With the first portion of the sea bass seasons ending today, it’s good to see that the fluke catches are picking up. The fluke action at the reefs in the area is right on schedule and welcomed by all the local captains who run daily trips to them. Sea bass will be legal again on July 1, but with a bag limit of one. By then, we hope to be seeing other summer visitors to our area. Let’s check things out.
The Starfish had some productive trips for sea bass recently as they were able to venture a little farther out. The bigger fish were there and led to some good trips over the recent weekend. Limits were realized all around the boat and 21-inch sea bass won a pool for Arthur S. while another big one won on the following day for Alphonso Harrington.
The Miss Avalon had a private charter recently that wanted to catch some sea bass. The group was kept busy with both keepers and throwbacks caught throughout the day. About 60 keepers were caught along with eight ling. The action kept everyone happy.
A trip early in the week produced another good catch of sea bass, plus some ling, and the first keeper fluke of the season. As the fluke action picks up, and sea bass season ends, Capts. Irv and Brandon will switch over to targeting fluke.
The Sea Star III, with Capt. Chuck, had a good week with sea bass, which are slowing down, but the desired action has been replaced with some quality fluke. That is the progression that we expect to see, so everything seems to be moving along nicely.
There was one sea bass winner for a daily pool this week, and that was Mike Maziarczyk with a 2.2-pounder while the rest were won with fluke. Those winners, with their weights, were Matt Hornberger (4.45), Frank Servocky (3.1), Tina Thomas (5.0), and Mike Jung twice with 6.7- and 4.1-pound fish.
Drumfish pools were won by Butch Gamler with a 55-pounder and by Mike Moore who claimed his prize with a 64.5-pound fish.
Capt. Mike, from the Miss Chris, reported a nice pick of sea bass recently. He also mentioned an increase in the amount of fluke being caught.
The Miss Chris is fishing two, four-hour trips daily. They leave the dock at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m.
The captain’s at Sailor’s Delight Back Bay Fishing are putting their patrons on some nice flounder. Some “slabby” flounder have cleared the rail recently, while plenty of throwbacks are included in the mix that are providing some nice action.
Give them a call at 609-827-8309 to see when they are sailing. Remember that they also have crabbing trips and historical cruises around the island.
Grassy Sound Marina will be holding their 18th Annual Flounder Tournament this Saturday. Stop in or check them out online to see if any openings are still available and to find out all the rules.
Nice flounder were caught by the Gill “crew” who landed a 25-inch, 5.56-pounder caught on white Gulp. They took their fish over for entry into the Fred’s Tavern Tournament.
Another nice flounder went to Fran Hahn who landed a fish that could be the twin to the Gill family’s fish. He was using minnows on the outgoing tide. Also, the 2021 tournament champion, Diane Casey, landed a nice fluke, on minnows, while fishing early in the week.
Gabriel Sheffey, 8, and his dad, Aaron, had a fun day as Gabriel caught a keeper flounder and Dad landed a big bluefish while fishing near the marina.
Off the Hook Bait and Tackle is the site of the Doormat Derby on Saturday, July 13. It features a 6:30 a.m. shotgun start and the scales close at 5 p.m. This is a one-day fluke tournament that is run by the Wildwood Fishing and Boating Expo. Check out Off The Hook’s Facebook page for more information about the tournament.
If you have children, or grandchildren, who want to learn about, and do some fishing, then you may want to check out the Tightlines 4-H Fishing Club. Club leader, Ruth Thraen, is looking for new members who are in the third grade, and up. The group meets the second Monday of each month from 6:30 until 8 p.m. at the Lockwood 4-H Youth Center in Cape May Court House. This is where the 4-H Fairgrounds are located. You don’t have to sign up for 4-H yet, because you can come by and check out the club to see if it’s for you. Ruth can be reached at 609-602-1577 if you need more information or would like to help out the club in any way.
Thanks to reader Jon Werley who sent in a picture of the 25-inch, 5.9-pound fluke he caught behind Ocean City. Thanks, Jon, for your submission.
With schools getting out, and temperatures rising, good summer fishing shouldn’t be far behind. Get out and enjoy it, take care, and I’ll see you around.
Submit fishing news and photos to mrobbins@cmcherald.com.
