<b>Pennsville</b>

In the Delaware River white perch, catfish and small striped bass swam around, said Dave from <b>Shag’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Soak bloodworms for the perch, any smelly bait like chunked herring or bunker for the cats, and bloods or fresh bunker for the stripers. Customers who took flounder trips on the bay said Gulp swim mullets in pink or chartreuse worked well. Shedder crabs, traditionally the favorite weakfish bait, will also grab flounder strikes. Crabbing started to pick up, and the shop’s owner, who crabs commercially, began to pluck male blueclaws from the waters, after they had been scarce. Fresh bunker is stocked when available, and bloodworms are carried. Shedder crabs are on hand, and so are frozen baits including clams, herring and more. No minnows are carried, but other baits including nightcrawlers and trout worms are supplied. 

<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

At the <b>Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b> many anglers said they scored plenty of flounder, Sharon said. Lots of the flatfish seemed to hug bottom all over the bay, and some keepers could be found. So that was good, she said. Customers who reported the best catches fished around Miah Maul in around 25 feet. One said he located a bite 1 ½ miles off the turn buoys, further making the fish seem spread out.  She heard about catches as good as four, eight or ten keepers per boat, depending on the number of anglers. One said he clocked two 5-pounders. The back bays along the coast around Wildwood supposedly served up a bunch of the flatties. Fishing for drum and striped bass on Delaware Bay slowed down considerably by the weekend. All the rains might’ve affected the fish, and the rainy springtime this year might’ve accounted for the somewhat fewer drum boated compared with last year.  Surf fishing along the ocean generally put anglers on more stripers than any other fishing. Hardly anyone tried for weakfish on Delaware Bay, but one customer reported landing a half-dozen of the trout. Weaks were picked here or there, but maybe a few more were out there than anglers knew. People kept buying shedder crabs, the favorite weakfish bait, but the crabs are great flounder bait, and they were probably bought for flounder. Small bluefish sometimes popped up. Shedder crabs, minnows and a large supply of frozen baits, including herring, are stocked. Fresh bunker arrives almost daily, so long as the bunker boats get out. Fresh clams are usually on hand, and the clam supply will get tighter, because the boats stop going after clams once demand drops off, after the peak of fishing like for stripers. Call to order clams ahead of time, like if taking a last shot at drum. 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>

One customer at <b>Beaver Dam Boat Rentals</b> had already busheled out on crabs by early afternoon Monday, when Linda from the shop gave this report. She was surprised, because the weekend’s full moon failed to affect catches. Full moons often trigger the blueclaws to shed, and shedders will stop feeding until finished molting. Not all crabs shed at once, so crabs will still be caught, but the numbers can drop. A shed triggered by this last moon would probably still take place. That would be the second shed of the year, and they only shed during the warmer months. Customers gathered up plenty of crabs through the weekend, and sizes were good. Linda saw up to 6-inchers. Another shed should increase the population of larger ones. Linda has measured blueclaws before and after shedding, and the crabs grew about an inch. Interestingly, once they shed, the new shell is larger than the crab’s body, and the body grows to fill the shell. Sometimes people will talk about crabs being “meaty” or “full of meat,” and that’s what that means: The body of the crabs has grown enough to fill the shell. Many parts of the state, like around the back bays behind the barrier islands on the coast, were yet to produce many crabs, but crabbing at Beaver Dam was well under way. That’s probably because of water temperature. The ocean, slower to warm in spring than Delaware Bay, keeps the coastal bays cool until later. Oranokin Creek, the stream that runs along Beaver Dam where customers crab, is already warm enough to get crabs skittering around. Sixty-two degrees is the magic number. The creek and estuary are an especially rich area for crabs, even harboring more than many other tributaries along the bay. It attracts more forage for various reasons, for one thing. Commercial crabbing is also prohibited on the estuary, unlike many places in the state, and Beaver Dam has some control over the stream, prohibiting jet skis to launch from the ramp, for example. Besides crabbing, anglers bailed striped bass, including large ones, keepers, and white perch on the creek. Stripers aren’t always so eager to bite in the waters, but they are now.   Beaver Dam’s rental boats for crabbing get towed up the creek, and the staff checks on the rental boaters every hour. If crabbers want to return in the mean time for a break, they simply cell phone the shop, and the staff picks them up. Kayaks and canoes are available to rent for sightseeing on the creek, a wildlife wonderland with all kinds of birds, critters and plants. Beaver Dam carries everything needed for a day of crabbing, including all different types of traps, hand lines, nets, bait, bug spray, suntan lotion, drinks and snacks. The shop is open 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Customers should call ahead to reserve crab boats, kayaks and canoes to ensure they’re available. Beaver Dam is available to host groups like scouts for nature education. A gazebo with a grill is available on the grounds for events like birthday parties, Father’s Day and family reunions.

