<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Drum fishing slowed on the bay, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. Whether the angling was finished for the season or the slowdown “was just the week,” Sharon said, couldn’t be known. Not many summer flounder reports rolled in, except about good flounder catches on back bays. Flounder gather in the shallow, warmer back bays at first each year. A decent flounder report was yet to come from Delaware Bay this season. Nothing was heard about flounder fishing on the ocean. Weakfish, good-sized, swam everywhere from Delaware Bay, including off the Maurice River, to along jetties in Cape May. Croakers, good catches, were around in the bay. Large striped bass were still slugged throughout the state. One customer nailed them at the Corson’s Inlet Bridge, and planned to go back. Crabbing improved a little, and one customer trapped a good catch at Turkey Point. Baits are in good supply, including minnows. The minnows might not be the largest, but minnows are scarce at many shops. Lots of bloodworms were sold for all different fishing. The Girls Place, located on Route 47, just after Route 55 ends, carries a large supply of bait and tackle, and is 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>Newport</b>

Crabbing went great during the weekend at <b>Beaver Dam Boat Rentals</b>, Linda said. The crew was surprised, because catches had gotten off to a slow start this year, maybe because of the cold winter. Customers this weekend probably averaged a half-bushel per trip, and many of the crabs were good-sized. Lots were also throwbacks, but that’s welcomed, showing the population’s healthy, and plenty more crabs should grow to keeper size this season. Customers who fished nabbed croakers and white perch from the creek, and the shop is now stocking bloodworms, a common bait for them. Striped bass were seen milling around the dock. Heads up summer flounder anglers: The store also stocks minnows, big and plentiful, because the crew raises the baitfish there. Minnows, a favorite flounder bait, are scarce and small at many other stores, and that happens during some springs, because of cool waters and freshwater from rains. Take advantage of the Fathers’ Day Special: Customers who reserve a rental boat for Sunday will receive half a party pizza and a 2-liter bottle of soda, complementary. Treat dad to an experience, instead of another breakfast or barbecue. Or give dad the Gift Certificate Special that can be used any time, if you can’t make Fathers’ Day: You get a small rental boat, a new bushel basket and lid, crab tongs, two bags of bait, a photo and a bag of Hershey’s Kisses (a kiss for dad) for only $70, a $90 value. Stay tuned for more specials this season, Linda said.  Customers crab and fish from rental boats towed up Oranokin Creek, running past the shop. The staff checks on them every hour, and if customers want a break in the meantime, they simply cell phone the shop to be picked up. Also take advantage of the Frequent Crabber Card: Rent any size boat four times during the season, and get the fifth trip for only $20 that season. A 7-inch crab, trapped on the store’s first weekend of crabbing this year, is the one to beat in the season-long contest for the biggest. The rental-boater with the largest will win a free rental next year. Everything needed for a day of crabbing is available at Beaver Dam, from bait, traps and nets to snacks, drinks and suntan lotion. Rental canoes and kayaks are available to paddle the scenic creek. Beaver Dam hosts groups like scouts and family reunions, and can offer an educational day about the environment. The crew likes to educate customers on how to crab, if needed. <a href="http://www.crabulousnj.com/" target="_blank">Visit Beaver Dam’s Web site</a>.

<b>Fortescue</b>

Eight to 10 summer flounder, the first this season, were reeled aboard the party boat <b>Salt Talk</b> on Saturday, Capt. Howard said. One was a keeper, and maybe flounder started to migrate to the bay substantially. Howard would find out on trips this week. The fish were hooked at the stakes and at the Miah Maul rips. The trip also searched for croakers at a place where they bit previously, but none showed up. Whether the fish moved or just didn’t bite at the time couldn’t be known. A good number of croakers, not big, but large enough to bag, swam the area previously. Larger ones had also held closer to shore, in depths too shallow for the large boat. Private boaters nabbed them in depths like 4 feet at the time. The bay was 73 degrees on the trip, according to the boat’s temperature gauge. Too few anglers showed up for a trip to sail Sunday. Drum fishing might’ve been slowing down for the season. A trip Wednesday on the Salt Talk with a local angler and some regular customers heaved in one, a 50-pounder, near the Cape May ferry, close to shore. Another Fortescue party boat that night also totaled one.  Open-boat trips are fishing for summer flounder daily. Sometimes the trips mostly sail around weekends this time of year, until demand picks up, when schools let out for the season. Anglers can telephone the boat to confirm whether a trip seems likely to sail. A group of regular customers usually fishes on Wednesdays aboard, and maybe they’ll start to show up this week, if flounder fishing seems to be starting. Charters are also fishing.

<b>Cape May</b>

The <b>Heavy Hitter</b> fished for drum on the bay Saturday and Sunday, Capt. George said. The fishing wasn’t great, but one 50-pounder apiece, good-sized drum, was hauled aboard each charter. Drum were heard booming on both trips, and the fish were found. Lots of drum were around, but weren’t feeding, for some reason. Big rays were hooked. Charters will start to fish for sea bass and tuna on the ocean. If anyone wants to get in on the good tuna fishing that’s going on, jump aboard. Trips seemed to need to sail to the canyons or 50 fathoms for tuna. The South Jersey Shark Tournament was held from Cape May this weekend, and a boater from the dock’s trip reeled in two makos. The angler said lots of blue sharks were around. George knew a few anglers who fished for summer flounder on the ocean during the weekend, and some reported okay catches, and others decked only a few. But flounder managed to be caught from the ocean. The Heavy Hitter usually begins flounder fishing in July on the ocean, when the angling seems to pick up in warmer waters. 

Fishing for drum slowed recently, maybe because of the new moon, but the fish swam abundant, said Capt. Frank from <b>Melanie Anne Sport Fishing Charters</b>. Summer flounder started to bite at places like Reef 11, on the ocean off Delaware, and waters jumped into the 60 degrees. Frank knew about a couple of trips that boated the fish at the reef, and previously flounder only bit in back bays. Melanie Anne shark and tuna fished on the ocean in past days. The shark trips competed in the South Jersey Shark Tournament from Cape May this weekend. Catches on the trips included a 7-1/2-foot mako, a 6-footer and a couple of 5-footers, and the fishing was good. The trips fished in 57- to 59-degree waters, and entrants who fished in warmer waters, like 62 and 63 degrees, seemed to catch smaller makos, like 4-footers. The trips with Melanie Anne started sharking 57 miles from shore. The tuna trip jumped on bluefin and yellowfin tuna fishing that turned on at the Tea Cup, trolling the fish. An 85-pound yellowfin was largest with Melanie Anne.

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