<b>Brooklawn</b>

Usual places churned out summer flounder, including off the E.P. Tower, Miah Maull, the 19 buoy, and 14-Foot Light, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b>. Many of the fish were small, and small blues swam the bay. A few drum were boated in the bay off Delaware’s Slaughter Beach, but drum fishing was about finished for the year. Customers who fished the back bays along the coast talked about somewhat better keeper ratios of flounder. An angler once in a while bagged five, and most totaled one or two keepers or hooked only throwbacks. Kingfish began to move into the surf at Atlantic City, Brigantine, Sea Isle City, and the Corson’s Inlet area. One customer kayaked a 49-pound striped bass just off the surf breakers on a bunker snagged for bait and livelined. Bluefin tuna were trolled in 20 fathoms in the ocean or southeast of 28-Mile Wreck and along the Cigar. They held in 125-foot depths near the rough bottom. A few bluefins were found between the Misty Blue wrecks and the East Lump. Trolled ballyhoos on Ilander skirts dragged way back and deep drew strikes. Big Timber Bait & Tackle carries bait and tackle for fishing in all waters from freshwater to the bays to offshore.

<b>Pennsville</b>

Small flounder were reported caught on the bay, said Zach from <b>Shag’s Bait & TackleK</b>. Not a ton was heard about the fish. Nothing was heard about striped bass catches anymore this season. White perch and catfish could always be angled from the Delaware River. Crabbing began to serve up catches, mostly toward the bay, but some began to be trapped in the tributaries closer to the shop. Fresh bunker and bloodworms are stocked.

<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Drum fishing mostly dropped off, though a few were probably hauled in, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. Demand for clams, the bait for drum, nearly stopped. Flounder were picked around the bay, but not a lot was heard about them, like specific locations. Bluefish were around in the waters, and the shop’s netter found them in catches. Croakers will be the next fish the bay’s anglers anticipate arriving, and none of the hardheads were heard about yet. Kingfish began to be caught in the surf along the coast, and that was the biggest news lately. Fresh surf clams will continue to be stocked, but not in quantities, because drum fishing tailed off. Call to order the clams before Thursdays if a large number is wanted. Fresh bunker is usually stocked every other day. Minnows, shedder crabs and bloodworms are carried, and shedders make a good flounder bait. A large variety of frozen baits are stocked, including for flounder, including all the different types of squid, spearing, mackerel, herring, mullet and smelts. Offshore baits such as flats of ballyhoos, butterfish and threadfin herring can be ordered. Rigged or unrigged baits like ballyhoos can be ordered. All different kinds of chum like mackerel chum can be ordered. The crew at the shop makes chum from fresh bunker. 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>

Crabs both shed and mated around the new moon Saturday, and that seemed to make catches sluggish that day for customers, said Paul from <b>Beaver Dam Boat Rentals</b>. Forecasts for rough weather kept crabbers to a minimum Sunday, but the ones who crabbed scored well, around a half-bushel per trip. Many of the blueclaws were undersized that skittered around, and that’s good news, should promise healthy crabbing this season, because they grow to keeper size quickly. A few customers fished from the rental boats, releasing small flounder, hooking an eel, seeing a school of blues swim past, unusual to see the blues this far inland. Crabbers and anglers in the shops rental boats are towed up Oranokin Creek to several saltwater ponds teeming with crabs. The staff checks on boaters every hour, and if some want a break in the meantime, they cell phone the shop and get picked up. Everything needed for a day of crabbing, from baits to traps to suntan lotion, snacks and cold drinks, is supplied at the shop. Call ahead to reserve a rental boat, because they can become full. Beaver Dam rents kayaks and canoes for sightseeing on the creek, filled with wildlife. Fish and wildlife licenses are sold, and Beaver Dam is a deer and turkey check-in station. Beaver Dam is open Fridays through Sundays and will be open seven days a week starting June 28. Visit <a href="http://www.crabulousnj.com/Home_Page.html" target="_blank">Beaver Dam’s Web site</a> for hours and more info.

<b>Fortescue</b>

Anglers on the <b>Buccaneer</b> began fishing for flounder, after drum charters ended for the season, and a trip for the flatties was headed out today, Capt. Ralph said. He guessed a handful of drum were still around, and that some boats still fished for them. Drum fishing last year pretty much came to an end this past Sunday. A few keeper flounder swam among lots of throwbacks in the bay. Shallow, warmer waters might’ve held more of the flatbacks, but trips on the boat fished both deep and shallow. Blues supposedly swam around, but only one big blue was hooked on the boat, landed Sunday. 

Lots of flounder, a few keepers, were tugged aboard the party boat <b>Salt Talk</b> on charters Saturday and Sunday, Capt. Howard said. The boat fished at the stakes and the Ditch, and the Ditch reportedly gave up the fish Friday, but by Saturday no flatties there really bit. Small bluefish occasionally grabbed a bait. Howard tried fishing deeper along the shipping channel three times this season for flounder, but skates and sharks or junk fish filled the waters. Shallower areas of the bay were 72 degrees, and deeper places were 72. Trips fished for flounder with minnows, squid and mackerel. Sometimes bluefish that were caught were stripped out for bait, and sometimes strips of flounder belly were used. Open-boat flounder trips are sailing daily, but call to confirm, and charters are available.

