The Fishing Line: Anchors A-weigh those Fish

August fishing has not disappointed us. Captain Chuck on Sea Star III is doing more bay fishing now that sea bass is off the table (sea bass season closed Aug. 8 and will reopen Sept. 27).
Fluke, weakfish, croakers, kingfish, and small blues are making fishers happy. And, if you prefer shellfish, the NJ DEP has re-opened the oyster harvest from the Shell Rock Oyster Beds in Delaware Bay. Check out www.njfishandwildlife.com/shelhome.htm on the Division of Fish and Wildlife website.
Captain John Sowerby and Hooked Up II took out a 24 hour trip to catch tuna. A trip to the Washington Canyon was well worth the distance. Tired and achy, they managed 18 yellow fin tuna and a big eye tuna weighing almost 200 pounds. In addition, they fought and released four hammerhead sharks. A white marlin and a Mako shark were also hooked but lost in the fight.
For fly fishing and spin anglers, Captain Ray reports strong winds or rain, made for a slower week of fishing. Captain still brought in fluke, croakers and a few weakfish but not as many as normal and most on the small side. Captain did find some striper action in the back bay along sod banks using popping plugs near dawn and dusk.
Sterling Harbor reports great fluke fishing at the Reefs, with the incoming tide being the best bite. Reef Site 11, the Old Grounds, Cape May Reef, and the Wildwood Reef all produced nice fish and lots of them. The Wheeler family had a great day flounder fishing at Reef Site 11 with keepers up to 24 inches and Bill and Donna Stewart of Swedesboro, limited out at the Wildwood Reef with Donna being the pool winner with a 24 inch flounder.
Along the beachfront, there are spot with some kingfish and croakers mixed in. The bait of choice has been Fishbites. Some flounder are being caught around the jetties at the Inlets on Gulp! swimming mullet. Back bay action has slowed for flounder, with mostly shorts being caught. There are plenty of schoolie sized striped bass in the back bays hitting on top water plugs, or try chunking some sardines around the Inlets for striper action.
At Grassy Sound Marina, you can get a mixed bag fishing off the pier and in the back bay. Crabs are plentiful in different areas of Turtle Creek but the train trestle isn’t producing as well as it has been. The Calisbabetta crew, Newtown, caught flounder, croakers and did lots of crabbing. They were fishing with a mackerel, minnow combination.Jessie Mooers, Dennisville, caught a 20 inch flounder on minnows and squid near the marina, top of the outgoing tide while Anthony Ciarlante, Warminster, Pa. caught three keeper flounder, the largest at 24 inches, on minnows behind Sea Isle.
Mark and Braden Zebley, Perkasie, Pa., have been catching brown sharks off the beach in Cape May Point. They are using mackerel soaked in bunker oil. A 6 foot long sand tiger shark was also reported.
The 15th Annual ‘Big Jim Adair’ Family Fishing Tournament was held on the Grassy Sound fishing pier last week. They reported short flounder, croakers, snapper blues and spot.
Pier 88 in Sea Isle City reports the flounder bite out front was sensational with many boats limiting out and seeing many fish in the 5 to 10 pound+ range. The best time has been the incoming tide with TI Reef, Avalon Shoal, Cape May Reef, Reef Site 11 and the Old Grounds all having excellent reports. Baits of choice have been Gulp!, squid strips, mackerel filet and spot.
Brianna Binowski’s catch of the Northern Stargazer in the back bays of North Wildwood at Grassy Sound, sent me to www.Chesapeakebay.net to find out more about this guy. Seems this strange-looking fish with a speckled, flattened body and a large head lives at the bottom of the lower Chesapeake Bay’s deep, open waters and sometimes travels to the upper Bay in autumn. Looks like this one got an early start.
NEWS: Fishing was good at the north end of Ocean City on Aug. 10, when 114 youngsters reeled in a total of 187 fish at the Ocean City Fishing Club’s 38th annual Boys and Girls Surf Fishing Tournament. Catches included flounder, croakers, weakfish, spot, bluefish, and sand sharks.
Jersey Shore Beach N Boat Fishing Tournament has come up with a new drawing card for people that sign-up in August. (They just keep sweetening the pot to encourage people to sign up.) Their newest incentive is a four-day, three-night Wildwoods vacation package (great stuff) valued at over $2,000. Stop by www.BeachNBoat.com or look them up on Facebook. For active military and wounded warriors that would like to sign up for free, call or email Captain Mike Young at 423.2002, myoung@BeachNBoat.com
Send your reports and pictures to cmiller@cmcherald.com. Column and pictures are posted online at www.capemaycountyherald.com and on Facebook. This week over 40 pictures were sent in. Keep them coming.