Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of the summer season so plan on getting out fishing on these beautiful days of June, before the crowds arrive.
Head over to Grassy Sound Marina and Pier where fishing remains strong. Joe Pryor, Southampton, Pa. caught a 19 inch flounder in Turtle Creek, incoming tide using a chartreuse bucktail with mackerel and Anthony Califano, Springfield, Pa. caught a 19 incher at the top of the tide on bucktail and squid in Turtle Creek. He also had 14 shorts.
John Maguire, Blue Bell, Pa. caught four blues and one keeper flounder on minnows and squid. He was fishing the outgoing tide in Turtle Creek . Denny Jacobs, Mechanicsburg, Pa. on the Hook, Line & Drinker caught three keeper flounder to 22inches fishing the back of Turtle Creek in terribly windy conditions and managed three blues, too. Denny was using a pink twister tail andminnows.
Besides flounder, kingfish and blues are being caught off the pier on mackerel during incoming tide and Jim Amenhauser, Green Creek, has been catching stripers off the beach in Cape May on clams. Top of the tide is producing well. Jim’s largest measured 40 inches.
Sterling Harbor reports the hot bite is on local beaches with large striped bass and black drum being caught. Clam is the bait of choice, although some of the stripers were taken on plugs.
In the back bays, flounder are being caught. Thomas DiBernardo of Havertown, Pa., weighed in a 4-pound 12-ounce summer flounder caught in the back bays of Strathmere. Kevin Matthews of Richboro, Pa. had a 24 inch flounder caught on a Tap Dancer lure tipped with mackerel.
Schoolie stripers are in the back bays mainly in the early morning or at night and a few nice weakfish have been caught around the Inlets. Rocco Christinzio of Gloucester City, weighed in a 6-pound weakfish that measured 25.5 inches. The fish was caught on a Jighead tipped with a Gulp! Jerkshad.
In the Delaware Bay, drum fishing is good and fish are being caught on both sides of the Bay now near Slaughter Beach and Tussey Slough. Incoming tide seemed to produce more bites.
Captain Frank W. Breakell, Brynnie-B Inshore Fishing, did a back bay trip with Rich Selover of Eldora. They fished a few sod banks and smaller bridges and had some bass explode on top water lures along the sods. Rich landed a nice shorty he enticed out from under a dock; kissed and released. They also found a hungry school of 1-2 pound blues willing to destroy anything you threw at them.
Captain saw a lot of Atlantic Herring popping in a variety of areas but the highlight had to be a keeper sized bass streaking across a sandy flat, back out of the water, chasing baitfish.
Rich and his daughters Chloe and Charlotte, as well as the Captain Dan’s daughters Brynn and Chloe had a Daddy-Daughter day on the beach in Cape May. They arrived to catch the last of the outgoing tide and first 3-4 hours of the incoming. Heavy NE wind and screaming current didn’t help things, but they persevered. Rich got the first fish after a great battle that took Rich down the beach a-ways. When he finally got her into the wash, Captain Frank was able to grab Rich’s first ever keeper bass from the surf, 42 inches and 28-pounds. Fish was released.
Ready to call it quits, they started putting things away when a lady on the beach yells “Hey! There’s something wrong with your rod!” The rod was bent in half screaming out line. Captain’s daughter Brynn took over and was dragged down the beach. She got it, her personal best from the beach, a 36 incher. Another one kissed and released.
Insomniac Guide Service run by Captain Dan Schafer left the dock early morning with Dave and Bob on the flats skiff and found fish at nearly every stop. They found bass in clear open water flats, coves, basins. They used Sebile Magic Swiimers exclusively. A long cast and an aggressive retrieve took the fish from tracking to striking.
Captain reports some vicious strikes and great runs, with the fish sitting very predictably and extremely aggressive. The action lasted pretty much the entire trip. Captain says there is a large body of fish in the back water now and will continue as resident fish.
If anyone has a change of plans, sudden free time, give Captain Dan a shout. He’s on the water almost everyday and if you’d like to get out, he just might be able to oblige.
Captain Joe Schmedley, South Jersey Marina, is now running a 26 foot Wahoo, looking to take two to four passengers fishing in the Delaware Bay. (www.schmedleysportsfishing.com) You will also find another addition at South Jersey Marina called, “A Tiny Cruise Line,” a harbor cruise and water shuttle. Hop on over to a neighboring restaurant, hop off, and they’ll pick you up later. Great rates, www.tinycruiseline.com
Calendar: Greater Atlantic Bluefish Tournament, June 2, Atlantic City, EHT, Tuckerton. Details at www.GABT.com
Also on June 2, Take Vets Fishing Day, NJ Beach Buggy Assoc., Stone Harbor. Go to www.njbba.org for information
Send your reports and pictures to cmiller@cmcherald.com. All pictures submitted are posted online at www.capemaycountyherald.com.
North Cape May – Another shout out to Officer Bohn, the school resource officer at LCMR. I admire his hard work and devotion to the students and staff as I see him every morning and afternoon, snow, wind , sleet or…
