We start this column on a sad note. One of our local fishermen, Fred Klug, who many know from fishing and their visits to Utsch’s Marina, passed away. Fred was always helpful to everyone, and especially to me when I started writing this weekly column. He would shoot me a report, update me on big catches and put me in touch with others around the area who could assist me in completing each column. Thanks for all your help, Fred. You’ll be missed by me and by many others. Condolences to your family. Rest easy Fred, and calm seas to you.
Matt at Jim’s Bait and Tackle kicks us off with word of a good tuna bite this week. The inshore lumps had bluefin, while the canyons had bigeye and yellowfin. The crew of the “Common Sense” had two “dressed” bigeye of 89 and 113 pounds. The “High Life” caught two bluefin while trolling the Hot Dog.
Good shark fishing continues on the 20 Fathom Line. Three makos were weighed this week, including a 305 pounder caught by Dave Borden from John Chadrows boat, the “Seaveyor.”
Fluke are at the Old Grounds and are “localized on structure.” “Short drifts, or holding on the structure and jigging,” work best. The deeper water on the south side of the Cape May Reef seems best, as the reef is starting to give up fish.
The early morning surf, plus the rock piles at the Point, are good for weakfish, plus some fluke were also being caught around the rocks.
The catch-and-release brown and sand tiger shark fishery is commencing. Circle hooks are recommended for this challenging activity.
The Miss Chris with Captain Mike is running its summer schedule with four-hour trips starting at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. A recent pool winner was “Joe” from Mays Landing with a 20-inch fluke, while his daughter caught a 17-inch “Delaware Bay fluke” on Father’s Day.
The Sea Star III had a good week with sea bass and fluke. Captain Chuck said the big fluke of the week was a 7.36 pounder caught by Frank Servocky. Frank, plus Jean Wallace, caught 3.5 pounders, and a 4.25 pound fluke was caught by Mike DelPurgatorio. A two-pound weakfish came aboard with help from angler Rich Joseph.
Captain Ray led Tide Runner Charters to a good week of fishing. Stripers, bluefish, fluke and weakfish were hitting for both the fly and light-tackle anglers. The stripers were “migrating” north and were of good size. The weakfish were in the 15- to 16-inch range, and the shallow flats in the back were the most active areas. The productive times were the pre-dawn and the time around dusk.
The Royal Flush is running four-hour trips starting at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m., in addition to a Saturday night excursion. They are fishing out front, and have brought in a lot of sea bass and weakfish over the past week.
Cathy at Sterling Harbor Bait and Tackle starts by mentioning that Reef Site 11 and the Cape May Reef are the “hot” areas for fluke. Frank Hennigan and the crew of his boat “Avalanche” limited out on fluke to five pounds at Reef Site 11, while Matt Walsh and friends fished on his boat “Lucky Dog” at the Cape May Reef and returned with nine keeper fluke.
The back bays are still “producing” fluke, bluefish and “the occasional weakfish.” Three-year-old Molly Hennigan caught here first flounder, an 18.5 incher, while fishing with her dad. Jess DeJoseph caught her first keeper fluke while fishing on her paddleboard. Charles Breon had a limit of flounder, plus a nice weakfish, caught from his kayak, while Justin Fesler caught a six pounder also while fishing from his kayak.
Offshore, nice mako sharks are “outside of 20 fathoms” out to the canyons. Pete and Bobby DiLullo caught a 130-pound mako from their boat the “Three Pete.” Also, with the “prettiest blue water in years approaching our coast,” the first reports of good tuna fishing are coming in.
Crabby Jack gives crabbing five claws again this week and reports “some of the best crabbing we’ve had in years.”
Grassy Sound Marina reports fish are being caught from the back bays, the rental boats and the pier. Crabs and numerous flounders, including two keepers to 23 inches for Joe and Sue Hughes, plus three keepers and a bluefish for the Hollenbach Crew, kept everyone busy. The highlight of the week, though, went to Ashley Edwards who caught a 15-pound sheepshead on green crab. She caught it at the top of the outgoing tide.
The Sailor’s Delight was out on Father’s Day with a nice group. Flounder, crabs and even a small shark were caught. The action kept the people happy, and the dads aboard got to spend some quality time with their families.
The Avalon Lady continues to drift the back waters. Anglers have been bringing in plenty of flounder with some nice keepers mixed in, some nice sized bluefish and some good-eating blue crabs. The Avalon Lady is now fishing its summer schedule which includes two trips most days, except Tuesdays and Thursdays which have crabbing in the afternoon. Super Sunday is four hours of fishing for the price of three. Night fishing on Wednesday is available by reservation. Call (609) 967-7455 with any questions. This number is also good for the Miss Avalon.
The Miss Avalon has been picking up a good number of flounder, with some nice keepers among them. Fishermen are having a hard time keeping the sea bass off the hooks, and are returning all of them since their season ended. The Miss Avalon has two trips on Thursday and Friday, one on Saturday and a five-hour trip on Sunday.
Tammie from Avalon Hodge Podge reports an “excellent” week of fluke fishing. There were many weigh-ins, but the “largest” went to Fred Carbonara who caught a 26-inch, 6.37-pound flattie behind Townsends Inlet.
Kingfish are showing up in the surf and being caught on small top and bottom rigs tipped with bloodworm.
Stripers and bluefish are still active in the back bay. The striper bite is “better” at night.
Crabbing is “great” right now with many large Jimmies being caught at the public docks. Bunker and chicken are the best baits.
Boulevard Bait and Tackle continues to weigh in and report many nice flounder catches. A couple of note recently went to Reilly with a 21.75-inch fish, and Bonnie with a 23.25-inch, 4.23 pounder. Four anglers were fishing the inlet area and beached three keeper fluke and three big bluefish, and Tom, one of the anglers, caught a 72-inch butterfly ray. The word on the back waters is that there are a lot of short fish with some keepers mixed in.
Fin-Atics in Ocean City checked in with word of a nice double-digit flounder. It was caught in the surf by Ron Loguidice of Linwood, and weighed 10.6 pounds and was 30 inches long.
It was a busy week that should only get busier. Keep me informed if you experience fishing success.
Submit your fishing news and photos to mrobbins@cmcherald.com.
