<b>Brooklawn</b>

Flounder fishing actually picked up, and the number of keepers was pretty decent, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b>. Cape May Channel from Cape May Point to the Top of the Hill or the Concrete Ship produced, and so did waters from the 19 buoy to 14-Foot Light, when the drift was right, and tides were favorable. East of Miah Maull in 25 feet also served up more keepers than before, and the stakes toward Egg Island Point were home to a healthy population. All these places worked out well toward the end of the week and the weekend. Small blues were around, and few weakfish or croakers moved in yet. Perch kept getting beached from the Fortescue surf, and crabbing was great at any of the creeks. Farther upwaters in the Delaware River, schoolie striped bass 15 to 25 inches, no keepers, could always be played. Look for typical fish-holding areas like rip currents, and toss bloodworms, diamond jigs or small crank baits. Catfish still filled the river, and cut baits dunked at nearly any creek mouths paid off. The river offers a largemouth bass fishery that few people know about. The bucketmouths could be smoked at places including the point on the Philly side of the mouth of Big Timber Creek and behind the island at National Park. Cast lures such as Rat-L-Traps, Spro Aruka Shads, Venom lures and Reaction Strike swim baits. Many anglers also fish live shiners for hook-ups. Rick took a trip for bluefin tuna in the ocean east of 19-Fathom Lump, and the fish were on a tear there and at places like Massey’s Canyon, the Elephant Trunk and the Hambone. Jigging was best, but chunking also drew attention. The trip fought bluefins to 130 pounds, and two were kept, and seven or eight were released. Rick nailed all his on jigs, and today’s jigging rods are a blast, like fishing with freshwater tackle instead of the heavy, stand-up rods. Others on the trip tackled the fish on chunks. The store carries a full selection of bait, rigs, tackle and supplies for all fishing from freshwater to inshore and offshore. Baits from minnows to flats of sardines for offshore canyons are stocked. Tackle from bay rigs to offshore spreader bars are carried. Pretty much everything is on hand.

<b>Pennsville</b>

Small striped bass, resident fish too young to migrate, could be played on the Delaware River all summer long, said Matt from <b>Shag’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Shedder crabs were top bait, but shedders were scarce until the next shed, usually on the moon, and bloodworms or fresh bunker worked as substitutes. Oyster beds usually attract the fish, but if no oyster beds could be found, try along bridges, jetties, sandbars or other structure. Catfish were plentiful, and anglers often soak cut baits or dough baits in the tributaries and along bridges on high tides to find them. Lots of crabs filled the same areas, and the blueclaws started to move farther up the river, like up to Pennsville. Not too many bluefish and spots were around in the river anymore, for whatever reasons. Little was heard about flounder, but flounder anglers do catch as far up the bay as Ship John. Shedder crabs are stocked when available, and bloodworms and nightcrawlers are carried. Frozen, bunker, clams, mackerel, squid and other baits are on hand.

<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Fishing for flounder seemed somewhat to improve east of Cross Ledge, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. One customer last week reported making better catches there. Another grabbed 10 weakfish toward Thompson’s Beach, but few weaks were usually around. Waters in-close probably offered the best shot at finding any. A handful of small croakers were hooked. The cold ocean, an incredible 56 degrees, might’ve prevented some fish from migrating to the bay. Unrelenting southwest winds the past two months caused the summer’s coldest ocean in memory. A bunch of spots showed up in the bay, and a few were caught. Lots of kingfish also swam the bay. Crabbing was good, and the shop is carrying live crabs every Thursday through Sunday.  Call ahead to order bushels or large amounts. Shedder crabs are stocked most of the time, and minnows, both regular-sized and extra large bloodworms, fresh bunker, ordered every other day, frozen herring strips, frozen 1-pound packs of herring and all the frozen baits are on tap. Offshore baits including butterfish, extra large trolling squid, rigged and unrigged ballyhoos and more are in the freezers. All the offshore baits such as flats of sardines can be ordered. Call ahead two days.  The Girls Place is located on Route 47 just after Route 55 ends, and it’s the long, one-story, yellow building on the right. There’s a large parking lot with plenty of room for trailered boats.

