<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b> was fishing and crabbing on Dividing Creek today when she gave this report over the phone. The trip had already landed good-sized perch, some puppy drum, a couple of small striped bass and probably 20 to 25 keeper crabs. Crabbing seemed to be improving everywhere, and mostly she crabs are usually around this time of year. In the bay, if anglers weren’t targeting summer flounder, lots of other fish seemed around to bag. Lots of kingfish swam the bay, and waters around the Horseshoe were the best place to find them this weekend, according to reports that rolled into the shop. Kings are good-eating, and shop’s netter fished with hook and line on a trip, pulling in kings, weakfish and quite a few small striped bass off Egg Island Point. The netter fished for summer flounder a while, finding a few shorts, no keepers. Most  reports about flounder said a few of the fish were tugged in from the southern bay, not from the bay farther north toward the shop, like not near the Maurice River or above. Sharon heard about a few bigger striped bass hooked around the state, apparently resident, non-migrating fish that became more active than before. One angler reported bagging a 25-pound striper in the back bay at Sea Isle City. Another talked about reeling in nine stripers, and Sharon didn’t hear the location. All the baits, a large supply, are stocked at the shop. 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>

Crabs were shedding during the weekend because of the full moon, and many of the crabs around were females, and catches of crabs weren’t huge, but customers still caught, said Linda from <b>Beaver Dam Boat Rentals</b>. Full and new moons often trigger crabs to shed, and the blueclaws refuse to eat when shedding. But not all crabs shed at once, so some can always be nabbed. Many crabbers avoid keeping females, trying to ensure that the crabs reproduce well. The sizes of the crabs on Monday seemed either to be 5 ½ inches or just undersized. No complaints were heard about crab sizes. Tides were high during the weekend “but do-able,” Linda said. Nobody reported fishing during the days. Customers crab and fish from rental boats towed up Oranokin Creek, running past the shop. The staff checks on the boats every hour, and if customers want a break in the meantime, they simply cell phone the shop to be picked up. Beaver Dam is open for crabbing Fridays through Mondays through October 15. Rental boats should be reserved to ensure availability. The shop stocks everything needed for a day of crabbing, from traps and bait to suntan lotion, snacks and drinks. Minnows are on hand for fishing. Live crabs for eating are sold when available. Kayak and canoe rentals are available, and now is a great time to paddle up the scenic creek. After October 15, the shop will remain open for things like deer and turkey check in, outdoor licenses, and duck hunting. The early fall bow deer-hunting season opens Saturday. If turkey hunters were awarded a permit, the permits can be picked up over-the-counter at Beaver Dam starting October 4.

<b>Fortescue</b>

Kingfish and small blues were decked toward the number 1 buoy, said Capt. Ralph from the <b>Buccaneer</b>. Trips aboard will fish for them, and Ralph heard about no summer flounder from the bay since the storms.

None of the head boat fleet sailed in the past week, except one of the boats during the weekend, said Capt. Howard from the party boat <b>Salt Talk</b>. The Salt Talk stayed docked, and the stormy weather was too rough for trips most of the last week. The vessel that sailed was anchored along one of the lighthouses, and the anglers pumped in puppy drum and blackfish. But kingfish and small blues that hovered toward the 1 buoy were a main catch in the bay, and trips on the Salt Talk are especially available for them. The bay was dirty from last week’s rains, and overflow was surely still running into the bay from the Delaware River. An angler who saw the bay from an airline said lots of dirty waters could be seen. Looking ahead, striped bass fishing on the Salt Talk usually begins around the third week of October, but could begin sooner, depending on whether waters cool and when the fish begin biting. Open-boat trips are currently scheduled daily when no charter is booked, but anglers should call to confirm at this time of year. Daily open trips aren’t typically a guarantee this time of year.

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