Well, now it’s official. Add flounder to the list of legal fish that anglers can keep. With that fact in mind, many anglers made their way to their favorite flat-fish spots to go after, what is, a favorite summer target. While that was occurring, drum fish, striped bass, sea bass, blue fish and even weakfish were scooped up in nets and brought aboard many of the boats fishing in our area. Some were also caught from the local beachfronts. Lots were involved, so let’s meet some of them.
The biggest local flounder, one that weighed 7.3 pounds and was 27 inches long, was reported by Grassy Sound Marina. Mike Weichman was the angler and he caught his fish on a Gulp Shrimp. It won the Opening Day contest for non-slip holders. Christina Robinson caught a 4.7-pound flounder. They were just a few of the “ton” of flounder that came in according to Debbie Mooers at the marina. On Sunday, while the expected bad weather hadn’t yet arrived, a 22.5-inch flounder was caught by Mike Blaskovich from a rental boat.
The Sailor’s Delight Back Bay Fishing Boat got out for some flounder fishing over the weekend, and they too had their patrons putting fluke in the cooler. They even caught some bluefish which provided a different kind of fight for those lucky anglers. Their biggest fluke of the first weekend was a 23-inch, 3-pound, 10-ounce specimen. They were also out after the long weekend ended and continued to bring fish over the rail. That Tuesday trip saw Margie and Captain Andrew score keeper fluke on an off day.
Cathy from Sterling Harbor reports nice flounder catches for the opening weekend with the back bay “producing best.” Mark Romalino caught a 3-pound, 15-ounce flounder while fishing from his kayak. Some flounder were reported at the reefs, along with some sea bass that were also found at the offshore wrecks.
Drum fishing “remains good in the Delaware Bay” in the North Cape May area where some stripers are also mixed in. Slaughter Beach on the Delaware Side was another good area. Tommy Ciocco had a 52 pounder while Luca Mazzille caught a 37 pounder.
Stripers are reported from the Ferry Jetty to the North Cape May beaches, and on the ocean side from the Cape May and North Wildwood beaches.
Crabbing was slow this week, as Crabby Jack awarded only three claws. He looks “for crabbing to improve after this week’s full moon.”
Cape Queen Sportfishing Charters had the charters over the weekend that were targeting drum fish. The Friday evening party of Frank Scalzitti and the Saturday outing for the Lahr family from Elmer were both successful. The Lahr’s had fish ranging from 30 to 50 pounds.
Another busy boat was the Sea Star III. They’ve been catching drum fish, sea bass, flounder and weakfish. If you’re a fish, they’ll chase you. And they’ll catch you. The drum fish were being caught during late afternoon into evening trips, while the others were caught during the day after the decision was made on what to pursue. The first keeper flounder, which also won a pool, went to Moe Farallo. A 2.35-pound sea bass helped Dustin Schreffler win his pool, while 60- and 62-pound drum fish, respectively, won pools for Frank Servocky, Gary Agness and Dan Santoro.
The word out of Jim’s Bait and Tackle is that drum fishing “continues to be pretty good,” but the fish and the action have moved into deeper water. The Bayshore Channel is still providing fish “but a good bite has come on at Tussy’s Slough.”
The opening day of flounder season was “ok” for those in the back waters. The rough ocean kept those going to the reefs to a minimum, and the reports from that area mirrored that.
Sea bass fishing “held up pretty well on the 20 Fathom Line.” There were many throwback fish, “but putting together a catch hasn’t been a problem.”
Striped bass catches slowed as the weekend arrived, but some nice fish were landed by those who chose to throw bait.
Jim’s got their first report of a nice mako. It was caught by a boat out of Ocean City, Md. and it was in the 290-pound range. Due to changes in the laws on pelagic shark fishing, and for those wanting to get an HMS permit, Jim’s recommends anglers visit the NOAA site to check on the changes.
Tide Runner Charters was happy, as the weather allowed them to get in all their scheduled charters. The ocean, inlet and back bay flats didn’t give up their fish easily, and Captain Ray “had to work hard” but catches followed. Some bluefish, schoolie stripers and a nice 25-inch weakfish (that was released) were caught. The weakfish hit a freshwater deep-diving lure that resembled a baby bunker.
The Full Ahead got out over the holiday and caught their share of drum fish. One angler, Julia, was able to take “drum off her bucket list.” She fished with her dad and Captain Bob.
The Fishin’ Fever also got out and went for sea bass on Friday and drum during the rest of the weekend. They succeeded at both, as the cooler full of sea bass and the drum fish to 70 pounds proved.
The Miss Avalon got out prior to and over the weekend, and cleaned up on sea bass. A lot of stringers had multiple fish on them, so obviously the anglers holding them were happy. Many fish equate to happy anglers.
The Avalon Lady hit the back bays and was rewarded with plenty of flounder actions during their weekend excursions. The highlights were fluke to 25 inches long and weighing 4.2 pounds, and a “nice 16-inch weakfish.” The back bay is hot.
Avalon Hodge Podge was busy, as some nice fish were brought in. Ed Twiggs caught five large weakfish and brought in the largest. It was 27 inches and 7.57 pounds. Another nice weakfish, a 3.5 pounder, was caught by Steve. The first official weigh-in of a summer flounder went to Len Warren who weighed in a 3.92-pound, 21.5- inch fish. Bob Scully weighed in a 4-pound, 23-inch flounder. Manny was different and brought in a 15.5-pound, 36.5-inch striper. Finally, Bob Powell checked in to report his two 45-inch black drum fish that he caught on clam while in the Delaware Bay.
Boulevard Bait and Tackle continues to buzz due to the action in the Sea Isle area. They weighed in a 51-inch, 43.6-pound striper for Steve Lieb. The next day they topped that when Kevin McShea walked in with a 52-inch, 50.8-pound striper of his own. Both fish were spawned out. An 18 pounder went to Mike on Tuesday evening, while Jack came in with a 40-inch, 22-pound fish. Cameron, the owner, had his uncle out, and he hit the daily-double with a 38.5-inch striper and a drum fish estimated to be between 30 to 40 pounds. Just for a little variety, Seth caught and weighed in a 25.75-inch, 6.31-pound flounder. As you can see, there is lots of fish and lots of action. Get involved.
I saw a friend’s video from his recent drum fish trip. An employee of his, Aquiles, grew up using a hand-line. Well, he decided to fish in a manner familiar to him. He put 60-pound test monofilament on a block of wood, cut a slot for his fingers to grip it, tied on a hook, added some clam and threw it over. Low and behold, you guessed it, he hooked up. The video showed a spirited, tough fight, as the angler had to absorb all the fight. Remember, there is no drag on his board. After fighting the fish for about eight to 10 minutes, he landed a 45-pound drum fish. The friend’s son, Tyler, also caught a drum of similar weight. For the evening, a total of five fish were caught using the handline. Four were released, while one went home for the dinner table. This looks like an interesting way to fish and may present a challenge for others to try.
Special thanks to Maureen Wagner for sending in pictures of her nephew Edward Wolk and his first flounder of the season, and her son Ryan with two drum fish he caught recently while fishing on “The Cool Beans” with Captain Don Wagner.
The Strathmere Fishing and Environmental Club is having a Women’s Fishing Tournament. The date and time is Saturday, June 16 from 6 a.m. till 3:30 p.m. Women of all ages are welcome. Call Jan Hollinger at (609) 846-4162 with any questions or register at Whale Creek Marina. Fee is $10.
It was a busy week as you can see, and only figures to get busier. That is if the weather allows. Good luck if you get out, and I’ll see you around.
Submit your fishing news and photos to mrobbins@cmcherald.com.
