<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Summer flounder, some, were boated from the bay toward Fortescue, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. Flounder fishing was good in back bays along the coast, like behind Avalon. Sizeable ones and good numbers were heard about. Striped bass were sometimes still cracked along the coast. Weakfish, some of them beautiful, like 5- and 6-pounders seen in photos, were reeled from places like along Cape May’s jetties. Croakers, quite a few, schooled Delaware Bay. The bay’s drum fishing seemed to drop off for the season, and clam sales slowed for drum bait. Not much was heard about kingfish that should appear. But maybe the subject just didn’t come up. Fishing overall wasn’t bad, was good, and people seemed pleased. Baits stocked include bloodworms and minnows. Shedder crabs are on hand when available, and are sold quickly. Not a lot of shedders are on the market, because crabbing hasn’t improved a lot for commercial and recreational crabbers. Recreationals seemed to report better success, because they need fewer to make a reasonable catch than commercials do. The Girls Place, located on Route 47, just after Route 55 ends, carries a large supply of bait and tackle, and is the long, one-story, yellow building on the right. It’s on the way to the bay.

<b>Newport</b>

Crabbing went better this weekend than during the previous weekend at <b>Beaver Dam Boat Rentals</b>, Linda said. The waning moon this weekend was better for crabbing than the full moon the previous weekend that seemed to slow catches. Plenty of trips this weekend totaled a half-bushel of the blueclaws. Lots of throwbacks scurried around, boding well for the future. When crabs shed next, more will become keepers, and the crew expects good crabbing. Crabs shed to grow, and new and full moons often trigger shedding. Crabs won’t eat while shedding, and that can slow crabbing a moment. But not all crabs shed on a given moon. Customers who fished boated croakers and white perch from the creek. Bloodworms are stocked for bait for them, and minnows are also carried. The shop raises the minnows, and the baitfish are good-sized. Heads up summer flounder anglers, because minnows are a favorite bait for flounder, and minnows are scarce and small at some stores around the state. Customers at Beaver Dam 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 store to be picked up.  Beaver Dam will feature a Community Heroes Challenge, a law enforcement vs. emergency workers crab-off, from Saturday through the following Friday, July 4. The side that totals the most crabs for the week will win 25-percent off for the rest of July. Everybody knows law enforcement and emergency personnel, like firefighters, and should tell them to go fight for their side. “Money is at stake!” Linda said.  See more info on Beaver Dam’s website and Facebook page. Kayakers enjoyed beautiful weather on the creek during the weekend, taking advantage of the season. Rental kayaks and canoes are available to paddle the scenic creek. Crabbing from the rental boats will become available daily starting this weekend, and has been available on weekends through now. The store is already open daily. <a href="http://www.crabulousnj.com/" target="_blank">Visit Beaver Dam’s Web site</a>.

<b>Fortescue</b>

The bay’s summer flounder fishing seemed to start picking up, said Capt. Howard from the party boat <b>Salt Talk</b>. A trip Sunday ran across probably 20 of the fish, including several keepers to 4 pounds. A few bluefish, a couple weighing 2 pounds, the rest measuring 12 or 14 inches, were hooked. The trip at first anchored closer to shore to fish for croakers. Some of the anglers kept them to eat, and some kept them for bait for when the trip would scope out flounder fishing next. The flounder were landed while the boat was drifted at the stakes off False Egg Island Point and somewhat farther south, as outgoing tide pushed the drift that way. That was closer to port in the stakes, or farther north, than the boat fished for flounder before. Quite a few boats fished that day, and not as many did on Saturday. A Delaware party boat was seen among the fleet at the stakes, maybe indicating that flounder fishing was better on the New Jersey side of the bay than on the Delaware side. Open-boat trips are fishing for summer flounder daily when no charter is booked.

More and more summer flounder seemed to arrive each day in the bay, Capt. Mike from the party boat <b>Bonanza II</b> said in a phone call Sunday. The anglers aboard Monday decked 10 keepers, the vessel’s Facebook page said, and flounder gave up action the whole trip. A few blues and weakfish also bit lately, Mike said in the phone call. The bay’s fishing seemed to begin picking up, and will become better, he believes. Most flounder were found at the stakes, and some were boated just offshore of the number 1 buoy. Weather also cooperated better recently. The season’s first special trip to the Old Grounds for flounder has been set for July 2, and reservations are required. The Old Grounds, located in the ocean off Delaware, is an area of rocky bottom that can attract flounder, including sizeable, and other fish, like sea bass, that can be mixed in. A few people began to book striped bass charters aboard for fall, and it’s never too early to reserve them, and the dates will fill. Open-boat trips are currently fishing for summer flounder daily when no charter is booked. 

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