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<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

A few flounder were apparently boated in the bay, and customers were no longer buying clams for drum fishing, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. Weakfish seemed to bite around structure, such as Miah Maul and Flat Top, on white bucktails. Weaks were also hitting along the jetties and sod banks on worms, and Sharon was hearing about kingfish biting in the ocean surf. Shedder crabs are stocked, and so are bloodworms, fresh clams, frozen herring, frozen mackerel and fresh bunker. Less fresh bunker than before is being carried, now that striper season is mostly finished till fall, but some of the menhaden are usually stocked each day. Gallon buckets of crab chum are also carried, and that can be great for weakfishing, and just about any type of fish likes crab. Some anglers started sharking, and bunker chum, popular with shark anglers, is ground fresh at the shop and frozen. Shark rigs are also carried, and offshore baits--such as rigged and unrigged ballyhoos, flats of mackerel and flats of butterfish--can be ordered, and should be ordered several days in advance. 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>

This past week brought a few slow days mixed with some steady flounder fishing, said Mike and Mickie from <b>Sundog Marina</b> in an e-mail. Mike DeMarco caught six flounder including two keepers at the wreck buoy on Saturday, and Capt. Mike on The Other Woman ran a charter from the marina that fished between the 6 buoy and the wreck buoy with squid tubes and also went 2 for 6 on flatties, and the keepers were 23 inches and 18 inches, and the anglers also scored three blues. On Sunday Mark and wife on the Be Seeing You boated two flounder including a 22-inch keeper and three blues at Miah Maul. On Monday Hugh Blake fished the Elbow for two flounder 17 and 18 inches that bit shedder crab. Reports also rolled in that flounder and weakfish could be hooked off the Club House if anglers fished early. John Meenan fished the mouth of Nantuxent Creek and landed two stripers 26 and 24 inches on bunker and herring. Ed and son fished the back waters and bagged nice perch over 12 inches apiece for a good meal and released a few stripers. Crabbing was heating up around the marina in the back waters and at the creeks, and Sundog’s rental boats are available to crab and fish along the Nantuxent.

<b>Dividing Creek</b>

Crabbers seemed to be able to average a dozen and a half keeper blueclaws, not bad, said Ann from <b>Wildlife Boat Rentals</b>. A gazillion small ones were also pulled up, typical for this time of year. One angler fished Dividing Creek and landed white perch. Frozen grass shrimp are stocked for fishing, and fresh shrimp are carried when available, and other fishing baits are usually stocked, such as nightcrawlers and squid. Minnows are carried when available, and they’ve been scarce this year, but Sporty at the shop catches them and has his own business selling them, so if minnows can be caught anywhere, they’re carried. Bunker is on hand for crabbing bait, and so are all the supplies needed for a day of crabbing, including traps, nets and even bug spray, sunglasses and such items. Wildlife will probably start selling crabs for eating this weekend, and then shedder crabs for fishing bait should also be available. Wildlife is currently open 5 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the hours will probably be extended to Fridays through Mondays in two weekends.

<b>Fortescue</b>

The <b>Buccaneer</b> is sailing for flounder and blues, and Capt. Ralph tried weakfishing at night, but only one weak was reeled in, he said. If anyone was saying a bunch of weaks were biting, it’s not true, he said. Flounder could be hooked, but lots of them were shorts, and the blues were around 1 to 2 pounds, and some were smaller, like 7 inches. Generally fishing was slow, so Ralph cancelled his trips lately. When croakers and weakfish turn on, his charters will go after them, and he’ll test the waters for those fish this weekend.

On the <b>Karen Jean</b> a mixed bag of flounder and blues was hooked, and a bunch of the flatties were landed, but not many were keepers, John said. Nobody was doing very well on the flatfish, and the blues were 1 or 2 pounds. One trip returned with about 25 blues and some keeper flounder last week. No weakfish were taken on the vessel, but others sometimes reeled in weaks at wrecks and structure. If weakfishing kicks in, the boat will certainly sail for them, and charters will also target croakers when the hardheads arrive. John so far only heard about one croaker netted and one landed on a hook and line.

Weakfish were boated around the lighthouses at night on bloodworms on top and bottom rigs, and some anglers threw speck rigs to catch them, said Dave from <b>Al’s Bait & Tackle</b>. The shop is carrying very nice, big bloodworms. Flounder fishing wasn’t great, and it wasn’t bad, and most seemed to come from the shipping channel, but flounder anglers also usually always give the stakes in shallower water a try. Bluefish were all over the bay and were a couple of pounds apiece. Fortescue surf fishers could reel in white perch and small blues. Bloodworms or FishBites or such artificials took the perch, and FishBites are stocked, and mullet or mackerel grabbed the blues. Frozen mackerel and all the usual frozen baits are stocked, and minnows are plentiful at the shop, and shedder crabs are also on hand.

<b>Port Norris</b>

Neil Crozier bagged three flounder to a 25-incher that was a little over 5 pounds, said Jeff from <b>Port Norris Marina</b>. Chris Sabella and Ed Robinson nailed 10 keeper flounder to an 8-1/2-pound doormat and 15 blues 2 or 3 pounds apiece. Mark Sergiacomi and Wayne Wright took five flounder to 20 inches and three blues, and Ron Passarella and John Montelone brought back six flounder to 4 ½ pounds. Rich Dobrowski pulled up three flounder to a 6-pound 12-ouncer. Flounder continued to come from the 19 buoy, and Friday and Saturday’s fishing in the bay was all right, but Sunday was very slow, for some reason. Nothing was heard about any weakfish or croakers showing up yet. Plenty of minnows are stocked, and so are shedder crabs, squid and all the usual baits.

