<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Friends on a trip boated nine keeper flounder to 3 ½ pounds and plenty of throwbacks probably a couple of miles east of the 19 buoy, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. Sharon sailed on a trip last week that clocked six keepers at the same area and farther inshore from there in shallower waters, once the tide ran too strong, covered in the last report. Lots of flounder filled the bay, and catching keepers was a struggle, but if a trip could total nine, that was a good trip. Not much was heard about other fish in the bay. An occasional snapper bluefish showed up, and the shop’s netter found a few croakers in the nets in the shallows. Nobody mentioned weakfish. White perch were plucked from the Maurice River. The perch swim the river all year, and can pretty much be caught year-round, but they were biting now. The biggest perch are nabbed in spring and fall. Shedder crabs are a good bait for the whiteys this time of year. Crabbing was improving, and this Fourth of July weekend is popular for crabbing. Baits stocked include minnows, shedder crabs, fresh clams, fresh bunker and a large selection of frozen baits. Some shops won’t carry fresh clams this time of year, after striped bass season peaks, but most fish will inhale clam. Triggerfish that bit along the jetties will especially pounce on clam, and so will sea bass at the wrecks and reefs. 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>

Crabbing was good, said Paul from <b>Beaver Dam Boat Rentals</b>. Customers averaged a half-bushel or more per trip, and one customer, in five hours, busheled out, the first limit of the blueclaws this season at the shop. The keeper ratio was probably 1 in 3, and seemed to be improving. The sizes of the crabs was increasing, and 5-inchers were seen, compared with probably 4-½-inchers being the most common largest crabs previously. A couple of customers fished, catching white perch. The perch seemed to become plentiful again, after they had been scarcer a moment. Paul was fishing today when he gave this report over the phone, and he had spotted a school of striped bass, the first he saw in a while, that he was casting a Rat-L-Trap toward. Customers crab and fish from rental boats that are towed up Oranokin Creek. The staff checks on them every hour, and if customers want a break in the meantime, they cell phone the shop to be picked up. Call to reserve rental boats to ensure a vessel is available. Kayak and canoe rentals are available to paddle the scenic creek. Beaver Dam carries everything needed for a day of crabbing, from bait and traps to suntan lotion and snacks. Live crabs are available for eating at least on weekends if not the rest of the week.

<b>Fortescue</b>

A summer flounder trip during the weekend bagged six keepers to 24 inches, some sizeable fish, tossing back probably 50 throwbacks, on the <b>Buccaneer</b>, Capt. Ralph said. The trip got off at a spot by itself, and scored. The fishing is never a guarantee, though. On the previous weekend on Saturday a trip bagged five keepers, letting go throwbacks. But on the next day, in poor conditions or winds and tides that hampered the drift, only shorts bit, at the same location. Flounder charters on the Buccaneer are only $400, compared with $500 or $600 on other vessels.

Fishing for summer flounder picked up, and the past week was actually decent for trips on the <b>Salt Talk</b>, Capt. Howard said. The large majority of the fish remained throwbacks, and a few were keepers each trip, but somewhat bigger ones were around than before. Three or four weighed 4 pounds or larger during the last week’s trips. The boat fished mostly at the southern end of the stakes, but also fished at the wreck buoy. Fewer flounder swam around the wreck buoy than at the southern stakes, but the keeper ratio was better at the wreck. Maybe 1 in 6 was a keeper at the buoy, and 1 in 10 or 12 was legal-sized at the stakes. Just a few bluefish hit, and not many junk fish chewed, only skates. Sea turtles showed up. The bay was probably 78 degrees, and Fortescue Creek was 80 or 81. Flounder fishing looked like it was going to keep getting better, Howard hoped. Open-boat trips are fishing for summer flounder daily when no charter is booked, and call ahead to confirm.  

<b>Cape May</b>

A couple of customers hooked a couple of weakfish from shore on the bay at the end of the street at the bulkhead on small crabs, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. Summer flounder were boated on the southern bay around the deeper shoals. Two anglers on a trip on Cape May Harbor iced seven keeper flounder, none huge, but good-sized, on 4-inch chartreuse Gulp swimming mullets. Flounder were decked on the ocean at Reef 11 and the Old Grounds.  Croakers were banked from the surf at Cape May Point on bloodworms or clams. Minnows, bloodworms, fresh clams and all the frozen baits including salted clams, mackerel and squid are stocked.

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