<b>Newport</b>

Crabbing last week was incredible through Thursday, and customers all nabbed three-quarters of a bushel. “Wow,” Linda from <b>Beaver Dam Boat Rentals</b> said. Friday was the full moon, and that triggered the first influx of female crabs that came in to mate. They mate all summer on the full and new moons, and crabbing will often slow down at those times. Crabs also shed on the moons, and that can slow catches. During the shed the Jimmies, or males, lose their hard shells, are completely vulnerable and hide. When Sallies, or females, shed, a male covers them, and they’re presumably mating. Crabbers throw them back, because they’re the future of crabbing. But crabbers should also be aware how females look when pregnant, because throwing them back is also a good idea. Females that are very pregnant carry a sponge sack that’s obvious. But when they’re up to 3 months pregnant, there’s no sponge, but the bottom looks domed. Look them up on the Internet for more info, or ask the staff at Beaver Dam when crabbing. Females lay a million eggs, but only 100 survive. Protect them.  Although crabs shed and mate at these times, they don’t all do so at once, so crabs will still be caught. Catches just might be somewhat slower. Still, Oranokin Creek, where Beaver Dam Boat Rentals is located, is an incredibly rich area for both crabs and wildlife. Crabs are more abundant than many places, for a number of reasons. One is that the estuary is 6,000 acres and a protected wildlife area. Another is that the staff at Beaver Dam helps protect the resource, discouraging motor boats and water skis, for the advantage of crabbers. The waters also seem just the right mix of brackish waters, neither salt nor fresh. Apparently it all adds up. Crabbers at Beaver Dam rent boats that are towed up the creek. The staff checks on the crabbers every hour, and if some want to take a break in the meantime, the crabbers simply cell phone the shop, and they staff comes and gets them. Calling ahead to reserve the boats throughout the week, and especially on weekends, is recommended.  They do become booked. Many people seem to think August is the height of crabbing season, and some think larger crabs are caught then, because the blueclaws had a chance to grow through summer. But crabbers at Beaver Dam catch big ones like 5 ½ inchers since June. That might not be true everywhere, Linda said. Kayaks and canoes can also be rented, and customers usually use them for sightseeing along the creek. The store provides all supplies needed for a day of crabbing, including bait, traps for rent, traps for sale and even crab spice, crab crackers, suntan lotion, snacks, drinks, ice cream and more. When the weather turns cool, business at Beaver Dam switches to duck hunting through December, and duck blinds are even rented. Beaver Dam Boat Rentals is currently open 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day.

<b>Fortescue</b>

Flounder catches improved, and good numbers of keepers were angled in, said Dave from <b>Al’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Customers mainly fished from the 6 buoy to the second drop-off. Lots of blues were mixed in, at least in this area. No news was heard anymore about kingfish biting, and anglers still waited for weakfish and croakers to turn on. Fortescue surf casters mostly banked bluefish, throwing small pieces of mullet for bait. The few who shark fished lambasted brown sharks and blue sharks at Blakes Channel, and that’s a relatively unknown fishery and can be great. Dave’s heard about browns as large as 150 pounds caught, and the blue sharks seem to grow up to 4 feet.  Browns are commonly eaten, and be sure to check the bag limit. The creeks gave up excellent perch fishing, and crabbers plucked all kinds of blueclaws. Shedder crabs are stocked when available, and minnows, chicken and all the frozen baits are carried.

Anglers with <b>Andrea Charters</b> got into a decent mix of fish, including a few weakfish, some flounder, a handful of small croakers, snapper blues and even 20- to 30-pound drumfish, Capt. Dave said. Weakfish were always a target and are the boat’s specialty, and shedder crabs were always aboard for weakfish bait, and the trout could be found, both at rubble at the reefs in the northern bay and now at nearby open waters, too. But the main body of weaks in recent years usually showed up toward the second week of August, although that’s later than previous years. But the fishing has changed, so anglers need to adjust. A trip Saturday grabbed a couple of weaks in open waters in close proximity to structure. When the population increases, charters will find them more often at open waters and closer to shore. Flounder fishing actually improved a good deal regarding the ratio of keepers, and doormats to 4 ½ pounds were boxed on trips. Much of the flattie population was slightly undersized and should grow to be keepers in the coming weeks, before the season ends. The croakers swam in no great abundance so far but were hooked the last three or four trips, only at structure. The blues were snappers that pretty well loaded the bay. The drum were fish that spend the summer in the bay, unlike large ones that depart toward summer, and could be found at certain structure or holes. But some also came up from open waters on the vessel.

Three flounder trips ran on the <b>Buccaneer</b> in the past week, and shorts, plenty of them, continued to give up action, but a few keepers, including big ones 20 to 23 inches, were around, Capt. Ralph said. One trip, for example, probably reeled in 75 flatties including four keepers, and one of the anglers on the charter hooked 13 of the fluke on one piece of fresh bait, if that’s any indication of the abundance. Action was non-stop. The weather was certainly enjoyable, and the charter, who included children, seemed to appreciate the day and the action. The shorts were 15 to 17 inches, only an inch to a few inches undersized, keepers in recent years. Difficult to tell a charter that a 17-inch flounder, a big, fat, prized catch in past seasons, couldn’t be kept. The Fortescue and Cape May party boat fleets were seen fishing the 14-Foot Light area, and anglers on the vessels generally also landed shorts and a few keepers, but the number of keepers might’ve improved lately. Plenty of small blues were scattered about, and if anglers like to eat blues, the small ones taste best, but they also make great bait strips for flounder.  Ralph saw no croakers show up yet.

