New Jersey Fishing Reports

Anglers boated pretty good catches of weakfish On the bay toward the Maurice River, the E.P. Tower and the flats at the stakes off Fortescue, said Rick from Big Timber Bait & Tackle. Flounder could be picked up from the lower bay like around the 9 and 10 buoys as they moved offshore, and croakers were also around throughout the bay. A few keeper striped bass were landed along the mouth of the Delaware River and near Salem on plugs or bloodworms. Lots of schoolie stripers could always be hooked in the river, and the island off National Park attracts them. Fishing for bigger catfish was improving on the river, as water temps dropped and bait including shad and herring started moving around. In the height of summer the large cats seek cooler waters in the deep, but as the river temperatures fall, they start swimming more areas, including shallower, more accessible spots. Cooler waters in the river and in the creeks was also greatly improving largemouth bass fishing. In the ocean bluefin tuna still held in 30 fathoms including at the Lobster Claw, Elephant Trunk and places farther south like the Hambone, and they also swarmed around the scallop boats. Lots of white marlin roamed the canyons. Big Timber Bait & Tackle carries bait and tackle for all fishing from freshwater to offshore. That includes a complete supply of lures and baits for rivers and lakes; rigs, tackle and frozen bait for bays; and offshore lures, rigs and baits.

Pennsville

Waters around the 6 buoy and off Sea Breeze served up decent catches of weakfish for customers, said Matt from Shag’s Bait & Tackle. They said a few croakers were mixed with the weaks in the same areas. Shedder crabs for weakfish bait became scarce, but a few arrived at the shop each day. Bloodworms and frozen baits were on hand and could be used as substitutes. Nobody mentioned flounder fishing, because everyone was excited to go after weakies. In the Delaware River short striped bass continued to be caught and released for fun, and look for oyster beds or sandbars to target, or fish structure like bridges and pilings. Shedder crabs or bloodworms will draw strikes, and a lot of anglers toss Calcutta flash-foil swim shads. Catfish and white perch could always be stuck in the river, and anglers said lots of spots swam around. Crabbing was going very well.

Port Elizabeth

The shad stakes and inshore waters drew weakfish, and tons of spots schooled around, and a few kingfish nipped, said Sharon from The Girls Place Bait & Tackle. Shedder crabs for weakfish bait were difficult to come by, but on some days they were stocked, a touch-and-go supply until more of the blueclaws molted. But other baits including bloodworms and spots could be substituted. The bigger croakers were in the deeper waters. Flounder fishing came alive at the Old Grounds in the ocean. Minnows, the popular flounder bait, are always on hand, and the supply will be cut back after flounder season ends after the weekend, but freshwater anglers use them, so some are always carried. Several customers talked about catching hefty striped bass to 35 inches at sloughs in the back bay at Strathmere at night. They bought shedder crabs and bunker for bait, but bloodworms and other baits should also work. The shop always keeps a large supply of just about every bait used locally. Offshore baits are also offered, and ballyhoos and butterfish are on hand, and offshore anglers can also order all baits. Give a couple of days notice to ensure a supply. The Girls Place is located on Route 47 just after Route 55 ends, and is the long, one-story, yellow building on the right.

Newport

Crabbers at Beaver Dam Boat Rentals probably averaged three to four dozen of the blueclaws apiece, and the new moon was this weekend, but failed to affect catches so far, Linda said. Crabs shed and mate on the new and full moons, and they refuse to feed when shedding or mating, so crabbing can taper off at those times. But not all crabs shed and mate on every moon, so the effect of the moons varies. Although Labor Day has passed, crabbing is in full swing, and Beaver Dam is open full time every day. Fall is actually one of the best times to crab, and plenty of the hardshells are around, and they’re often big, after shedding, and therefore growing, through the summer. Beaver Dam stays open for crabbing through sometime in October, depending on the weather. Autumn is also beautiful for Beaver Dam’s daylong kayak and canoe rentals, because the fall migration of birds takes place, and ducks were already arriving. Customers use the vessels to paddle up Oranokin Creek, where Beaver Dam is located, for sightseeing in the wilderness. Crabbers at Beaver Dam are towed up the creek on rental boats, and the staff checks on them every hour. But if customers want to take a break in the meantime, they simply cell phone the shop, and the staff comes and gets them. The crew from the Sportsman’s Hotline radio show on WFNJ will stop by to crab on September 23, and customers are welcome to come and talk with the gang. Linda also appears on the show. Later in fall Beaver Dam caters to duck hunters, who rent blinds on the creek. The first duck-hunting season is October 18 to November 1, and the second is November 15 to 18. During the first season, the blinds will be open when crabbers stop crabbing, so call the shop to find out when that will be, and again, that depends on the weather. But the blinds will be available the entire second season. Beaver Dam is also a deer check-in station, and the region’s deer hunting kicks off with the fall bow season October 4. The shop provides everything needed for crabbing, including trap sales and rentals, bait, crab spice, crab crackers, suntan lotion, drinks, snacks and ice cream.

