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<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

A few flounder were still picked in deeper water at places like the G Buoy west of Brandywine, the Anchorage and 40- to 50-foot depths, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. Croakers were also sometimes found, and a few customers said they scored well on the hardheads in deeper water. A few weakfish bit here and there, and many were small, and not a lot were keepers. Offshore baits such as butterfish, ballyhoos and sardines were selling, so bluefin tuna were apparently putting up fights at the inshore lumps. All offshore baits can be ordered at the shop, and be sure to call ahead several days. The shop carries a large variety of baits for fishing the bay and other inshore waters, and the supply ranges from minnows to frozen herring and includes much more. Berkley Gulp artificials were popular sellers for the bay, though Gulps were bought so quickly that they were actually becoming difficult to obtain in popular models like shrimp. The store is carrying Gulps in the new Gulp Alive buckets, containers that conveniently keep the Gulps in a scented liquid. 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>

Lots of short flounder were boated Saturday, and Bob Terry bagged 12 good-sized croakers that day at the 6 buoy, said Mike and Mickie from <b>Sundog Marina</b> in a fax. Others also caught croakers throughout the week, such as 27 of the hardheads that Bill Penn and grandsons Brandon and Haydon bailed at the 6 buoy along with four weakfish and 12 blues, a great catch, and squid and shedder crabs were the baits. Bill fished on another trip with his wife at the 6, and they found six croakers, four weakies and four blues. Lewis Patrick and Shigeru Mukoyoura hit the waters along the Old House and grabbed four flounder to 22 inches on Berkley Gulp new penny shrimp. Anna Barnow threw a line from the dock and nailed four stripers to 21 inches in less than 20 minutes. Rental boaters from the marina said blueclaw crabbing was heating up, and greater numbers of the hardshells were filling bushel baskets, and perch were filling coolers almost every trip. The boaters crab and fish on the Nantuxent Creek estuary that runs along the marina. Don’t forget that all rental boaters get no fewer than 12 complimentary crabs from the shop. Mike from Sundog took an offshore trip on the Diamond Girl from Ocean City, competed in the Ocean City Marlin and Tuna Club’s 30th Annual Billfish Tournament and had a great trip, he said. The overnighter fished between Spencer and Lindenkohl canyons, and one fish was fought 20 minutes until the hook pulled free, and an eyeball with a socket was pulled up and seemed to come from a swordfish. A 300- to 400-pound shark was battled for 45 minutes that night until it was lost in the props. That shark might’ve scared off other fish, but the boat did return with mahi mahi and bonito. Sundog is stocking bloodworms, shedder crabs, minnows and all the usual frozen baits, and the store is open 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day.

<b>Dividing Creek</b>

Nearly a bushel of blueclaws was the top catch among customers from <b>Wildlife Boat Rentals</b> during the weekend, and 2 ½ dozen keepers was probably the fewest anyone nabbed, so crabbing was good, Ann said. She saw large ones taken, and lots of small ones continued to crawl around, and some of the crabs were still shedding. Crabbing was in high gear, prime time, full bore. The peak of summer has produced some of the largest blueclaws of the year, with the critters shedding and growing since spring. If you’ve been thinking about going, act now, before the cool weather sets in. It’s been a good year for crabbing along Dividing Creek, so take advantage, and nobody knows what next year will bring, and sometimes next year is different. Wildlife stocks all supplies needed for a day of crabbing, including bait, traps, hand lines and essentials like suntan lotion, bug spray and sunglasses. Fishing bait and supplies are also on hand for dropping a line in the creek. Live crabs are sold for eating. Wildlife is open 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fridays and 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.  

<b>Fortescue</b>

The <b>Buccaneer</b> fished the bay one time in the past week, and one flounder, a bunch of croakers and some blues were reeled in, but the anglers threw back all of them, Capt. Ralph said. Even none of the croakers was a good size. No weakfish were really biting, and it was tough, but maybe they’ll arrive this week.

Flounder fishing was still decent at the first and second drop-offs, and the fish pushed closer to deeper water toward Flat Top some time ago, said Dave from <b>Al’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Flounder fishing at this time of year was a matter of getting winds and tides that combined to create the right drifts, and often the hot, windless summer conditions left boats floating motionless, but a drift is needed to cover ground for flounder fishing. Similarly, the Fortescue party boats were targeting flounder when a drift was possible, but otherwise they were focusing on croakers and blues. Croakers seemed spread throughout the bay, and Dave saw big ones, 2- and 2-1/2-pounders, that were bagged today. Weakfish were hooked at the first drop-off, and short weaks were pulled up at the stakes. Fortescue surf anglers beached at least croakers, and Dave was having difficulty remembering what else they caught, but they seemed to land something else. Crabbing was picking up, and big ones were about, and customers often crab from the Fortescue bulkhead, or they travel up Fortescue Creek on small boats for the blueclaws for good catches. Minnows, squid, mackerel and other frozen baits such as mullet and frozen bunker are stocked for flounder fishing. Shedder crabs, raised at the store, are on hand for weaks and croakers.

