continue to come over the rail. With the hurricane approaching, the Miss Chris will be focusing on bay fishing. They will return to ocean fishing after the storm has passed and things calm down.
Captain Adam, from the Atlantic Adventure, recently had the pleasure of taking out the members of the 4-H Tightlines Fishing Club, as well some adult advisers. This trip, known to older 4-H alumni as the Post-4-H Fair Trip, was resurrected by former member Captain Adam.
With the unfavorable ocean conditions, the trip shifted to a bay trip that found those aboard fishing for sharks. Their efforts resulted in some exciting action as the young anglers were able to fight some large brown sharks. Thanks for bringing this tradition back, Captain Adam.
Captain Skip, from Stalker Fishing Charters, Cape May, switched up for a little as the storm was in our area. He went to his back bay skiff and was fishing the waters in the back. He is targeting fluke, where he was catching fish to 22 inches and stripers to 29 inches were coming over the rail.
He is planning on back bay fishing for stripers from mid-September through mid-November if you want to book a trip. After the storm passes, I’m sure he will be fishing in the ocean till the end of the flounder season.
Cape May Bait and Tackle reported that they have heard reports of warm-water fish being in our area as the ocean temperature warmed. This includes the small pompano that was caught from the beach recently. Other traditional local fish such as croakers, kingfish, fluke, weakfish and blues, which are chasing mullet, have been reported off of our beaches recently.
The MidAtlantic 500, based out of Cape May and Ocean City, Maryland, was being held despite the ocean conditions. All boats stayed at their respective docks on Tuesday as everyone took a day off. Wednesday had 73 boats head out to try their luck. The standings listed here are through the close of fishing Wednesday.
The boat leading the blue marlin division, with an 804-pound fish, was the Reel Toy. Jamie Diller, of Stone Harbor and on his boat, Canyon Lady, led the white marlin category as angler Ronnie Davis landed a 75-pounder. Lit Up had the top tuna, a 804-pound big eye. The Luna Sea led the wahoo category with a 94-pound entry, while the dolphin division leader was the Sushi with a 35-pound fish.
Well, first let’s hope everyone gets through the storm, the wind, and the flooding without any damage or loss. Then, when we know all is good, we can hope that the fishing returns to the level it was before the storm. Good luck if you get out, take care, and I’ll see you around.
Submit fishing news and photos to mrobbins@cmcherald.com.
