What a change. Literally, one day it’s warm and humid, basically summer in October, and the next it’s cool and comfortable, with very enjoyable hoodie weather. There are still summer-type fish around as some catches reported, but the big question now is, will this cool snap usher in the much anticipated run of fall fishing? Most are hoping for the increased presence of striped bass, around now but not in great numbers. Only time will tell if that desire will be answered. Let’s check out what did happen during the week when both deep summer heat and late fall coolness were experienced.
The Miss Avalon has been doing well with their early fall fishing. Their fares have been kept busy bringing in many 10-fish limits of sea bass. Triggerfish, porgies, blowfish and bluefish have added to the fun that everyone is having. The crew of the Miss Avalon will be sailing for the species, plus others, on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Fishing has been described as “great” with many “limits” occurring. Call ahead at (609) 967-7455 to confirm the trip.
Grassy Sound Marina noted a good day of fishing for Bill and Mike. They fished off of Avalon and “caught lots of weakies, blues and bonito.” The highlight of the day was the 20-inch speckled trout caught by Mike. They also hosted a fall crabbing outing from the pier that was a 14th birthday celebration for Ryan from Harrington Park, N.J.
Captain Mike reported in from the Miss Chris. They are now running on a weekend schedule, leaving the dock on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The weather will determine if they head to the Cape May Point area, or out to the reefs to chase sea bass and triggerfish. On Saturday, they sailed to the reefs and were rewarded with their sought-after quarry. Laura from Philadelphia was the pool-winner with a tasty triggerfish. Carmen Rizzo took second place with a “nice” porgy.
Captain Chuck described the opening day of sea bass season, plus the remainder of that week, as “very good.” They had “steady action” with keepers on every trip. That included “a mixed bag of fish” consisting of sea bass, triggerfish, blowfish, porgies and bluefish. Another nice aspect to the week was that they were not shut down by the remnants of Hurricane Michael. Sunday proved to be a good day, prompting Chuck to say that he “hopes this keeps up for a while.” So do I, Captain. The Sea Star III will sail daily at 9 a.m.
The pool-winners with triggerfish and pounds in parenthesis were George Schoell (4.25), Marie Doll (4.10), George Dailey (3.75) and Michael DeSanto (3.25). Frank Servocky won with a 2-pound sea bass.
The Cape Queen is now booking trips out to the wrecks to target sea bass. They will also be running 14-hour “Deep Drop” sea bass trips starting in mid-November and running through the end of the year. They’re also waiting for striped bass to arrive, so that is another fish to consider if you’re wanting to plan a trip. You can book a full charter or you can get on their on-call list for open boat trips. If someone cancels, you may be getting the call if you’re on the list. If you’re interested, make sure you call (609) 884-0001 or email queencharters@aol.com.
The Hooked Up II had a nice Sunday when they targeted tilefish. They were able to put together “an excellent catch” as they caught golden and blueline tile. They also were trying for mahi-mahi in the Wilmington Canyon, but “the bite was not as fast and furious” as the last time they were there. They planned to troll for tuna, but the action was just not happening. They plan to continue to fish for tilefish, mahi and, if they show up, tuna. They will also be running striper trips, so call (609) 425-1970 to get your charter set up.
So you don’t run to Cape May out of habit, please be advised that starting Nov. 1, The Hooked Up II will be docked at the Golden Nugget in Atlantic City. This will allow them to be closer to the where the “great striper bite” has been located the last few years.
Captain Tom on the Fishin’ Fever had a nice stretch recently. A Sunday trip saw mahi, blueline and golden tile, rose fish and hake come over the rail. “Bird” took the honors with a 35-pound golden tile. The following day they had a boat limit of sea bass with triggerfish and bluefish mixed in. Tuesday saw an early limit of sea bass where “no measuring” was needed. The last trip had them getting a “quick limit” of mahi, while they went zero for two on swordfish. The “consolation prize” of the trip went to Frank who caught a 160-pound bigeye tuna.
Don’t forget that this Saturday is the day that the Ocean City Fishing Club is holding the 50th Invitational Surf Fishing Tournament. Six-member teams can register for $80 or individuals can register for $15. Registration runs from 5:30 to 7 a.m. at the Ocean City Intermediate School which is located at 18th and Bay Avenue. For information, contact either Bobby Dever at (267) 251-2306 or bdever65@comcastt.net, or Mike Collins at (215) 595-7261 or hkmike3@gmail.com.
Here’s one last reminder that your application to the Striped Bass Bonus Program is due by Oct. 31. The permit will allow you to possess an additional striped bass that measures 24 inches to less than 28 inches. This is in addition to the other two fish you can keep. The order the fish are caught in does not matter.
Take care, try to get some fishing in and let me know how you do. I’ll see you around.
Submit your fishing news and photos to mrobbins@cmcherald.com.