Fortescue

A trip on the Buccaneer put anglers on 12 keeper weakfish, a 22-inch flounder, a couple of blues, and a few decent-sized croakers, so it wasn’t bad, Capt. Ralph said. The anglers started fishing at the 6 buoy and kept moving north, where a number of crevices produced the fish, but the boat didn’t move much. Croakers in this part of the bay were mostly small, and quite a few spots swam around, and they could be used for bait. The Buccaneer will keep targeting these fish, and striped bass charters should run mid October to December.

On the Bonanza trips sailed for a mix of fish including flounder, weakies, blues and croakers, Capt. Mike said. But the fishing wasn’t easy, and, for example, a few keeper flounder could sometimes be caught, and most croakers were small, and weakfish could be targeted only when fewer patrons were aboard, and the blues were flighty, disappearing quickly. When the boat carried 15 anglers, it could be anchored for weakfishing. But when larger crowds were aboard, anchoring for the fish became impractical. Five or six keeper flounder and a few shorts were reeled in Sunday, and a handful of weaks were hooked Saturday evening, but the weakfishing was slow. No more trips to the Old Grounds in the ocean for flounder will be slated, and the flattie season closes after the weekend. A special cruise trip will run Saturday, October 4, to Sambo’s Restaurant, a crab shack in Delaware. The trip will strictly be for fun, and no fishing will take place, but the fare will include the cruise, the dinner and the gratuity. Alcohol isn’t included, but the restaurant features a bar, and responsible BYOB is allowed on the boat. Reservations are required, and to book, call: 609-381-2978. Open-boat trips are fishing the bay daily 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and charters are on tap.

The Salt Talk ran a few trips through the week, and the weather was often windy, so the boat fished on the northern bay to escape, Capt. Howard said. Last Tuesday’s trip produced 14 keeper weakfish and assorted other fish, including flounder, blues and croakers. On Wednesday patrons grabbed flounder including a 5-1/4-pounder, blues and croakers. Trips Saturday and Sunday focused on flounder, and the fishing was okay. Not a lot of people were aboard Sunday, but they bagged four flounder, four weaks, some blues and croakers. Sunday will be the last day of flounder season, and afterward the boat will run for weaks and croakers, if the fish are still around. Striped bass fishing usually begins in mid October and peaks in November on the vessel. Open-boat trips are fishing 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, and charters are also available.

Customers picked up weakies at the 6 buoy, said Ed from Al’s Bait & Tackle. Many of the fish were shorts, but larger ones to 4 pounds were mixed in, and one angler who stopped by yesterday ran a trip that nailed eight keepers and released shorts. A few flounder skittered around the 6 and Flounder Alley, and Fortescue surf anglers banked blues and spots. Fortescue Creek was loaded with white perch.

Bivalve

Weakfish kept biting from the 1 buoy to the 2 and 3, Thompson’s Beach and Bug Light, said Pat from Longreach Marina. Shedder crabs, the favorite weakfish bait, ran out, but she hoped to carry more by the weekend. Minnows will be stocked at least until the last day of flounder season on Sunday, and afterward the supply will depend on demand. Squid and frozen baits are on hand. Anglers and their catches included: Jim Wood Jr., Bill Wood and Skip Mathias, 18 weaks, 3 flounder and some croakers and blues; Anthony Albano, Connie Wood and Tim Finsel, 8 weaks, a 19-inch flounder and a bunch of croakers and blues; Mike Colon, Angelina Alverada and Naisha, 8 weaks and a flounder; Frank Kammerer, Morty Berg and Charlie Steinhauer, 5 weaks, 1 flounder and a blue; and Roger McCann and wife, 20-, 22- and 24-inch flounder, quite a few spots and a puffer. Travis Phillips also fished from Ocracoke, North Carolina, hauling in a 27-inch red drum.

