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Delaware Bay Fishing Report 8-23-16


<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Weakfish schooled the bay, and croakers showed up, were also tugged from the water, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. Summer flounder fishing seemed kind of picky on the bay. Not a lot of news was heard, though. Heat in past weeks often seemed to keep anglers from fishing. Cooler weather arrived and seemed forecast to continue, and people looked forward to that. Mauricetown Gunning Club’s white perch tournament was supposed to be held last Saturday, and results were yet to be heard. Fishing for the perch had been good on Maurice River, at least before the heat. Crabbing’s been good this season, not bad. 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>

One boater docked 10 or 13 blues from the bay at <b>Money Island Marina</b>, Bruce said. Not a lot was heard about catches otherwise, and heat had been keeping boaters from fishing, but weather became cooler currently. Customers fished from the docks yesterday, even, in the better weather. A few white perch were hooked from the docks recently. Plenty of bait including minnows and all the frozen was stocked. Bruce could net minnows whenever he wanted. Take advantage of a free pass to the boat-launching ramp for first-time users to experience the marina’s amenities and hospitality. The pass must be signed by the marina’s owner. The marina features a bait and tackle shop, a boat ramp, boat slips, dry-dock boat storage, fishing docks and gas. The fishing docks, $5 per adult and free for kids, can offer angling for white perch, small striped bass, and croakers, at different times of year. A 12-foot aluminum boat with a 2.5 h.p. outboard is available to rent to fish the creek.

<b>Newport</b>

Crabbing was spotty because of shedding and mating since last week’s full moon, said Paul from <b>Beaver Dam Boat Rentals</b>. The shedding and mating should end any time now. Full and new moons can trigger the blueclaws to shed and mate, and they won’t eat then, potentially slowing catches. Not all crabs shed on each of the moons, though, and customers probably still averaged one to two dozen keepers, and some trapped more. Only shedding, not mating, happened earlier this year. Mating begins later in the season, and now both shedding and mating happened on the moons. Effects of just shedding on crabbing lasted maybe two to three days previously, and effects of shedding and mating now lasted maybe three to seven. This has been a great crabbing season, one of the best, and Paul expects to see some monsters, he said, caught into September, so long as no major storm hits, like a tropical storm. Customers trapped good-sized this season, and crabs shed to grow, so bigger could appear. Plenty of small also skittered around, and that could bode well for the future population. A 7-15/16-inch crab was the biggest trapped this year so far from the store, and the customer with the year’s biggest wins a free boat-rental next year, an annual prize. White perch fishing was good on the creek. Two groups targeted the fish and were pleased during the weekend. Customers fish and crab from rental boats towed up Oranokin Creek, running past the shop. Rental kayaks and canoes are available to paddle the scenic creek. Reserve rentals ahead, because they can book up. Beaver Dam can host groups like scouts and 4H, including for an educational day on the water. Groups like birthdays and family reunions can also be hosted. The store stocks everything needed for crabbing, from bait, traps and nets to snacks, drinks and suntan lotion. Visit <a href=" http://www.crabulousnj.com/Home_Page.php" target="_blank">Beaver Dam’s website</a>.

<b>Fortescue</b>

Summer flounder fishing was decent on the bay, dropping off in the past week or so, said Capt. Tom from <b>Erica Leigh Charters</b>. The next charter for the fish is Saturday. The flounder definitely included keepers, and they were up to 22 and 24 inches. Flounder were found at all different places in the bay, from the 32 buoy in the north to 60-Foot Slough in the south, but were about halfway between shore and the shipping channel, not in the deep like at the channel. The bay was warm, about 85 degrees, and a bucket of minnows for bait could die because of the warmth, if hung over the side of the boat. Heat in past weeks seemed to keep many boaters from fishing the bay. Weather was cooler currently. Small bluefish were angled from the bay. More and more croakers appeared in the water.

<b>Cape May</b>

Ten or 12 locals boated the bay every morning, bagging summer flounder, said Joe from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. The average angler’s trip who boated the bay less frequently bagged only a couple. Customers fish the bay locally, so no news was heard about flounder from the bay farther north, like toward Fortescue. Lots of spike weakfish schooled the bay. Not many croakers were around, but sometimes a few were banked from the surf. Cape May is located at the confluence of the bay and the ocean, so the surf wraps around the town like a peninsula from the bay to the ocean. Surf anglers also beached small flounder, small blues, kingfish, weaks and brown sharks. The blues tumbled into the surf in mornings and evenings, chasing bunker. Fishing for the kingfish could be good at times. Fishing for the browns, required to be released, might’ve become slower than before. They could bite throughout the day, but dusk is Joe’s favorite time to find the sharks. Nighttimes and mornings could also fish well for them. Warmth kept some anglers from fishing this past week. Some fished in early mornings until maybe noon to escape the heat. Crabbing was super, the best in years, locally. Crabbing might’ve slowed during the days surrounding last week’s full moon, because of shedding and mating the moon could cause. But it would pick back up again, likely.

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