July is nearly over and then the busy days of August are upon us. It always seems to be more hectic in August. I’m not sure why.
Please note: Tautog are legal again from July 27 to Aug. 31, limit one fish. And, yes, there is a limit on crabs. They must measure 4.5 inches and no more than one bushel.
The Brynnie B fished with the Heiman’s (Bob, Marie, Alex, David, and Andrew) and Captain Frank’s daughter, Chloe on the Heiman’s boat. They fished an inshore wreck using clam and squid on a line of Brown Dog Bomb Rigs. They hammered triggerfish. Triggers are great fighters on light tackle and make for delicious table fare. They had a hard time convincing the kids they had to head for home.
The Heiman’s hired Captain Frank again for a surf fishing trip from the beach in Ocean City. Using bloodworms on those Brown Dog Bomb Rigs, they had a great day catching kingfish, spot, and small doggies. Captain Frank took a few other trips around the back bays at night and found small stripers, weakies, and flounder.
Over at Frank’s Boats the flounder action is still good but landing a keeper is the challenge and you have to be in the right spot at the right time. At least one keeper flounder was brought in everyday ranging to 22 inches. The best bait continues to be minnows with a strip of squid above the minnow to their attention.
Crabbing is the most family fun right now with the crabs keeping the kids pulling up the hand lines as quickly as mom or dad can get the crabs out of the net. The sizes are still on the small side, 4.5-5 inches but an occasional 5.5 incher can be had. As they shed and grow there should be plenty of big crabs as the season progresses.
The Sixth Annual Flounder Grassy Sound Marina Tournament Results: First Place Heaviest Flounder, Gary Errickson, Dennisville, 4.7 pounds; second place, Bob Lutz, Williamstown, 4.5 pound; third place, Tim Fehr, Philadelphia, 4.46 pounds; Three Heaviest Combined, Mike Dougherty, West Wildwood, 8.1pounds. Women’s Division, Janet McCullough, Southampton, Pa., 3.7 pound; Children’s Division, Jack Lynch, Steelmantown, 2.7 pounds
Bridge Division: First Place, Bill Kinsley Award, Marie Nickerson, Wildwood Crest ; second place Bob Steinmetz aka BobKat, West Wildwood. The winning flounder was caught on Pearl White Gulp near the Stone Harbor spoils site.
Don Raggs, Philadelphia caught 6 kingfish on clam during incoming tide off the Grassy Sound Pier and Alfredo Candeloro, Philadelphia, caught a nice blue fish and 2 sea bass off the pier was using minnows during outgoing tide.
Nineteenth Annual Duke of Fluke Tournament Results with 123 boats and 35 kayakers registered: Single Heaviest Fluke: First Place, Capt. Scott Pierce, Tuna Chick, 8.11 pound; second and third tie, Capt. Rob Kurian, Sea Esta and Capt. Mike Mulholland, Deptford Mike, 7.67 pounds.
Five Heaviest Fluke: Capt. Skip Jastremski, Stalker II, 33.30 pounds; Capt. Adam Crouthamel, Adam Bomb, 30.32 pounds; Capt. Roy Lucadema, Predator, 27.75 pounds.
Duchess Award: Ashley Lucadema, 7.67 pounder; Junior Angler Award: Josh Edgar, 4.33 pounds. Flounder
Kayak Division: First Place, David Hirsch, 2.94 pounds; second place, Dalton Campbell, 2.24 pounds, third place, Gerald Devlin Jr., 1.91 pounds.
Heaviest Sea Bass: Greg DeFelice, Rain Man, 3.69 pounds and Heaviest Bluefish: Bruce Fish, Gone Fishin’, 1.58 pounds.
Congratulations to the winners in both tournaments.
NEWS: The NJDEP announced the deployment of a 47-foot sculpture of a horseshoe crab will occur on July 25 on the Axel Carlson Reef as part of the Division’s Artificial Reef Program. The sculpture, created by scuba instructor and marine biologist Chris Wojcik, will provide habitat for more than 150 species of marine life, a fishing ground for anglers and a unique area for scuba divers to explore.
Commercial fishers who have gear in this area must move it or risk having it destroyed. The target date for deployment is subject to weather and sea conditions. www.njfishandwildlife.com/news/2012/reefsculpturedeploy.htm on the division’s website.
Send your fishing reports and pictures to cmiller@cmcherald.com. There are terrific pictures coming in but not room in print for all of them. All pictures submitted are posted online at www.capemaycountyherald.com.
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