The Fishing Line: Tuna and Tourneys

Tournament time. Great fishing and great weather. Are you ready?
Capt. Chuck, Sea Star III, had a successful week in the Bay. Recent pool winners were Al Severson, Hillsborough, John Chacosky, Media, Pa., Joann Pettit, Court House, all with 3-pound fluke; Jared Harshbarger, Somerset, Pa., 4-pounder; Trisha Closta, Boothwyn, Pa., also a 4-pounder; and Mark Phillips of Sewell, went home happy with a 3-pound keeper.
Sterling Harbor Marina reports flounder still in the back-bays, at the reefs, the Old Grounds, and in the Delaware Bay. Along the beachfront, things have slowed up, however kingfish are being caught from the North Wildwood and Wildwood Crest beaches while using Fishbites “Bag-O-Worms.”
Offshore, scattered tuna and dolphin are being caught from inside the 20 Fathom line all the way out to the Canyons. Some bluefin are reported at Massey’s Canyon and the 19 Fathom Lump while chunking, jigging, or trolling.
South Jersey Marina’s Mark Adams and his 6-man charter did not have to go too far to find themselves at a warm temperature break in a large school of Mahi-Mahi. They lost a few but brought back 10 to the dock . To make this report even better, for two consecutive days, Captain Mark and other charter customers re-visited that “hot spot” and had similar results. Dockmaster Charlie Langan says we are seeing unusual and favorable fishing conditions for this time of year. Call for reservations.
Captain Ray reports that the best fly fishing action was along the inlet rocks where he caught, stripers, bluefish, and weakfish. Clouser flies and larger deceiver flies in chartreuse worked on the stripers and blues with orange/yellow catching the weakfish. Even the weakfish of keeper size were released to help the low stocks.
Gulp on a jig head continues to produce fluke and a few weakfish with keeper size fluke still hard to come by. Ray is still finding stripers action in the back bay but you really have to work to find a few fishing top water Smack-it-Jr plugs work the best.
Grassy Sound Fishing Results from the Fifth Annual Flounder Tournament- Heaviest Flounder: 5.9-pounds, E.J. Pellecchia, Hatboro, Pa.; 4.14-pounds, Tim Fehr, Philadelphia; 3.95-pound, Rob Campbell, N. Wildwood. Three Heaviest Combined: 10.84-pound, Gary Linton, Stone Harbor. Kid’s Division : Nick Hertkorn, Cherry Hill, 2.65-pounds.
Fishing Pier Division: Ken Kang 18 ½” flounder, Savannah Kang took second place and third place-Bob Kat, West Wildwood. The Bill Kinsley Award went to Bob Kat, West Wildwood
First flounder for 8-year-old Benjamin Wojcik, Virginia Beach, Va. Who caught a 19-incher near the Grassy Sound Marina on Gulp. Kudos to Matt McGaffney, Cape May, with 3 keeper flounder to 20 ¼” at the top of the tide using minnows and Gulp.
Braden Zebley, Doylestown, Pa. caught a 21″ flounder on minnows at the top of the tide in Turtle Creek and 11-year-old Grant Cooke, Langhorne, Pa. caught an keeper flounder off the pier, Jim Flannery, North Wildwood, caught a 30 ¼-inch striper off the pier, at outgoing tide on mackerel.
Jersey Shore Classic: July 22 and 23, Avalon. Founded in 1997 to raise money for Breast Cancer research, fight Breast Cancer by “Fishing for a Cure.” The tournament attracts up to 100 boats and 400 fishers. It’s a great time for the whole family and the best BBQ in South Jersey. You can register at the captains’ meeting. For information on meetings, entry forms, and pictures of previous years go to www.jerseyshoreclassic.net.
July 23: South Jersey’ Carpenter’s Fluke Tournament, Absecon, 609-653-8995.
Send your fishing reports and pictures to cmiller@cmcherald.com. All pictures submitted, if they don’t make it in the print version, can be seen on the Herald’s Web site www.cmcherald.com, click on community, then fishing and boating.