<b>Bivalve</b>

Rough weather kept the <b>LegalEase</b> from fishing last week, Capt. Marty said. One charter was supposed to fish the Old Grounds in the ocean off Delaware, but seas were too rough. Marty gave them the option of fishing the bay instead, but the charter wanted to head to the Old Grounds. The Old Grounds trips are currently bottom-fishing and sharking combos, and flounder and sea bass were supposedly beginning to bite there, and brown sharks were on tap, and maybe big thresher sharks were also swimming around in those waters. Charters are also fishing the bay for flounder and will drop down baits for weakfish and croakers in the bay when those fish show up.

Flounder, some blues and a few weakfish were checked in at <b>Longreach Marina</b>. Customers were sailing all over to catch the fish, Pat said, but the number 1 buoy seemed a good spot. Tom and Yvonne Jarret fished the 1 buoy and said they saw a nearby boat bailing weaks, but Tom and Yvonne caught five flounder from 18 to 20 inches and six blues. A few anglers were still trying to catch drum, and Pat heard about a few boated. Brad and Travis Phillips and John Whitelan fished the Maurice River and nailed 20 short stripers and 10 catfish. Anglers who fished the bay and their catches included: Claire and Rich Andrus, 3 weakfish and a 7-1/4-pound flounder; Ron Smith and Norm Lure, 3 flounder to 25 ½ inches; Bob LaBree, George Donally and Fred Petryk, 5 flounder; and Dave Pierdomerico, a 5-7/8-pound, 25-inch flounder. Shedder crabs are stocked, and minnows are scarce and are available off and on. Longreach’s annual Kids Fishing Tournament takes place Saturday, August 11.

<b>Dennisville</b>

Most flounder action seemed far north, and even the Fortescue boats probably sailed north, and the flattie fishing in the southern bay seemed quiet, said Tim from <b>Captain Tate’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Weakfish could be taken around the lighthouses, but the bite was hit or miss, and one day might be good, and the next four or five might produce none. Drum fishing was pretty much finished. In the back bay behind Corson’s Inlet, Frank Laughlin Sr. bailed 16 flounder. A customer named Don nailed a 12-1/2-pound weakfish in the back bay behind Avalon. Shark fishing was fantastic at places like 28-Mile Wreck, the Misty Blue wreck and Massey’s Canyon. Kevin Kreutz battled a huge thresher shark that was 18 feet from the base of its tail, not the tip of its tail, to its nose, and the tail was probably another 5 to 7 feet, and the monster was released. Howie Prickett bagged a 150-pound mako shark and released some blue sharks, and threshers swam the slick. Tuna fishing was very good at Baltimore Canyon for bluefins and yellowfins, and mahi and a few marlin were also caught. Shedder crabs are stocked, and the shop’s had no problem carrying minnows, although they’ve been scarce this season. All the frozen baits are well stocked.

<b>Cape May</b>

Anglers on the <b>Jaftica</b> picked up lots of short flounder and some nice keepers, but mostly shorts, from 14-Foot Light to Miah Maul over the weekend, Capt. Ray said. Squid, minnows and mackerel strips were the baits, and drum charters are finished for the year on the boat. Bluefish trolling charters in the ocean are available, and Ray heard that bluefishing was a little slow over the weekend. Tuna and shark charters are set to begin.

Patrons on the <b>Miss Chris</b> were hooking flounder to 5 pounds on trips sailing 8 a.m. daily, a fax from the boat said. Nighttime trips were now running for croakers and weakfish at 7 p.m., and on the <b>Lady Chris</b>, two 4-hour trips daily were coming back with flounder and small blues.

Flounder fishing was a little spotty, but better reports rolled in from the bay, said Matt from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b> in a fax. Brown Shoal produced a number of nice flatties, and so did the flats north of Bug Light. The bay around Miah Maul held plenty but lots of throwbacks. Jim Terrence fished Brown Shoal and weighed in an 8.02-pound flatback. The shop’s 25th Annual Mako Tournament was held Saturday, and there was a great turnout, with 73 boats entered, and plenty of sharks weighed in. The crew of the Feast or Famine won 1st place with a 204-3/8-pound mako, and the gang on the Canyon Clipper took 2nd with a 202-pound mako, and group on the Dreamer scored 3rd with a 192-1/2-pound mako. Fifteen makos were checked in during the event, and several more were caught and released. Sharking was best along the 20-fathom line, and the water was cooler farther offshore. Trolling in the inshore ocean was producing quite a few bluefish and also a few schoolie bluefin tuna, and for the bluefish 5-Fathom Bank was a good spot to try, and for the bluefins the Northeast, Middle and East lumps were a decent spot. Chris Carbala fished the East Lump for plenty of blues and a 32-pound bluefin, and the tuna grabbed a red-and-white, 4-inch cedar plug in the prop wash.

Drum were still biting at the Pin Top, and the first croakers of the season showed up at Cape May Point and Slaughter Beach, said Capt. Fred from <b>Harbor View Marina</b> in a fax. Flounder could be found at Brown Shoal, Cape May Point, the Old Grounds and the back bays, and small blues were hitting at Cape May Point and Brandywine. Large blues were schooling at Sea Isle Ridge, and the first false albacore of the season arrived at 5-Fathom Bank. Mako sharks to 200 pounds and thresher sharks to 275 pounds were fought in the ocean, and Baltimore Canyon gave up good action on yellowfin tuna and held mahi mahi, and bluefin tuna swam the Elephant Trunk.

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