Fishing Line: August 28

It was another good week with a mix of Wahoo, Barracuda, Mahi-Mahi, and the other summer suspects. A local tournament started on Aug. 19, and we have a report on the results so far.
“The Sailor’s Delight,” led by Captain’s Stan and Andrew, had nice days with plenty of bites on their trips. The bites related to fun action with Flounder, Sea Bass, “Spike Weakies,” and Kingfish. They were looking forward to seeing, “what the evening has in store” and if the productive day outings can roll-over to other trips.
Cathy, from Sterling Harbor Bait and Tackle, reports “fishing remained good over the past week, both inshore and offshore as our weather pattern held steady.” That consistency led to some nice catches.
Flounder fishing in the ocean remains “good” as “the body of fish that were at McCries Shoal moved south. Ernie DiVincenzo landed a 5.65-pound Flounder at Reef Site 11, while Mike Reed reported a “mixed bag” of Flounder, Weakfish, Mahi-Mahi, and Triggerfish. Flounder are also in the back, but closer to the inlets. You’ll need to weed through the small Sea Bass to find them.
Spanish Mackerel, King Mackerel, Bonita and Bluefish are being caught by those trolling the inshore waters.
Shark fishing has “picked up” as reports of “plenty of small Brown sharks” are being heard.
The Tuna bite offshore has “slowed” but there are “plenty” of White Marlin as well as the “occasional” Blue Marlin.
Mahi-Mahi is still being caught, and anglers are looking for Tilefish. Gene Cuneo caught a 29-pound Golden Tilefish in the Wilmington Canyon while aboard Joe Gillen’s boat, “Y-Knot.”
Hit the surf if you want a chance at some Snapper Bluefish, or good-eating Kingfish.
The passing of the full moon has led to improved crabbing “with nice sizes and good numbers of crabs being caught.”
Stop in to check out the end of summer sale on kayaks that feature “blow out prices on leftover, discontinued and demo models.” Get the best selection by stopping in soon.
Grassy Sound Marina recorded, “one of the biggest keepers of the season.” That honor was given to Mark Small, who caught a 6.5-pound keeper from a rental boat while fishing near the Grassy Sound Bridge. Bob and Aidan Barnes caught four keepers to 21-inches. They too were fishing from a rental boat.
Dan DeOliveira caught a 19-inch Flounder from the pier. He was using a minnow at the top of the tide. The pier also hosted the 20th Annual Big Jim Adair Memorial Fishing Tournament, that hosted over 40  family and friends from the East Coast.        
Captain Mike of the “Miss Chris” reports that “fishing remains steady” off Cape May Point. There are now, “a good number of croakers showing up” in addition to the keeper Flounder and Weakfish that they have been catching. It’s another good eating species to put in the cooler of the anglers. Rich Love was a pool-winner on one of the recent four-hour trips.
Captain Chuck, of the “Sea Star III”, reports that fishing was “a little slower” with keepers being harder to find, but that they are still catching fish on trips. He plans on heading to the reefs to target larger fish.
For the week his pool winners, with weights, was Frank Servocky and his 2-pound Sea Bass and a 3.60-pound fluke.  Others were Fluke, and were claimed by James Trajano (4.0), Pat Riley (2.5), E.J. Wargo(3.25), and Bob Rubeo (4.30). An angler named Harry caught a 3-fish limit on one of the trips.
The “Porgy IV” had a mixed week as some days were slower. The good times saw Steve Zuest win a pool with a 22-inch flounder that weighed over four pounds. Another good day had Adam Eastburn leaving with a daily pool, as part of his limit, plus Dave Thompson landing a 24-inch Flounder. Limits were caught by Carl Davis and Gary Robinson.
Captain Bob, of Full Ahead Sport Fishing, had “no drift” on a recent outing, so he decided to, “think outside the box.” Doing so resulted in “around 40 dolphins with some gaffers in the mix.” Add a happy charter to that too.    
Jim’s Bait and Tackle had some nice weigh-ins during the past week, as Tommy Narcisi stopped in with a Barracuda caught while fishing on the “Nooner.” A catch of note was the 60-pound Tilefish caught by Greg Wright. The question arose about a possible state record, but that was nullified due to the use of an electric reel.
Captain Zig, from First Fish Adventures in Sea Isle City, sent word of a day of “Mahi Mayhem” for Rick Shetler, Dan Fenimore, and himself. They had a great day and a haul of these tasty fish. Another day provided an “excellent Mahi Monday” as Ted, Ed and Paul Black caught their limit.
The “Avalon Lady” continues to catch Flounder, Kingfish, Sea Robins, Sea Bass and sharks on their trips. They have been fishing the inlet and back bay areas. Recent morning trips resulted in “plenty” of action with three nice keepers mixed in.
The “Miss Avalon” has been running to the reefs while catching Flounder, Sea Bass and Triggerfish. A different catch of note was made by a patron who landed a big stargazer during one of their trips. After a day of fishing, they have been running private parties, birthdays, family reunions, and sunset cruises. Call 609-967-7455 to book or to plan for  2020.
Captain Al, from Bayhound Charters Light Tackle Sportfishing, took out a charter recently that experienced a “great day” of mixed-bag fishing. They came home with Mahi-Mahi, flounder and sea bass that all contributed to filling their cooler.
Sea Isle Bait and Tackle reported about a good day of wahoo fishing for a local boat and crew. Captain Scott from Playmaker Fishing had Rich K, Billy B, Bill B, and Wolfgang H out and they “landed” five big Wahoos with the largest at 55.7-pounds, 61.5-inches.
Another report had John catching “nearly 50” flounder during a trip in the back. He had a limit of keepers with fish up to 5-pounds.
Boulevard Bait and Tackle sent word of a Flounder caught by an angler named Pierce. It was  23.5-inch caught down the inlet. Another catch of note was a 42-inch, 30-pound Cobia that was caught by Tito Tom. He caught his fish while spearfishing.
Avalon Hodge Podge reported that a “little” Bonita was caught off the Avalon beachfront recently after it hit a swimming plug. These fish are “closer to shore” because the “water is really warm right now.” Take advantage of this and catch something different.
The Kayak Fishing Store is hosting the first annual “End of the Season Paddle Party,” Aug. 31. It begins with a 7:30 a.m. gathering at the Free Bridge on Ocean Drive as you leave Stone Harbor. They will launch at 8 a.m. sharp to catch a favorable tide as they travel to the 81st Marina.
As they return to the launch area, they will paddle into the various coves and throughways behind Stone Harbor. The pace will be slow to allow people of all ages and levels to participate. The event is free, but if a t-shirt designed for the event will have a charge. Those interested can all 609-522-5969.
The 2019 Mid-Atlantic Tournament started on August 19, with participating boats sailing from the ports of Cape May and Ocean City, Md.
After all Calcutta entries are tabulated, a cash purse of over $3.5 million is anticipated. As of the time of this writing, no qualifying Blue Marlin have been caught. The White Marlin category was led by Jeremy Cerdas, who weighed in a 71-pounder. The Tuna segment is led by Curtis Macomber who held first and second place with 226 and 207-pound Big Eye Tuna. The dolphin division had a first-place tie with 33-pound fish for Todd Dickerson and Curtis Campbell. Finally, the Wahoo category is led by Ross Clubb with a 33-pounder.
Take care, get out and let me know how you did.    
Submit your fishing news and photos to mrobbins@cmcherald.com