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<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Customers were reporting good flounder catches, and bluefish bit, and the netter was starting to pick up croakers off East Point, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. A few weakfish swam around structure, and the netter was finding a few inshore but not many, although on one day last week he located a bunch. Stripers sometimes still showed up at spots like Sunset Beach, where a 45-incher was nailed, according to a kid who said his father beached the fish. Shedder crabs, bloodworms, frozen mackerel and a large variety of other baits are stocked, and be sure to stop by and check it out. Crab chum in gallon buckets is also carried, so take notice weakfishers. Shark fishing seemed in full swing in the ocean, and customers were buying lots of bunker chum for sharking. All offshore baits such as flats of mackerel and butterfish can be ordered, and be sure to order several days in advance. The shop will offer a 10-percent discount to all military personnel, both active and retired, over the July 4 weekend. 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>

Fishing was on fire by the weekend and started turning on mid week, after a slow start, said Mike and Mickie from <b>Sundog Marina</b> in an e-mail. On Thursday Lewis Patrick drifted near the 6 buoy and returned with six keeper flounder that hit new penny shrimp Gulps, his favorite bait, and minnows. Bob Woodman and crew fished later that day for a nice haul of weakfish. Friday’s weather was a blowout, but on Saturday Ray Shadow dropped down minnows and squid at the 34 buoy and bagged four flounder and lost two at boat side, and all the flatties were over 20 inches. Tito Caradon also fished Saturday and picked up one keeper on Ray’s old boat, the Shadow. On Sunday a fleet of boats left the docks, and all returned with good reports. Ed, Tom and Sam came back with six flounder to 27 inches that bit shedder crabs and squid tubes on white bucktails on the inshore side of the 6. They also headed out in the afternoon and fished the side creeks off Nantuxent Creek and hooked perch and short stripers. Dave Reed and Duane Donoflio launched from the shop’s ramp Sunday and returned with a 21-inch flounder, two 17-inch weakies and six blues that they boated off Gandy’s Beach on shedders and bloodworms. Rich Holloway on the same day took three keeper flounder at the 6 on shedders and minnows, weighing in one that was 3.2 pounds for an entry this month in Sundog’s Seasonal Tournament. Bloodworms and shedder crabs are stocked, and minnows, scarce this season, are also finally stocked. Rental boats are available to fish or crab in Nantuxent Creek. Sundog opens 6 a.m. every day.

<b>Fortescue</b>

On the <b>Karen Jean</b> anglers continued catching a mix of flounder and small blues, and flounder fishing was less than good, but bigger flatties did show up this past week, Capt. John said. One short weakfish was boated Sunday, but when weakfish and croakers turn on, charters will go after them.

Flounder fishing was good in the bay on the <b>Buccaneer</b> on Saturday and Sunday, and everybody was landing the flatfish, including decent-sized ones, Capt. Ralph said. Small bluefish were also hitting, but anglers onboard primarily worked at bagging flounder. Ralph was asked if any weakfish showed up. “What’s that?” he asked. But when weakfishing and croaker fishing turns on, his anglers target them.

Big flounder were getting drilled at the 6 buoy and at the wreck buoy over the weekend, and lots of 5- and 6-pounders were weighed in, said Dave from <b>Al’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Dave Sharpless on the Andrea tackled a 13-pounder—a huge one!—at the 6 buoy. Minnows and shedder crabs were the baits to use, and both are in stock, and so are soft-shell crabs. Soft shells have no shell, while shedders still have a shell that is easily peeled off. Weakfish still bit at the structure like the lighthouses and the surrounding rocks at night. To catch them, boaters turn on lights that attract bait fish and the weaks, and drop down shedder crabs or bloodworms on top-and-bottom rigs, or they toss bucktails, jigs or speck rigs and either bounce them along the bottom while anchored or drift them. Big, fat, pink beautiful bloodworms are stocked. Lots of small bluefish bit throughout the bay, and no croakers arrived yet. Dave heard about a few croakers, but not many, on the southern, Delaware side of the bay. A 55-pound drum was boated at Miah Maul the other night, and good-sized drum were occasionally still caught. Small drum can be found at certain spots like around some of the lighthouses all season long. Surf fishing at Fortescue was mostly slow, but if you fish the surf, try for blues, kingfish or perch. Lots of perch were hitting in Fortescue Creek, and the creek is also loaded with small stripers, no keepers, that angler have fun catching and releasing at night on Rat-L-Traps, bucktails, jigs and such things. Dave was seeing no mullet or peanut bunker in the creek yet.