<b>Fortescue</b>

Mostly flounder trips fished on the <b>Salt Talk</b>, but one drum charter sailed, Capt. Howard said. The flounder trips, open-boat outings, ran Saturday through Monday, and on Saturday 15 keepers were socked, including a 5-pound 7-ounce doormat that Steve McNellis pummeled. Catches were about like that in the past days, so the fishing was good, the best of the season so far. On Monday 19 keepers were totaled, and probably 30 shorts were tossed back. The boat during the fluke trips fished near the Elbow in depths averaging 26 to 30 feet, and the surface of the bay was 68 degrees, holding steady. Just a few small blues were sometimes angled up. Minnows were supplied for bait on the flattie trips, but anglers could bring their own if they wanted a personal stash. Sometimes a blue or a flounder that were caught were cut up for strip baits. Using flounder for strip baits used to be prohibited, but currently one legal-sized flounder per angler can be cut up for strip baits, so long as the carcass is kept aboard to prove the fish was legal size. The drum charter fished Thursday, and two of the boomers were bagged. Wes Sparke clubbed a 74-pounder. The next drum charter is slated for this Thursday, and the boat will at least offer charters for drum through then, and Howard will keep an eye on the fishing to determine how much longer the vessel will target them. Flounder charters are also on tap. Open-boat flounder trips are slated to fish 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, but always call to confirm, especially in case a charter is scheduled instead.

Fishing for flounder walloped the fish, good catches, said Dave from <b>Al’s Bait & Tackle</b>. His dad took a trip Sunday that cleaned up on the bottom huggers, some quality ones, while drifting inshore of the Elbow at the humps and lumps in 8 to 12 feet. The bay’s deep waters produced very well, but shallower waters at the stakes also churned out the flatties. All the different baits seemed to work, and the fish seemed to show no preference. Any preference seemed to depend on the angler. But the baits included minnows, mackerel, spearing, sand eels and even bunker. All those baits and more, a thorough supply, including shedder crabs, are stocked. Small blues were sometimes boated, and drum fishing began to slow down. Anglers still caught them, but this might be the last shot for the season. The date was almost mid June, and that’s a normal time. The fishing last year lasted later, but last year’s drum fishing was much better than typical, an unusual season. White perch fishing was excellent in Fortescue Creek, and crabbing started to be pretty decent in the creek. In the Fortescue surf a few small stripers could be landed, and horseshoe crabs had invaded the beaches a while ago, putting an end to most of the beach fishing. The crabs were beginning to thin out, and surf anglers were starting to cast lines again. Respectable flounder were sometimes reeled from the jetty at the mouth of Fortescue Creek. The creek and other tributaries are always home to small stripers, occasional keepers, through summer.

<b>Bivalve</b>

Boaters from <b>Longreach Marina</b> mostly docked flounder, pretty much searching throughout the bay for them, Pat said. No drum rolled in from trips in the past week. A few striped bass were seen, and only one bluefish was checked in. One group of anglers decked quite a catch: Jim and Jimbo Wood and Kyle and Bailey Gleason tackled a 72-inch tiger shark. Tiger sharks are second in size only to great whites. Big sharks sometimes haunt the bay, even if anglers are unaware, and Pat has seen them. Minnows, fresh bunker and frozen baits are stocked. Other anglers and their catches included: John and Frank Swydrsky, Pittsgrove, eight flounder to 23 inches; John Swydrsky on another trip with Tony Rizzo, Pittsgrove, four flounder to 26 inches; Lucky Murray, Millville, five flounder to 19 ½ inches; Ray Niemiec and John Frank, Landsdowne, Pa., four flounder 18 ½ to 19 ½ inches; Tyler and Rob Smith, Millville, four flounder and a blue; Bob Ryan, Clementon, three flounder; Dave Mitchell Sr and Jr., town not given, three flounder 20 to 21 inches; Connie Wood, Millville, 48-inch striper; and last but not least, Sean Emigholz, 9, Pittsgrove, 34-pound striper.

