The Fishing Line: Fishing Haunts

While fishers wait for the water to cool down and the stripers to move in, reports have blues, weakies, schoolie stripers, and an occasional tog caught.
Regulations update: sea bass can be back on your line starting Nov. 1. You can bag 20 fish at 12.5 inches and tog (1 fish) until Nov. 15 then the limit goes to 6 until Dec. 31. Fifteen (15) inch size limit.
Our friends at Sterling Harbor Marina report bluefish from the beach and some small stripers with an occasional keeper with mullet or clam being the bait of choice. Schoolie-size stripers are being caught all over the back bay along the sod banks by hanging bait near the bottom. Whole sardines seem to be working best but again, mullet and clam are also producing.
A few boats ventured out to the East Lump area and caught plenty of false albacore and bluefish. Crabby Jack gives the crabbing 5 Claws and says the past three weeks has been the best crabbing of the season.
Frequent contributor, Captain Ray Szulczewski took a quick trip to North Carolina and had some fun catching rainbow and brown trout in the Helton Creek in Northwestern North Carolina. Ray says not much had changed when he got back and is chalking it up to the warmer water. He did see a fair amount of small bait fish. You’ll have to look around and search for areas that are holding fish which is most likely along the sod banks in 2 to 4 feet of water. Like everyone else, he is hoping that we get some cooler weather to move the migrating fish and then we’ll see some better size ones. Best bet is to try surface popping flies or popping plugs for the spin anglers; near dusk or after dark, back bay is producing better than the inlet or beach front.
Ray suggests trying local South Jersey lakes. The bass have been taking popping flies at dusk and after dark. An all black gurgler is working best, but a white popping fly with a black tail caught just as well.
Bill (bucktail willie) Shillingford fishing out of Whale Creek Marina found stripers. The bass were all schoolies between 19-26 inches and they were feisty on light tackle. Best bait was white bucktail with chartreuse 7 inch twister tail worm. Bill dragged an eel but nothing touched it. Best tide has been last 2 hours of incoming.
The Ocean City Fishing Club’s three-day 100th Anniversary Surf Fishing Tournament (Oct. 19) awarded nearly $20,000 in prize money. Top prize of $5,500 went to the NJ Beach Buggy Association with a total score of 81.25 points for 40 fish. In second place was the NJ Squid Hounds B team that collected 62.25 points. The Over The Bar team placed third with 38.25 points.
Based in Ocean City, Maryland, the Reel Women team won $1,000 for first place among three women’s teams in the tournament. Their total score was 30.25 points. In all, 46 six-person teams registered to compete in the first three day tournament hosted by the Ocean City Fishing Club. Although the event was limited to teams, individual members received plaques at the banquet. Rod Melvin, of Marlton, had never fished in a tournament before recently becoming a member of the New Jersey Squid Hounds. His inexperience didn’t prevent him from reeling in a 24-inch red drum on a hook baited with bloodworm and earning him an award for Largest Overall Fish.
The largest bluefish in the men’s division, 17.75 inches, was caught by Michael Shipton, of Absecon, fishing with the Zatara team. Keith Lehman, Hatboro, Pa., and the Delaware Valley Surf Anglers, caught the largest kingfish, 12.75 inches. His counterpart was Reel Women team member Kelsey Cycyk, of Wilmington, Del, whose catch measured 12.25 inches. George Foreman, Turnersville and the Fishlanders team, had the largest weakfish, 13.24 inches.
NEWS: Proposed amendments to the 2014-2015 Fish Code, New Jersey Register, Sept. 16, public comment period ends Nov. 15. Submit comments electronically at www.nj.gov/dep/rules/comments or mail to Gary J. Brower, Esq. ATTN: 05-13-08 NJ DEP Office of Legal Affairs Mail Code 401-04L, PO Box 402, 401 E. State St., 4th Floor Trenton, NJ 08625-0402.Information at www.njfishandwildlife.com/news/2013/fishcode_proposal.htm or www.nj.gov/dep/rules/notices/20130916a.html
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council addressed a range of issues during its October meeting in Philadelphia including: Harvest levels and commercial management measures for summer flounder, scup, black sea bass, and bluefish; spiny dogfish specifications; river herring and shad management; framework 8 to the Monkfish fishery management plan; strategic implementation plan; and 2015 research priorities for the Research Set-Aside Program. Briefing materials, presentations, and audio recordings from the meeting at http://www.mafmc.org/briefing/october-2013.
CALENDAR: High Tides Striper Tournament, Brendan Borek Memorial Fund, Carpenter’s Union Local 255, Nov. 2, Hinch Marina, Cape May. Call Andy289-2962
Jersey Shore Beach-n-Boat Tournament, statewide, multi-fish tourney ends Nov. 30. check out www.beachnboat.com
The Fishing Line runs year round (short hiatus in January) so keep sending your reports and pictures to cmiller@cmcherald.com. Column and pictures are posted online at www.capemaycountyherald.com and on Facebook. Keep them coming.