The local fishing area took a hit from the recent stormy weather. Wind and rain cost a lot of anglers a weekend of fishing. Early morning outings beat the wind on Friday and the late Saturday morning rain, but then both elements caught us for the remainder of Saturday. Sunday wasn’t much better as there was only a little afternoon rain, but the day had a persistent wind that forced the need to find other activities. Undaunted, some anglers were still able to put fish in the box either before or after the weekend. Let’s see what they have to present to us.
Captain Chuck from the Sea Star III checked in to report that he was catching fluke, sea bass and triggerfish. That was before the weekend weather of Friday wind and Saturday rain. That combination kept him dock-bound for a period longer than he would have liked. When he was out he had the following pool winners with weights in pounds: Fluke won pools for Alan Smetzer (3.60), two-time winner Kathy Mulvehill (3.45 and 3.25) and Chris Aster (three pounds even). Frank Servocky closed out the pools with a one-pound sea bass. Captain Chuck said he hopes the weather “straightens out so we can get back at it.”
With the wind playing havoc with ocean fishing, Captain Skip took the Stalker Fishing Charter backwater skiff out to look for stripers. They were able to chum up fish to about 30 inches with “it not being uncommon” to see “10 to 25 stripers per person.” Give him a call at (609) 972-5218 to check on trip availability.
The Cape May Lady had a few days off after the storm, but was busy before that. They had an eight-hour charter for a group of young wrestlers. They couldn’t pin any fluke down, but did manage to take down some small bluefish and “some beautiful sea bass.” They even managed to have a couple of bullet mackerel tap-out to their offerings. The day before on an open-boat trip, the patrons caught triggerfish “and even an elusive croaker.” The Cape May Lady is now back at it, so go pay them a visit.
The Miss Chris Marina reports that they are offering daily fishing trips aboard the “125-foot Beast of the East, the Atlantis” at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. Declan Lynch was out recently and caught a “nice fat kingfish.” Flounder, weakfish and sea bass are also being caught. I also heard that an “all new Miss Chris is coming soon.” I’ll get the details on the new boat to you as they become available.
The Royal Flush sails three times daily at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m., and for evenings “under the stars” by leaving the dock at 7 p.m. They are ocean-bound at catching kingfish, weakfish and sea bass, with snapper bluefish, triggerfish and flounder also showing up. Check them out on Facebook at Royal Flush Fishing or call (609) 522-1395 for information.
Notable catches went to Jake Carson and Bobby Longstreet with triggerfish, Tim Lynch with a nice weakfish, Janet Swanson with a snapper bluefish and Dave Dwyer with a tasty sea bass. The top angler was Marian McCann who had “a cooler full of kingies.”
Cathy from Sterling Harbor reports good flounder fishing at the local reefs, but only when conditions allow. Reef Site #11 was “producing best according to customer reports.” “Occasional” keeper flounder are still being pulled from the back, but there are many throwbacks also. If you venture to the back, look for deeper water channels and holes. Another option would be to head for the inlets since the fish are heading in that direction as they proceed to the ocean.
If you’re in the back and not having any success with flounder, you should be prepared to throw a top-water popper. Many schoolie stripers are around and have been hit with these style offerings.
The surf had some flounder near the inlets and jetties. Throw a bucktail or jig head tipped with gulp. Go in the evening and put a chunk of mackerel or bunker on a circle hook and you may get yourself a shark. The circle hook aids in releasing these protected species. Sterling Harbor has some surf shark rigs available to purchase, so stop in, check them out and get the type of rig that will allow for an easy release.
Crabbing was described as “off the charts.” Hence, Crabby Jack graces the local crabbing scene 5 claws. Get some traps, bait and other accessories, and hit the water for some tasty treats.
Bill Mulligan and sons Connor and Bradon had an outing recently at Grassy Sound Marina. They enjoyed a nice day of fishing and landed a 16.5-inch flounder. Maybe next time they’ll get that elusive keeper.
Others have enjoyed their visit to Grassy Sound Marina by passing the day away with crabbing and fishing. Some highlights were the “beauty of a keeper” flounder that was caught by Jim Adair and arrived after “four 17.5 inchers.” Congratulations goes to Joey O’Malley who caught his first flounder. And the Gannon family got a keeper after sorting through some shorts. Isaac and Ayanna “found our new spot” for crabs, as did Levi Schrope of Washington Township, Abby and Braedon from Vestal, N.Y. and Casey, Jack and Julian. Enjoy those crustaceans.
The Sailor’s Delight is still cranking in the flounder from the backwaters. They just recorded flounder number 1,000 for the summer. Obviously they aren’t all keepers, but those are still crossing their orange-painted rails. Just before the weekend weather arrived they were getting keepers to 23 inches. The wind couldn’t stop them from fishing, but it made conditions a little more challenging. By Tuesday they were again putting keepers in the cooler. We’ll keep an eye on their “catch log” as they move toward their next big target, the 1,500-catch plateau. It will be interesting to see where they top out after the season concludes.
The Miss Avalon was bringing in flounder, sea bass, triggerfish and kingfish. They felt the wrath of the weather like most, but still had a strong period before the wet and windy weekend. From the pictures I saw, a couple of the flounder appeared to be in the four-pound-plus range. That’s a good range to be in.
The Avalon Lady had action in the backwaters as an angler named Austin had his limit on an afternoon trip before the weekend. They had over 30 throwbacks that day, and one of Austin’s fish was a “doormat” as the picture verified. Don’t sleep on the night trips, as keepers are being caught on those also. On the post-storm Monday trip, they recorded their first striper of the year. It was a schoolie and provided a nice picture before going back into the brine.
Boulevard Bait and Tackle is still weighing in good flounder from the back bays. The duo of Don and Louie had three keepers, with the largest tipping the scales at 6.34 pounds. Jimmy Hampton also got in on the action as he brought two offerings to the scale. His hot bait was a 6-inch gulp grub, and the word after his trip was to “get out there and catch dinner.”
Captain Al on the Bayhound went out on an overnighter recently and put his charter on the action. They had fun with tuna, mahi mahi, white marlin and some makos. They also took a shot at wahoo while trolling on their way home, but found some more makos instead. They finished with a nice yellowfin and two mahi.
Ryan Morse, our freshwater fishing connection, was at it again as he bested an 18-inch 1.15 channel catfish. He enjoys hit the local waters to see what they have to offer.
Hopefully the weather clears, the wind eases and some fishing occurs. Good luck if you make it out and I’ll see you around.
Submit your fishing news and photos to mrobbins@cmcherald.com.
