<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Excellent catches of drum were made at the Pin Top and Tussy’s Sough, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. A few weakfish could be found by those who really looked for them. Shallows close to shore off places like Thompson’s Beach and the E.P. Tower were spots to hunt, and shedder crabs and bloodworms were popular baits. Flounder fishing sounded off, not only an abundance of shorts but just too few of the fish in general. Striped bass anglers still connected, even if the season was late. They targeted the far northern bay on the Delaware side but also the Jersey side at the 34 or 35 buoys or Ship John, dunking fresh bunker. The shop carries fresh bunker pretty much all season long. Live clams are available, and so are bloodworms. Extra-large bloods that sell for $1.05 apiece also come in each week and are popular. Minnows and all the frozen baits, including herring, are also carried. 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>

Crabbing was absolutely phenomenal, said Linda from <b>Beaver Dam Boat Rentals</b>. Customers often “busheled out,” and early mornings were best, because of cool temps. Lots of small crabs skittered around, typical in spring, but that only boded well for the rest of the season. One shed already took place on the new moon, and a shed on the full moon is coming up. The blueclaws grow on each shed, often taking place during the moons. The crustaceans continually grow larger through the warm months, when they’re out and about, instead of burrowed in the mud in winter. Frozen bunker baits will draw them to traps. Customers crab from Beaver Dam’s rental boats that are towed onto Oranokin Creek, an unusually rich estuary, teeming with crabs and wildlife. The Beaver Dam crew continually checks on the boaters every hour, and if crabbers need to take a break, use the rest room or anything, they simply cell phone the shop, and the crew comes and gets you. The crew also continually crabs on the creek throughout the season, keeping tabs on where the best crabbing is. The area is environmentally sensitive, and the staff cares a great deal about it, and the crabbing and wildlife couldn’t withstand disturbances like constant motor boating on the waters. New Jersey’s new requirement for motor boaters to pass a boating safety course is also an issue. The boat rentals are available 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., and customers can show up to use them during any of the hours. Daylong canoe and kayak rentals are also available, and customers usually paddle up the creek for an amazing day in nature. Two bald eagles nests are located on site, and the eagles are usually seen flying. All kinds of other wildlife including egrets, white and blue herrings, willets, minks, muskrats and more also make the area home. Terrapin turtles often take the slow walk across the parking lot. Wildlife tours can also be arranged. Customers can also fish along the creek, and perch were biting. Beaver Dam carries everything needed for a day of crabbing, including bait and all different types of traps, but also everything down to work gloves, and also snacks. Rental traps are also available, and the staff is glad to teach customers how to trap. Fishing tackle is also carried, and a limited amount of bait is on hand for local fishing. Bloodworms for perch fishing will be carried later in the season. This weekend will be a big one for Beaver Dam, because it’s participating for the first time in the community’s annual Bay Days celebration of Delaware Bay, to be held both Saturday and Sunday, and Beaver Dam is offering a Father’s Day Special to boot. For Bay Days, Beaver Dam will run special, 20-minute wildlife tours up the creek for only $2.50 per person. For Father’s Day, customers can rent a four-person boat that comes with four rental crab traps, two bags of bait and a memento photo, all for only $69, a discount. If you can’t make it on Father’s Day, you can still purchase a gift certificate and use it on another day, including that Saturday. Reservations are required, and call 856-447-3633. Beaver Dam Boat Rentals is open 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day but will extend the hours this weekend for Bay Days.

<b>Fortescue</b>

Fishing for drum held up well, even during the past couple of days, at the Pin Top and Tussy’s Slough, said Dave from <b>Al’s Bait & Tackle</b>. He fished the Pin Top on Saturday on a trip that produced six. Customers boated plenty of flounder, but hardly any keepers, and many of the fish would’ve been keepers last year, when the size limit was an inch shorter. The fluke were everywhere, including at the stakes near Fortescue to Cross Ledge to down the shipping channel to Miah Maul, and even farther down the channel toward the Pin Top. Nobody reported finding weakfish and croakers yet. Striped bass fishing kind of tapered off, typical for this time of year. Fortescue surf casters could reel in perch and bluefish, and bloodworms will draw the perch, and baits like mullet will attract the blues. Crabbing was picking up. Fresh bunker and live clams will no longer be stocked until striper fishing kicks in again in fall. But minnows, bloodworms and a large variety of frozen baits are carried. Live shedder crabs will probably be available any day, and frozen shedders are on hand.

