<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

A couple of customers saw keeper summer flounder from the bay, they said, but flounder fishing wasn’t great on the bay, overall, Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b> thought, she said. Croakers swam the bay, and anglers picked a few. No bluefish were heard about from the bay, and nothing was heard about weakfish. Lots of throwback flounder were picked from back bays. Someone reported a trip landing many throwback flounder from a back bay, but also 10 blues 19 or 20 inches. Plenty of sharks swam Delaware Bay. Many customers geared up for shark fishing for species like browns, required to be released, on the ocean. Crabbing improved, and the shop’s commercial crabber told Sharon that for crabbing in ditches, the nearer the bay, the better. Good crabbing was heard about from back waters at Stone Harbor, along the ocean coast. All baits are stocked, including minnows, shedder crabs, fresh clams on weekends, fresh bunker that arrives nearly four times a week, grass shrimp when available, spearing, mackerel, mullet and smelts. 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>Money Island</b>

Just a couple of keeper summer flounder were seen during the weekend, said Bruce from <b>Money Island Marina</b>. Throwbacks were boated, but catching a keeper was the challenge. Not many bluefish were heard about, though more blues were reported the previous weekend. Anglers during the previous weekend ran into schools of blues by chance while flounder fishing, and a couple targeted the blues specifically. Croakers, white perch and throwback striped bass bit along the docks. Anglers fished for them with live grass shrimp and bloodworms. Nobody really talked about where they fished for flounder. They had favorite spots, but customers sail for the flatfish from the 6 buoy to past Miah Maul. When they fish for striped bass, they fish at place including the 6 and the 32 and 36, along the shipping channel. They’ll next striper fish in fall.  Weather was beautiful this weekend, and a pig roast was held at the marina. The marina features a boat ramp, boat slips, dry-dock boat storage, gas, bait and a few items of tackle, like locally made sinkers and hand-tied striper rigs. Bait stocked currently includes minnows and, on weekends, live grass shrimp. Frozen bait like spearing, squid and bunker is on hand. The shop tries to keep a bushel of fresh bunker on ice on weekends to sell.

<b>Newport</b>

Crabbing improved during the weekend, said Paul from <b>Beaver Dam Boat Rentals</b>. Some of the rental-boats returned with a half-bushel of the blueclaws, and the average catch was probably two to three dozen keepers. Some caught fewer, of course, and lots of small crabs scurried around. That’s healthy for the population, and the number of larger crabs was increasing. A bunch were 5 ½ inches, so some finally made No. 1 size. The sizes in bushels looked bigger than before. The amount of cedar water waned in the creek. Previously, rain caused fresh, cedar water to flow into the creek from upstream. That decreases salinity, and can slow crabbing. Striped bass were seen in the creek at low tide, and stripers wouldn’t be there if salinity were low. One customer who fished from the boats reeled in 20 good-sized white perch and a few croakers. Customers crab and fish from rental boats towed up Oranokin Creek, running past the store. The staff checks on them each hour, and if customers want a break in the meantime, they simply cell-phone the shop to be picked up. Rental kayaks and canoes 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.  Visit <a href=" http://www.crabulousnj.com/Home_Page.php" target="_blank">Beaver Dam’s website</a>.

<b>Fortescue</b>

Capt. Tom from <b>Erica Leigh Charters</b> ran to the bay on a personal trip 3:30 p.m. Saturday, and no summer flounder bit, he said. He fished four or five places, but another boater from Fortescue on Saturday returned with five keeper flounder. That angler fished close to shore off False Egg Island Point. A buddy the other day caught bluefish and throwback flounder on a trip on the bay. The bay was 77 degrees on Tom’s trip. Not a lot of other boats were seen, and that was late in the day. But boats were seen from Cross Ledge to Flat Top to Miah Maul.

<b>Wildwood</b>

Trips wrestled sharks from the bay with <b>Fins & Grins Sport Fishing</b>, like before, Capt. Jim said. One of the trips Saturday released a 350-pound sand tiger shark and three dusky sharks. These are some big fish sometimes, and the sharks are usually released. Fins & Grins tags them for NOAA. Most of the species are required to be let go. Sometimes a species will bite that can be kept, and the shark will be steaked up, if the anglers want. The trips are an opportunity to pull on big fish without the long sail offshore. Fins fishes from the ocean to Delaware Bay and the back bay, departing from the slip at Wildwood on the back bay. Trips fish every day, and reservations aren’t required but suggested. Telephone for availability.

<b>Cape May</b>

Summer flounder catches were heard about from Cape May Channel and near Brandywine and Miah Maul lighthouses on the bay, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. That seemed to be because the fish were departing the back bay for cooler water, the usual summer migration. The fluke were also hooked at Cape May Canal and Cape May Inlet. Ocean flounder fishing, at the reefs, seemed to turn out steady action, but mostly from throwbacks. But larger flounder, keepers, seemed to get bucktailed along bottom structure there. Big bait, big fish, he said. Sometimes that helps weed out smaller flounder. Gulp Sapphire Shine Sandeels were a hot bait for boaters who flounder fished. Those imitated spearing perfectly. Surf anglers beached croakers, weakfish and flounder at Cape May Point. Shark fishing was great in the surf. One angler landed 15 sharks to 5 feet, sand tigers and sandbars, from the beach at night on a trip. Both are required to be released, and mackerel and cut, freshly caught croakers were baits for surf sharking. Kingfish began to be heard about from Cape May Channel and Diamond Beach. Catches of triggerfish and sheepshead, warm-water species, began to reported from boaters and shore anglers. A couple of good reports rolled in about triggers from North Wildwood’s jetties. Delaware Bay’s jetties usually give up sheepshead. Nick’s been hooking striped bass, often 20 to 30 inches, along back-bay bridges on soft-plastic lures, slim-profiled to imitate spearing, on jigheads. Cobia and mahi mahi, also warm-water fish, began to be appear in the local ocean. Bluefin tuna, also migrating for summer, showed up at places like 19-Fathom Lump in the ocean.

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