<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Drum fishing seemed hit or miss, but reports were heard about some showing up farther up the bay than before, at the Horseshoe, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. Captains talked about marking lots, but the drum seemed finicky. The fishing will probably last at least through June’s full moon. Fishing for summer flounder improved, and lots more keepers, and better numbers, were reported caught. The Southwest Line, the area with the white stakes north of the E.P. Tower, gave them up. Flounder catches improved somewhat in the back bays along the coast. Croakers were seen from Delaware Bay. One customer found croakers off East Point, and the shop’s netter sometimes had croakers in the catches. That seemed a good thing, because croakers never really materialized in the bay last year. Small blues were sometimes landed. So a mixture of fish swam the bay. Weakfish, but small ones 7 to 10 inches, were located in the southern bay. Maybe that was a good sign. In years past, big weaks showed up in the bay first, and small ones appeared at the end of the run. But weaks were lots scarcer in recent years, and the run lately wasn’t like the old days, and maybe the small weaks this year at least meant weaks were coming in. Plenty of minnows were stocked, and the supply of all the baits was in good shape, and included fresh bunker that kept being stocked, fresh clams that were still carried, bloodworms and a large selection of frozen baits. 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>

The better crabbers plucked three to four dozen keepers during the weekend, said Paul from <b>Beaver Dam Boat Rentals</b>. Three to seven throwbacks, crabs 3 ½ to 4 ¼ inches, were tossed back for every keeper. That was days after the new moon that can slow crabbing, triggering some of the blueclaws to shed, and stop feeding. Not all crabs shed at once. Crabbing should be better this weekend, well away from the new moon, and far enough from the full moon, that can also trigger shedding. Customers only crabbed Saturday during the weekend, and cloudy, potentially stormy weather Sunday morning seemed to keep people from arriving for crabbing that day. Not a lot of people crabbed, and the weekend after Memorial Day is traditionally slow, but this coming weekend is historically busy. Hardcore crabbers mostly got out now, and the tourists show up once schools let out for summer. Nobody fished, though Linda from the shop in the last report said white perch bit. A couple of anglers who crabbed did tell Paul they saw occasional wakes that were maybe striped bass. Customers at Beaver Dam crab on Oranokin Creek that flows past the shop. The crabbers are towed up the creek, and the staff checks on them each hour. If crabbers want to take a break in the meantime, they simply cell phone the shop to be picked up. Call ahead to reserve a boat for crabbing, to ensure a vessel is available. Beaver Dam carries all the supplies needed for crabbing, from traps to bait to suntan lotion. Look for weekday specials on crabbing that will be held this season. Kayak and canoe rentals are available to paddle the scenic creek.

<b>Fortescue</b>

After a trip last week bombed three drum 93 pounds, 70 pounds and 40 pounds on the <b>Buccaneer</b>, the fish hardly gave up action, Capt. Ralph said. The fishing was slow in the past days. No trips yet fished for summer flounder, but the boat is now ready to sail for the flatties.

Summer flounder, quite a few of the fish, several of them keepers, were angled aboard trips Wednesday and Saturday on the party boat <b>Salt Talk</b>, Capt. Howard said. The vessel fished at the stakes and at the Ditch between Miah Maul and a little south of Egg Island Point. More of the flatties seemed to move in. No trip sailed Sunday when not enough anglers showed up. Howard wasn’t asked whether that was because of weather, but other reports mentioned rough weather forecasts that morning. Howard took a drum trip with family last week on Monday, and just one drum was netted. The bay recently was 74 to 76 degrees, somewhat cooler than before, because of northwest winds toward the end of the week. Open-boat trips are fishing for summer flounder daily when no charter is booked. But call to confirm whether trips will sail, especially on weekdays, this time of year.

<b>Port Norris</b>

Trips scored summer flounder, good catches, returning with four or six keepers, hooking lots of shorts, said Harrison from <b>Port Norris Marina</b>. The small ones were abundant like at most waters.  Anglers headed to Miah Maul for the flatfish, but also to the stakes off Fortescue. One customer ran into a few blues by chance, and another picked up a weakfish. Drum fishing was probably winding down for the season. Some were boated, but the fishing was slow. On the Maurice River, running past the marina, a few white perch were tugged in. Not on fire, but some. Catfish, probably averaging 3 or 4 pounds, occasionally bigger, were pulled from the river. Plenty of minnows are stocked, and frozen Pro Cut squid, trolling squid and mackerel are on hand. Frozen clams and fresh-frozen bunker, packed and frozen just off the boat, are carried. Fresh clams will be carried this weekend probably for the last time this season.

<b>Villas</b>

A slow pick of drum was reported boated on the bay, said Mike from <b>Budd’s Bait & Tackle</b>, located in the Villas, and the Ho-D-Doe, from <b>Budd’s Tackle Charter Services</b>, sailing from Cape May, in an e-mail. Summer flounder action was steady at Miah Maul, and croakers and weakfish were  beached from the surf at Cape May Point during the weekend.

<b>Cape May</b>

Three drum were heaved aboard so far on the bay, said Capt Bob from the <b>Down Deep</b>, when he gave this report over the phone on a charter Sunday evening. The trip, with the Edgewater Park group, was halfway finished, and Bob hoped more would be caught. A few trips fished for drum on the bay in the past week. The Andy Puskas trip boxed drum to 60 pounds. Young angler Dalton Bozer on a trip landed a sizeable drum all by himself, and the feat was covered in a story in the Atlantic City Press. The fish weighed 67 pounds, 24 hours after the catch, so had to weigh more than 70 pounds when first caught. Another trip was supposed to drum fish Monday, and a couple more of the trips are lined up for later this week. Drum charters will sail as long as the fish keep biting.

Four drum 30 to 60 pounds were in the box, Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> said, at 7:45 p.m. Sunday, when he gave this report over the phone on the trip on the bay. Time remained for the trip to fish, and drum fishing was lousy on a trip Thursday on the bay.

<b>Legal Limit Charters</b> wrapped up drum fishing for the season with a trip Saturday on the bay, Capt. T.J. said. Drum, no big numbers, but fish to 80 pounds, continued to be caught on the bay. The trip Saturday caught three drum 80, 77 and 75 pounds. The boat will now be moved to Tuckerton, where T.J.’s other boat was docked already, to fish through summer like every year. From Tuckerton, Legal Limit bottom fished for sea bass, ling and cod on the ocean.

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