Well, we made it through the recent hot and humid weather. Even though the temperatures were hot, the fishing action, unfortunately, didn’t mirror it. The winds during the latter portion of the week caused an upwelling of cool water, which slowed the fishing, but thankfully it wasn’t a complete shutdown. Let’s examine what happened.
The Sailor’s Delight stayed busy, as their patrons caught plenty of flounder, both keepers and shorts, sea bass, sharks, and some tasty kingfish. They are sailing up to three trips daily so check ahead and see what trip works best for you.
Congratulations go out to Capt. Andrew and crew after they welcomed a new addition to their fleet. The Sailor’s Delight II is in the water and ready to go. Booking and pricing will be posted later on the Sailor’s Delight Facebook page.
Cathy, from Sterling Harbor Bait and Tackle, reports that the reefs have keeper flounder while the back bays also have them. The flounder in the back are slowly moving towards the inlets as the water temperatures are rising. The backwater also has “plenty” of stripers in the schoolie-size category.
For those wanting to crab, the word is that it has been “very good” so bait up your traps and get out there.
Scattered tuna are being caught around the inshore lumps while along the surf line kingfish can be caught.
The Cape May Lady is sailing daily. They have been catching plenty of kingfish, triggerfish, and weakfish as their patrons are filling up their buckets during each trip.
Grassy Sound Marina had plenty of action as brothers Ed and Bill, 90 and 88, respectively, stopped by to do a little crabbing and enjoy some time on the pier. They even caught a flounder in one of their crab traps. Both are also Navy veterans so thank you, gentlemen, for your service.
The pier was also visited by mother and daughter Pamela and LynnWhite who fished and crabbed for a couple of days recently. They just discovered the pier and what it offers.
Catching some nice crabs, but from a boat, was 12-year-old Ayden who had enough for a good dinner.
Twelve-year-old Jack Dolly caught his first saltwater fish, a 22-inch flounder, while fishing from the pier. He fooled the fish with a minnow at the top of the tide.
Finally, Marley, who works at the marina’s gas dock, was able to do some fishing from her dock and out on the water. She caught some nice sheepshead and a blackfish that was out of season and subsequently released.
Capt. Chuck, from the Sea Star III, reported good catches for some anglers while others really had to work for their share of the action. As a result of the challenges faced, some keeper fluke and sea bass were caught during each outing, but more would have been gladly accepted.
This week’s pool winners, where fluke ruled each day, were Bruce Novack with a 2-pounder, Joe Hutton (2.55), Lisa Sharer (2.65), Bill Kwasniewski (3.0), Sam Gager (3.75), and Tony Koska who won with a 4.85-pound fluke which represented his personal best. Nice effort, Tony.
Full Ahead Sport Fishing, with Capt. Bob, had a good weekend as they limited out the boat on Saturday and then returned Sunday to have “another day to remember” which was highlighted by “multiple” flounder over 5 pounds. The biggest of the day tipped the scales at 7.4 pounds.
Cape May Bait and Tackle reported “good” action along the beaches with kingfish, croakers, weakies, and flounder being the providers.
A few reports of stripers being caught out front on bloodworms or live Spot trickled in while a little further out the reefs are giving up keeper sea bass, flounder, and triggerfish. Those fish like clams or squid.
Finally, if you want to catch some kingfish then head to the Delaware Bay where they are biting on Fishbites or bloodworms.
Hands Too Bait and Tackle reported on another successful trip for Common Sense Sportfishing. They took advantage of the steady yellowfin tuna bite on a recent trip as they went four-for-four with tuna to 70 pounds, plus they were able to land two nice Mahi-Mahi.
For those hitting the reefs and wrecks, Hands Too reported that some really nice triggerfish are starting to arrive. Combining those with the flounder and sea bass also in those areas makes for a good day of fishing.
The Miss Avalon is staying active with their daily trips to the local reefs. They have been catching flounder, sea bass, and triggerfish.
Weekend highlights went to Art Howell, RJ Vaumann, and Billy Donahue for big triggerfish and also to Fiona Miller for her limit of sea bass.
A Wednesday trip produced a nice catch of triggerfish, flounder, and sea bass around the boat. Trips are run daily so come on down and catch your dinner.
In addition to fishing trips, you can also go on a Tuesday or Thursday evening nature cruise or a party cruise. Call 609-967-7455 for availability and other information.
The Avalon Lady is running fishing and crabbing trips in the backwaters of Avalon and Sea Isle. Call ahead to see what they are targeting and whichdays work best for you. Some days have a fishing trip in the morning and a crabbing outing in the afternoon. They also sail a later evening fishing trip on Wednesdays so you can fish and watch a nice sunset all in one trip.
Fishing Camp in August still has some openings for young anglers who want to learn about fishing, crabbing, boat safety, and boat navigation. Call the number above for more information.
Boulevard Bait and Tackle reported that over the weekend the kingfish bite really took off as Gil checked in with a cooler full while Kevin confirmed the report by showing off some of his catch.
Starfish Boats, which suffered an unfortunate situation with their big blue catamaran recently, have announced that a new vessel will be joining the fleet soon. They still await word on the fate of the original Starfish, but the plan is for this new boat to be fishing and cruising within the next few weeks. We look forward to checking it out and seeing it out on the water.
There will be a couple of fishing tournaments coming up that I wanted to mention. They are a week apart so any young anglers out there may be able to participate in both.
The first is the 45th Annual Ocean City Fishing Club’s Boys and Girls Surf Fishing Tournament which will be held Aug. 13.
Registration begins at 9 a.m. at the north-end beach near the Ocean City-Longport Bridge. Parents/guardians will be asked to sign a waiver for insurance purposes before their children can participate. Fishing starts at 10 a.m. and concludes at noon. Each child must provide their own gear and bait and an awards ceremony will follow. This event will proceed rainor shine.
There will be three age categories: 8-10, 11-13, and 14-16 years old with a girls and boys division for each age group. For the 8–10-year age group, adults may cast the line out, but the child must do their own fishing after that.
Prizes will be awarded, and the girl and boy who land the biggest fish in each of the three age groups will receive a rod and reel donated by Fin-Atics. Century Rods will donate $300 gift certificates to the girl and boy who land the most fish overall. Many other prizes and certificates will be awarded. Ed Hoban, tournament chairman for the club, says that every child who fishes will be given a prize.
The second is the Strathmere Fishing and Environmental Club’s (SFEC) Kids Fishing Tournament. The date is Aug. 20 at the Prescott Avenue beach. Admission is free and all children 17 years old and younger are welcome to participate. Registration starts at 8 a.m. and fishing will occur from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. There will be awards for the kids and a $1 raffle for everyone who chooses to participate. The children will receive free bait (Fish Bites), a T-shirt and free hot dogs and drinks while the supply lasts.
If you prefer other bait (live), you will need to provide your own.
You are asked to use pyramid sinkers (no round or bank sinkers, please). For safety, there are to be no bare feet and an adult must accompany any children under 12.
Well, it’s another week down as we have now rolled into August. Take advantage of, and enjoy, what summer offers us on the local fishing scene. Good luck if you get out, take care and I’ll see you around.
