The Fishing Line: National Fishing and Boating Week

This is National Fishing and Boating Week, and there could not be a better time to celebrate two of our favorite activities here in Cape May County.
The black drum fish season continues to produce a good variety of keepers. The average size ranging between 45 and 75-pounds. According to South Jersey Marina charter boat captains, the bite has been good at all hours of the day and night and promises to go on into most of June.
The four-hour party boat Fiesta departs daily at 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. to bottom fish for sea bass and flounder and the Porgy IV (8-hour boat) sails at 8 a.m. every day and going further offshore on wrecks for sea bass.
Call 884-3800 and ask for the South Jersey MarinaCharter Coordinator.
The Atlantic Star, Wildwood Crest, reported a couple of tough days for deep water fishing, with a westerly wind at 15 and strong current out of the NE. Captain reports a fast end drift all day, that was tough on tangles. They still managed 25 tile fish, one barrel fish, a few wreck fish and some rose fish. Young Min Chang, Ellicott City, Md, had a 50-pound golden tile, to win the pool.
Captain Ray on Tide Runner had another excellent week of fishing. He found fluke in the back on herring strips and gulp baits and caught stripers chumming with clam bellies and clam for bait.
Fly fishing was excellent with the best action along the inlet jetties where stripers were caught on clousers and deceiver flies using sinking line; best action on the evening tides into the dark. He also had some bluefish with a couple around 4-pounds.
For light fly rod action Atlantic Sea herring were all over and taking small flies that had some flash in them. One morning he had over 30 with one other angler.
Ray is still looking for tide runner weakfish, which should happen any day.
Bill (Bucktail Willie) Shillingford, Whale Creek Marina had a good week on summer flounder, and he saw small schools of blue fish roaming around.
Tri-State Anglers held an Opening Day Flounder Tournament with first place: Dan Konczyk, 3.2-pounds; second place: Bucktail Willie, 2.76-pounds; and third place: Tuckahoe Tony DeLanzo, 2.72-pounds.
Anyone interested in joining Tri-State Anglers should call Bill at 609-624-7637. More tournaments are scheduled
Another great week of fishing in the Grassy Sound area: flounder, more flounder, stripers and blues. It was a first flounder for Morgan Novitski, Conshohocken, Pa., 9-years-old and 7-year-old Jay Arbuckel, Malaga, had a 21 inch flounder using mackerel at incoming tide on the fishing pier.
Steve Crane, Eagleville, Pa. caught six stripers to 29 inches and one puppy drum on clam near Stone Harbor toll bridge.
Scott Reef, Dennisville, caught seven flounder with three keepers near the sticks behind N. Wildwood during incoming tide on minnows.
Sterling Harbor Marina reports excellent drum fishing in the bay. Look for fish in the Pin Top and Tussey Slough areas. Back Bay flounder fishing is as good as it gets, with many double digit catches; a throwback to keeper ratio about 5:1.
Deptford Mike Mulholland reported a 6 1/2 pound fluke measuring 26 inches and Charlie Labar of Philadelphia, splashed his new Hobie Pro Angler Kayak, custom rigged by Sterling Harbor, and christened the boat with five flounder caught on a minnow and squid combo.
The DEP is recommending that you eat no more than one meal every other month (six meals per year) of bluefish larger than 24 inches.
Bluefish contain PCBs at levels that may pose a risk; the same concern exists for striped bass.
For bluefish smaller than 24 inches and for striped bass, they recommend no more than one meal per month (12 meals a year).
Aggressive cleanup efforts and improved disposal practices have reduced PCB contamination, and a decline in levels in fish is anticipated. In the meantime, you are encouraged to enjoy more meals of other species, such as flounder, weakfish and trout. (FishSmartEatSmartNJ.org.)
All photos submitted are posted to SeeMyBigFish.com and will appear in print as space is available. Send your fish stories to cmiller@cmcherald.com. This column appears first online at capemaycountyherald.com