<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Weakfishing was pretty good along inshore waters like off Thompson’s Beach and East Point and at the turn buoys, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. Shedder crabs were becoming scarce for bait, and the shop is only carrying frozen shedders now, but a lot of anglers are dunking spots instead, and the baitfish might even be a better bait than shedders. Bloodworms will also work, and so will hardshell crabs. Salted spots are carried, and a limited amount of fresh ones are on hand almost daily, and bloodworms are usually available. Some anglers also tip strips of spots with bloodworms for a good bait. Not much was heard about striped bass yet, but small stripers could be found near the structure like the lighthouses, where boaters usually liveline spots or drop down bunker chunks for the linesiders, but the chunks need to be placed right up in the rocks. A commercial netter said he picked up a large striper at the mouth of the Maurice River, but the main push of migrating stripers should start to arrive from Columbus Day to mid October, and that’s when people will probably begin targeting them a lot. Nothing was heard about croakers. In other news, a customer said he boated 11 triggerfish in the ocean at wrecks off Sea Isle, so triggers seemed to be in. 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>Dividing Creek</b>

Crabbing was good over the weekend, and three customers brought back nearly a bushel of the blueclaws apiece, said Ann from <b>Wildlife Boat Rentals</b>. All others also scored well, and their catches ranged from a couple of dozen to three-quarters of a bushel. Many of the hardshells were also good-sized, and lots were females, and females are generally bigger than males. The crabs can grow to their largest sizes at this time of year, because they’ve been shedding and growing throughout the warmer months before heading to the mud to spend the winter. One person fished and nabbed a 21-inch, out-of-season flounder in the creek near the bridge and tossed back the fish. Another landed a couple of small blues, and other fish such as perch, small stripers, small weakfish and catfish can be pulled from the creek. Wildlife will only be open this coming weekend before closing for the winter, and this is your last chance to catch your own crab dinner. The hours will be 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and Wildlife usually re-opens toward the end of May. All supplies for a day of crabbing are carried, including bait, traps, hand lines, nets and even items such as suntan lotion, bug spray and soda. Fishing tackle is carried, but fishing bait is being allowed to sell out without re-stocking, because the season’s coming to a close. For example, squid has sold out. Live crabs are also sold for eating. Although the shop will close after the weekend, Ann will try to give crabbing reports as long as possible afterward from friends.

<b>Fortescue</b>

On the <b>Buccaneer</b> anglers hooked croakers and blues, Capt. Ralph said. The croakers were found around 14-Foot Light, a long ride from Fortescue but worth it, Ralph said. No large numbers of the hardheads were holding in those waters, but some were there. Some of the blues were small, and others were medium-sized. Anglers will hear reports about weakfish taken here or there, but that’s one trip on one day, and charters can’t sit there and catch only five weaks, for example. Striped bass fishing should begin toward mid October.

Weakfish were bagged off the Club House, and the fishing was decent, the best all year, said Dave from <b>Al’s Bait & Tackle</b>. The fish were a decent size, too, running 2 or 3 pounds. The 2 and 3 buoys off the Maurice River also produced the fish, and Dave himself headed there and gave the fishing a try. Bluefish seemed to hold along the first drop-off from Fortescue, and they were bigger than before, 4- and 5-pounders, so people were actually targeting them. Fortescue surf anglers could beach blues and kingfish, and bloodworms should trick the kings. Dave read a report about big sharks swimming off Fortescue, and he was going to look for them at night, setting up a chum slick and dropping mackerel down to the bottom for bait. Those beasts should be pushing out of the bay anytime. Nothing was heard about striped bass yet, but anglers should start reporting the beginning of catches maybe in a week or two. The bay actually warmed a few degrees to the low 70s, and previously the water was in the low 60s. Dave hoped the current warm spell would be the last of the season, so cooler temps would help turn on striper fishing. The shop will start carrying fresh bunker for striper bait as soon as a fair number of anglers begin targeting stripers. A few live shedder crabs are being carried for weakfish bait, and the supply is running down, but frozen shedders are stocked. Bloodworms are also on hand, and so are lots of other baits, including frozen squid and mullet.

<b>Bivalve</b>

Some better reports than before rolled in at <b>Longreach Marina</b>, and weakfish were landed close in or off Thompson’s Beach, off the 2 and 3 buoys and inside of the number 1 buoy, Pat said. Anglers and their catches included: Bob Vertolli and Barry Berger, 8 weaks; Howard Beumler, Mike Liss and Al Patane, 16 weaks, 12 blues and 3 kingfish; John and Kim Plummer, 16 weaks and 2 kings; 7-year-old Cody Wolf, 4 big sharks and 3 nice-sized, out-of-season flounder that had to be let go; John Eichenberg and Ron Passarella, two limits of weaks; Lucky Lynch and Penny Hill Jack, 4 weaks, lots of small weaks and 2 blues; Connie and Jimbo Wood and Kevin Dick, 14 weaks, lots of short weaks, croakers, a bunch of kings and a striper; and Travis, Brad and John Phillips, 1 weak, 2 blues, 6 spots and 3 huge kings. Pat said kingfish were big this year. Shedder crabs are still stocked for bait, but shedders are becoming scarce, and call ahead to confirm whether any are available. Fresh bunker is also stocked.

<b>Dennisville</b>

Weakfish were boated off Thompson’s Beach, and shedder crabs were the good baits, if you could find them, said Tim from <b>Captain Tate’s Bait & Tackle</b>. The shop was stocking a couple of dozen live shedders a day, but they were difficult to find, and even frozen ones were sold out. Lots of blues swam off Reed’s Beach, and croakers were holding at 60-Foot Slough. Along the coast striped bass fishing was actually pretty good in the mornings and evenings at the inlets and in the surf on mullet. Plenty of frozen mullet is stocked, and fresh is on hand when available. Small weaks and also croakers and porgies were schooling the ocean off the Ferris wheel in Wildwood. Sea bass fishing was picky in the ocean, and some anglers tried fishing the Offshore Reef and found none, but wrecks and structure at other locations gave up a few. Tuna fishing was very good. Greg Frank on the Down Deep ran a trip that nailed six yellowfin tuna from 60 to 80 pounds, a white marlin and a 200-pound mako. Dan Fabri from Fabri Concrete hauled in a 300-pound swordfish, four or five yellowfins, some longfins and a wahoo. The Rock and Robin came back with a 200-pound bigeye tuna, four or five yellowfins and a 50-pound wahoo. All those catches came from Wilmington Canyon.

<b>Cape May</b>

Anglers with <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> from Sea Isle City  fished the Cape May Rips on Saturday and landed 30 blues about 2 pounds each on jigs with Electric Chicken soft plastic lures, Capt. Joe said. Beforehand they fished Cape May Inlet, where they swam live mullet on 4/0 circle hooks and fought five stripers to 26 inches to the boat. The anglers were flipping the bait fish to the rocks at first light. Another angler was aboard Sunday and fished the Cape May Rips, fly rodding 20 blues to 2 pounds on Clousers and Sar-Mul-Mac flies on sinking lines.

Small bluefish sometimes stormed  the surf surrounding Cape May, and anglers hooked them on chunks of mullet or nearly any cut bait, said Matt from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Cape May in a fax. A few small striped bass and an occasional kingfish also showed up in the surf, but the water was still in the 70s, and temps needed to drop before striper fishing came on.

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