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<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Flounder fishing was good toward the top of the bay like at Cross Ledge and the Elbow, said Sharon from <b>The Girl’s Place</b>. She heard about a few limits of weakfish hooked at the lower end of the bay around the jetties and structure on bloodworms on floats. A few croakers were spread throughout the bay, and they might’ve been less numerous than usual for this time of year, but some bigger ones were starting to show up. Plenty of sharks roamed the ocean, including threshers fought close to shore. Mackerel, minnows, shedder crabs and bloodworms were popular baits lately. The shop carries all those baits and more, keeping a large selection on hand. All the usual offshore baits like flats of butterfish can also be ordered, and be sure to order 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>

Ray Shadow on the Shadow II nailed nine keeper flounder to 25 inches at the 6 buoy on minnows and squid on Saturday, said Mike from <b>Sundog Marina</b>. Also on Saturday, Don and family bailed 14 keepers at the 6 on shedder crabs and squid. Sunday’s fishing was slow, and most customers seemed to have difficulty with too fast of a drift, and Mark Chiappiniti and wife landed one keeper among 34 flounder, and the rest of the fleet was skunked. On Monday Martin Schmidt and his dad had a banner day, bagging five keeper flounder to 4.3 pounds while drifting minnows and squid from the 6 to Flat Top. Also on Monday Hugh Blake grabbed two keeper flounder to 3 ½ pounds and released six shorts at the Elbow on mackerel and squid. Lots of 1- and 2-pound blues bit in the bay, and a couple of reports were heard about weakfish caught, but none were weighed in. Ed and family fished Nantuxent Creek and loaded up on a mess of white perch, three throwback stripers and a 9-inch croaker. Take note of that croaker, because it’s a sign that the hardheads were arriving. Crabbing was beginning to turn on in the creek, and customers in a private boat netted two dozen keeper blueclaws. The marina’s rental boats are available to fish and crab the creek. Minnows, shedder crabs, bloodworms and all the frozen baits are stocked.

<b>Dividing Creek</b>

Crabbers at <b>Wildlife Boat Rentals</b> nabbed 10 to 30 keeper blueclaws apiece, so the crabbing wasn’t spectacular, but it was all right, Ann said. Crabs were probably shedding, because of the full moon.  Wildlife will expand its hours this week from the Fourth of July through Sunday. Live crabs are now being sold at the store, and everything that’s needed for crabbing is on hand, including traps, handlines, bunker bait, nets and even items like sunglasses and suntan lotion. Fishing supplies are also carried, like hooks and baits, including grass shrimp and minnows. Anglers can drop a line in Dividing Creek for perch, catfish, small weakfish and such. Crabbing season is coming into full swing with the heat of summer, and the hardshells grow bigger with each shed of the season. Time to stop talking about it and go.

<b>Fortescue</b>

Flounder fishing was slow, and no weakfish showed up yet, but a shot of croakers might’ve showed up in the southern bay toward Cape May, said Capt. Ralph from the <b>Buccaneer</b>. Charters are available for flounder and whatever else is biting, including croakers. If weakfish show up, charters will go right after them.

Flounder and blues could be pulled up from the bay, and the fishing remained the same, said Capt. John from the <b>Karen Jean</b>. Charters will keep chasing the flatties and blues, and croakers and weakfish will be added to the mix when those fish show up.

A good number of flounder were hooked at the Wreck Buoy, and minnows, squid and mackerel did the trick, said Dave from <b>Al’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Croakers were beginning to be picked up at the shipping channel straight off Fortescue, and weakfish continued to be found at night at the lighthouses, rocks and structure. The weakfishers toss bucktails with bloodworms or shedder crabs or throw speck rigs to connect. Leftover, medium-sized drum were still boated around the lighthouses at night on clams. Smaller drum can be caught all season long at certain holes, but these larger drum remained from the spring run of the fish. Bluefish were everywhere, and Fortescue surf anglers beached flounder and weakies on shedder crabs and squid. All the baits mentioned in this report are stocked, and the bait supply’s fully loaded.

<b>Port Norris</b>

Tim Spencer, 8, bagged a 20-inch flounder, his first-ever, and Harold and Bert Short took home three flatties to 23 inches, said Jeff from <b>Port Norris Marina</b>. Jim Dougherty and Tom Zimmerman nailed eight to 5 pounds, and Mark Sergacomi scored eight to 6 pounds. John Shelton and Carl Bradford fished the mouth of the Maurice River for a catch of 30 white perch. Flounder during the week were mostly boated toward Miah Maul, and some also came from the number 1 buoy. Minnows, shedder crabs, squid and all the usual bait are stocked.

