The Fishing Line: It’s All Here

Memorial Day weekend just past and the bite is on. Seems there are only good reports. Hope you are going to get in on the action.
Welcome back Grassy Sound Marina. They are reporting a banner opening day for flounder with the keeper/throwback ratio outstanding. Alex Teise, Petersburg and Gary Errickson, Goshen, each won a $100 gas certificate for the Opening Day Contest. Alex with her 4.08 pound flounder and Gary with a 3.93 pounder. Sean Singley, N. Wildwood, caught two 22 inch flounder near the marina, outgoing tide using new penny Gulp and Bud from Just Sports, Court House, caught three keepers on minnows behind West Wildwood at the stakes.
The marina also weighed in some 5 and 6 pound weakfish and some beautiful stripers. The Bohrers, N. Wildwood, caught a 5.6 pound weakfish, three keeper flounder to 19 inches and two blues fishing near marker #427 with minnows. Capt. Lew Haubois, Rio Grande, caught a nice weakfish in Jenkins Thorofare, outgoing tide on a yellow and white bucktail. Fishers on the Grassy Sound Fishing Pier had great action, too.
Sterling Harbor Marina says the flounder season kicked off with plenty of fish to go around. Many boats fishing the back-bays had fish up to 5 pounds. Pink and Chartreuse Gulp! were the hot colors. They have seen nice weakfish in the back bays. Surf action continues to be excellent with striped bass in the 30-45 pound inch range off the North Wildwood beaches, an occasional black drum mixed in. Wildwood Crest and Cape May beaches also produced nice stripers. Drum fishing in the Delaware Bay was very good and offshore Makos have been reported at the Canyons.
Captain Frank W. Breakell, Brynnie B Charters, fished opening day with Rich. He tried a variety of spots behind the Wildwoods using herring, blue, squid, grass shrimp, and Gulp shrimp for bait. They managed five flounder, only two keepers, caught by Rich. The water started at 65 degrees, but plummeted to 57 with the incoming tide. Shut the bite right down.
According to Captain Ray it was another great week of weather and fly fishing. Stripers, bluefish, weakfish and sea herring provided good action with the mix being a little different each day. Chartreuse/white clouser, deceiver and Jiggy flies all produced while fished on sinking line. Fred Lyon caught a nice keeper striper which he released. They also released all the weakfish along with a good number of bluefish, even though they were well above keeper size.
Dave Guy, tournament director of the Cape May Marlin Tuna Club says fishing is really starting to heat up on the Jersey side of the Big D. He says it’s been a long time since he was part of an insane bite like the one for drum.
NEWS: Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council Meeting, Tinton Falls-Eatontown, June 10-13, Double Tree by Hilton, 700 Hope Road, 732- 544-9300. Public is invited
The Jersey Shore Beach N Boat Fishing Tournament, a season long event, updated its leaderboard: Striper, Edward Plichta, 37.54 pounds, Lacey Marine; Weakfish, Phil LaGrossa 9.75 pounds, Pell’s Fish & Sport; Tautog, Alex Oliszewski, 13.7 Lacey Marine; no entries yet for Fluke, Bluefish, Black Drum, Kingfish, Sea Bass.
Trout stocking schedules can be viewed at www.njfishandwildlife.com/trtstk13.htm . Looking for a place to fish? Directions to 300 trout fishing public access points are posted at www.njfishandwildlife.com/accesswater.htm . Fishing licenses and trout stamps can be purchased and printed online at www.njfishandwildlife.com/als/websalesintro.htm
CALENDAR: Sterling Harbor Bait & Tackle hosts G-Loomis NRX Inshore Launch Seminar with Captain Dan Schafer, Insomniac Guide Service, this Friday, 6:30 PM. Dan will focus on catching fish in the Back Bays, Flats and Salt Marshes.
WELCOME: Captain Victor A. Hartley III of the Captain Robbins formerly out of Sea Isle City, is now in Ocean City at 228 Bay Ave., now sailing 8 hour trips daily (8 a.m.) for sea bass and other wreck fish. Captain says the sea bass fishing is off to a good start. Stop by and try the restaurant there, too.
Send your reports and pictures to cmiller@cmcherald.com. Column and pictures are posted online at www.capemaycountyherald.com. Let’s go fishing! (More than 30 photos were submitted this week…more will be posted. Keep them coming in.)