The Fishing Line: August has it all

Fishing has it all in August: Flounder, tog, triggers, stripers, sea bass, blues, weakies, and crabs.
Special shout out to Bill Gannon who caught a smooth puffer fish behind Strathmere on July 13 while fishing for flounder. Bill estimated the fish to be about 6 pounds before he released it.
Flounder, sea bass and kings are being caught at Grassy Sound. The extreme hot weather has slowed things down but 8 year old Matthew Gagliardi, Court House, caught a beautiful 4.5 pound sea bass at the Wildwood reef on squid and a bucktail. Seven-year-old Brennan and11 year old Trent Karalfa, Johnstown, Pa. caught sea bass behind N. Wildwood on mackerel.
Off the Grasy Sound Fishing Pier Bill Powers, Philadelphia caught an 18 inch flounder at the top of the tide and 13 year old Elijah Pintabone, Easton, Pa. caught 3 sea bass and 2 short flounder. He was fishing the incoming tide with squid & minnows. Mark Bachman, Philadelphia, caught 3 keeper flounder on minnows during outgoing tide.
Crabs are in abundance on the pier. Joan Hack, Mantua, took home 30 nice crabs.
According to our friends at Frank’s Boats, fishing improved a bit with a few boats bringing back multiple keepers. Don and Ryan Reinert out of Philadelphia, returned to the dock with 6 keepers to 19 inches, but they were not the high boat for the week. Bill and Rob Kingston, also from Philadelphia, returned with 7 keepers, the largest weighing in at 4 pounds, 1 ounce. The biggest fish was landed by Dave Beidler from Boyertown, Pa., weighing in at 8.5 pounds, 24 inches in length.
The best fishing right now is in Strathmere Bay between the bridge and the boat ramp and at the end of Flat Creek. Minnows are still getting the best bite, but squid and gulp have produced a couple of keepers.
Crabbing continues to be good to very good. Either the incoming or outgoing tide is producing crabs. Bunker for bait is essential. It is an oily fish and as the slick is taken out with the current, it will attract the crabs. As long as the current is moving, the crabs are biting. If the slack tide comes in the middle of your trip, have a sandwich and a beverage and as soon as the current starts moving again, the action will return.
CALENDAR: Mid-Atlantic $500,000, South jersey Marina, Aug. 19-24. Check out www.ma500.com
Register now for the Governor’s Surf Fishing Tournament, Oct. 7, Island Beach State Park. Angler who catches the overall largest fish wins the “Governor’s Award,” and his/her name engraved on the Governor’s Cup. Fishing equipment is awarded to other winners. Incentives for early registration. Pre-registration $15, ages 18; $20 on tournament day. Fee for ages 13-17, $5 and free for 12 and under. Information at www.njfishandwildlife.com/gsft.htm .
Note: Tournament anglers may be asked to verify compliance with NJ Saltwater Recreational Registry Program. Registration is quick, easy and free. Go to www.nj.gov/dep/saltwaterregistry/
NEWS: At recent Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) Menhaden Technical Committee teleconferences, concerns were raised among fisheries scientists and committee members about the 2012 ASMFC Atlantic menhaden assessment update. Visit www.SavingMenhaden.org for industry news or e-mail: info@savingmenhaden.org
Send your fishing reports and pictures to cmiller@cmcherald.com. There are terrific pictures coming in but not room in print for all of them. All pictures submitted are posted online at www.capemaycountyherald.com