Our local fishing scene continues to progress. Now sea bass have been added to the list of species available for you to fish for. Stripers, drum fish, flounder and weakfish are being caught by those putting in the time. Local beaches, rock piles, the back bays and the Delaware Bay are good areas to pursue the species of your choice. Let’s check out the latest action.
Sea Isle Bait and Tackle reported that Rich came in with a nice drum fish. He had also caught and released a striped bass. A midweek trip to the surf produced a large striper for Mike. He was able to get the fish to hit on SP Minnow. A nice catch of two keeper flounder went to Nick, who stopped in as the sun was setting.
Boulevard Bait and Tackle was busy during the Mother’s Day holiday with many nice catches recorded. The most interesting day went to a young angler named Ethan. He recorded a trifecta during a day of beach surf fishing, with catches of a drum fish, a striped bass and a bluefish. Nice job, Ethan, and I’m sure you’ll always remember this day.
Other catches of note went to young angler Jayce, who caught his first flounder, a 22-inch, 3.86-pounder, a 36-inch striper caught by Joey, a 4.16-pound, 23-inch flounder that was caught by another young angler named Brian, a 24-inch, 5-pound flounder and 20-inch, 3.34-pound weakfish caught by Joe, a 30-inch keeper striper plus a 27-inch throwback that 5-Rod Ted hooked up with and the nice striper for Jon that hit an offering of fresh clam.
Whale Creek Marina recorded some nice flounder catches as the season opened. Once the conditions improved, so did the action.
Highlighted catches went to the father/son team of Wayne and Eugene Grear as they limited out on flounder and added a nice bluefish to their day’s total, to Crissy Stafford, who landed a 4.5-pound flounder, and to an unidentified angler who weighed in a 4.8-pound flounder.
The Sea Star III focused on the drum fish side of fishing recently, as they were getting set up for the opening of sea bass season.
With that in mind, they had mixed results. The first trip produced a number of drum fish, with the biggest and the pool winner being a 27-pounder going to Andy Bristow. The next trip, on Saturday evening, took a hit from the wind, which stirred things up, and gave the fish a case of lockjaw.
The following evening the fishing was back, and even better than previously. Multiple fish, probably exceeding 20, were caught and kept the crew cleaning well after returning to the dock. That’s the kind of result everyone wants.
The Miss Chris, the dockmate of the Sea Star III, is sailing for drum fish. They run four-hour trips, and tickets can be purchased at CapeMayFisherman.com.
The Atlantic Adventure, with Captain Adam at the helm, is sailing for drum fish and having some good luck. Recent trips saw them catching puppies and some 20-plus pounders. Another trip finished with seven fish on ice, with the largest being 40 pounds.
Captain Adam will be sailing for sea bass when the season opens. Trips are limited to 12 anglers, so call or text 609-435-3119 for reservations.
The Sailor’s Delight, with Captain Stan, took the wrapping off its 2025 season recently. The day wasn’t sunny as a heavy fog cloaked the waterway, but the flounder didn’t mind. The highlight of the trip was the first keeper of the season caught by Navy Mike. The fish made it easily as it measured in at 23 inches.
The Avalon Lady recorded its first limit of the season when Greg landed three keepers. Other days saw Ed get the only keeper on Mother’s Day, while the day prior had five keepers, including a 4.61-pound pool-winner, despite the windy conditions.
The Starfish, sailing from Sea Isle, is sailing daily eight-hour trips, leaving the dock at 8 a.m. Call 609-263-3800 for more information and to make reservations, which are strongly recommended.
Captain Bob, from Full Ahead Sport Fishing, Cape May, reported that his fares have been having good trips each time out. He offered as evidence the recent trip for Deacon Joe. He landed his limit during his group’s trip. Others also caught some nice fish that contributed to a very good trip.
Well, we could have had a better week if the gloomy, wet conditions didn’t prevail and if more anglers had gotten out. Hopefully, things will improve and we can get out and do what we enjoy. Good luck if you get out, take care, and I’ll see you around.
Submit fishing news and photos to mrobbins@cmcherald.com.