Drum trips ended for the season last week on the party boat <b>Bonanza</b>, and flounder trips continued to sail daily, Capt. Mike said. Many short flounder were swung aboard and tossed back, and trips on weekdays last week averaged 10 or 12 keepers. A few bluefish were mixed in. Winds against the tide hampered the drift, made flounder fishing difficult, on Sunday. Annual, open-boat trips to the Old Grounds, an area of rough bottom that attracts flounder in the ocean off Delaware, will begin with a trip Wednesday, July 7. The first 20 people to reserve the trip will get the space, and call 609-381-2978 to book. The Old Grounds can give up some of the best flounder fishing around when conditions are right, and the flatties there tend to be larger. The fishing’s different than fishing on the bay, because waters are deeper or 80 feet, compared with 15 to 20 in the bay, and the bottom is rocky, and other fish can be mixed in, including ling and sea bass.

Flounder fishing kept improving, got much better, and the fish moved around, but the largest concentration probably held along the white stakes near Egg Island Point, said Dave from <b>Al’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Lots of good-sized flatties 4 and 5 pounds were around, and a couple of 6-pounders were weighed in during the weekend. Bluefish were hooked everywhere, and flounder anglers nailed them, but boaters also set up chum slicks to target blues. No weakfish were heard about, and croakers seemed yet to arrive. Croakers usually show up by the end of the month, appearing first on the southern bay on the Delaware side like off Slaughter Beach. In the Fortescue surf white perch, flounder and a few blues were sometimes beached, and surf casters used baits like mackerel or minnows. Excellent white perch catches, including big slabs, were beaten in Fortescue Creek. Bait like spearing swam the creek, and peanut bunker were yet to appear in the creek, but the season was a little early. Lots of adult bunker schooled the bay. Flounder anglers keep a snagging hook on board to snag the menhaden for a great flounder bait. Drum fishing seemed to come to an end for the year. Fresh clams will no longer be stocked this season, because demand ends when drum fishing does. Fresh bunker is stocked from time to time, and minnows are well supplied. All the frozen and salted baits are fully stocked. Trips for flounder are sailing open-boat daily on the bay, and charters are available.

<b>Port Norris</b>

On the <b>Bodacious</b> drum fishing was wrapped up for the season, and two trips sailed for flounder so far this year, said Capt. Tim, also from <b>Port Norris Marina</b>. But conditions were terrible, with wind against tide messing up the drift on one of the trips two Saturdays ago, and no drift in a light breeze on the other trip this Sunday. So the fishing was slow on the trips, and the boat was sailed all over the bay to try for the bottom huggers. Charters on the Bodacious will fish for flounder anywhere from the bay to the Old Grounds in the ocean off Delaware. Only one bluefish, landed Sunday, was hooked on the trips. Sea bass catches weren’t bad if charters ran 30 miles offshore in the ocean. Lots of bluefin tuna seemed to be tumbling in to the inshore ocean, and open-boat trips for them will probably begin soon. The boat’s first three-day tuna trip farther offshore at the canyons is set for August 5 to 7. When that trip fills, the next one will be scheduled, and so on. Spaces are available on an open-boat dinner cruise to Cape May’s Lobster House on July 2. Call to reserve all these trips. At the marina, the full supply of bait is stocked, including minnows and frozen bait like mackerel and squid. A few slips are available. Stop by the marina for a dock party at 3 p.m. this Saturday.

<b>Bivalve</b>

Bob LaBree and George Donley bagged two flounder 19 ½ and 21 inches, tossed back 15 shorts and reeled in three blues while fishing with minnows and squid on a trip, said Pat from <b>Longreach Marina</b>. Flounder were boated anywhere from the 1 buoy to Little Egypt to off Egg Island Point. Drum were sometimes still caught, and blues were around. Pat only saw one weakfish that was landed so far this season. Fresh bunker is stocked, and probably only a small amount will be carried after this week. Speaking of bunker, the favorite striped bass bait, nobody mentioned fishing for stripers in the past days. Minnows and frozen baits including mackerel are carried.

<b>Villas</b>

A couple of customers fished for drum on the bay during the weekend, but no catches were heard about, said Irene from <b>Budd’s Bait & Tackle</b>. A charter was slated to sail for drum on the Hoe-D-Do, the charter boat from <b>Budd’s Tackle Charter Service</b>, sailing from Cape May, on Sunday, but the crew cancelled the trip because the fishing seemed slow. Little was heard about flounder fishing on the bay. One customer said he was headed to Miah Maull for flounder, but nothing was heard back from him, and he usually reports back when he catches well. The Old Grounds on the ocean off Delaware reportedly produced good catches of the flatties. A charter on the Ho-D-Doe was supposed to fish for them there today, but was called off because of forecasts for northeast winds. Cape May surf anglers seemed to stop fishing from the beaches once lifeguards went on duty full time this season. But last year striped bass were beached from the surf through June.

<b>Cape May</b>

The <b>Down Deep</b> is finished drum fishing for the season, and some of the fish remained in the bay, but not many, Capt. Bob said. Trips on the boat are switching to fishing for flounder in the bay and ocean and sea bass, bluefin tuna and sharks in the ocean. News about flounder was scarce, because most of the Cape May fleet had fished for drum.

Drum fishing was slow on the bay, produced only big rays, on Saturday with Wally McKay’s charter, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, so no more drum trips will sail this year on the vessel. He only heard about three drum caught among the fleet on Saturday evening. George knew about private boaters who scored flounder, all-right catches, this weekend at the Old Grounds in the ocean off Delaware. Charters will now fish for flounder, sea bass, bluefin tuna and sharks.

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