The good summer fishing continues, as we see September dead ahead. Thankfully, the fluke, sea bass, and triggerfish continue to be hanging at our local reefs. Sheepshead are, again, in our report and blackfish are being caught, but with no regularity, as could be expected. Let’s see what has been going on since we last got together.
The Miss Avalon has been spending her days at the local reefs. While there, the anglers aboard have been catching fluke, both shorts and keepers, as well as sea bass and triggerfish. The occasional blackfish, if they anchored over reef structure, has been brought aboard but then released, as all have been short of legal size. The fight, though, is the fun part for any angler.
Capts. Irv and Brandon run two trips daily, Monday through Friday, and leave the dock at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. They run one trip on both Saturday and Sunday. Those trips leave at 8 a.m. and the Saturday trip returns at noon, while the Sunday trip gets back to the dock at 1 p.m. It’s recommended to arrive about 45 minutes prior to departure.
Their fleet sister, the Avalon Lady, has been fishing the back bays and the Intracoastal Waterway. Those aboard have been busy catching croakers, small sea bass, spot, and fluke. Keepers are still being brought in showing the presence of quality fluke.
Wednesday evening trips are being run and producing the fish listed above. Call ahead for a schedule and to make sure trips are running. The times and availability of trips may be adjusted due to chartered trips and the weather.
The Starfish, in Sea Isle City, is sailing twice daily, at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. They are catching fluke, sea bass, and croakers while visiting the local reef structure.
They also run night fishing trips on Monday and Wednesday evenings. Trips leave the dock at 6 p.m. and return at 11 p.m. Again, call ahead to confirm their schedule.
Boulevard Bait and Tackle weighed in a 3.7-pound fluke, caught in the back bay, for an angler named Gene. Again, it’s nice to see that if you put in the time, some nice flounder can still be caught.
Other nice flounder were caught by Joe and Jimmy, who stopped by to weigh in 4 and 5.2-pounders.
Joe and Nina stopped in to show off two nice sheepshead they caught. No weights were listed, but it appears that Nina should claim bragging rights for the larger fish.
Capt. Chuck, from the Sea Star III, reported that they continue to have good trips that are highlighted with fluke and sea bass. Keepers and shorts kept his fares busy even on the slower days, as the conditions weren’t always as desired. The week ended strong, though, as “several” fluke over 5 pounds found the net.
Pool winners for the week, all with fluke, were Neil McCaughan, with a 3.2-pounder, Keith Steck (2.75), Joey Spoerl (2.95), Frank Servocky (3.1), Matt Hopkins (3.85), Jon Andreas (4.1), and Vinnie Sallustio, with a 6.2-pounder. Hopefully, he entered the contest for fluke over 6 pounds.
The Sea Star III continues to sail daily from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Show up early and hop on to get a good spot.
The Miss Chris, with Capt. Mike leading, fished this past week out front of Wildwood. They were catching croakers and kingfish. Both of those fish produce nice filets that are perfectly sized for fish tacos. That’s a good idea for a tasty dinner.
The Penny family, hailing from Prospect Park, Pennsylvania, teamed up for 30 croakers and five kingfish. Throughout the week, some triggerfish were also added to the final daily tally.
Cape May Bait and Tackle reports that kingfish, small weakfish, and croakers are being caught along the beaches. Try bloodworms, Fishbites, or small pieces of clam or squid. The surf along the beaches are also holding small flounder, with some keepers mixed in. Sunset and Higbees beaches were the good spots. Mackerel strips, squid, and spearing worked well, but minnows will give you your best shot at a keeper.
If you want to target sheepshead, you’ll need some sand fleas, shedder crabs, or fiddlers, and then head to the local bridges or rock piles.
Some anglers checked in to report stripers being caught from the back bay and harbor areas. Bunker chunks or clams are your best options.
Finally, ”plenty” of blue claw crabs are being caught from the back waters, so that means some people are eating well.
Capt. Bob, from Full Ahead Sport Fishing, changed things up for a recent trip and went out to fish for mahi-mahi. He reported a number of “quality fish” being caught, but not so many that he wasn’t longing for more. That change produced some good eating when those aboard got home.
Hands Too Bait and Tackle weighed in a 7.33-pound smooth puffer fish for the father and son duo of Chris and Seth Kelly. It was caught while they fished a local reef.
The Sailor’s Delight is staying busy, as their patrons have been catching fluke, sea bass, kingfish, weakfish, and spot. Sharks and sea robins have spiced things up a bit.
Capt. Stan recently put an unnamed angler onto a nice “mud marlin,” a name provided by Capt. Andrew, but more commonly known locally as a fluke. It was a 25-inch, 5.9-pounder that was caught during a recent morning trip.
Grassy Sound Marina saw local artist and T-shirt designer (I literally have one on now) David Duleavy send in a picture of a nice striper he caught. Also, Shaun Kelley came back to the marina with a 22.5-inch, 4-pound fluke that was caught in Turtle Creek while he was using a squid and minnow combination.
The MidAtlantic tournament, based in Cape May and Ocean City, Maryland, is now underway. With the front that came through on Tuesday, and the threat of inclement weather Friday, most boats took a “lay day,” a day off, to prepare for the final push on Wednesday and Thursday.
Current leaders in the various divisions are Pat Healey (a 70-pound white marlin), Andy Confortini (889-pound blue marlin, which is the third heaviest in tournament history), Joe Stein III (205-pound big eye tuna), David Schockley (45-pound dolphin), and Chris Lowery, who leads the wahoo division with a 56-pounder. Chris was fishing aboard the Y-Knot, captained by Kyle Dougherty, of Court House.
Well, another week of good fishing brings us to the eve of September. Our fishing community is left with a different vibe, as many have left since schools and colleges are now in session, but those remaining press on. Hey, we all didn’t leave, as some locals will return to, or just continue, their jobs right here. Either way, good luck if you get out, take care, and I’ll see you around.
Submit fishing news and photos to mrobbins@cmcherald.com.