Charters on the <b>Buccaneer</b> hauled aboard good catches of drum—five, seven or nine per trip—last week through Saturday, but the fishing dropped off drastically for everyone on Sunday, Capt. Ralph said. A trip on the boat that day managed to land one, and Ralph thought that maybe the fish were mating or something. “We’ll see what happens,” he said. No trip ran for the fish yesterday, but one was sailing for them today. When drum fishing draws to a halt, charters will probably fish for flounder or possibly croakers.

<b>Andrea Charters</b> was “on the drum” through the week, Capt. Dave said. “That’s all we’ve done.” Catches just seemed to get better through last week and had already been good. A trip Saturday left the dock at 3:30 p.m. and was finished drum fishing by 5:45 p.m. The customers caught, were satisfied and were ready to come home. “Incredible,” Dave said. The last three trips finished early. Dave encouraged anglers to be conservative in the number of drum kept. Take what you want, up to your limit, and protect the population. The fish are big, and lots were biting. Previously charters had also been striped bass fishing, landing the fish along structure like the lighthouses. They even picked up a few big weakfish along the structure, and Andrea Charters specializes in weakfishing. The trout were the big tiderunners that enter the bay in spring to spawn, and fishing for them isn’t a type of angling that can make up a whole trip, and instead weakfishing at this time of year can be mixed in with other types of fishing. Anglers toss Fin-S Fish, bucktails or such to hook them. The trout bite briefly on specific tides, and not a ton are ever around. But the main population of weakfish usually arrives in the bay a little later, when Andrea Charters will target them specifically on entire trips. A few flounder were boated on the bay, but the flattie fishing seemed yet to take off. Small blues were scattered about.

A drum charter belted eight of the fish Friday on the <b>Salt Talk</b>, and a charter the previous Monday also bagged eight, Capt. Howard said. The boat will keep running the charters until most drum stop biting, and anglers said that could happen around the middle of the month. Open-boat flounder trips are also sailing daily, though mostly on weekends at this time of year, and call to confirm, especially in case a charter is booked. Flounder fishing was difficult during the new, larger, 18-inch size limit, but some of the fish were hooked. An open flounder trip Sunday came back with five keepers for 11 anglers, and short flatties were released. A flounder charter Saturday with 14 people landed probably two dozen shorts and no keepers. Maybe the current heat wave will be good for flounder fishing, get the fish moving around. A few small blues bit on flounder trips. The open trips sail 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and squid is provided, and minnows are usually supplied. Mackerel strips were still provided lately, but that’s an early season flounder bait and might not be carried much longer.

Friends landed good drum catches last night, so plenty of the fish continued to bite, said Capt. Mike from the <b>Bonanza</b>. The boat last fished for them a couple of days ago, and the trips were a success. Because the good fishing continued, another open-boat drum trip will sail 4 p.m. to 12 midnight Friday, and call to reserve. A drum charter is slated for Saturday evening. Daily, open-boat flounder trips are running 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and lots of the fish bit, but few were keepers during the new size limit this year. Many would’ve been keepers with last year’s size limit. Great numbers of flounder were reeled up on today’s trip, but bagging keepers was very tough. A couple or a few keepers were taken each trip. A few bluefish were beginning to grab baits. When drum fishing tapers off, nighttime charters will start to run for weakfish around the lighthouses and blues. Some open-trips might even target the weaks at night, and stay tuned for details. Mike heard about a very few of the trout found so far, but more should begin to appear soon.