<b>Cape May</b>

A drumfish trip headed out Friday in the blow with 25-knot winds, but there was no boat traffic, and that was great, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>. The charter hauled in five drum to 70 pounds, mostly 40- to 50-pounders. Three were lost, including two near the boat that were seen but got broken off. Rough seas probably didn’t help. On another drum trip Saturday a zillion boats crammed the drum grounds on the Jersey side, looking like a land mass on the radar, so George moved to the Delaware side. One 20- or 30-pound drum was boated. The fishing sounded tough all around, especially in the crowds. George knew about one boat near him that came up with three drum, another nearby that got two, and another around the same grounds that got one. On Sunday fishing also seemed slower, and no drum were landed on a charter, this time on the Jersey side. Seemed like the weekend crowds might’ve been a factor, considering the catch on the boat Friday, and maybe the full moon also had an effect through the weekend. Anglers hoped drumming was just in a lull for a moment like happens with the fishing, and that catches would pick right back up, like it usually does. George will keep fishing for them at least another week. Coming up, the boat will start mixing in shark fishing, and bottom fishing for sea bass is already on tap and producing, and so is bluefishing in the ocean. Tuna fishing for bluefins at the inshore grounds like 19-Fathom Lump and Massey’s Canyon will begin soon. The boat also ran a trip for a researcher who took samples of the bottom at Wildwood Reef, and George saw 61-degree water temps there and sea bass on the fish finder.

Drum fishing tapered off through the weekend with <b>Legal Limit Charters</b>, and none of the boomers was cranked up on the boat, and the fish-finder marked few, Capt. T.J. said. The trips fished on the Jersey side at the Pin Top and Tussy’s Slough, and other boats supposedly rounded up a handful of drum, not many, on the Delaware side off Slaughter Beach.

Fishing for drum was still happening, said Capt. Joe from <b>Schmedley Charters</b> in an e-mail. The Zebley family on board Saturday wrestled in a 75-pounder, a 50-pounder “and numerous other fish,” he said, including a 19-inch flounder.  Flounder fishing improved throughout the bay, including around Miah Maul, during the past couple of weeks.

Catches of drum, including sizeable fish, were good, said Capt. Bob from the <b>Down Deep</b>.  He gave this report on the phone while on a drum trip Sunday on the Delaware side of the bay. On  a trip Saturday with Harvey Miller’s group, a 73-pounder was knocked down, and 10-year-old Josh clobbered his first-ever, a 43-pounder. On Thursday Dave Aboudi’s gang landed a few, including Dave’s first, and on Monday of last week a charter with anglers from the Edgewater Park Sportmans Club fished for drum. On that Sunday the Marino party got after the boomers, and youngster Vince angled in a 53-pounder that was his first drum. Charters will drum fish as long as possible, including as long as fresh clams are available for bait. The clam boats will stop running at some point, because demand drops off. A number of healthy sized flounder inhaled the clam baits on this Sunday’s trip.

The bay’s flounder fishing picked up during the week on the Delaware side of the shipping channel around the E and F buoys, said Matt from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b> in a fax. The fish were also pumped in near Miah Maul and the 19 buoy. Catches somewhat slowed during the weekend, probably because of freshwater runoff from rains. Good catches of flounder were also creeled on the back bay. Drum were hooked, not great fishing but four to five boomers per trip on the charter boats, at Tussy’s Slough and the Pin Top in 30 feet or so. Striped bass were hammered in the surf, great fishing. Clams seemed the preference, but bunker and bloodworms also worked. Gary Hill clammed a 28-pound striper at Poverty Beach on Friday, and Bill Jo whacked a 37-1/2-pounder right next to him, also on clam. Stephen Jezqlik waffled a 47-1/2-pounder at the Alexander Avenue jetty on a chunk of herring that he caught. Jeff Glenn shellacked a 53-1/2-pound striper from a boat on the flats of Delaware Bay on bunker. Sharks started to move in to the southern grounds in the ocean. The crew on the Bubuca fought a mako and eight blue sharks, before a big blue ate the chum bucket before they could get it away from the beast. Chris Patterson and gang on the Argent put the skids on two makos and four blue sharks at the Hooper wreck.   

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