The Fishing Line May 11

Well, we get one thing but not the other. The fishing in this end of the Cape has started to pick up, but at the same time the late April weather was more like mid-March – cold and dreary. Hang out at a local baseball diamond and you’ll see everyone bundled up. Check out the fishing scene, and anglers are bundled there, too. With that in mind, unfortunately the April blackfish season has ended, but it was great while it lasted. The action was hot, while the conditions were cold, rainy and windy. Hopefully, the stripers and drum catches will increase and fill the coolers of the pursuing anglers. Now, get on board because we’re leaving the dock.
Captain Chuck on the Sea Star III gets us going. Before we get to his report though, we want to give him a positive shout-out for his recent actions. While on a recent blackfish trip, a call for assistance was made by the scallop boat, Last Stand. They had been involved in a collision with another boat. The boat was going down, the three man crew had gotten into their survival suits, and they had made it into the life raft. The Sea Star III stayed on site watching over the crew, until the U.S. Coast Guard arrived and pulled the crew aboard. Captain Chuck said that when the Last Stand started to roll over, it went down in less than one minute. It’s good to hear of the actions of Captain Chuck, as he unselfishly went and offered assistance to those in need. Good job, captain.
Concerning the fishing, the Sea Star III finished with another good showing on the blackfish scene. Some decent fish were brought over the rail, and that keeps the patrons happy. Now the focus will switch to stripers and drum.
The Miss Avalon did well on its final weekend, bringing in some fine fish on both Friday and Saturday.  On Saturday, the month long “TOGZILLA” contest ended with Charles Moody winning with a nice 6.9 pound blackfish. The fishing was “amazing,” and Charles had his limit by 10:30 a.m. The Miss Avalon will now focus on blues, weakfish and stripers starting May 7.
Captain Al Crudele from Bayhound Charters in Sea Isle City finished off his month with a picture of a cooler of blackfish. It was good to hear from him, and see evidence of his successful trip. Keep us informed of how you are doing, captain.
Also in the Sea Isle area, Cameron from Boulevard Bait and Tackle reports a lot of success for area anglers. Some nice blues, some to 10 pounds, have been brought in and recorded. To quote him from a recent report, it’s about being “at the right place at the right time.” As with any fish outing, you have to put your time in.
Checking for some striper action, we find Captain Skip aboard Stalker Fishing Charters. He experienced success for his charters of the weekend with a catch of fish to 32 pounds. On Monday, May 2, he again put his charter on the fish. A picture showed six anglers and at least seven fish. Everyone looked happy, and why not?
I saw a couple pictures of other keeper stripers taken from the local beaches. Some blues are also mixed in with them, so be ready for either species if you can head to your favorite beach soon.
Matt from Jim’s Bait and Tackle checks in with his first report of the 2016 season. It seems the bayside is the best area right now if your striper hunting. Baits, either bunker or clam, have worked, but very recently the fish have been chasing bait on the surface, so those who are plugging have also had success. Best bet? Throw bait with one rod but keep another set up with a plug at the ready.
If you want to get your boat out, Matt suggests staying in close to the beach, while being on the bayside. On the last Saturday of April, the bite had “picked up well” with Matt seeing some nice pictures of bass that came “over the side.”
Checking the drum report shows that some were caught through the past week, but when the water temperature dropped, so did the catch rate. It will be interesting to see how this stretch of foul weather affects this week’s action.
Matt closes with the same sentiment as a lot of us – “It’s a shame the tog season closed.” The blackfish that were caught on boats fishing the inshore wrecks weighed in at 15 pounds.
The Sailor’s Delight made a trip over the weekend probing the backwaters for any early season fish. They caught a nice size sand shark and a number of skates. Catch those critters now and fill your quota so when fluke season begins you won’t have to catch them, only fluke. Yeah, just wishful thinking as we know they’ll still be around.
The Star Light Fleet is scheduled to start their season with trips on May 7 and 8. This article will be after those dates so I’ll hopefully have some information on those trips for following articles. The weather will determine if these, and other boats trips, come off as planned. If you follow them on Facebook you can check out a couple of new series they have started. Sunday is “Sea Critter Sunday,” which looks at selected local sea life, and Wednesday is “What We Do Wednesday,” which looks at different topics of marine interest. This first week saw the horseshoe crab featured on Sunday, with a Wednesday follow-up looking deeper into activities of interest concerning the spawning habits, areas to view the crabs, and the best times based around the new and full moons in May and June. Check them out to see what else they have to offer.
A reminder that our local boats are changing their focus on species being targeted. Stripers and drum will dominate for a while, but sea bass opens on May 23, so that will also be an option at that time. Also, on open dates between charters, some boats will run tile trips, with weather also figuring into that equation. If you have a date in mind, don’t forget to call your favorite captain and book it, as their schedules are filling up fast.
We finish up with notice of the 12th Annual Middle Township Drum Fish Tournament. The Mayor’s Cup will be up for grabs on May 20, 21 and 22. There are brochures around town, or contact Suzanne Stocker at (609) 465-8722, or on her cell at (609) 408-9170. Total payout is estimated to be $1,500 and is based on the participation of 15 boats. Prize amounts could increase or decrease accordingly. A captains’ meeting will be held May 19 at Menz Restaurant, starting at 6 p.m.  
Get to some water near you, and I hope to see you out and about.
Submit your fishing news and photos to mrobbins@cmcherald.com.