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<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Tussy’s Slough and the Pin Top were giving up pretty good catches of drum Friday and Saturday nights, said Sharon from <b>The Girl’s Place Bait & Tackle</b>. The bottom around Miah Maul and the 19 buoy was blanketed with flounder. Not a lot was being heard about weakfish yet, but a few catches were reported, including from the surf along the jetties at Cape May. But shedder crabs, the favorite weakfish bait, are stocked, and extra large bloodworms were coming in tomorrow, and shedders are the usual bait in open water for weakies, but floated bloods get the nod at the jetties for the trout. Fresh clams were also available for drum fishing, and usually anglers order them from the store. For flounder, a variety of baits were producing. Berkley Gulp new-penny shiners, red minnows and chartreuse or pink 4-inch mullets were hot, and the old standby minnows and squid were good as always, and all of these are stocked. Salted herring strips are also a great flattie bait, and mackerel fillets are popular, and both are carried. Tap Dancer rigs pulled up a good showing of the tasty summer fluke, and they’re also carried. The fairly new Sea Bait scents, growing in popularity among anglers, are on hand in bloodworm and sandworm scents in liquid form and in a rub-on stick, and so are loads of other baits and tackle.  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 slow this past week after the Memorial Day Weekend, said Mike from <b>Sundog Marina</b> in an e-mail. But a good report rolled in about flounder hooked at the Wreck Buoy on shedder crabs Thursday, and Bill Penn and wife returned to the dock with blues boated in the bay during the middle of the week. Lewis Patrick and Bob Woodman took two separate trips to try for stripers in the bay at the 34 buoy but came up empty handed. A couple of rental boaters from the marina looked for perch in Nantuxent Creek, and none of the whiteys were found, but short stripers bit the bloodworm baits. Fresh bunker, bloodworms and shedder crabs will be stocked Thursday, and check on availability of minnows, and call ahead to reserve baits. Mention this report and get $10 off rental boat rental for crabbing in the Nantuxent on Mondays through Thursdays. Mike hoped to start posting fish pics on the shop’s web site by next week.

<b>Fortescue</b>

Drum fishing was great, and catches were reeled aboard every trip on the <b>Buccaneer</b>, Capt. Ralph said. The last trip produced nine, and the trip before landed eight. A trip Sunday was forced to cancel because of the weather, and Ralph was waiting yesterday to see how the weather panned out to decide whether that day’s trip would run. The boat was fishing on the Jersey side of the bay, after targeting the Delaware side for a moment, but anglers would find how the storm affected things, if at all. Many of the drum weighed 40 to 80 pounds, good-sized fish. Drum charters are slated through next week and might continue longer if the bite lasts. In other news, the bay’s flounder fishing was decent, though lots of shorts had to be released. Still, nobody was catching loads of keepers, and anglers did have to work to put a catch together, and don’t believe reports that say otherwise. But flounder were being bagged.

The storm washed out Sunday and Monday’s fishing, but flounder still bit, and they moved a little farther from shore to the edge of the shipping channel, said Dave from <b>Al’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Last week he said they were biting well closer to shore, like at the stakes near Fortescue. A few 2- and 3-pound weakfish were found at the 6 buoy and also at the lighthouses. Shedder crabs and squid on top-and-bottom rigs will take them at the 6, and bucktails with shedder are popular at the lighthouses, and shedders are stocked. Sometimes anglers fish the lighthouse at night, but the trout were caught there during the day. Drum fishing seemed to be starting to fade, but they were still boated, and Dave and friends claimed six north of the Pin Top, a popular spot for the fleet. Fortescue surf anglers beached stripers on bloodworms and clams, and bloods are stocked. The Cumberland County Fishing Tournament and the Jersey Coast Anglers Association Fluke Tournament take place this weekend, and the shop will be locked and loaded with bait and supplies for the events, and customers can call ahead and order shedder crabs. The Cumberland County Tournament used to be billed as a weakfish tournament, but now it’s simply called a fishing tournament, and prizes for the largest weaks, flounder and blues are featured.

<b>Port Norris</b>

Flounder fishers pulled up good catches, some bagging five or six, some taking seven or eight, and others landing one or two, among throwbacks, said Jeff from <b>Port Norris Marina</b>. Waters around Miah Maul and at the first drop off past the number 1 buoy gave up the fish, and drum fishing was also decent, although weather forecasts kept lots of people home the previous couple of days. Bay Days take place this weekend, and so do the Cumberland County Fishing Tournament and the Jersey Coast Anglers Association Fluke Tournament. The marina is a weigh station for the Cumberland County Tournament for Port Norris, and another weigh station is in Fortescue. Shedder crabs can be obtained for those who order them, and the marina might start carrying them this weekend. Minnows, squid, mackerel, fresh bunker and live surf clams are stocked.