<b>Bivalve</b>

A bunch of drum were checked in at <b>Longreach Marina</b>, according to Pat. A few customers reported flounder catches that came from throughout the bay or from the E.P. Tower, number 1 buoy and Little Egypt to Miah Maul. A couple of anglers even landed weakfish. First, the flounder. Stanley Loadhulz, John McClernon and Mark Donner bagged 10 flounder and four blues. Tom Pittman took home four flounder and released 20 shorts. Bill and Donna Stuart nailed 18 flounder to 23 inches in a half-hour on bunker strips. Next, the weaks. John Shukovisky drilled a 10-pound 10-ounce tiderunner. He also fished on another trip with Rich Andrus, and they combined for nine weaks to 23 inches. Now, the drum. Drum anglers and their catches included: Ken Staring, 62-pound drum; Gary Wilson and George Wengert on the Bite Me II, 64-1/4- and 50-pound drum; Jimmy Wood, Kyle Gleason, Donald Haught, Doug and Bailey, the fishing dog, three drum 70 to 75 pounds; Pork Chop, Jim Gartman and Don Goodman, eight drum 50 to 80 pounds; Ben Williams and Bob Hines, six drum, including three 30-, 50- and 70-pounders that were kept; Bill Ehlert and Jim Sweeney, four drum to 56 and 60 pounds, the two largest; Al Buran on the Dusty Musty, 73-1/2-pound drum; Ben, Joe, another Ben and John Scull, six drum to 70 ½ pounds; Anthony and Albert Albano, four drum 35, 50, 60 and 70 pounds; Ed Henda, Ed Russell and Bluejay, 66-pound drum; and Kim and John Plummer, six drum to 62 pounds.  Fresh bunker is no longer stocked this season, because demand for striper fishing dropped off. Minnows, squid and other frozen baits are carried. Bay Days, the annual celebration of the bay, will take place on the weekend. The annual Longreach Marina Kids Fishing Tournament is set for August 9, featuring 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes in both the boys’ and girls’ categories for the largest weakfish and flounder. If too few of either species are entered, blues and croakers, in that order, will be substituted. Each kid also gets a prize, and each is entered in a drawing for a boy’s and a girl’s bike. The annual Cumberland County Fishing Tournament, formerly a weakfish tournament but now open to all the major species, is slated for August 2. That tournament used to be held in June, when the chances of catching a big weakfish were generally considered best. But weakfish in recent years were scarcer and also tended to show up later in the season, probably part of the reasons for the changes.  

<b>Dennisville</b>

Catches of drum slowed a moment Sunday, and were okay Monday but picked right back up today, said Rusty from <b>Captain Tate’s Bait & Tackle</b>. But even the slow down wasn’t terrible, and drum fishers just weren’t catching a load like before. The fishing’s been so good that maybe anglers were spoiled, like used to catching close to 20 instead of a handful. In the past, a catch of five was good, and numbers in recent years were phenomenal. The Pin Top, Tussy’s Slough, Banana Peel, Horseshoe and such places continued to be the spots that produced this week. Flounder fishing put out lots of shorts, and Rusty heard about a few keepers pulled over the gunwale at the 19 and 16 buoys. Back-bay flounder fishers also had to pick through shorts. Flatties also started to appear at Cape May and Wildwood reefs, though shorts swam there, too. Sea bass were also boxed at the reefs. Not much was heard about striped bass, except a few landed in the surf at Poverty Beach, 2nd Street in North Wildwood, Whale Beach and Sea Isle City. Shark fishing seemed to start taking off, and a few threshers were leadered at the Old Grounds and 4-Fathom Bank. A couple of makos came up from the Hambone and Massey’s Canyon. Nobody mentioned tuna fishing, but offshore boaters concentrated on sharking.  Shark anglers should begin to spot bluefin tuna, and that should whet the whistle.

<b>Cape May</b>

Drum fishing held up pretty well on trips Friday and Saturday on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, and fewer of the fish, but a decent catch, were taken on a trip Sunday, Capt. George said. Friday’s charter kept 12 drum to 70 or 75 pounds and released one, and Saturday’s charter also bagged 12 drum to 78 pounds, a limit of the fish for the four anglers. A crew trip on Sunday boated five drum to about 70 pounds. More drum could’ve been caught on some of the trips, like on Friday, but George cuts off the catch at 12, plenty for anyone. These are big fish. Drum charters will fish this week before the crew calls it a year for the boomer fishing. Then charters will target bluefish, bottom fish, flounder, sharks and whatever’s available. Tuna trips will eventually sail.

