<b>Pennsville</b>

Plenty of white perch filled the Delaware River, and a customer who fished for them said he hooked just as many catfish, said Matt from <b>Shag’s Bait & Tackle</b>. So the cats, fish that usually weigh about 2 pounds, seemed fairly abundant, too. Matt saw anglers trying for striped bass Sunday night at a bridge on one of the tributaries, and maybe that meant the fishing began to produce a few. Plugs, soft-plastic lures or baits like peanut bunker are fished for them in the dark this time of the season. Nothing was heard about fishing on the bay, and customers waited for the bay’s fall run of striped bass. The shop’s owner, who commercially crabs on the bay from Mad Horse Creek, found more crabs in the waters than he could handle. Bloodworms are stocked, and about a dozen shedder crabs are carried each day. The shedder supply runs low by this time of year. Fresh peanut bunker are carried when available, and frozen baits are in supply.

<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Some anglers ran out to try for resident striped bass off Thompson’s Beach in the Maurice River Cove with bloodworms, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. No results were heard, but the fish, juvenile, throwback stripers that live in the waters throughout the year and are yet to migrate, can sometimes be found around the mouth of the Maurice. Anglers waited for the migration of larger stripers to arrive in the bay this fall. Plenty of white perch could be plucked from the Maurice. Crabbing was good, was about the best thing going. Crabbing will begin to slow down soon, as the blueclaws begin to move to the bay to burrow in the bottom for the winter. Bloodworms are stocked, and fresh bunker is usually on hand. All the frozen baits are carried. 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>

Hurricane Earl, and the new moon that followed the storm last week on Tuesday, served up a one/two punch on crabbing, making catches spotty through Saturday, and the shop was closed Sunday because of rains, said Paul from <b>Beaver Dam Boat Rentals</b>. On Saturday some customers scored a half-bushel of the blueclaws, but others nabbed only nine. “So I would call that spotty,” he said. But a customer on Monday, the only customer on the waters that day, busheled out on crabs, saying he could’ve caught two bushels. Judging the crabbing based on one catch was impossible, but the bushel seemed promising. Crabbing is expected to rebound, now that a good number of days passed since the new moon, and catches were good previously. The crabs were big in the bushel the one customer caught. New and full moons often trigger crabs to shed and mate, making them refuse to eat, making catching them difficult. The effects can last several days afterward. Tides were exceptionally high recently, for unknown reasons, and the parking lot was flooded on Sunday, but the tide was lower on Monday. The strong tides could’ve affected crabbing. No customers fished in the last days, but a large school of striped bass appeared at Oranokin Creek, the stream that runs past the property, the other day. The bass, schoolies to fish several feet long, were the first seen in the waters this season, and they apparently fed on tremendous schools of peanut bunker swimming the waters lately. Crabbers and anglers in the rental boats are towed up the creek to several saltwater ponds teeming with crabs, and sometimes fish. The staff checks on the boats every hour, but if the boaters want to take a break in the meantime, they cell phone the shop to be picked up. Kayak and canoe rentals are available for sightseeing on the creek, full of wildlife. Annual haunted creek rides for Halloween will begin on October 7. The shop sells live crabs for eating. A Gondola with a grill can be rented for functions like family reunions or birthday parties. Environmental tours that the staff hosts are available to groups like the scouts. Beaver Dam’s hours through fall are 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays through Mondays. Crabbing will be available until the first weekend of October, and Beaver Dam opens back up during the duck seasons afterward. Visit <a href="http://www.crabulousnj.com/Home_Page.html" target="_blank">Beaver Dam’s Web site</a> for more info about the business.

<b>Fortescue</b>

Probably 40 spots, some blues, a few blowfish and two keeper weakfish, a mix of fish, were boxed on a trip on the <b>Buccaneer</b>, Capt. Ralph said. The boat was moved around a lot to locate the variety, and the action with the catches made for a bang-up day. The anglers enjoyed themselves, he said. That was about how fishing was going on the bay at the moment. Lots of spots filled the waters at certain places. No croakers were hooked, and Ralph heard about none biting locally, but the hardheads swam far south in the bay. Charters will hone in on striped bass when the fishing starts this fall.

A group from Joe’s Bar, Chester, Pa., on a trip Saturday racked up a few weakfish, all the anglers limiting out on one apiece, and some bluefish, kingfish and spots on the party boat <b>Bonanza</b>, Capt. Mike said. That was a good catch, and a mixed bag like that will probably be on the menu for now. Striped bass trips should begin sometime in October, after waters cool. The bay was currently in the 70s. Open trips will sail for the linesiders, and so will charters, and charter dates for the fishing were starting to go. If interested in a charter, anglers need to call. The season’s final trip to the Old Grounds, located on the ocean off Delaware, picked up big croakers to 16 and 17 inches and some sizeable sea bass. A small thresher shark was released, and a big thresher jumped near the boat. Just something interesting on the outing. Open-boat trips are fishing the bay Fridays through Mondays, and charters are available.

Trips on the party boat <b>Salt Talk</b> will probably take a break until striped bass fishing begins on the vessel, probably in October, Capt. Howard said. Open-boat trips will run for stripers, and so will charters, and now was the time to lock in preferred dates on charters. The vessel currently remains in the waters, in case charters sail.

A few blues, a few spots and a few weakfish swam the bay, said Dave from <b>Al’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Most boaters headed straight off Fortescue to catch them. One in 20 of the weakfish was a keeper, just legal-sized, 13 or 14 inches. Small croakers popped up on occasion. Lots of junk fish including sand sharks, oyster crackers and sea robins bit. Tons of eels skittered through the bay, migrating toward the ocean from the creeks.  Fortescue surf anglers sometimes banked spots and blues. Good catches of white perch and crabs were claimed from the creeks, including Fortescue Creek. Nobody talked about fishing for striped bass, but 20- to 24-inch stripers should hover along the lighthouses and roam the creeks, willing to hit bait like pieces of peanut bunker. Minnows are no longer stocked, because summer flounder season closed, and shedder crabs became too difficult to obtain to stock. But all the frozen baits are carried. The shop is open 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays and 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends.

<b>Bivalve</b>

Jerry Hoffman from Haleyville and Stoltz Taylor and Dog Weldon from Newport landed 15 weakfish, including two keepers, 12 spots and 6 blues, said Pat from <b>Longreach Marina</b>. Ron and Kenny Green, Bobby Williamson and Heath Whitehead from Vineland reeled up 30 white perch to 13 inches and two throwback striped bass. Perch and stripers could be found up the Maurice River and the creeks. John and Vera Angerman from Berlin, fishing before summer flounder season closed, boated two 20-inch flounder, two 18-inch flounder and five big blues. Shedder crabs are stocked, and a few minnows remain. Minnows, leftover from flounder season, will be carried until they run out. Frozen baits are on hand.

<b>Villas</b>

Waters were full of croakers around Cape May Point to Higbee’s Beach, said Kevin from <b>Budd’s Bait & Tackle</b>. He heard a few weakfish were mixed in, but he saw none. Both surf anglers and boaters picked up the croakers. Crabbing was good. Customers waited for fall striped bass fishing to kick off.

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