<b>Bivalve</b>

Connie Wood from <b>Longreach Marina</b> reported catches of drum, flounder and even weakfish. But first a correction: She landed a 44-1/2-inch striper that was previously reported to be a drum. Congrats on the big linesider! Anglers and their catches included: Tom Sebastian and Paul Schneider, 24 weakfish and some flounder; Bill Wulff, 8 weakies; Rich and Claire Andrus, 3 weakies and some stripers; Bob and Brian Schneider and Joe Phillips, 6 drum to 85 pounds; Jim Wood Jr., Kyle Gleason, Billy Whitehead, Don Haught and Bailey, the fishing dog, 7 drum to 80 pounds; Dave Alley, Greg Sawyer and Rich Woss Sr. and Jr., 11 drum to 70 ¾ pounds; and Ray Jacobs, John Flem and Wayne Ingram, 4 drum including a 77-pounder. Connie thought the weakfish were probably boated at the lighthouses, and she was unaware how big they were. Drum seemed mostly caught at Tussy’s Slough. Shedder crabs are stocked, and so are minnows, squid, fresh bunker, frozen clams and mackerel. Bay Days take place Saturday and Sunday, and a parade and fireworks will be held Saturday. The Cumberland County Fishing Tournament and the Jersey Coast Anglers Association Fluke Tournament also take place this weekend.

<b>Dennisville</b>

The weather wasn’t so cooperative in the past days, but drum could still be found at Tussy’s Slough, the Pin Top and the Horseshoe, and flounder fishing was great, said Tim from <b>Captain Tate’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Flounder Alley was the spot for the flatties, and that’s the area around 14-Foot Light, Miah Maul and the 19 buoy. Weakfish started being hooked around Brandywine Light, 14-Foot Light and other lighthouses, and some bit in the back bays. At the lighthouses bucktails with firetail worms were popular during the day, and some anglers will also fish for them at night under the lights with shedder crabs, and shedders are stocked. Tom Sawyer fished for weaks along the jetties at the Coast Guard Station in Cape May and nailed fish like an 11-pounder and 4-, 5- or 6-pounders on soft plastics like pink Zooms or Fin-S fish. Surf fishing was also good for stripers on clams. The back bay produced flounder, blues and sometimes stripers. Thresher sharks were battled at Reef Site 11, the DB buoy and the Old Grounds, and fresh mackerel is stocked almost daily for shark bait. No reports were heard yet about flounder fishing at the Old Grounds, and most flounder anglers were probably still targeting local waters, because the action was good. Minnows, squid, herring that is vacuum packed fresh, smelts and sardines are stocked and are all good baits for flounder. Fresh bunker is also stocked and can be stripped up for flounder bait, and fresh clams are on hand for drum and stripers.

<b>Cape May</b>

<b>Copacetic Sportfishing</b> ran its first couple of flounder trips of the season and scored good catches of the flatties to 22 inches or maybe 3 1/2 pounds at Flounder Alley from Miah Maul to 14-Foot Light, Capt. Mike said. Probably 1 in 3 was a keeper, and squid, minnows and spearing were the baits. Copacetic also ran a striper trip on the bay, because reports were heard about linesiders swimming the upper bay after coming down the Delaware River after the spawn. Two keeper stripers and one short were boated at Cross Ledge in 18 or 19 feet on the trip. The keepers were in the 25-pound range, and the short was tagged by the American Littoral Society. A charter Sunday was weathered out, and Mike is gearing up to compete in this weekend’s South Jersey Shark Tournament, and then shark trips will be on the menu. Charters are also available for drum, and drum fishing was decent in the bay, and for sea bass in the ocean. Big, slammer blues were also reportedly starting to be found in the ocean. But flounder fishing was red hot.

Drum from 50 to 80 pounds were commonly caught in Delaware Bay, including with <b>Jaftica Sportfishing</b>, and the bite turned back on after last week’s Memorial Day holiday and lasted through the week, Capt. Ray said. Anglers onboard landed the fish on the Jersey side of the bay, and the water was 70 degrees. Jaftica also started flounder fishing and put together a good catch including four from 22 to 25 inches or up to 6 pounds in the bay Saturday morning. Drum charters will continue, and so will flounder trips, and shark fishing will begin this weekend, when Jaftica will compete in the South Jersey Shark Tournament.

On the <b>Fishin’ Fever</b> nine black drum were wrestled aboard Friday in the bay, and on Saturday four were hauled in, Capt. Tom said. Five of the fish Friday weighed 50 to 65 pounds, and the rest were 25 to 40 pounds, and on Saturday the drum were 50 to 65 pounds. The charters found the fish in 20 feet on the Jersey side, and clams caught them. Tom thought the bite will last another week, and his charters will probably sail for them at least through the weekend. The bay was also holding plenty of flounder, and so was the ocean, and flounder charters are available. When Fishin’ Fever’s drum fishing ends, the boat will move to Brigantine and start running offshore for sharks and tuna.

