<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Lots of summer flounder, a few more keepers than before, blanketed the bay, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. Forecasts for rough weather kept many from fishing during the weekend, but a friend boated the bay Saturday, saying waters were beautiful. If anglers want a chance at drum, this week might be the last shot at them. Fishing for drum was slow, but an occasional one was around, and angling for them usually ends for the season after this week’s full moon. A friend tried for croakers on the bay, coming up with none. But the shop’s bait supplier sometimes found croakers in the nets off Thompson’s Beach and East Point. Nothing was heard about weakfish boated, but a few weaks showed up in the surf at Cape May Point. One angler landed two 4- to 5-pounders, but was the only who reported a catch like that. Kingfish were beached from the surf at Cape May Point. Striped bass, resident fish, could be picked at the creeks and ditches. One angler hooked three keeper stripers about 32 inches apiece on Dividing Creek. Anglers fish for the bass with fresh bunker. Customers sometimes crabbed, trapping okay catches, and the shop is stocking crabbing baits. Sharks began to be boated on the ocean, and offshore baits for sharks and tuna are available, if anglers order ahead. Minnows, fresh bunker, a few fresh clams and all the baits are fully stocked. 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>Fortescue</b>

A few summer flounder were around, said Capt. Ralph from the <b>Buccaneer</b>.  His trips caught them off the Old House and at the stakes, and charters are now sailing for the flatties. His last two drum trips landed about a drum apiece, and not many seemed to remain in the bay. Drum fishing was probably finished for the year.

Summer flounder, lots of shorts, a few keepers, were tugged aboard the party boat <b>Salt Talk</b>, Capt. Howard said. A trip Wednesday with eight anglers decked seven keepers and lots of throwbacks. But the keeper ratio was considerably lower on some days, including on trips during the weekend. A few small blues were sometimes hooked onboard. Trips fished at the rips east of Miah Maul, the Ditch and the stakes. Waters during the weekend were 75 degrees on the bay and 79 at the dock. Open-boat trips are fishing for summer flounder daily when enough anglers show up and no charter is booked. Call ahead to confirm.

<b>Villas</b>

One father and son team fished for summer flounder at Miah Maul, landing five keepers and 90 throwbacks on a trip, a report on <b>Budd’s Bait & Tackle</b>’s Web site said. Nothing was reported about drum fishing from the shop since last week, when Mike from the store said the catches were slow. The Ho-D-Doe, the boat from <b>Budd’s Tackle Charter Service</b>, sailing from Cape May, had been fishing for drum, but probably switched to flounder and bottom fishing now. In other waters, one surf caster at Stone Harbor beached more than a half-bucket full of kingfish, and kings were claimed from the surf at North Wildwood. A customer who fished the back bay reeled in four flounder at Grassy Sound.

<b>Cape May</b>

Drum fishing on the bay was wrapped up for the season on the <b>Down Deep</b>, Capt. Bob said. The vessel’s last trips for drum included the Edgewater Park Sports Club’s charter that caught four drum early last week, and Any Gonninger’s charter that boxed two afterward. Trips the last couple of days wreck fished on the ocean, boxing cod, sea bass and ling. Charters are set to sail for summer flounder, sharks and tuna. Inshore trolling trips that target small blues and other fish that can be mixed in, including bonito and Spanish mackerel, will begin toward the end of June on the ocean.

A charter had wanted to drum fish on the bay Saturday, Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> said. But George told the charter drum fishing was slow, offering to sail for sea bass on the ocean instead. But the charter only wanted drum, deciding to nix the trip. George spoke with one boat that drum fished Saturday, catching none. Charters aboard will now fish for summer flounder from the bay to the ocean, sea bass and cod on the ocean, and sharks and tuna offshore.

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