The Fishing Line June 1

Well, the first weekend of the 2016 Summer Flounder Season came in as the weather people predicted. It was rainy and windy, but that really kicked in later in the morning. It was cool in the early part of Saturday, but still very fishable. A good amount of boats were out, and a friend who got out told me the channel was jammed as boats continuously jockeyed for position in the strong current. Drifts were too fast, the crowded conditions made it difficult, moves to find less crowded areas were frequent and the catch rate was down. My friend and two others caught five flounder, with two being legal. Other keepers were caught also, but not as many as one may have thought. Better conditions will hopefully arrive, and with that successful catch reports will increase. Other fish, stripers, blue fish and drum were reported, so let’s check everything out.
Captain Fred from Utsch’s in Cape May will lead us off. The early part of last week saw a slowdown in the drum fish bite. Most boats returned to their slips with one, maybe two, or worse – none. By Thursday though, the bite turned around. Captain Bob Cope on the Full Ahead docked with seven drum. Hopefully, the weather systems won’t turn them off again.
Stripers were favorable from the Ferry jetty to far up in the bay. A 38 pound striper was caught by the friend of a local radio show just north of the jetty. More reports should follow through the next few days as Fred mentioned that a number of boats plan on going out Friday.
Don’t forget the Boardwalk Sale at Utsch’s on Saturday, May 28. New and used items will be available at the Ship’s Store and the Bait and Tackle/Firearms Store. Rod and reel combos will be on sale, Islander Lures will be featured at a reduced price and free hot dogs will be available for everyone.
Grassy Sound Marina checked in with the results of their opening weekend flounder tournament. Two $100 gas certificates were given as prizes, one to a slip holder and the other to a non-slip holder. The slip winner was Tim Moore of Rio Grande with a 5 pounder, while the non-slip winner was Paul Wilson of Collegeville, Pa. with a 5 pound, 12 ounce fluke.
Opening day provided a low return on fish, but the fish that crossed the scales were quality, as in “the 5 pounders were the norm.” Also caught during the weekend were a “good number” of 10+ pound blue fish. A 10 pound, 12 ounce fish went to Shawn Pester of Philadelphia, and an 8 pounder was caught by Ed Hughes of Mullica Hill.
The Pier produced an 18 inch flounder for Bill Nolde of Wildwood, and a 9 pound, 3 ounce blue, amongst four or five, for Mike Kiska of Cheltenham, Pa.
The 10th Annual Flounder Tournament will occur Saturday, June 25. Call Jim and Debbie for details.
The Sea Star III reports that the drum fish bite is heating up. A picture of a “deck load of drum” accompanied this report. Also mentioned were a 38 pounder for Harry Brown (Seaville), a 62 pounder for Don Rickards (Wenonah) and a 75 pounder for John Dayton (Cape May Court House).
Trips for fluke or sea bass sail daily at 9 a.m., and drum trips are on Wednesday and Saturday nights from 4 to 10 p.m.
Captain Ray on the Tide Runner starts by saying the warmer water (high 50s) is good for fly fishing. They caught stripers (all shorts), fluke, blue fish, sea herring and the first weakfish of the season. All the catches came from the ocean, and while there they were “treated” to witnessing a couple of whales and a bald eagle that was hunting along the beach. Fishing, plus the other wildlife, is the recipe for some great trips.
Matt from Jim’s Bait and Tackle told of some drum fishing where neighboring boats had varying results. Some were catching fish while others couldn’t connect. He also added that this isn’t unusual when the drum are spawning, it doesn’t last long and the bite should develop quickly. The fish are on the fish finder and can be heard, so they are around. Ryan Hearon (Dennisville) caught a 71 pound, 1 ounce drum on Saturday from the Jersey side.
Striper fishing is still good, especially in the shallow areas where the bunker have schooled. Jeanette Rich (Goshen) weighed in a 47.25 pounder on Saturday. Bass from the beach is still good with bunker the best bait, but clam will also give you a shot at a drum. So, you choose what you’d like.
Flounder was slow in the Cape May area, while most action occurred between North Wildwood, Stone Harbor and Avalon.
Jim’s will hold their annual Shark Tournament on June 3 and 4. It will be the captain’s choice on which day to fish. Call the shop for more details.
Cameron from Boulevard Bait and Tackle has had a lot of action lately as news of many blues, stripers and some opening day fluke came across the wire. One angler, Matt, had a 12 pound blue and a 30 inch striper on the same morning, while another named Bob had three keepers over the course of three days. Rick did well with a blue and a striper.
Other reports had Alexis Condo catching a 48 inch striper while aboard the Adam Bomb, Keira, age 3 and sister Brynn, age 4 with three keeper flounder from the opening weekend behind Sea Isle, Captain Skip from Stalker Fishing Charters catching some big blues from his skiff down in the Cape May area, and Mark Elliott, a new contributor (welcome aboard), on the Gone Fishin’ IV who did well this past weekend with Delaware Bay stripers and drum fish.
With the upcoming holiday weekend, I am wrapping the report up a day early. Good and safe fishing to you this holiday weekend if you get out. Keep sending me your reports and pictures for our reports. Remember, since space is limited in the paper, I try to get all the pictures on Mark’s Fishing Line on Facebook. As many as possible make the paper, so check each place to see who caught what. See you around, and keep in touch.