Plenty of drum were boated on the <b>Down Deep</b>, Capt. Bob said. Joe Sloat’s party caught them to 60 pounds, and Mike Gardner’s gang pulled up 60- to 65-pounders. So the fish wee nice-sized. Bill DeMore, Kurt Rosenweig and Bob Newberry’s charters also put together similar catches through the week. But a trip Sunday morning was skunked in lousy conditions with winds, rough seas and rain. Charters will target drum through June 17, and some dates remain available. Afterward anglers onboard will probably sail for blues, flounder and sharks.

A charter on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> decided to sail for drum on the bay on Sunday evening, despite rough seas and weather, Capt. George said. They boated four of the fish and lost a few, and George thought the vessel was probably the only boat that fished that evening. Other boats targeted drum earlier in the day, but he knew no anglers who hooked any drum on those trips. But drum fishing was good the past few days, and most of the fish were 50 to 70 pounds. The anglers on the trip were Dave Billings, Joe Plotti, Joe D’Bazzi, Paul Schuck, Joel Bans and George Hoffman from the Rahway Elks, and they were attending the Elks Convention in Wildwood. On Saturday a charter cancelled, so George took a trip with crew and friends and caught and released six drum. On Friday John Stonick, Mike Lindsner and Bobby Schlagel pulled in a good catch of drum to 70 pounds. The John Anderson family on Thursday boated seven drum. George hoped the fishing would last another couple of weeks, and openings are available for drum charters this week and next, before he pulls the plug on drum fishing for the year. Charters are also available for flounder, sea bass and blues, and shark trips will be an option soon. An angler from the dock battled a thresher shark already.

Gale warnings forced a drum charter to be cancelled Sunday on the <b>Sea Fox</b>, Capt. Gary said. He fished as a guest on the Heavy Hitter on Saturday and had fun landing drum on light, 15-pound line. Charters for drum, flounder and sea bass are available, and they’re all biting. Gary is gearing up to compete this weekend in the Jersey Coast Anglers Association Fluke Tournament. Bluefish were supposedly biting offshore, so charters for the slammers might also be on tap.

The <b>Miss Chris</b> is now flounder fishing 8 a.m. daily, and the fishing was decent for flatties to 4 pounds, a fax from the boat said. Catches on nighttime drum trips remained strong for fish to 80 pounds and limits. Don Frently claimed an 83-pounder and a limit. Peter Broch boated a limit to 76 pounds, and Stanly Harrison took his limit to 71 pounds. The <b>Lady Chris</b>’s 4-hour trips were producing good mixed bags of flounder and small blues.

The bay kept giving up plenty of drum to 95 pounds at Tussy’s Slough, the Pin Top and Slaughter Beach, Capt. Fred from <b>Harbor View Marina</b> said in a fax. One customer nailed a 95-pounder, and another checked in a 55-pounder. Fluke to 4 pounds were boated in the bay at the Punk Grounds and the 19 buoy. Keeper fluke were also bagged in the back bay at the toll bridge and Sunset Lake. Anglers at Cape May Inlet and in the surf were reeling in stripers to 35 pounds. Small bluefish swam the bay around Brandywine and the inlet, and big blues to 10 pounds could be trolled at the Cigar. Live spots are stocked for fish like stripers, and shark season is here, and large mackerel are on hand for shark bait.

Tussy’s Slough, the Pin Top Slough and Slaughter Beach put out plenty of drum, said Matt from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b> in a fax. He and Jim, the store’s owner, drum fished on the Free Spirit with a few friends last Tuesday afternoon and brought to the boat nine 60- and 70-pound-class drum, and got back to the dock before dark. John DiBattista fished the Pin Top and reeled in his personal-best, a 67-pounder. Bill Craig also hit the Pin Top and nailed his personal best, a 79-pounder. Jimmy Bennett tried Tussy’s Slough for three nice drum to 68 pounds. Flounder were found in the bay at the 19 buoy, the shipping channel from the 35 buoy to Miah Maul and the Anchorage southwest of Brandywine, and the fish weren’t thick, but a catch could be put together with a little effort. Reports also rolled in about flounder taken at the Old Grounds in the ocean off Delaware, and the flatties there held at just a few spots and not in big numbers, but Tim Peterson landed a 7.2-pounder there Saturday morning. A few customers searched for mako sharks but with no success. At the Jacob Jones wreck the water temp was right, but water clarity was poor, and only a few bluefish bit. At the Arlene wreck a load of blue sharks prowled, but no makos or threshers did. Surf fishing was very good at Cape May, and Ken Pigioacciano walloped a 47-pound striper at the Poverty Beach jetty. Also at Poverty, Jim Herman drilled a 38-3/4-pounder, and Barry Thomas pinned down a 35-pounder.  Bill Rehn hauled in a 45-1/4-pounder from the suds at Alexander Avenue, and Mike Gallager took a 29-pounder in the Cape May Point wash. Ali Lummis caught her first-ever striper, an 18-1/2-pounder, at Cape May Inlet. Wow—that is good surf fishing! Clam was the best bait, and bunker was a distant second. 

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