The drum bite became a little later, around dark, but double-digit catches still came up for <b>Jaftica Sport Fishing</b>, so the fishing continued, Capt. Ray said. Charters will keep drum fishing as long as the action lasts. The boat’s first shark trip of the year will point the bow offshore Thursday. Ray heard about a few sharks, including makos, found over the weekend. Flounder fishing will begin any day on the vessel, and lots of blues supposedly swam inshore spots in the ocean, meaning trolling trips are probably an option. Ray also heard about a few bluefin tuna caught, and the boat’s tuna charters will probably start with fishing at the inshore lumps to the south, where bluefins gather at the beginning of the season.

A drum trip with <b>First Cast Sport Fishing</b> on Friday produced a couple of the fish per man for three anglers and returned early, a good day, Capt. Rob said. Two of the anglers reeled in their first-ever drum, both about 70 pounds. On Saturday a charter got into a great day of drumfishing, and two of the anglers tied for the pool with a couple of 85-pounders. Drum fishing was a little slower on a trip Sunday, and five or six of the fish were boated, but maybe the fish turned on during another tide. Drum charters will continue. Flounder charters are also running, and the first one sailed last Tuesday and was covered in the last report. A few keepers and lots of shorts bit, probably one keeper for every 20 throwbacks, inshore of Miah Maul. A few mako sharks were caught, and shark charters are now available through the month. Tuna trips are being booked and will probably begin the third or fourth week of July, probably starting with bluefin tuna at the inshore lumps and moving out to the canyons when that fishing turns on. 

Four drum were bagged Saturday night with <b>Daisy May Sport Fishing</b>, and there were lots of swings and misses, Capt. Dave said. Another charter fished for drum Sunday night, but no results were heard from Dave. The bay was 72 degrees, warming up. The boat’s final drum trip of the season is slated for Saturday, and afterward flounder will be targeted, and trolling for blues is probably an option. Daisy May will probably start fishing for the flatties in the deep at Reef Site 11 and the Old Grounds, especially because waters were finally warming. Tons of blues were supposedly swimming the inshore ocean. Tuna charters will eventually fish.

The bay kept putting out excellent catches of drum through the end of the week, some days at the Pin Top, other days at Tussy’s Slough, the best drumfishing in 30 years, said Matt from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b> in a fax. On most days, some boats scored double-digit catches. Kyle Yandach, 16, Gibbstown, took down a 77-pound 8-ouncer, and John Britten, 10, Seaville, caught a 61-1/2-pounder that was his first. Alex Carlson, 16, scored a 61-pounder, and Graham Neville, 14, landed a 53-pounder. Carmen Spiewak, 12, boated a 50-pounder. Flounder fishing was best in the back bays along the Intracoastal Waterway, and some anglers tried looking for the flatties at the Old Grounds and Reef Site 11 with no results. Surf fishing was pretty good, and sharpies dragged in good-sized striped bass at Poverty Beach. Justin Carrol, 15, pulled in a 29-pound striper from Poverty, and Connie Lambert fished Sunset Beach, tackling a 27-1/2-pounder. Kingfish hit bloodworms at the Higbee’s Beach jetty. Weakfish were still around in the suds but seemed to be smaller than before. They cooperated best at the Higbee’s jetty, but a few came from Cape May Point. Mark Eckel muscled in a 10.2-pound weakfish from a local jetty, and James Walsh fished the rocks at Hereford Inlet and came up with a 6.95-pound weak that he weighed in. Shark fishing kicked off! The crew on the Warden’s Pass caught and released a 125-pound mako, a blue shark and a dusky at the Jacob Jones wreck. Anglers from the Screamin’ Mimi weighed in a 138-pound mako that bit at the Hooper wreck, and the captain from the Cape Queen bagged a 160-pound mako. Big bluefish, shark forage, swam around most of the spots along the 20-fathom line.

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