<b>Brooklawn</b>

Boaters who fished the bay tight to Fortescue dialed in on fairly good fishing for flounder, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b>. Some of waters near the buoys from 14-Foot Light to Brandywine also attracted the fish, like the 16 near the Pin Top. On the Delaware River near the shop fishing was gaining steam for largemouth and smallmouth bass. Lots of big carp  were around, and try looking toward National Park or the Gloucester Pier. The river’s big catfish headed to deeper, cooler waters. Schoolie striped bass could always be found on the river, but Rick heard about a 42-inch striper that was hammered. He did some tuna fishing, and bluefin tuna could be fought at 19-Fathom Lump on the inshore ocean. The Ham Bone was probably a little better, but is far south. Most of the bluefins were trolled, and chunking for them began to work but was yet to stack up the catches. Not much was heard about canyon tuna fishing, and most tuna anglers hunted the inshore grounds at this point. The season was getting late for mako shark fishing in the ocean, but the beasts, usually small ones, were still around. Big Timber carries bait and tackle for all fishing from freshwater to offshore. That includes a complete supply of lures and baits for rivers and lakes; rigs, tackle and frozen bait for bays; and offshore lures, rigs and baits.

<b>Pennsville</b>

At <b>Shag’s Bait & Tackle</b> customers talked about hitting flounder, tons of shorts but an improved keeper ratio, anywhere from Ship John to the south, Wade said. Strips of fresh bunker that the shop carries worked well, and so did Gulp mullets. Short striped bass littered the back creeks, and Wade throws rubber shads to get a strike, but baits like bloodworms, bunker or shedder crabs should work. White perch and catfish roamed the Delaware River. Crabbing was becoming better. In addition to fresh bunker, the shop is stocking shedder crabs, bloodworms, frozen and more baits.

<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Flounder fishing was going well, and many, an awful lot, were throwbacks, but anglers could grab keepers among them, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. She took a trip during the weekend that bagged four keepers, all quality fish over 21 inches, among a mess of throwbacks. Customers found large ones east of the 19 buoy during the weekend. One pelted six keepers, losing two or three large ones, and another tackled four keepers. Typical baits like minnows and squid worked, but shedder crabs were also particularly effective. Spin-and-Glow rigs worked well for lots of anglers. A few snapper blues were in the mix, but not much else was heard about other fish in the bay like croakers and weakfish. One customer hooked a few weaks while drifting for flounder at one of the lighthouses with shedder crabs. A few weaks supposedly hung along the jetties toward Cape May. But the shop’s netter only found occasional weaks in the catch farther up the bay. Minnows are stocked, and the supply was no longer scarce like earlier this season. Shedder crabs are usually carried every day. Plus the store carries a large supply of just about all baits.  The Girls Place is located on Route 47 just after Route 55 ends, and it’s the long, one-story, yellow building on the right. There’s a large parking lot with plenty of room for trailered boats. 

<b>Newport</b>

About eight of the boats crabbed Monday, and the crews on the vessels each plucked up two-thirds of a bushel or more of the blueclaws, good crabbing, said Paul from <b>Beaver Dam Boat Rentals</b>. The weekend’s results were up and down, but that can be typical, because weekends attract crabbers from novices to the experienced. The experienced scored well during the weekend, and the novices caught less. Skill can make a difference, and even factors like noise can surprisingly affect the crabs, making them shy away. One experienced crabber and his daughter busheled out on the hardshells, while a nearby group with little experience picked up three dozen. The crabbing lately wasn’t sensational but was “definitely decent,” Paul said. One crabber found a softshell crab at the dock Monday, so Paul thought the crabs might begin to shed with today’s new moon. New and full moons can trigger the shed, and crabbing can then slow down a moment, because the blueclaws refuse to feed when they shed. But not all crabs shed at once, so some can always be caught. The last shed happened later than usual, a week after the full moon. Paul heard about nobody fishing Oranokin Creek, where customers do their crabbing, in the past days. Last week flounder were reported to show up in the crab traps. The creek was probably becoming warm for striped bass that had been hooked in the waters previously. Customers crab or fish from Beaver Dam’s rental boats that get towed up the creek, and the staff checks on them every hour. But if the rental boaters want to take a break in the meantime, they simply cell phone the shop, and the staff picks them up. Oranokin is an unusually rich creek for crabbing, and the season is in full swing. Kayaks and canoes are also available to rent for sightseeing on the creek, a wildlife wonderland. Beaver Dam carries everything needed for a day of crabbing, including all different types of traps, hand lines, nets, bait, bug spray, suntan lotion, drinks and snacks. The shop is open 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Customers should call ahead to reserve rental boats, kayaks and canoes to ensure they’re available. Beaver Dam is available to host groups like scouts for nature education. A gazebo with a grill is available for events like birthday parties and family reunions.

<b>Fortescue</b>

A charter with three anglers put 11 flounder in the box, Capt. Ralph from the <b>Buccaneer</b> said. So that was a good catch, he said, and the biggest fish taped out at more than 25 inches. Trips are flounder fishing, and Ralph’s been pleased with the catches, and hop aboard before the fish leave the bay for the season.

