<b>Pennsville</b>

Delaware River anglers pulled in catfish and white perch from the tidal waters, anyplace where they could gain access, said Zach from <b>Shag’s Bait & Tackle</b>. The cats sniffed out chunks of bait like bunker, and the perch nibbled bloodworms. Flounder, not too many, and mostly throwbacks, began to be angled from the bay. Recreational crabbers started to nab the blueclaws toward the bay, not much in the tributaries closer  to the shop yet. Fresh bunker and bloodworms are stocked. 

<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Catches of drum might’ve been spotty, but not a lot of customers fished for them during the weekend, because of forecasts for rough weather, especially forecasts for severe storms on Sunday, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. Rough forecasts at night, when anglers often fished for the boomers, were also particularly avoided. But anglers had been picking a few drum at Tussy’s Slough and the Pin Top and, she guessed, off Slaughter Beach. The best reports about flounder catches rolled in from the back bays, like at Stone Harbor and Avalon. A few anglers said they scored very well. But a few keepers came from Delaware Bay, and anglers there had to move around, picking the flounder here and there, unless a good school was located. Blues were around in the bay, and nothing much was heard about weakfish. Little was heard about striped bass, and fewer bunker were sold than before, probably meaning stripers were scarcer than previously. Fresh bunker is sometimes stocked, but not every day, unless anglers order the baitfish. Fresh clams are stocked, but not in quantities at this time of year, so order ahead. Minnows and shedder crabs are on hand, and so is a large selection of frozen bait, including mackerel and herring. 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>

Crabbers at <b>Beaver Dam Boat Rentals</b> caught a half-bushel or more of the blueclaws per trip during the weekend, Linda said. They trapped good-sized keepers and many throwbacks, but the abundant throwbacks were good news, because many will grow to keeper size on the next shed. The crabs grow 1 ½ inches on a shed, and that’s the reason they shed. Some crabs shed on the full moon, others on the new moon, and the moon and tides have a lot to do with shedding. But not all crabs shed at once. Crabbers at Beaver Dam are towed up Oranokin Creek to several saltwater ponds teeming with hardshells. The staff checks on the crabbers every hour, and if any want to return in the meantime, they simply cell phone the shop, and the staff picks them up. Nobody fished from the rental boats this weekend, but anglers on the boats during the previous week landed white perch. Some customers rented kayaks and canoes for paddling up the scenic creek during the weekend. All kinds of wildlife lives along the creek. Diamondback terrapins, a brackish-water turtle, were abundant lately, because they were mating. Birds along the creek can include golden eagles, harrier hawks, ospreys, blue and white herons, redwinged blackbirds and egrets. 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. Call ahead to reserve a rental boat, because they can become full. Look for specials that will be offered for the weekends of Father’s Day and July 4. Everything needed for a day of crabbing, from baits to traps to suntan lotion, snacks and cold drinks, is supplied at the shop. Beaver Dam also rents kayaks and canoes for sightseeing on the creek. Fish and wildlife licenses are sold, and Beaver Dam is a deer and turkey check-in station. Beaver Dam is located only 10 minutes from the annual Bay Days that will take place at Port Norris this Saturday and Sunday. Bay Days is reportedly the largest free festival in the tri-state area, featuring music, food, all kinds of activities for kids and more.

<b>Fortescue</b>

Flounder trips bagged a few keepers, and many of the bay’s flatties were shorts, said Capt. Howard from the party boat <b>Salt Talk</b>.  Trips fished at the stakes, inshore of the Old House and at the top of the rips north of Miah Maull. Howard tried fishing in deeper waters along the shipping channel, but only skates and junk fish bit. The upper bay where trips fished was 75 degrees, warmer than this time last year. Only a few blues showed up, such as two on Saturday and one on Sunday. The boat is finished drum fishing for the year. Open-boat trips are fishing for flounder daily unless a charter is booked.