<b>Bivalve</b>

Customers bagged flounder pretty much toward Miah Maul or at the stakes beyond the EP Tower, said Pat from <b>Longreach Marina</b>. Buddy Hughes, Wayne Downs and Ed Nichols Sr. and Jr. boated 3 keeper flounder, lots of throwbacks, 15 blues and a big shark. Joe, Bob and Bill Layton reeled in five keeper flatbacks, and Tom and Kelli Sebastian and Cliff Knaub scored 3 keepers and 6 blues. Lynn Jensen nailed a 6-pound, 24-inch flounder. Minnows had been scarce for flounder bait this season, but the supply was improving, and somewhat more of them are now stocked than before. Shedder crabs and frozen squid, spearing, mackerel, bunker and clams are also carried. Longreach Marina’s Annual Kids Fishing Tournament is slated for Saturday, August 11. 

<b>Cape May</b>

Jim Abbott’s charter on the <b>Sea Fox</b> boated flounder to 21 inches, lots of throwbacks and cocktail blues off Cape May Point on Sunday, Capt. Gary said. Squid and minnows were the baits on various spinner rigs, and pink or white were working, and sharks and skates also hit. A load of fish was marked, and Gary thought they must’ve been croakers that refused to bite. The water was 66 degrees, and on the way back the Cape May Canal was 74 degrees, a big, 7-degree difference. Gary is raring to fish the Old Grounds in the ocean off Delaware for a mix of flounder, sea bass and blues, and he knows anglers who fished there already, and as always the action was hit or miss. The Old Grounds is a large area, and anglers have to get on the right spot. The Sea Fox will compete in this year’s Duke of Fluke Tournament at Sterling Harbor Bait & Tackle in Wildwood, and the boat placed in that event in past years. It’s that time of year for tuna fishing at the inshore lumps like the Ham Bone, so it’s only a matter of time, and Gary is also looking forward to running there. Charters are available for flounder, bottom fish, inshore trolling for bluefish and tuna fishing.

Flounder trips were taking place in Delaware Bay with <b>Jaftica Sportfishing</b>, and probably 1 in 15 of the fish was a keeper, but some were bagged at Flounder Alley, Capt. Ray said. Charters were also trolling the inshore ocean and boating tons of bluefish, and some bonito and a few Spanish mackerel also swam those grounds. The inshore lumps were producing schoolie bluefin tuna, and a friend fished a little farther offshore Sunday and got into a nice bite of schoolies. Charters are available for all these species, including tuna. Jaftica is raffling off a striped bass charter through summer to benefit the recovery of one of the boat’s mates who was injured in an accident. Raffle tickets are only $5 apiece or $20 for five, and see the boat’s web site for info. 

Bayshore Channel off Cape May Canal was holding some flounder, and croakers were beginning to bite there, said Matt from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b> in a fax. Croakers were also hooked at Higbee’s Beach and were starting to bite in the surf at Cape May Point. The first kingfish of the season were taken at Sunset Beach.  Flounder fishing at Cape May Reef produced lots of fish but few keepers, and winds hampered flounder fishing at Reef Site 11 and the Old Grounds, but drift socks helped, and some boaters scored very well at both spots. The crew of the Vet Craft fished the Old Grounds on Friday and limited out on flatties to 7 pounds. Bill Turmond and crew targeted Reef 11 and bagged eight fluke to 6 pounds.  On the tuna grounds inshore trolling picked up nicely for schoolie bluefins, and the area outside the Cigar was holding good numbers. The Cigar itself was home to great numbers of bluefish, and a few bonito were mixed in, and so were occasional false albacore. No canyon tuna reports rolled in, but shark anglers fought decent catches at 20-fathom spots north of Cape May.

Boaters pulled fluke from Bayshore Channel, Reef Site 11, Cape May Reef and the Old Grounds, said Capt. Fred from <b>Harbor View Marina</b> in a fax. Croakers could be caught in good numbers from the bay, and bluefish held at Sea Isle Ridge. Plenty of makos swam in 20 fathoms, and yellowfin tuna and mahi mahi could be found between Poorman’s Canyon and Baltimore Canyon. Bluefin tuna and a few mahi started to show at 30 fathoms, and trolled cedar plugs were scoring them.

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