<b>Port Norris</b>

Paul Conway and crew boated five weakfish, nine blues and three flounder, said Jeff from <b>Port Norris Marina</b>. Carl Bradford and Mark Smith picked up seven flounder, six blues and three weaks, and Kevin Poloff and Jim Green reeled in seven flounder and eight blues. Anthony and Tom Ballone score four flounder and ten blues, and Bill Conn and Mike Little came back with six flounder to 4 ½ pounds. Harold and Bert Short took nine flounder to 19 inches. Of course, these fish were keepers that were checked in, and surely shorts were also released. . The flounder bit in both shallow and deep water, and the weakfish were grabbed by chance when anglers drifted between the number 1 buoy and Miah Maul. So the weaks were a by-catch, but maybe they were a good sign. On Sunday everybody was doing well on flounder, and almost everyone seemed to bag at least one or two keepers. Shedder crabs, minnows and a full supply of the usual baits are stocked.

<b>Bivalve</b>

Flounder fishing seemed like one day the fish would be caught, and the next day they wouldn’t, or it was hit or miss, said Pat from <b>Longreach Marina</b>. But she reported some good catches, and the flatties were spread out, and Flat Top, Miah Maul and 14-Foot Light were among places that put out the fish. Hardly any weakfish were being hooked yet, and a bunch of sharks were biting, and some customers fished the mouth of the Maurice River and picked up small striped bass. Shedder crabs and all the usual frozen baits, including squid, are stocked, and the supply of minnows, scarce this season, is hit or miss. Longreach Marina’s Annual Kids Fishing Tournament takes place Saturday, August 11. Anglers and their catches included: Tyler Zack, Rob Smith and Angel Graylin, 3 flounder, 1 blue; Steve Sheldon, Bob Vertolli and John Pepitone, 9 flounder to 22 inches, and the next day they caught 14 flounder to 25 inches; Pat Rebecca, 12 flounder, lots of snapper blues and two 3-foot sharks that were released; Gerry Groover and Bill Weeks, two 18-inch flounder, three 20-inchers, a 22-incher and four blues; John LaDota and Jay Pereira, a flounder, a weakfish and 2 blues; Steve Kish and John Graffenmeyer, 2 flounder, lots of throwbacks, a keeper striper, lots of throwback stripers and a bunch of snapper blues; Carl Earnest and Rich Schaeffer, 10 flounder, 12 blues; Rich Jillard, 26-inch flounder; Mike and Nick Carter, 13 flounder to 5 ½ pounds; Tony and Anthony Russo, two limits of flounder to 23 ½ inches; Gene, Ryan and Beth Matone, 20- and 22-inch flounder, lots of snapper blues; and Gary Wilson and crew on the Bite Me II, 4 keeper flounder. In the ocean Capt. Ben Scholl and Joe Cerunka caught and released a 250-pound blue shark, and Jim Benedetta bagged a 101-pound mako, released five or six short makos, and released lots of blue sharks.

<b>Dennisville</b>

Flounder were taken at the Anchorage and reefs 6 and 7, and waters like at Bug Light gave up mostly shorts, said Tim from <b>Captain Tate’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Lots of small blues were found, and weakfish were sometimes claimed around the lighthouses. No croakers were heard about yet, and that’s unusual, because normally croakers start to show up during drum season earlier in the year. In the ocean the Old Grounds and Reef Site 11 began to hold flounder, and John Abboud fished Reef 11 with friends, and they boated sea bass and nine keeper flounder. Some reports started to roll in about bonito and false albacore appearing at places such as 4-Fathom Bank. Dan Fabri on Sunday trolled yellowfin tuna and mahi mahi at Poorman’s Canyon, and then he came inshore and shark fished at the Hambone. He hooked three makos and lost one good-sized one, fought a big tiger shark to the boat and surprisingly landed a 60-pound bluefin tuna that bit a mackerel bait on the bottom. 

<b>Cape May</b>

Luke Hickey weighed in a 23.94-pound tog that was a possible state and world record, and he spearfished the hog while free diving a wreck in the bay, said Matt from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b> in a fax. Luke is a Cape May local and also an avid rod and reel angler. Weakfishing was very spotty at Cape May Point, and some would be caught one day and none the next. Stripers were still beached in the local surf, mostly at dawn and dusk on clams. Flounder started to show up at Cape May Reef, and Carl Landset drifted the south end of the tire units and bagged six flatties to 4 pounds, released several others and also took home sea bass.

On the <b>Miss Chris</b> flounder to 5 pounds were boated on trips that are sailing daily, a fax from the boat said. Jason Malhearn landed three flatties to 4 ¾ pounds, and Dean Frank took three of the fish to 5 pounds. Trips are also sailing 7 p.m. every day for weakfish and croakers. Patrons on the <b>Lady Chris</b> were catching mixed bags of fluke and small bluefish on two 4-hour trips daily.

Small blues swam along Cape May Point, and croakers began to show, and flounder bit at the Old Grounds, Reef Site 11 and in the back bays, said Capt. Fred from <b>Harbor View Marina</b> in a fax.

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