<b>Bivalve</b>

Croakers and weakfish numbers jumped up somewhat, and flounder hugged bottom at the usual spots, spread throughout the bay, said Pat from <b>Longreach Marina</b>. The weakies bit in close. Anglers and their catches included: Joe Pierce and Wayne Lutz, 2 flounder, 2 weakfish, 24 croakers; Eric Butto, 8 flounder, a 16-inch kingfish; John Kalibab and Brian Saxton Sr. and Jr., lots of flounder including a keeper, 11 croakers, 1 blue; Bob Vertolli and Bill Cackoor, 5 flounder and a cobia; Brad Phillips and Matt Johnson, 6 croakers, some throwback weakfish, a sandbar shark, a dusky shark; John Haghen, Ed Nickols Sr. and Jr. and Wayne Down, 30 croakers, 4 blues, 1 flounder; and Bill Solinsky and John McKenna, 12 croakers, 6 blues, a very short flounder. Longreach Marina’s Annual Kids Fishing Tournament takes place this Saturday, and the rain date is the following Saturday, August 18. The entry fee is only $10 per youngster, and the event features prizes for the largest weakfish and flounder. First, second and third prizes are awarded in both the weakfish and flounder divisions. First prize wins a $100 savings bond, and second wins a $50 savings bond. Third wins a $25 gift certificate to Toys R Us. Each participating youngster is entered in a drawing for a boy’s bike and a girl’s bike that will be given away. Each youngster also receives a goodie bag with a hat, candy and other items. Longreach is stocking all the usual baits, including minnows, squid and frozen baits.
   
<b>Cape May</b>

A flounder charter was slow in southern Delaware Bay along the shipping channel on Saturday on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, Capt. George said. Only one keeper bit among 20 throwbacks, and small blues were hooked, and so were six 14-inch croakers. Sharks hit during the first half-hour, but then the current started moving, and the sharks backed off. John Newcomb, Jack and John Lynch and Tom Steineke were the anglers. Bluefin tuna fishing was very good on a charter Sunday while the anglers chunked at the inshore lumps. They landed six bluefins to 70 pounds including limiting out, and they were finished by 9 a.m. No trolling was done on the way home, because seas started becoming sloppy from northeast winds. The Heavy Hitter is chartering for tuna, flounder or bottom fish and inshore trolling for blues, bonito and such fish.

A flounder charter and a couple of inshore trolling trips sailed with <b>Copacetic Sportfishing</b>, Capt. Mike said. The flounder trip ran Sunday, fishing the southern bay along the shipping channel, and strong winds made conditions tough, but the anglers hung in there and pulled up a few flatties to 20 inches. They also fought a load of cocktail blues, and Mike thinks the fishing would’ve been better if winds had been calmer, and 10 ounces of weight had to be used to hold bottom. The water was probably 71 degrees, and the tide was incoming, and the anglers fished with squid, mackerel strips, strips of bluefish and minnows. Not too many junk fish bit, probably because the drift was fast. The inshore trolling trips fished 15 miles from shore, and 2- to 8-pound blues were everywhere, and a few bonito and mahi mahi were mixed in. Mike heard about good-sized king mackerel caught, but he landed none. A tuna charter will target bluefins this week, and the bluefin bite was hot.

<b>Jaftica Sportfishing</b> was flounder fishing, inshore trolling and tuna fishing, and all were pretty much good, and tuna fishing was best, Capt. Ray said. A flounder charter took place Friday in the southern bay and bagged probably eight keepers and released 20 or 30 shorts. Inshore trolling with Jaftica produced bluefish, bonito, king mackerel and mahi mahi, and the blues were predominant, and the other fish hit sporadically. A tuna trip Sunday limited out on bluefins at the 20-fathom line, and other bluefins were also released. The fish were chunked in the morning, and the anchor was pulled by 10 a.m., and the vessel went on the troll, but seas were kicking up, and the anglers spent little time trolling before heading to the barn. 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 $5 apiece or $20 for five, and see the boat’s web site for info.

Flounder fishing in the southern bay at the 9 and 10 buoys slowed down quite a bit, and lots of shorts were appearing, said Matt from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b> in a fax. Big flounder started showing up in good numbers in the ocean at the Old Grounds off Delaware, and the fish were hanging in 75 to 85 feet, and Reef Site 11 in the ocean also put out good catches and nice sea bass. Ed Fiorentino flounder fished the Old Grounds a few hours Saturday and bagged 12, and half were 5 to 7 pounds. Good numbers of croakers swam Bayshore Channel off the Villas, and those fish were bigger and more numerous than elsewhere.

Plenty of croakers were hooked at the Pin Top and off Slaughter Beach, said Capt. Fred from <b>Harbor View Marina</b> in a fax. Small blues and flounder could be found off Cape May Point, and flounder also bit at the 9 and 10 buoys, the Old Grounds and Reef Site 11.

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