An open-boat trip came back with about 15 keeper flounder Sunday, and a charter picked up around eight Saturday, and lots of throwbacks bit, said Capt. Howard from the <b>Salt Talk</b>. So fishing was relatively good. Friday’s full moon slowed the bite, but it bounced right back. A couple of dozen blues were usually landed on flounder trips, and no croakers, weakfish or kingfish appeared yet. Open-boat trips are fishing for flounder 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, unless a charter is booked. Charters are also focusing on flounder.

A few more flounder were hooked every day, and sometimes a dozen keepers, including 21- and 22-inchers, were taken, and other times two were boated, but plenty of shorts kept things busy, said Capt. Mike from the <b>Bonanza</b>. Anglers just had to be there to bag a catch. The Bonanza will run a limited number of open-boat flounder trips to the Old Grounds in the ocean off Delaware, and the first is slated for Wednesday, August 6. Reservations are required, and call 609-381-2978. A charter Wednesday evening fought a slough of bluefish at structure on speck rigs and bucktails. Three weakfish were also pinned down at the structure, and a couple of flounder were landed on drifts in open waters prior to the structure fishing. That’s how the boat’s charter fishing is going at the moment: The anglers usually drift for flounder at first and then move to the structure for weaks and blues. The number of weakfish should increase as the season progresses, until the trout become the main focus on charters. Mike heard about a few puppy drum hauled in, but none was part of the catch on the boat the past week. Maybe that meant the fish were spread out. The ocean near the beaches was unusually cold this year from dominant south winds, and that might’ve delayed fish like croakers and weaks from arriving in the bay. Another trip on the boat was a lighthouse cruise, and the vessel offers sightseeing trips. Open-boat trips are fishing for flounder on the bay 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

<b>Bivalve</b>

Bruce Cantwell and Jim Murphy bagged four flounder about 20 inches apiece and four blues, said Pat from <b>Longreach Marina</b>. Haskell Rogers and Casper and Bill Pierdomenico reeled in two flounder 19 and 22 inches—big, fat fish—12 shorts and a load of blues. Ed Cavanaugh and Bob Archibauld released nine short flounder and drilled three weakfish and 15 blues. Customers fished at the number 1 buoy and off Thompson’s Beach, and none really mentioned going elsewhere. Minnows, shedder crabs, frozen squid and all the frozen baits are stocked. The annual Longreach Marina Kids Fishing Tournament will take place August 9. The kids will vie for 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes in both the boys’ and girls’ categories for the largest weakfish and flounder. If too few of either species are entered, blues and croakers, in that order, will be substituted. Each kid also gets a prize, and each is entered in a drawing for a boy’s and a girl’s bike. The annual Cumberland County Fishing Tournament, formerly a weakfish tournament but now open to all the major species, is on the books for August 2.

<b>Dennisville</b>

The 9 and 10 buoys and the Punk Grounds seemed the hot spots for flounder, and the fishing gave up a bunch of shorts and a few keepers, said Rusty from <b>Captain Tate’s Bait & Tackle</b>. The back bays along the coast put out occasional decent-sized flatfish behind Wildwood and North Wildwood or at Grassy Sound. A few weakfish and a handful of croakers, but more croakers, supposedly bit north of Fortescue and the 6 buoy. A scattering of croakers also reportedly came from the Delaware side of the bay around the area. The only drum that were heard about were small ones that sometimes bit at the Elbow. Small bluefish, not a thick population, popped up throughout the bay. Any striped bass that were landed usually came from the back bays like behind Avalon and Stone Harbor on popper lures almost in the dark at both dawn and dusk. One tog per angler could be kept now, and the slipperies could be found from the bridges to the jetties to the inshore wrecks. The surf produced healthy numbers of kingfish at 8th Street in Avalon, the north end of Sea Isle City and the south end of Ocean City on bloodworms. At the ocean pieces small sea bass swam. Ocean flounder pounders lifted a few keepers from the Old Grounds and Reef 11, but only when conditions created the right drifts. Cape May Reef was also littered with short flatties. Bluefin tuna offered catches from the North Dump Site and the 19-Fathom Lump to the Hambone. Yellowfin tuna at the canyons seemed most numerous to the south like at the Baltimore and Poorman’s.

<b>Cape May</b>

The bay’s flounder fishing started to pick up, and more keepers began to appear around the 9 and 10 buoys at the Shipping Channel, said Matt from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b> in a fax. Some also gathered along the edge of the channel toward buoy 14, Brandywine Slough and Bayshore Channel. A few small croakers started to bite around the Cape May Point jetties, and weakfish there kept hitting before and just after daybreak.

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