Drum fishing somewhat slowed down, and the fish moved back to the Delaware side, and they started hitting at night, said Capt. Ralph from the <b>Buccaneer</b>. The boomers still held in the waters but became finicky, and he put his drum trips on hold for the moment, waiting to see what the fish would do next. Trips at the moment would probably have to stay on the waters until 1 or 2 a.m. Ralph had been running trips to the bay off Delaware’s Slaughter Beach when the fish first gathered there this season, before a bite developed on the New Jersey side at Tussy’s Slough and the Pin Top. But Slaughter Beach is a long ride if the fishing’s too slow. Catches could come back on, but if the angling is finished for the season, Ralph couldn’t complain, because his trips scored good drum fishing this season. When drum fishing ends, charters will switch to flounder fishing.

Fishing for flounder turned up somewhat better numbers and somewhat more keepers than before, said Dave from <b>Al’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Customers fished for them all over, from shallow to deep. Minnows with squid were popular baits, and many bought spearing for the fish. Lots of Gulps, mainly shrimp and mullet, were sold for the flatties. A few anglers played with blues, and anglers couldn’t just head out and expect to run across blues, but instead had to chum them up. Not much was heard about drum in the past days, including because winds blew Sunday, and Saturday’s weather wasn’t that great. But previously plenty of drum were hauled from waters around Tussy’s Slough and the Pin Top. Any striped bass that were caught were small, and Dave heard about no keepers in a while. The fish occasionally came from places like the Fortescue surf. A few flounder, blues and white perch were also plucked from the surf. Minnows and bloodworms were the popular baits from there. No weakfish were reported caught. Fresh bunker, fresh clams, minnows, shedder crabs and bloodworms are stocked. So is a large selection of frozen baits including all the different types of squid, spearing, mackerel, herring, mullet and sand eels

<b>Bivalve</b>

At <b>Longreach Marina</b> anglers boated flounder, drum, striped bass and a weakfish, a little of everything, Pat said. For the flounder they fished all over, including at Little Egypt between Egg Island Point and the number 1 buoy, at the 1 buoy itself and a little past the first drop-off. Some fished for the flatties at Miah Maull, but nothing was heard about results. Dawton Storms, 12, Franklinville, and crew totaled 12 flounder, including three for Dawton, and Dawton also caught a blue. Mike Storms, Franklinville, on the next day picked up a 20-inch flounder and two blues. Anglers and their catches also included: Mr. McCrae and Brian Schofield, flounder 18, 19 ¼, 20 and 22 inches; Harry Lore, Judy Grebble and Brian Saxton, Millville, on the Heidi, four flounder; and John Frank and Allen Katlan, Pennsylvania, 16-1/2-inch weakfish, two 20-inch flounder and lots of throwback flounder. Jim and Bill Woods and Chris from Millville docked two 25-pound stripers, Jim’s 42-pounder, and a 38-pounder. Fresh bunker, minnows and frozen baits including mackerel are stocked.

<b>Villas</b>

With the strong winds, reports about drum fishing slowed down, but the fish had been hoisted aboard at places like Tussy’s Slough, said Jim from <b>Budd’s Bait & Tackle</b>. The bay around Miah Maull turned out a few large flounder. The flatties were also reeled in from the back bays, but nobody talked about success on them in the ocean so far. Striped bass were occasionally banked from the surf at Poverty Beach and North Wildwood on fresh clams, but few of the stripers were weighed in. No kingfish were reported found in the surf or anywhere. A couple of customers talked about rounding up good sea bass fishing on the ocean. Fresh clams, fresh bunker when available, minnows, spearing, mullet, all the different squids including large-whole, small boxed, tube and pre cut, and more are stocked.

<b>Cape May</b>

Lots of drum were marked in the bay, but many refused to bite since Wednesday, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>. After a good catch of the fish was clocked on the boat last week on Monday, a few were bagged on trips Thursday to Saturday. Forecasts for strong storms kept boats off the waters Sunday. Sometimes the fishing will go on a lull before the drum will start to feed again. Last year a lull happened in early May, and afterward the fish fed like crazy. The Heavy Hitter will probably fish for drum through the weekend. George heard little about flounder, and most of the Cape May fleet was fishing for drum.

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