We have something different this week, as the column starts in Chincoteague, Virginia.
We were down here for a few days checking out the area and the fishing scene, even though I never got to wet a line.
I was at Steve’s Bait and Tackle when an angler stopped in to weigh his king mackerel. They said it was citation eligible and weighed 24 pounds.
The next day at the beach, I was talking to an angler whose girlfriend caught and released a speckled trout in the 15-inch range. The weekend was over too quickly as we returned to Jersey.
Meanwhile, closer to home, the fishing was exceptional, as flounder, plenty of mahi-mahi, sea bass, triggerfish, kingfish and even a cobia were in the reports.
The Sailor’s Delight had some late-summer fun in the backwaters with a furry of action. Their anglers pulled in 96 fish one trip, of which 46 were flounder. Some keepers were included in those numbers, including a 5-pounder for one angler. Nice kingfish, sea bass, sea robins and sharks contributed to the action-packed morning.
Grassy Sound Marina was busy with anglers reporting their assorted success stories. Some of the highlights went to 10-year-old Chase, who caught a houndfish during a trip to the Five Fathom Bank. Houndfish are game fish that frequent subtropical and tropical-ocean regions, where the water ranges from 77 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit. More normal to our waters are the two flounder, one a 5-pounder, caught by Mark and the 3.5-pound, 21.5-incher caught by James Mulligan.
The crew of Jim Takacs, Josh, “Lil Josh,” Jacob Nau and Bobby Finnegan went to Reef Site 11 and also offshore. They had a great trip, catching flounder, sea bass and mahi-mahi.
Cathy, from Sterling Harbor, reported that Brad Fidler stopped by to weigh his 7-pound, 13-ounce flounder, which he caught at Reef Site 11.
The Cape May Lady had two “solid” trips for tilefish recently. The bulk of their haul was blue lines, but they also caught some goldens. They run offshore trips during their regular schedule. Call ahead or check their Facebook page to see when the next one is.
The Miss Avalon continues to have quality trips for their patrons. They have been catching some nice flounder, like the two that Greg Lee caught, plus the one caught by Mason Blizzard. They also caught some big triggerfish, like the one grabbed by Tom, from Deptford. Sea bass are also being caught, with some being large enough to win a pool, like Joey McCormick proved by pulling in two large bass during a recent outing.
Boulevard Bait and Tackle reported a great Saturday morning, as “the ocean was alive” as multiple reports of false albacore, mahi-mahi and cobia arrived. As proof, an angler, Luke, stopped in with a 41-pound cobia. He also caught “a bunch of false albacore.”
The crew of Shawn, Tucker and Hayden got out to the reefs for flounder fishing before the anticipated arrival of Hurricane Ida’s remnants. They arrived at the shop with six keepers, of which the largest was 7.6 pounds.
Avalon Hodge Podge weighed a nice flounder for a young angler and a sheepshead for another. Both anglers were unidentified.
The crew from Serenity Avalon recently had a “great day,” returning with five mahi-mahi and an 18-inch sea bass.
First Fish Adventures took Tom Barnes and crew out “again,” and the repeat customers caught some nice flounder. They also caught and released a large number of bluefish.
The third–annual trip for Scott and Bryan Cope proved to be a charm when they landed their share of mahi-mahi. They used light tackle on the troll with live bait to secure their catches.
Bayhound Charter Light Tackle Sportfishing, in Sea Isle, provided a productive outing for angler Pete Russo. He caught his flounder limit and added a nice seabass.
Fishing aboard the Miss Chris resulted in a “nice week” while fishing “between” Cape May Point and the local reefs. Highlighted catches went to 12-year-old Jackson Ciarmello, who caught a 16-inch weakfish. A pool-winning triggerfish for 10-year-old Colin Royd and a 20-inch fluke that made Skip Partridge a pool winner were reported, too.
Capt. Chuck, from the Sea Star III, reported they are experiencing consistent fishing with some of the season’s best days, catching sea bass, triggerfish, and even some croakers exploring the reefs. Flounder are their main quarry, and they haven’t disappointed. Three-fish limits were happening again, and some were composed of 4 and 5-pound fish. Pool winners this week were Linda Martin (3.1 pounds), Ron Rowles, twice (2.1 and 4.6), Joe Torres (4.3), Ed Johnson (4.55), Mike Wilson (4.9) and Tony Koska, with a 5.8-pounder.
Jim’s Bait and Tackle had a couple of nice catches of note recently, with Dan Olsen weighing an 8.65-pound flounder that put him in first place in a tournament at the store. The other catch went Capt. Tim, who weighed the first cobia this season at the store, which weighed 50 pounds.
Off the Hook Bait and Tackle recorded a 7.88-pound sheepshead for Jarryd, his second in a few weeks.
This week, I thank two readers for submitting reports. First, Marie Billbo caught 25 and 23-inch flounder while fishing in Turtle Creek. Also, Nick Rambo submitted a picture and report from a recent trip on the All Hanked Up II. Their outing resulted in “a nice mixed bag,” including sea bass, flounder and mahi-mahi.
Another week of productive fishing concluded. The weekend forecast looks good, so get out if you can.
Good luck and I’ll see you around.
Submit your fishing news and photos to mrobbins@cmcherald.com.