Flounder such as an 8-pounder, a 6-pound 12-ouncer and several 5-pounders were weighed in, and customers seemed to boat catches from Egg Island Point to Cross Ledge, the wreck buoy and the 32 buoy, said Donna from <b>Al’s Bait & Tackle</b>. She and her husband limited out on one trip and nabbed seven keepers on another that was short, not enough time to bag a limit. The fluke were abundant, and shorts had to be picked through, but keepers were there. The fishing was even great for kids, keeping them busy with catches. Fortescue surf anglers also beached the flatties, including a few keepers, enough to keep things interesting. They also banked short, spike weakfish, croakers and white perch, and bloodworms and finger mullet were popular baits from the land. Maybe the weakfish were a good sign that bigger ones were on the way. A large supply of all the baits is stocked, including minnows, shedder crabs, mackerel, spearing, bloodworms and more. Al’s is open 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays, 5:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and 5:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays.

Lots of flounder, good fishing for them, got pummeled on the <b>Salt Talk</b> through the past week, Capt. Howard said. Trips fished 15 days straight, and weekends could tend to be more difficult, with a fleet of boats pressuring the flatties. An average of 20 to 30 keepers per trip were decked, and 36 were smoked last week on Monday, and 28 were creamed on another trip. Fishing was slower on a couple of charters during the weekend, and something like 10 to 15 keepers were boated per trip, but charters often get made up of company groups with anglers who fish maybe once or twice a year, and do lots of socializing on the day out, instead of focusing on fishing.  Pool-winning flounder were usually 3 to 5 pounds, and the trips lately fished inshore of the 32 buoy. A few small blues showed up, and two croakers were landed, and no weakfish were. Howard wished more croakers would come in, so trips could take some of the pressure off the flounder. The fluke were getting hooked on the bay for some time now, and the fishing was probably holding up later than usual. The weather was relatively cool this year, beautiful actually, not the typical summer days that cook by now and that would normally stifle the fishing with dead drifts in the middle of the day. Get the flounder while you can, because the action was peaking, and could turn the corner any day, when the fish decide to push out to the ocean for the season. Open-boat trips are flounder fishing 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., but always call ahead to confirm that no charter is fishing instead. Charters are available.

<b>Bivalve</b>

Waters around the number 1 buoy were a hot spot for flounder lately, said Pat from <b>Longreach Marina</b>. Previously she said customers focused on flounder fishing anywhere from Miah Maul to the 1 buoy to Little Egypt between the number 1 and the E.P. Tower. Those places might’ve still produced, but the 1 buoy became a place to be. Minnows are stocked, are no longer scarce like earlier in the season. The shedder crab supply is a little hit or miss, but the bait is usually carried. The shop’s frozen spearing and mackerel also got the flatties to bite. Mark the calendar for August 8 for Longreach Marina’s annual Kids Fishing Tournament. Anglers and their catches included: John Schmirsky, Millville, 8-1/4-pound 25-1/2-inch flounder; Bill Mulvey, Scott Goranson and Brian Steely from Newfield, Millville and Bayville, 10 flounder; Jim Jamre and Perry Hanaoka, nine flounder; the Willamson family, 13 flounder to 24 inches on one trip and seven flounder on another; Ross DelRossi Sr. and Jr., Pine Hill, nine flounder; Ken and Ben Kitzelberger and Ray Sommers, four keeper flounder, three throwbacks and a blue; and John Angerman, Berlin, 19-, 20- and 22-inch flounder.    

<b>Cape May</b>

The bay’s flounder anglers put a beating on the fish, and many limited out, the best fishing for them in some time, said Capt. Bob from the <b>Down Deep</b>.

A half-day, 4-hour trip with Ross Restuccio’s gang from South Jersey Well Drillers fished for flounder Saturday on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> on the bay, Capt. George said. The time was limited, and so were the grounds that could be fished, and seas were a little rough, but the anglers caught some flatties,  a bunch of shorts but also keepers to 21 inches or 3 pounds. George knew anglers who pelted good catches of flounder on the ocean, too.

At <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b> flounder came in from near the 9 and 10 buoys and along the Egg Island Point Flats, Matt said in a fax. Some were also boated at Bayshore Channel and the Cape May Rips, and kingfish and croakers started to appear at the rips. The population of croakers generally increased in the bay near the shop and along the surf at Higbee’s Beach. Kingfish were sometime banked at Higbees, too. Surf anglers could also stick flounder at Cape May Point and around the jetties when slowly dragging baits. Flounder also skittered around the Tug Boat Channel just offshore of McCries Shoal and around the DA buoy at the south Old Grounds. Rich Narcisi, 10, creeled a 4.58-pound flounder on the bay. Glenn Frailey picked up a 5.18-pounder from the Old Grounds, and Zach Smith, 12, knocked down a 5.31-pounder at Cape May Reef. Chris Foschini took a 7.69-pounder on a local party boat. 

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