<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Lots of weakfish reportedly schooled the bay, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. Plenty were throwbacks, but catching keepers was no problem. If anglers used to find weaks someplace in the bay years ago, the place probably held them now. Areas like a mile or so off the Maurice River turn buoys or waters off East Point or the E.P. Tower were spots. A variety of other fish swam with the weaks, like blues and small croakers. The croakers cut into strips were good bait for the weaks. Not much was heard about summer flounder, not even from the ocean, and weather wasn’t great, but not terrible. Sometimes winds blew and storms came through. That probably prevented trips at times, cutting down on reports. Nothing was heard about tuna fishing. Crabbing was good all season, and Sharon took a trip that scored a bunch off Dividing Creek. Shedder crabs, the favorite weakfish bait, are stocked, and are usually available to mid September. Afterward, the shop carries frozen shedders that also catch well. All the baits, a large supply, are on hand. Offshore baits like flats of frozen butterfish or sardines are carried, and order them to ensure a supply. The Girls Place, located on Route 47, just after Route 55 ends, stocks a large supply of baits and tackle. It’s the long, one-story, yellow building on the right, with plenty of parking, including for trailered boats.

<b>Newport</b>

Crabs were mating, cutting down on catches, said Linda from <b>Beaver Dam Boat Rentals</b>. They won’t eat when mating, making them difficult to trap, though not all crabs mate at once. But many were breeding, starting during the new moon. But the mate will end sometime, and the sizes of crabs was large, and crabbing was great previously. Some could always be trapped now, and that’s a good time. Crabbing is expected to be fabulous in September, and usually is. The sizes will be some of the biggest of the season, because crabs grow throughout the warm months. The season was becoming cooler, also enjoyable for crabbing. That’s also enjoyable for paddling up scenic Oranokin Creek on the shop’s rental kayaks and canoes. Crabbers at Beaver Dam are towed up the creek on rental boats. The staff checks on them every hour, and if crabbers want a break in the meantime, they simply cell phone the shop to be picked up. The boats should be reserved, and this Saturday is already booked. But space remains for Sunday and Monday, Labor Day. Beaver Dam will be open 6 a.m. daily through Labor Day. Afterward crabbing will be available starting 6:30 a.m. Fridays through Sundays. The sun was rising later, the reason for the later opening. Beaver Dam carries everything needed for a day of crabbing, from traps, bait and nets to suntan lotion, snacks and drinks. The shop hosts groups like scouts and 4H for an educational day. <a href="http://www.crabulousnj.com" target="_blank">Visit Beaver Dam’s Web site</a>.

<b>Fortescue</b>

Fishing was okay, was pretty good, really, said Capt. Howard from the party boat <b>Salt Talk</b>. Weakfishing was like old times, except many had to be released, because of the bag limit. But 14- and 15-inchers were caught like it was nothing, and were let go, so bigger ones could be bagged. A good number of weaks were sizeable to 17 and 19 inches. When they started chewing, they were cookie-cutter size or all about the same size. When weaks started to bite, a variety of other fish did, too, including croakers, spots, blues, blowfish and juvenile sea bass. A couple of keeper flounder were landed while the boat weakfished. Waters cooled a couple of degrees. No trips sailed aboard during the weekend, because of weather on one day and other circumstances on the other. But a couple of trips fished on board during the week. Open-boat trips are scheduled daily when no charter is booked. Call to confirm.

A trip Saturday was throwing back 18- and 19-inch weakfish, after the anglers limited out, on the <b>Buccaneer</b>, Capt. Ralph said. The fishing was surprisingly good, at the Wreck Buoy Slough. Blues and croakers were also beaten. Most of the croakers were small, and were cut up for bait. But some were larger or 10 inches. Ralph heard about one summer flounder, a 26-incher, caught on a party boat that fished on anchor, not on the drift, the usual way to fish for flounder. Nobody seemed to fish for flounder, and no real population of the flatfish seemed in the area. Charters on the Buccaneer are only $400, compared with $500 or $600 on other vessels.

<b>Cape May</b>

Weakfish surely schooled the bay, though nothing was heard about them, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. Small croakers, mostly small, occasionally large enough to keep, held in the bay. Bay boaters fished for brown sharks, required to be released. Surf anglers beached browns and let them go, and Cape May Point was a place to find them. Bluefish schooled off the point and in Cape May Harbor. Lots of throwback summer flounder, an occasional keeper, blanked the harbor. At Cape May Channel weakfish, kingfish, croakers, blues and a few flounder gathered.

Back to Top