Hot! Then cool. Not just the weather, but the fishing also. The front that came through cooled the temperatures while kicking up the winds. That in turn slowed the fishing on the weekend as many anglers went to the bay, hit the back waters or just took a break. The early week of hot weather allowed for plenty of opportunities for flounder fishing at the reefs or tuna fishing in the canyons. Let’s check out what was caught and by whom.
Boulevard Bait and Tackle passed on word of a nice catch out of Whale Creek Marina. Frank Jankowski caught a “personal best” fluke of 29.5 inches and 9.2 pounds. Congratulations, Frank! Another nice fluke, one of 6.4 pounds, was caught by Connor at the Townsend Inlet Reef. From the “other than fluke category,” we have Andrew who caught a Spotted Eagle Ray from the beach. Rays were reported to be in Corson’s Inlet and all around Strathmere.
The Avalon Lady had another good week with back bay flounder. Keepers and a lot of short fish provided plenty of action. The crabs really kicked in also, as many were caught on their crab trips.
The Avalon Lady started one of their Summer Fishing Camps on the Monday after the holiday. The kids learned the use of rods, how to cast and the use of different baits. They put their newly learned skills to the test and landed some flounder, including a keeper, and a shark.
The Avalon Lady’s big sister, the Miss Avalon, is running two trips daily. They’re catching sea bass, flounder, triggerfish and kingfish while hitting the ocean out front of Avalon and Sea Isle. Choose morning or afternoon, jump on and go catch something.
Avalon Hodge Podge checked in with word of a nice 23-inch flounder for Rick Hubler caught at the Avalon Shoal, while the 8th Street Jetty provided a 14-inch triggerfish for 14-year-old Patrick. He also had “a nice-sized striped bass “on, but unfortunately lost it on the rocks.
Captain Chuck had the Sea Star III out and about during a week of change. The hot portion of the week saw them in the ocean picking up some three-fluke limits for anglers Matt and Harry. As the weather changed and became windy and cooler, they altered course and headed to the bay. They fished the weekend days there.
Notable fluke pools (with weight in pounds) were caught by Paul Bodkin (3.9), Moe Farallo (3.5), Kevin Nelson (3.0), Nick Rothman (2.95) and Skip Leach (2.25). Skylar Gorberg took the final pool with a one-pound kingfish.
Checking in with Jim’s Bait and Tackle found Matt saying the fluke fishing at the Old Grounds “came on strong.” Additionally, he mentioned that “many of the boats who fished there came home with limits.” In other fluke news, the “reefs are still holding fish close to the structure, but it’s a pick.”
Sea bass can be caught at the Old Grounds as well as at Delaware Reef Site #11. Couple them with some of the fluke that are also there and you’ve put together a nice catch.
The canyons had a good bite of tuna “and there were quite a few white marlin caught.” Reports had “yellowfin and bluefin tuna showing up at Massey’s Canyon and the Hambone.” Some of the fish “were 50-inch-plus” and “were caught while chunking, trolling and jigging.”
Fluke and weakfish are “still around” the rocks at Cape May Point and are hitting during an early morning bite. Elsewhere, the surf had sharks and large stingrays for those wanting to practice catch-and-release fishing. Kingfish, which “are starting to show up in better numbers,” are hitting bloodworms and Fishbites.
The Cape May Lady has been running their two daily trips and has their patrons on the kingfish, with a flounder or weakfish scattered in here and there for good measure. Some of the pictures showed anglers catching anywhere from four to six fish. After filleting, my choice is to blacken the fillet in a cast iron pan and use it for fish tacos. They are the right size, you can catch a lot quickly and they’re good to eat.
The Stalker and Captain Skip have been doing well with flounder. On a trip after the wind lessened, he had a charter of six anglers that limited out with fish “to just around five to six pounds.” They had “tons and tons of action” with over 150 shorts.
The Fishin’ Fever chose to hit the “tuna grounds” on a calm Tuesday and were rewarded with a catch of 12, plus four nice mahi mahi. They have also mixed in successful flounder and tilefish trips.
The Full Ahead was out on a three-man charter mid-week and limited out. They had fish to 25 inches. The Full Ahead and the Fishin’ Fever are both docked at Utsch’s Marina, so check them out if you’re in the area.
Don’t forget that Off The Hook Bait and Tackle is hosting the 2018 Cape May Flounder Tournament this Saturday, starting at 6 a.m. and going till 6 p.m. The captain’s meeting is Friday at 7 p.m. Call the shop at (609) 884-0444 with any questions.
Cathy at Sterling Harbor Bait and Tackle starts with good reports of flounder in the back bays and also the reefs. She also mentions good tuna fishing at the canyons. All this action occurred before Friday when the northeast wind arrived and cut down the opportunities to fish the ocean.
The surf has sharks that are favoring mackerel or bunker baits. Some good advice is to use circle hooks, as these are a protected species that you will be releasing.
Looking for crabs in the back bays was a good activity on this windy weekend. Crabby Jack gave crabbing five claws on the strength of the weekend catch.
The Royal Flush is targeting kingfish, weakfish, snapper blues and flounder during their three daily trips. They are currently fishing out front. Notable catches offered variety as Frank Zalone (weakfish), Susan Moore (bluefish), Daniel Noey (kingfish) and Mary Post (flounder) made the list.
The Sailor’s Delight continues to pull in keeper fluke from different stretches of water behind the Wildwoods. Even the cooler, windy weather didn’t slow them down. During that time, they even caught some keeper weakfish. They also had their first encounter this season with the small, bait-stealing sea bass. As they said, “Now, no bait is safe.”
Grassy Sound Marina had some good action recently. Catches were highlighted by the crew of Anthony, Jeff, Billy, Shawn and Lucas who had three keepers, with the best going 24 inches and 4.8-pounds. Others on the list were 4-year-old Lila and 5-year-old Jayden who hooked into a 19.5-inch fluke with Pop Pop, Tom who outdid Janet in a good rivalry, Luke Martone with a 22-incher, and Sargent Tyler Thomas who was home on leave and landed a nice keeper near the North Wildwood bridge.
Other news: The Division of Fish and Wildlife will host a two-day Hooked on Fishing – Not on Drugs (HOFNOD) training session on July 28-29 at the Pequest Trout Hatchery & Natural Resource Education Center in Warren County. The workshop is for adult staff and volunteers of youth-centered organizations looking to offer a youth fishing program. The program is flexible and can be tailored to fit most organizations.
Registration is required and due by July 23. Visit the HOFNOD Team Leader Training announcement for more training information and registration information.
The Striped Bass Bonus Program (SBBP) will re-open Sept. 1, 2018. Applications for individuals and party/charter boats are currently being accepted. If you have any questions, please contact NJ Fish and Wildlife at www.njfishandwildlife.com.
Well, you have lots of options of fish to target, so get out and wet the line. Good luck and let me know how you do.
Submit your fishing news and photos to mrobbins@cmcherald.com.
