The Fishing Line: Too Hot to Fish? No Way!

Too hot to fish??? NEVER. However, the higher temperatures are playing tricks on us. Good reports mixed with not-so good ones. Still, who can resist the urge to get out there and give it a try?
Charlie Langan at South Jersey Marina says the tuna bite is better now than most old timers can remember. Capt. John Sowerby and Hooked Up II took Carl Elliott and employees from Clean Earth of Delaware out and returned with 14 yellowfin tuna (heaviest 48.5-pounds), a few Mahi-mahi (heaviest 30-pounds) and many other catch and releases. H went back to the canyons and again had great success. In addition to enough yellowfin tuna for everyone, the charter groups released three white marlin by anglers that had never caught one before.
South Jersey Marina is having their annual Tuna Tournament starting today to 7-17. What a perfect time to enter with the quantities of fish available in our waters. If tourna-ments are not your thing, charter a boat and get out there to enjoy the thrill of catching these great fish.
Captain Ray was able to catch stripers on the fly this week, but the fish were few and far be-tween. Fishing was very tough even with ideal tides and weather. Maybe the extreme warm water is affecting the fish. Ster-oid Gurgler flies worked in the back bay shallows for exciting surface action and olive/white clousers worked along the inlet rocks. All the fish caught this week were too small to keep and released for another day.
Flounder fishing keeps improving in the back bays and ocean front, says the folks at Sterling Har-bor Marina. Reports of fish in the Delaware Bay are starting to pop up. It’s still a matter of picking through the shorts to get a few keepers to take home.
Casey Roohan, Sterling Harbor staff, reports that offshore fishing is still excellent. Yellowfin tuna, gaffer Mahi, white marlin, blue marlin, and a fairly consistent bite on bluefin tuna have all materialized into a solid bite both on the 30 line and in the Canyons. The northern canyons from the Balti-more up have slowed down some, but there Is still a pick of fish to be caught. Captain Franz Hueber on Libation char-ters fished the Poormans and caught nine tuna keeping five nice ones and went one for two on white marlin. That water is moving south so watch those temperature charts closely and find the breaks. The lumps all along the 30 line have been producing bluefin tuna up to 100 pounds. The tuna are caught both trolling and jigging with the larger fish coming on the troll. Il-lander/Balleyhoo combos down deep seem to be getting most of the action.
Grassy Sound Marina is seeing steady fluke action and some kingfish in the back bay. Tom Whelan, N. Wildwood caught 12 flounder with two keepers to 21″ on chartreuse Gulp, outgoing tide in Hereford Inlet and Matt Bruns, Langhorne, Pa. fishing on the pier, caught a 20″ flounder on squid and minnows during out-going tide and a kingfish.
The Roberts Brothers, Woolwich, NJ fishing on a rental boat, caught 20 flounder with one 22″ flounder, one weakfish, and a sea bass. They were fishing the incoming tide near the marina with pearl white Gulp.
Laurie & Mark Linder, Bensalem, Pa. had a great catch of crabs along N. Wildwood Road at the top of the tide. They also caught a 20″ flounder near the marina.
Sea Star III reports pool winners Dennis Hughes of West Cape May, with a 5.57-pound fluke, Herb Wilson of Sewell, with a 5.85-pound fluke, and Chris Meyers of Pine Hill, a 4-pound fluke.
Stray Cat Charters fished up an action pack week, bottom fishing red hake and sea bass and trolling snapper blues. They fished in the rain and sun shine, with plenty of sea bass on the wrecks and fluke action. so trolled up bluefish just off the beach. Captain says this time of year its easy to catch a mess of fish for the Grill.
SHOUT OUT: Here’s to Jack Bott, North Wild-wood who finally caught that keeper flounder, 22-inches, at the rips.
NEWS: Sterling Har-bor’s 18th Annual Duke of Fluke Tournament is scheduled for July 16 with the Captain’s Meeting on Friday, July 15.
The NJDEP confirmed that a Bowfin caught by Chris Hoffman of Hamil-ton, July 4, is officially a new state record. The fish
CAPTIONS:
BeMyGuest) Paul Donahue caught this 23.5-inch flounder off the rocks behind the Greek Church in Anglesea using Clam for bait.
713-15) The SEA STAR III is sailing 6-hour trips daily at 9 a.m.
713-16) Harrison Hunter, Plumsteadville, Pa., 14, 2-pound, 13oz flounder. (Frank’s Boats)
713-17) Jeff Osborne, Philadelphia, aboard the Royal Flush, pool winner was a 3-pounder. (Royal Flush is sailing 8-12, 1-5, and 7-11 pm.)
713-18) Nice one on the Sea Star III