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Brooklawn
Croakers moved into the bay a little, said Rick from Big Timber Bait & Tackle, and summer flounder seemed somewhat to begin sliding out of the bay toward the ocean. In the bay areas to the south like the 9 and 10 buoys were places to look for the flatties. Anglers began reporting better catches of flounder, including a few limits, but still lots of throwbacks, at spots like Reef 11, the Old Grounds and Cape May Reef. The Delaware River’s fishing seemed to improve a bit after the worst heat of the year seemed finished. The nor’easter blowing this week will probably help such fishing, cooling waters and oxygenating them. Lots of small striped bass swam nearly everywhere in the river. Largemouth bass chewed at the creek mouths, and catfish and carp tugged on many lines in the Big D. In offshore waters yellowfin tuna gave up plenty of catches when the weather allowed boats to sail. The tuna popped up at all the canyons at different times, and no one place held them consistently for long. A good showing of white marlin gathered at the southern canyons like the Baltimore and Poorman’s. Big Timber carries bait and tackle for fishing in all waters from freshwater to the bays to offshore.
Pennsville
On the Delaware River a good population of white perch bit, said Matt from Shag’s Bait & Tackle. Good fishing for catfish also came from the river. The catfishing had been slower previously, but the height of the hot weather seemed to pass, and somewhat lower water temps probably helped the angling. Matt heard that croakers were boated on the southern bay. Striped bass fishing will pick up in the tributaries of the Delaware River when daytime air temperatures begin to dip into the 70s and 60s. Anglers catch more of them in the tribs than in the river at the time of year, unlike in spring, when spawning stripers flood the river itself. In the tributaries this coming season anglers will work lures or maybe bait like peanut bunker to hook the stripers. But most anglers will use lures that imitate baitfish the linesiders will chase, and nighttime fishing will be productive. Crabbing had been good, though today’s full moon will probably trigger many of the blueclaws to shed, slowing down catches for days. Crabs will refuse to eat when shedding. Fresh peanut bunker, bloodworms, nightcrawlers and frozen baits including clams, bunker, mackerel, herring and squid are stocked.
Port Elizabeth
The bay’s summer flounder fishing didn’t sound so good, and the fish seemed small, but good reports were heard about flounder fishing in the ocean at places like the Old Grounds, off Delaware, said Sharon from The Girls Place Bait & Tackle. That angling should be picking up this time of year, as the fish begin to leave the bays for the ocean. Small weakfish began showing up in the bay, and friends located shorts south of the number 1 buoy, saying they could’ve hooked them all day. Some of the bay’s larger croakers gathered off Cape May Point, and the friends hooked them there. Smaller croakers swam farther north in the bay. Lots of good-sized spots were in the bay. minnows, all the frozen baits and other baits are fully stocked. Frozen shedder crabs are carried, and live shedders can be ordered if anglers call a day in advance. 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.
Fortescue
A trip was slated for today on the Buccaneer, and good catches of croakers, not big fish, were rounded up at the Anchorage, Capt. Ralph said. A few flounder remained in the bay, including at the white stakes and at the rips near Miah Maul.
Rough weather forecasts forced fishing to be cancelled Sunday on the party boat Salt Talk, Capt. Howard said. But croakers were clubbed at the Anchorage on previous trips. All the croakers anglers could want, small ones, seemed possible to catch, and a few 12-inch blues, kingfish and throwback flounder were mixed in. Somewhat bigger blues reportedly sometimes appeared farther up the bay toward Fortescue. The few boats that stayed near Fortescue and flounder fished reportedly copped a few of the flatties. Anglers said good-sized spots could be nabbed close to shore near Fortescue. The bay was probably 78 degrees. Open-boat trips are sailing daily when enough anglers want to go and no charter is booked, and charters are available.
Fishing for croakers put up the catches on the party boat Bonanza, Capt. Mike said. He wasn’t asked where the boat fished, but trips previously ran to the Anchorage for the hardheads, so that seemed the likely place. A 20-inch weakfish was decked on Monday’s trip. A few puppy drum, including four on that trip, were sometimes hauled in. An open-boat summer flounder trip will sail Wednesday, September 1, instead of on this Wednesday like previously scheduled. Space is available on the trip, and call to reserve: 609-381-2978. The Old Grounds is an area with rocky bottom in the ocean off Delaware that can harbor flounder and usually bottom fish like sea bass in the mix. Flounder tend to be larger at the Old Grounds, and this tends be the time of year to fish there. Open-boat trips are fishing the bay daily when no charter is booked, and charters are available.
Croakers, weakfish, summer flounder, blues, kingfish and spots swam the bay, said Dave from Al’s Bait & Tackle. Now, some explanations. The main body of croakers schooled toward Brandywine, and they also swam around the Mohawk wreck on the Delaware side. Croakers held near Fortescue, but those were small. Weakfish in the bay were small, though one was a keeper here and there. The bag limit is one weakfish this year, so that doesn’t really matter. Flounder were plentiful all around different areas of the bay, but Dave heard about no keepers. A keeper could be likely found here or there, but the keeper ratio was probably 1 in 30. Anglers located them at places including off Ben Davis Point and in deeper waters toward Miah Maul, but no place that held them seemed better than another for any reason. The blues and good-sized kingfish could be found along the first drop-off from Fortescue. Spots, sizeable ones, swam along the Fortescue beach and tight to shore. Surf anglers at Fortescue banked spots and blues. Dave’s been watching kids pull 14- and 15-inch blues, not a bad size, from the beach, and the fish were either there or not at a given time. Anglers in small boats fishing along the sod banks targeted spots. White perch fishing and crabbing were good in the creeks, including Fortescue Creek. Minnows, shedder crabs and the full supply of baits is stocked. Minnows will be carried through flounder season, and shedders will be on hand as long as demand holds up.
Bivalve
Jack Dorson from Delaware boated two keeper summer flounder 19 and 20 inches, releasing lots of throwbacks, said Pat from Longreach Marina. The better flounder fishing seemed to be toward the southern bay and Bug Light. Kim and John Plummer came up with 14 white perch, some of them more than 14 inches, up one of the creeks. Les Berry from Haleyville also fished one of the creeks, nabbing 14 good-sized perch. Minnows, shedder crabs and all the frozen baits are stocked.
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