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<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Lots more croakers appeared, and some were hooked at Cross Ledge, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. Apparently they were also biting at Reed’s Beach. Plenty of flounder seemed to be boated near Flat Top, and blues were mixed in with the croakers and flatties. A handful of weakfish might’ve been found in the southern bay, but little was heard about weaks. Customers were buying shedder crabs and heading north to the mouth of the Mullica River for weaks. Sharon’s nephew bagged a 29-inch, keeper striper at Manumuskin Creek on shedder crabs, and holdover stripers can always be found in the creeks and rivers like the Maurice River, and sometimes the fish are keepers. Shedder crabs are a good bait for them in the summer, and bloodworms will also work. The shop carries a large supply of baits, including shedder crabs, minnows, different types of squid and frozen baits like mackerel and herring. The new Berkley Gulp Alive baits arrived last week, and they’re the same as the old Gulps but come in a bucket container instead of a plastic bag. The bucket offers convenience, and the baits are kept in an oil in the container that keeps the baits fresh and requires no refrigeration. A bait can even be put back in the bucket after using the bait to keep it for another fishing trip. The buckets also include more of the baits than the bags, and the angler gets more of the baits for the buck. 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>

After rough weather and winds last week, things got going during the weekend, said Mike and Mickie from <b>Sundog Marina</b> in an e-mail. Flounder and bluefish were picked up at a good rate from the 6 buoy to the wreck buoy, the stakes and Miah Maul. Ray Shadow and family on the Shadow II bagged two keeper flounder Saturday on squid, minnows and shedder crabs. Mike on the Other Lady ran a charter from the marina on Sunday, fished the 6 buoy and scored 3 keeper flounder to 22 inches out of seven landed, and the throwbacks were all about a half-inch short. Six blues and a shark were also fought, all on squid, minnows and shedders. The Espisitos on the Miss Nicky nailed five keeper flounder to 20 inches, and Bill, Barbara and Eric Simmerman on Bill’s new boat the Dusky came back with six keeper flounder to 5 pounds that they grabbed at the 6. On Monday in flat seas Sam Hale and friend fished the stakes and boated three nice, keeper flounder and told the story about the one that got away, and Mark Chiappini fished from the Maul to the 6 and reeled in five short flounder and eight blues. Crabbing was slow on Nantuxent Creek, but early evenings produced the best, and perch fishing was good in the creek on most days. Craig Witting and buddy took one of marina’s rental boats out on the creek, and crabs were difficult to find, but they did well on perch while dunking bloodworms. The marina is starting a special that offers at least a dozen crabs to any rental boater, and call for info. Minnows, shedder crabs, bloodworms and a full supply of bait is stocked.

<b>Dividing Creek</b>

Crabbers at <b>Wildlife Boat Rentals</b> grabbed any number between three and three dozen of the blueclaws, so there was big variety, Ann said. Customers toward the end of the weekend caught the most, so the action seemed on the upswing. The shop is loaded with all supplies necessary for a day of crabbing, including traps, handlines, nets, bunker baits and even supplies like bug spray and sunglasses. Crabbing season is about to peak, because the crabs grow larger with each shed during the warm months, and the dog days of summer produce some of the biggest. Fish including white perch, catfish and small stripers can also be hooked in the creek, and fishing supplies including hooks, nightcrawlers, frozen grass shrimp, fresh grass shrimp when available and minnows are on hand. Live crabs are also sold for eating, and Wildlife is open Fridays through Sundays.

<b>Fortescue</b>

A mix of flounder and blues were boated on the <b>Karen Jean</b>, and croakers began to show up, Capt. John said. The number of croakers was decent, and the fish were small to medium-sized and large enough to keep, and they swam deeper water. Every once in a while someone hooked a weakfish, but no substantial number of weaks appeared so far. When weakfish arrive, charters will target them.

Some nice flounder were boated on the <b>Buccaneer</b> over the weekend, and croakers arrived, Capt. Ralph said. Bluefish were picked here and there as always. Flounder fishing wasn’t easy, but some decent ones were landed on the boat’s trips. The croakers were small but large enough to eat, and quite a few were bagged. So fish were being hooked, and no weakfish showed up yet, but when they do, the Buccaneer will set a course to catch them.

Brown sharks 3 to 4 feet were tearing up the Fortescue surf, said Dave from <b>Al’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Chunks of mackerel or bunker on shark rigs or wire leaders will connect with the beasts for a good fight. Shark rigs are stocked, and the monsters hit the surf every year. Blakes Channel was also giving up sharks. Flounder fishing was very good anywhere from the first or second drop-off from Fortescue to the wreck buoy and the Elbow. Donna from the shop and her husband nailed 14 keeper flounder over 20 inches each Monday. She wouldn’t tell Dave where they hooked them. “She knows I’ll tell everyone,” he joked. While Dave was giving this report this afternoon, a customer was weighing in a 5-pound 7-ounce flattie that he boated at the wreck buoy today. Croakers were starting to appear, and most were in the southern bay along the Delaware side, but a few, not many, were beginning to bite in the Fortescue surf. Bluefish 1 to 2 pounds were everywhere from the surf on out. Weakfish continued to be found near the lighthouses and structure at night under lights. Dave’s Dad landed weaks at Flat Top at night during the weekend under the boat lights on bucktails and speck rigs, the typical offerings, and also tackled a couple of keeper stripers on top-water lures there.  Reports were heard about a few anglers finding weaks during the day, but they were working hard, and it wasn’t common. Minnows, shedder crabs, bloodworms and all the frozen baits like mackerel are fully stocked.

