<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Larger striped bass than before seemed to start showing up along the coast, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. A 40-inch striper and a 30-pound drum were beached from the surf at Whale Beach in Strathmere. Sometimes striper fishing turned on at Fortescue for shore anglers. One angler hauled a 46-incher from the surf there. The store’s bunker netter saw more stripers in the nets than all season in the bay. Striper fishing was good on Delaware River at Salem from shore. Drum boated on a trip on the bay were heard about for the first time this season. Details weren’t known, but the fish were decked someplace on the lower bay, between New Jersey’s Reed’s Beach and Delaware’s Slaughter Beach. That’s a large area, but where drum were typically caught in recent years. Trips for drum are the next focus for the bay’s anglers, and the fishing usually peaks this month. No bluefish were heard about yet this season, but they usually arrive in April. Cold waters seemed to make fishing late this year. Crabbing was poor along the bay, apparently because of the chilly waters. Commercial crabbers held off from crabbing in the bay yet. Any crabs caught came from the shallower, warmer sounds or back bays along the coast. White perch were plucked from all the different brackish rivers, sometimes better than others, but catches were pretty good. Winds made stocking bait challenging lately, because they often kept bait boats from sailing. Baits including fresh clams and bunker were stocked during the weekend, and are carried every day they’re available. Bloodworms, even jumbos, in addition to regular size, are carried. Minnows are on hand, though some stores found them difficult to obtain. If the shop had to rely on stocking large minnows, that could be tough, Sharon said, but the baitfish are on hand. The supply of bait’s in fairly good shape, but weather can sometimes affect that. The Girls Place is located on Route 47, just after Route 55 ends, on the way to the bay. It’s the long, one-story, yellow building on the right, with plenty of parking, including for trailered boats.

<b>Cape May</b>

Two drum, including a 53-pounder, were decked from the bay Saturday on a Cape May charter boat, Jason Lindtner, a visitor to this website, wrote in an email. Those would be the season’s first drum boated from the bay that were reported on this site.

Fishing for drum on the bay is impending on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, Capt. George said. They might start to bite in a week, and shore anglers eased in a few small ones. George’s charters fish for drum in May. The only striped bass heard about were banked from shore on Delaware River at Salem. Not a lot were heard about, but some were caught. Maybe the fish migrated farther upstream for spawning by now. Charters aboard will be available for sea bass and sharks on the ocean later this month. Summer flounder season will be opened on May 23, but the Heavy Hitter usually fishes for them on the ocean, at places including the Old Grounds and Reef 11, when the ocean warms later this season.

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