Condolences go out to the family of Lou Bachmann. Lou was the “Captain” of Smugglers Cove in Stone Harbor. He passed on Thursday, August 4. I talked to Lou from time to time over the years, had poles fixed in the past and would grab bait as needed. Smooth seas to you Lou, may you rest in peace.
Captain Chuck of the Sea Star III plays leadoff hitter this week. Chuck’s patrons cruised the lower bay catching kingfish, weakfish and small blues for part of the week, then changed area codes while fishing the other part of the week in the ocean. While in the Atlantic, they hit some reefs and returned with sea bass and some fluke. He sent in some pictures of satisfied anglers smiling while showing their daily haul. Don’t forget to check out Mark’s Fishing Line on Facebook for additional pictures, as not all can fit in the paper.
Captain Fred mentioned that the Full Ahead with Captain Bob Cope had its best flounder day of the year. After fishing in “deep water” they returned with 18 fish. Other slip-holders had good trips on flounder also, after fishing “near” the FA Buoy and the Mary Low Slough.
Switching gears, Fred said that dolphin are at the East Lumps, around the FA Buoy and at the Five Fathom Bank. A 30 pound dolphin, plus “some” yellowfin tuna, were caught by an unidentified slip-holder while on a recent trip.
Small blues, a lot of small weakfish with a few keepers mixed in and a few kingfish have come from the bay and Rips area. The kingfish bite has slowed when compared to recent weeks.
Keep September 24 in mind as that is the day of Utsch’s Yard Sale. Reserve a table by calling 884-2051. The Ship Store and the Tackle Shop at the marina will also have items on sale.
The Royal Flush is out front in the ocean bringing in kingfish, weakfish, snapper blues, sea bass and also some trigger fish. They have three trips per day, and there is “good action” on all of them. Recent catches included trigger fish for John Kieffer and Carlee Dellose, while Natalie Wallace boated a weakfish.
A little different catch was made recently on the Royal Flush as Tyler Dougherty caught a giant Rabbitfish. The fish is also known as a smooth puffer.
Captain Mike from the Miss Chris checked in to report that they are running their four-hour trips and bringing in fluke, small bluefish, weakfish and kingfish. He also sent in a picture of Vincent DeLucia and his pool winning flounder. Good job Vince on winning the pool.
Captain Ray at Tide Runner Charters reports a tough week due to high winds early in the week, weather related cancellations and the water warm. Don’t fret though, as Ray still was able to get stripers and blue fish over the railing. The ocean was the best area due to the warmth of the back bay. “Low light or in the dark” was best for fishing. The blues were smaller, 8 to 12 inches, but still fun for the fly fisherman, or those using spinning gear. Paul Kerlinger, Ray Boyer and Nick Boyer caught and released stripers, and a blue fish caught by Nick went home to the dinner table.
Matt over at Jim’s Bait and Tackle says that fluke fishing is “about the same” with many shorts and a “few nice ones” mixed in. The shop did the weigh-in for the recent JCAA Fluke Tournament in Cape May and a 4.6 pounder caught by Bill Mullen was the winner.
Kingfish in the Rips slowed while the small blue fish replaced them. Tossing metal or trolling works well when targeting them. Also, drifting with spearing on a plain hook is producing.
While windy weather kept the small boats at the dock, a few others did get out to do the in-shore troll. Small blues and a few mahi were caught at the South Shoal and also at the Cape May Reef. While trolling from the East Lump out to the 20 Fathom Fingers, Art Cranston caught two dolphins (11 and 13.5 pounds), some false albacore and a 35 pound wahoo.
A few tuna were caught at Massey’s and the Hambone but again the wind played a role in holding opportunities down. The weather “looks good” for the upcoming week so Matt is looking for “a better inshore report next week.”
Looking offshore reveals an “excellent” white marlin bite with reports of up to 20 bites a day on some boats. The water that holds these fish is moving south, with the latest bite being closer to the Wilmington. The bigeye are starting to show up in the Wilmington with “reports of fish in the 200 pound range.” The best time was trolling during the day and after sunset.
The surf remains constant with kingfish and small fluke. At the Point you can add an occasional triggerfish, plus some croakers here and there.
Cathy from Sterling Harbor Bait and Tackle looks offshore first. The Spencer, Wilmington and Lindenkohl Canyons “saw some of the best white marlin fishing in years.” She also mentioned boats with 20 or more opportunities in a day. A few tuna are still around, but not like recent weeks. Also, watch for mahi-mahi around the Lobster Pots.
Closer in, there are “plenty” of flounder, but lots of shorts. Weakfish and kingfish are off the beaches in Wildwood, Cape May and into the Delaware Bay. Weakfish are going 15-20 inches in length with some to 25 inches.
Flounder are also in the back, but quantity is low while those caught are a “nicer size.” Also, stripers are hitting top-water chugging plugs.
Crabbing Jack gives crabbing 3.5 claws this week. Those caught “are BIG and it only takes six of them to make a half-dozen!” Huh?
Check out their Dog Days of Summer Kayak Sale featuring leftover, rental and demo models.
Off The Hook Bait and Tackle posted results of the Cape May Flounder Tournament. Team Determined won with a three fish stringer of 16.73 pounds. Miss Addison took second with 13.84 pounds, while third went to Team Overpour/S & S Bucktails with a 13.55 stringer. The “doormat” fluke went to Low Budget with a 9.56 pounder, and the Small Boat category was won by Liquid Assets with a 6.34 pounder.
Sailor’s Delight Back Bay Fishing continues to scour the back water and is bringing in fluke, sea bass and sharks. Some keeper fluke are still coming in, but throwbacks are ruling right now. Sunday was slow and the heavy boat traffic didn’t help, but the patrons still had fun catching the species previously mentioned. They also caught and released many sea bass and even some oyster crackers.
Thanks to John Hearn who sent in a report and word that Ray, Doug, Tom and Dennis had a good trip to the Wildwood Reef where they caught some keeper fluke and sea bass. Word also arrived from Ryan Morse that he has been catching channel catfish lately at the Ponder Lodge Pond.
Don’t forget that the MidAtlantic Tournament is rapidly approaching. Festivities kickoff on Sunday, August 21 with a cocktail party, and fishing runs from Monday to Friday. Three days will be chosen from those to fish. To reserve a spot, contact Aaron Hoffman at 884-0177, or visit the official website at www.themidatlantic.com.
Finally, late notice arrived of a meeting of the South Jersey Coastal Fly Anglers featuring Dr. Desmond Kahn addressing striped bass issues in New Jersey. The meeting is August 18 at 7 p.m. at the Bayside Center, 520 Bay Ave., Ocean City.
Submit your fishing news and photos to mrobbins@cmcherald.com.
