<b>Pennsville</b>

Striped bass began to be pancaked on the bay and no longer on the Delaware River, said Zach from <b>Shag’s Bait & Tackle</b>. The linesiders, caught on fresh bunker, came from throughout the bay from north like at Ship John to farther south like at the Maurice River Cove, down to Cape May. On the river white perch could be bloodwormed and catfish could be copped on cut baits like bunker. Recreational crabbers probably couldn’t put together much of a catch yet, but commercial crabbers, including the shop’s boss, trapped the blueclaws. He crabbed to the south on the bay. Fresh bunker and bloodworms are stocked.

<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Drum began to be boated off Delaware’s Slaughter Beach, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. She heard about a few, not many, taken on the Jersey side. No pattern seems to exist for where the fish will pop up during the season. For years Slaughter Beach was a main place they gathered, but in recent years many held on the Jersey side. She heard about a couple caught that weighed 75 pounds in the past days. Fresh surf clams are the best bait. Boaters could hardly catch a break from the weather in the last 10 or 12 days, except a somewhat calm day here or there. Today was storming, and Monday’s winds were fairly calm, and Sunday’s weren’t too bad. Striped bass seemed to drop down to the bay after spawning in the Delaware River, getting caught on fresh bunker. They seemed no longer to collect mostly in the northern bay but instead range from the Maurice River Cove down to the southern bay off Cape May. Some were good sized, and one customer talked about landing a 46-incher near the number 1 buoy. Out-of-season flounder, including big ones, showed up in the commercial nets, and the flattie season opens in two Saturdays. Last year produced good fishing for them, and Sharon thinks this season should also be good and should give up some large ones. Okay catches of blues were reeled in from the bay, mostly from the shore. Fresh bunker was stocked nearly every day, and fresh clams arrived about every other day, and all the frozen baits, a large supply, were on hand.  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>Bivalve</b>

Customers checked in large striped bass that apparently entered the bay from the Delaware River after spawning, said Pat from <b>Longreach Marina</b>. They boated the fish in close or in the Maurice River Cove and off Thompson’s Beach. Albert King from Dividing Creek bagged a 30-pounder and a 25-pounder on Friday. He and Dee King on Saturday landed three to 40 inches. On Sunday they totaled seven that were each bigger than 33 inches, keeping five, in a short trip, no longer than 2 hours, and the first five bass were clocked within 35 minutes. Gary Wilson and Gary Harb from Franklinville docked four stripers 41 to 44 inches. Mr. Williams and crew grabbed four that were each larger than 36 inches. Fresh bunker, the bait to use, is stocked. More customers also brought in stripers, but the marina was busy during the weekend, and not all their names were collected. Drum were hauled aboard from the Delaware side of the bay, and sometimes the bite begins there before switching to the Jersey side.

<b>Fortescue</b>

A dozen drum 25 to 55 pounds were loaded up on a trip Monday, the mate from the <b>Buccaneer</b> said in a voicemail that evening, in a phone call he made from the waters on the way home from the trip. So the fishing was really good, he said, and a trip Sunday boxed two drum 65 pounds and 30 pounds. Capt. Ralph from the boat started chartering for drum before any of the fleet commonly did, back in the 1960s. He said in the past that the fishing is like deer hunting, because boaters should anchor where they know drum were caught recently, and stay there, waiting for the fish to bite. The boomers will come through, hitting the baits, at unexpected times. He only relocates if he knows the fish are currently feeding someplace else. His anglers fish for drum with whole surf clams or softshell crabs on a tandem-hooked rig. Check out a great deal on drum charters in the Buccaneer’s ad.

Boaters off Slaughter Beach in Delaware pumped in drum, and mostly sharks filled the waters around the Pin Top and Tussy’s Slough, said Dave from <b>Al’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Those two areas, near Cape May, produced drum in recent years. Dave’s dad took a trip off Slaughter on Sunday that rounded up five drum to 50 pounds, none big, in shallow, 15-foot waters. Striped bass showed up toward the end of the week, putting out good catches off Egg Island Point on fresh bunker. They probably migrated from the Delaware River after spawning, heading for the ocean. Bluefish 4 or 5 pounds, good-sized for spring, could be located by boat right off Fortescue. Anglers fishing from the shore at Fortescue also nabbed the blues on mackerel, mullet or bunker and stripers on bloodworms. Bigger stripers probably thinned out along the shore. Lots of white  perch schooled Fortescue Creek. Nothing was heard about weakfish or out-of-season flounder. One would think weakfish would’ve appeared on occasion, like at least along the surf at Cape May. The weather was probably rough for anglers to come across flounder by mistake too often while fishing for other species. Fresh clams, fresh bunker and all the baits are stocked. Call ahead to ensure a supply, especially for large amounts of clams for drum fishing. Al’s is now open daily at 6 a.m. on weekdays and 5:30 a.m. on weekends.
 
<b>Villas</b>

The season’s maiden trips sailed during the weekend on the Ho-D-Doe, the vessel from <b>Budd’s Tackle Charter Services</b>, sailing from Cape May, said Capt. Ben, who also owns <b>Budd’s Bait & Tackle</b> in the Villas. The trips walloped drum on the Delaware side of the bay. Joe Rando’s crew on Saturday landed 12, keeping four, releasing the rest. Timmy Donnelly’s gang from the Disabled American Veterans pancaked 14, keeping eight. Budd’s gives a discount to veterans. Customers from the tackle shop banked striped bass and drum from the surf at Cape May’s Poverty Beach on clams. Ben knew about a couple of 68- and 69-pound drum hoisted in from Poverty. They also plugged stripers in the wash at Cape May Point on silver and black Bomber lures. Boaters picked up stripers on Delaware Bay at the stakes off Diaz Creek and Bug Light on fresh bunker. No bluefish seemed around anywhere, and the last blues Ben heard about came from the back bay about a week ago. Customers mentioned out-of-season flounder hooked and released on Delaware Bay. Fresh bunker, fresh clams and nearly all the baits are stocked, and eels should be carried soon.

<b>Cape May</b>

Seven drum 20 to 40 pounds were boated with Dave Stackhouse’s charter Saturday evening on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, Capt. George said. The fish started biting well on Thursday through the weekend, and John Stonick’s charter on Sunday beat three of the boomers 20 to 40 pounds. The fish had roe in them when cleaned, were spawning. Some in the fleet at the time boated five or six when a flurry of the fish came through. The best catches that day seemed to be made 1 to 3 p.m., because George sent a friend to the spot where the Heavy Hitter’s charter bagged the fish Saturday, and the friend shoveled up steady drum catches there during those hours, and other boaters surrounding him seemed to catch. A last-minute opening for a drum charter is available Sunday on the Heavy Hitter, because a drum charter slated for that day decided he’d rather fish for sea bass on the opening day of sea bass season Saturday. Call to claim the weekend spot.

Fishing for drum turned on well Friday for <b>Legal Limit Charters</b>, and a trip then racked up lots of good-sized ones to 75 pounds off the southern end of Delaware’s Slaughter Beach, Capt. T.J. said. A trip Saturday hauled in a bunch of quality ones to 50 pounds. So drum fishing was turned on, as far as the crew could tell, and the boomers would bite a couple of hours, turn off a while, bite another hour, and so on. In addition to charters, open-boat trips are fishing, and call for dates or check Legal Limit’s Web site.

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