<b>Bivalve</b>

Tom and Tony Richardson boated eight flounder to 25 inches, including two that tipped the scales at 6 ¼ pounds and 6 ½ pounds, said Pat from <b>Longreach Marina</b>. Bob Vertolli and John Pepitone totaled eight flatties to 23 ¼ inches, and Joe Washington and family claimed six flounder, 10 blues and a cobia. Bob LaBree reeled in three flounder from 18 to 21 inches and lots of snapper blues. Six-year-old Kyle Plummer caught a 20-inch flounder, his first-ever, and was tickled because the fish was bigger than pop pop’s 18-incher. Jim Wood Jr. and Connie Wood fished the mouth of the Mullica River and picked up a coolerful of perch and 30 short stripers. Customers boated all over the bay for flounder, searching for the scattered fish up and down the bay, including at Miah Maul. Minnows, shedder crabs and frozen squid, spearing, mackerel, bunker and clams are stocked. Longreach Marina’s Annual Kids Fishing Tournament is slated for Saturday, August 11.  

<b>Dennisville</b>

A few keeper flounder could be caught in the southern bay at spots such as the 9 and 10 buoys and the Anchorage and far north at places like Cross Ledge and the 6 buoy, but anglers really had to work for them, said Rusty from <b>Captain Tate’s Bait & Tackle</b>. He heard about a few croakers landed, but only second-hand, and he was seeing none of the fish brought to the shop. Small bluefish were mixed in with catches everywhere, and anglers kept saying that weakfish were sometimes landed, but again, Rusty was seeing none at the shop recently. Anglers talked about weakfish sometimes picked up at Brandywine and also in the back bay behind Avalon. Some flounder still hit in the back bay, and he caught two keepers behind Avalon today. But everyone was saying short flounder were the main catch there. “Guess I got lucky,” he said. In the ocean porgy fishing was very good at Wildwood Reef, and triggerfish were holding on the wrecks and snags, and a few sea bass were there, but bottom dunkers had to push off farther for bigger sea bass at places like the area around the Jacob Jones wreck. Bluefin tuna swam spots like the north end of the Cigar and Massey’s Canyon, and yellowfin tuna were sometimes boated around the Baltimore and Poorman’s canyons but were spread out. Sharking was happening at a little bit of everywhere, and Rusty heard about thresher sharks battled as close as 4 miles from shore. Shedder crabs are stocked, and minnows are usually no problem keeping on hand. Frozen spearing, mackerel, herring and all that type of bait is carried, and live spots will be available within the next few days.

<b>Cape May</b>

Some flounder could be hooked at the lower end of Bayshore Channel at the top of the tides and in the Cape May Rips, said Matt from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b> in a fax. Reports were sometimes heard about flatties taken at Brandywine Shoal, but lots were throwbacks. Flounder fishing was mostly spotty in the local area, and most of the nicer fish came from the Old Grounds in the ocean off Delaware, where the fish held tight to structure, so short drifts were a must. The bay gave up pretty good number of croakers, and surf fishing was mostly producing croakers with a few stripers mixed in both early and late in the day. Occasional flounder and weakfish were also pulled up. The Higbee’s Beach jetty and Sunset Beach were best for surf casting.

Anglers found flounder at the 9 and 10 buoys in the bay and in the ocean at Reef 11 and the Old Grounds, said Capt. Fred from <b>Harbor View Marina</b> in a fax. The waters off Slaughter Beach put out good numbers of croakers. Small blues could be caught at Cape May Point and at Cape May Inlet, and decent numbers of stripers, mostly shorts but some keepers, could be hooked in the back bays and in the inlet.

The <b>Canyon Clipper</b> was doing no flounder fishing in the bay, but anglers onboard were sometimes croaker fishing there, and loads of the hardheads were being caught at night, Capt. Stan said. A sea bass charter Friday bagged 3-, 4- and 5-pounders at Cape May Reef, and a few flounder were mixed in, and the boat’s trips also hooked a few flatties at the Old Grounds. Lots of flatties were actually biting at such spots in the ocean, but many were an inch short. The boat ran to the Elephant Trunk in the ocean on Wednesday, and a 34-inch bluefin tuna was landed, and a smaller one was released, and skipjacks and big bluefish were also hooked, all on the troll.

<b>Copacetic Sportfishing</b>’s been flounder fishing in the ocean at structure like at the reefs and also at debris like old ship ballast at the Old Grounds, Capt. Mike said. One of the flounder trips sailed Friday and landed a decent catch of flatties to one that was 23 inches or 5 pounds in deep, 70- to 90-foot water, and another trip fished Sunday at the same spot and also pulled up a decent catch of flatbacks to 21 or 22 inches. A tuna trip left the dock Saturday and trolled bluefins to 50 pounds only 30 miles from shore. The tuna fishing dropped off by late morning, and then the boat headed to the inshore lumps and did real well at fishing for blues, mostly smaller ones about 4 pounds apiece, and no fish like bonito or Spanish mackerel were among them. Friends landed a few such fish, but those types of species seemed scarcer than usual so far this season.

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