The Fishing Line: Summer fishing better than ever

So good. So good. That’s how the fishing reports are. Everything from weakfish to whales. Welcome summer.
Capt. Chuck on the SEA STAR III, says that fluke catches are the best so far this summer. Captain also had luck on a night trip with drum to 40-pounds.
It was another good week for fly and plug anglers aboard Tide Runner. Stripers and bluefish provided the bulk of the action, with one charter catching 14 stripers on popping plugs in the back bay. Captain Ray had one trip last week where they caught five different species on flies on the same trip: Stripers, bluefish, fluke, sea herring and the first weakfish. Sinking lines and chartreuse deceivers and clousers produced best.
The back bay provided good action for stripers and bluefish with intermediate lines working best in the shallow water and for spin anglers. Smack-it-Jr popping plugs really provided explosive top water strikes as stripers and blues would pound them. Ray found the better size bluefish in the back ranging from 18 to 22 inches along with sea herring that were taking teaser flies in front of plugs.
Grassy Sound Fishing Pier has had a steady catch of flounder, short stripers and blues. Kings have been caught in the surf and lots of bluefish in Hereford Inlet. Tom Hunt, Grassy Sound, caught a 6.6-pound flounder just south of the N. Wildwood bridge on minnows and a white bucktail, incoming tide. Mark Keever, Reading, Pa. was fishing the surf at 111th Street in Stone Harbor and caught six kingfish with fake bloodworms (Fishbites) and clam, outgoing tide.
From Sterling Harbor, we’re hearing that flounder fishing kicked in this past week at the Old Grounds and Reef Site 11. Sea bass have been mixed in with fluke while fishing the Artificial Reefs and rough bottom at the Old Grounds.
Back Bay fluke fishing remains good with a few more keepers being caught and plenty of undersized throwbacks. Striper fishing quieted down as water temperatures rose to mid summer levels.
On the shark scene, mixed reports on whether the shark fishing was good or not. Many boats reported multiple hook ups and catches although the average size of the sharks was on the smaller side. The offshore tuna trolling bite was hot with many 20 to 50-pound yellowfin tuna caught.
Pier 88 Marina, Sea Isle City reports keeper flounders being caught, but action has slowed down a little and shorts are mixed in being caught in the back bay area of Sea Isle and Avalon. Fish are being caught during both tides but the out going seems to have more action. Several good sized kingfish have seen the fillet table and were caught on GULP bloodworms or fishbites. There are still some stripers being caught, mostly shorts, but night fishing in the lights with a FinS has produced a keeper here and there. Crabbing has picked up as well, a Pier 88 rental boat brought in 4 dozen with some size.
Grassy Sound Marina’s Fifth Annual Flounder Tournament will be Saturday, July 9. Back bay tournament from Cold Spring to Corson’s Inlet. Go to www.grassysoundmarina.com.
Send your reports and pictures to cmiller@cmcherald.com. All pictures submitted are posted online at www.capemaycountyherald.com.