The summer flounder season got off to a wet, rainy start. Not many seemed to mind, as anglers were out trying to get their first flounder with various techniques being tried. Land-based anglers, kayakers and others in boats gave it a good effort on a nasty day. Keeper flounder, striped bass and a good number of drum fish were caught since our last column. Let’s check things out.
Boulevard Bait and Tackle registered the first 5-plus-pound flounder of the season when Ed stopped in to weigh in a 5.08-pounder on opening day. He caught it while fishing from his kayak. Another angler, Jim, stopped in with two keepers that he caught from a land-based area. He also lost another big fish.
The drum fish in the Sea Isle surf really came alive starting the Friday before flounder became legal. Rich got the weekend started with a 25.8-pounder, followed by catches for L.J., Trevor, Garret, Bill (12 pounds), Jake (35- and 24-inch fish on Saturday and two, larger at of 33 inches, on Sunday), Luis and Steve from Washington, D.C.
Striped bass, from the surf and the back bays, went to Arnold, Mike, Anthony, Bill, Shannon, and Jerry with all being “overs” that were released. Jerry also had a 29-inch bass that he released in a nice show of sportsmanship. Kevin, who was on the drum fish list last week, jumped to the striper list with a nice 30.5-inch keeper. That day his father, Rob, landed a nice bluefish.
By midweek 29-inch striped bass went to Paul and Joey, and plenty of drum fish were caught by Jon, Tony T., Rich (two of good eating size), Karl and Tim. Nice flounder were caught by Joe, Lisa and Mike as they put together a five-fish stringer with the largest going 4.28 pounds, and Ryan caught a keeper flounder and a 22-inch weakfish.
Mike, at Sea Isle Bait and Tackle, was also busy as he had Dom stop in with a drum fish that looked to be in the 20-pound range, then Pat and Rich stopped in with a keeper striper, while the opening of the flounder season had B.J. arrive with a very nice flounder that was probably pushing 5-pounds. B.J. was fishing from the sod banks since the Sunday weather was bad, and he decided to skip fishing from his boat.
Catches of note during the week went to, with bluefish, Wes and Ren (two), while flounder catches went to Matt, Mark, Art (24 inches), Alan (3.52 pounds), Kelly and Mr. T., and Bruce with a 3.65-pounder. A nice keeper striped bass went to Pierce, and two drum fish were caught by Bobby D.
Captain Chuck, from the Sea Star III, reported on finishing out the 2025 spring blackfish season in a “strong” manner. That means that limits were caught, the action was good, and some quality blackfish were pulled in.
The final two daily pool winners of April were Justin Saul with a 4.95-pounder and Jay Wilkes with a 5.10-pound winner. It’s always tough to say goodbye to the spring season, but it means other species will be taking over center stage.
Captain Chuck plans on fishing for flounder in the bay by day, then returning on certain afternoons for his Prime Time drum fish trips. Reservations are suggested for the drum fish trips since space is limited. The focus will switch to sea bass in the ocean when their season opens on May 17.
The Miss Avalon is also getting ready for sea bass season. They will run a 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. trip. Call 609-967-7455 to reserve a seat.
Avalon Lady, after a slow opening day, rebounded nicely on day two of the flounder season. The rain was gone and the sun broke through, if only for a short time.
The light crowd allowed those aboard to move around to get a good drift after every move. With that benefit, an angler named Seamus won the daily pool with a 4.62-pound keeper.
The full schedule for the Avalon Lady can be found online at www.missavalon.com. You can also call 609-967-7455 and remember, walk-ups are welcome.
The Starfish finished its blackfish trips on a windy day, but those aboard caught some nice fish, with some also catching their limit.
Reservations for the opening of sea bass season can be made at www.starfishboats.com or by calling 609-263-3800.
Captain Adam from the Atlantic Adventure is accepting reservations for his drum fish trips. He will sail from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. with 12 anglers per trip. Call him at 609-435-3119.
The Atlantic Adventure trips will feature a rotation every half-hour. Four anglers will fish on the port and starboard sides while four will fish from the stern. When the half-hour changes, so will the positions of the anglers as they cycle around. This allows each angler an equal amount of time from the prime stern fishing positions.
Captains Andrew and Stan have the Sailor’s Delight back bay fishing boats ready for the flounder season. They have May planned out, but I’m sure they may add some trips if the fish, conditions and anglers all come together and demand is there. You can check out their May schedule, and openings for those trips, on their Facebook page.
The Starlight Fleet will feature Captain Paul running some sea bass trips at the opening of the season, May 17. Plans call for Paul to also be the captain on the May 18 trip. You’ll need reservations for these and other 10-hour sea bass trips. Call 609-729-7776, ext. 2, or go online at www.starlightfleetnj.com to reserve a seat.
Captain Bob, at Full Ahead Sport Fishing, has started fishing for drum fish. You can reach out to him at 609-847-2304 to see what options he has available. As one of the Cape May boats, these captains can have you on the fish after a short ride, which obviously means more fishing time.
The word from Hands Too Bait and Tackle is that fishing in the Cape May area is kicking into gear. Flounder, weakfish, stripers, blue fish and drum fish are all being caught by those targeting them. Get out, from the surf or a boat, and enjoy the local bounty.
Grassy Sound Marina has announced that June 28 is the chosen date for their 19th annual Flounder Tournament. Save the date, and there should be more information to follow.
It would seem that we’ve finally cleared the cooler weather, and summer conditions will be here very soon. With flounder, stripers, an occasional weakfish and drum fish biting, and sea bass season less than a week away, the time is right to get on the water. Good luck if you get out, take care, and I’ll see you around.
Submit fishing news and photos to mrobbins@cmcherald.com.