Dennisville

Fishing on the bay was pretty much about weakfish and small fish like spots and baby croakers, said Rusty from Captain Tate’s Bait & Tackle. Decent catches of weaks were made at the oyster bed stakes, the number 1 buoy and off Thompson’s Beach, and those seemed the top locales. Shedder crabs were best bait, if shedders could be found, and they became scarce. But anglers substituted squid, bloodworms, clams, strips of spots, strips of croakers, Gulp shrimp, Gulp peeler crabs and FishBites artificial worms in crab or bloodworm scents. The shop is carrying fresh spots, and if anglers catch spots or croakers, they could strip them up for bait. Many anglers abandoned flounder fishing by now, but the flatties could be found toward Miah Maull and the 19 buoy or along Flounder Alley. Most of the fluke were shorts, but keepers could sometimes be culled, and shorts with a few keepers were also swimming off Cape May Point around Bayshore Channel. The bigger croakers swam the lower bay including toward the 9 and 10 buoys, Brandywine and Bayshore Channel. A few kingfish and a handful of weakfish were also hovering around Bayshore Channel. In the ocean flounder fishing was hit or miss at the Old Grounds and the reefs, and the fish were there, but angling for them when they were willing to eat was the key. Winds, currents and tides needed to create the right drift speeds. Not many sea bass seemed to be around the ocean structure, but tog, including double-digit fish, were found at places like Wildwood Reef and the inshore wrecks. The bottom was cold if the big ones were there, and ling, another cold-water fish, were also caught. The tog limit is one per angler until jumping to six on November 16. But a big slippery was something to fish for once flounder season ends after the weekend. Farther from shore, bluefin tuna fishing slowed down, and the loads of bluefins that had stuck around the Lobster Claw apparently scattered. Little was heard about yellowfin tuna, but big mahi mahi held along a weed line with a 4-degree water-temperature break inside the west wall of Wilmington Canyon. One angler caught 14 of the dolphin from 15 to 30 pounds. White marlin were also fought at the canyons. Looking ahead, striped bass might start to show up in Delaware Bay by mid October. In recent years the fishing turned on a bit late, but water temps were cooler this year, and the weather was starting to cool, so some anglers were expecting good fishing early.

Cape May

The Butch Wright family limited out on weakfish near Bug Light on Sunday on the First Cast, Capt. Rob said. They also took a few drifts for flounder on the bay, connecting with the flatfish, and hooked blues, puffers and other fish on the trip, too. “You name it, we got it,” Rob said. On Saturday a charter with the Dilisio family from Town and Country Roofing from West Philly landed probably 25 keeper weaks near Bug Light and also lots of sharks and a slough of croakers. A group from Ken’s Signs from Pine Hill on Thursday or Friday, Rob forgot which, took a course for the Old Grounds for flounder fishing in the ocean, but there was no drift. They picked at a couple of flounder and reeled aboard several 5- or 6-pound sea bass, large ones. First Cast donated a trip to fish the annual Special Olympics event from Cape May on Wednesday, and the anglers reeled up croakers, baby weakfish and sharks near Brandywine.

On the Down Deep the Kramer crew boated croakers near Bug Light, Capt. Bob said. Croakers also schooled near Brandywine, he added.

Loads of small flounder filled the surf at Cape May Point, but few keepers swam the waters, said Matt from Jim’s Bait & Tackle in a fax. Cape May Reef’s flounder fishing started to improve, and the tire units there gave up more keepers than before, and the Ben Franklin Bridge rubble at the reef also held the fish, but the flatties were tight in the structure, so bucktailing was best when conditions allowed the jigs to be fished. Flounder were also pulled from the Old Grounds and Reef 11, and more and more quality-sized sea bass were bagged from those areas.