<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Excellent drum fishing kept up toward Tussy’s Slough, the Pin Top and Brandywine Shoal, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. She heard about catches at the Pin Top last night. The bite could probably continue at least until the next full moon, and the new moon is right now. A pending state record 109-pounder was nailed last week on the charter boat Bodacious from Port Norris. Capt. Tim Smith, the owner, reportedly buys his clams from the shop, so the boomer might’ve been taken on a Girls Place clam. The previous record, a 107-pounder, swallowed one of the store’s clams, Sharon said. Throwback flounder were plentiful in the bay, but catching keepers wasn’t easy during the new, 18-inch size limit. Flounder Alley, the Southwest Line and Cross Ledge usually put out catches at this time of year. One customer checked in weakfish and kingfish from the bay. Any weaks that could be found were probably in close, and kingfish usually hold on sandy bottom, and the nearest sandy bottom to the shop was probably off East Point. Another customer landed hefty stripers on a charter in the northern bay around the 34 and 35 buoys. Fresh bunker is usually the best bait for stripers now, because lots of bunker are schooling the bay. But herring and even mackerel could work, and so could clams. Fresh bunker is usually stocked, and fresh clams are carried. Shedder crabs, the favorite weakfish bait, are on hand. The shop offers a large variety of other baits, nearly anything you could want.  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>Fortescue</b>

Boaters kept bailing drum through the past days, even last night, just south of the Pin Top, said Dave from <b>Al’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Flounder anglers could also bail catches—40, 50, 60 fish per boat—but maybe only two or three keepers. A ton of the fluke carpeted all the usual spots, including Flounder Alley and along the various stakes closer to shore, but many were 16, 16 ½ or 17 inches, a little short of the new, 18-inch size limit. Small blues swam throughout the bay. No weakfish were reported found, though netters nabbed a few, but none to speak of. Weakfish in recent years gave up a short blitz this month then turned back on from August to October. Striped bass fishing was becoming spotty, and when anglers caught them, they really caught them. Customers were heading north to the 2 buoy on the Delaware side to bunker chunk the linesiders. Fortescue surf fishing kind of slowed down, and probably the weather was finally too warm. Lots of stripers, including keepers, even up to 40 inches, were beached as late as last week. Minnows, fresh bunker, fresh clams, and all the frozen baits are stocked. Live shedder crabs were unavailable so far, not unusual this early in the season, but frozen shedders are carried.

Drum catches were on fire, said Capt. Mike from the <b>Bonanza</b>. The number of hook-ups, including break-offs, easily pushed 20 per trip. An open-boat trip Saturday night returned with six and probably broke off 10 or 12. A charter that day bagged 10, and a charter Tuesday evening nailed 7. Because the fishing was holding up, another open-boat drum trip is on the books for 4 p.m. to 12 midnight Saturday, and call to reserve. Mike also gave the scoop about the huge drum caught on the Bodacious from Port Norris last week. The pending state-record drum was officially weighed in at 109 pounds at Captain Tate’s Bait & Tackle and was caught Wednesday night. The boomer was actually weighed in at 114 pounds that night at Longreach Marina, but that was after hours, and no official weigh master was available. If the monster could’ve been certified at 114 pounds, it could’ve been a world record. But an official weigh master certified the fish at 109 at Tate’s the next morning, and the fish is probably the next state record. Daytime, open-boat trips are also flounder fishing daily, and the flattie bite was off to a slower start this year, but about four keepers were bagged Saturday, and shorts bit, and so did a few small, snapper blues. A 22-1/2-inch doormat was the pool fish on Memorial Day.

A drum charter Thursday on the <b>Salt Talk</b> tackled eight of the fish, Capt. Howard said. He couldn’t say how long the bite would last this season, but as long as it does, the boat will keep chasing them. Open-boat trips fished for flounder daily, whenever the weather allowed and enough anglers showed up. So the trips got out Wednesday and Sunday, and would’ve normally certainly fished Saturday, but rough weather cancelled the trip that day. Wednesday’s flounder fishing was slow, producing no keepers and only shorts. On Sunday five keeper flatties were boated, and probably two dozen shorts were released. The new, larger, 18-inch size limit wasn’t helping, and waters might’ve been a little cold for the best flounder fishing. A ling, a cold-water fish, was hooked, and the water surface was 65 degrees, though the bottom temp was unknown. Open-boat trips are fishing for flounder 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily when enough anglers want to go. At this time of year, enough usually arrive on weekends, but weekdays can be iffy until later in the year, like when school gets out. But a charter is booked Saturday, and anglers can call to confirm whether charters are running on specific days. The open trips usually fish at least on weekends, though. Charters for both drum and flounder are available.

Drumfish boated on the <b>Albatross</b> included a couple of 70-pounders, Capt. Ziggy said. The fishing wasn’t bad, and all charter boats targeting them connected. The last trip with Ziggy landed four, keeping two and releasing the rest. Not much was happening with flounder fishing.

Fishing for drum was going well on the <b>Buccaneer</b>, and charters were reeling up five to seven per trip, Capt. Ralph said. “That’s enough,” he said. “These are big fish, 75 or 80 pounds. Let’s hope it stays a while.” The boat usually sails for drum through mid June, but if the fish keep biting, drum charters will keep running.

UPDATE, 6/5: Anglers with <b>Andrea Charters</b> started picking up a few weakfish, Capt. Dave said. The fishing wasn’t quite good enough to specifically target on an entire trip, but his anglers mixed in fishing for the trout on a striped bass trip and scored! Dave, whose specialties include weakfishing, had heard about a few weakfish that commercial netters caught, but this confirmed that the fish were around. The ones his anglers boated were the big, spawning tiderunners that enter the bay in spring. Dave finds them along structure like lighthouses and the moss banks, where grass shrimp, a favorite weakfish forage, live. His anglers throw lures like Fin-S Fish and bucktails to hook the weaks. The tide and everything has to be right, but if you know how to do it, the fish are available. His charters also nailed a few striped bass along the same types of structure. Dave was also loading up on drum, incredible fishing now, with no signs of letting up. A charter Sunday reeled up all the drum they wanted and headed home early. Andrea Charters also did some flounder fishing on the bay and landed a few keepers but lots of small ones, fish that would’ve provided lots of keepers before the size limit creeped up in past seasons. Many good-sized flatties were going over the side on boats, and lots of fishing businesses were probably going under as a result. Crowds at Fortescue were not like they used to be with this year’s 18-inch size limit. Dave hoped the result would be better fishing in the future.

<b>Bivalve</b>

Gary and Debby Mann bagged seven flounder, and Tony and Karen Giunta decked a 20-inch keeper, released lots of throwbacks and fought a mess of snapper blues, said Pat from <b>Longreach Marina</b>. Steve Ayers and Ed Crabtree copped a 19-inch keeper, released lots of shorts and reeled in two good-sized blues. Flounder anglers seemed to target areas scattered throughout the bay, and some fished deeper, and others fished shallower at the 1 buoy or off the E.P. Tower, and this year’s 18-inch size limit, an inch bigger than last year’s, caused an abundance of shorts. Rich Andrus nailed an 18-inch weakfish. Drum fishing was good. Cathy, Tom and David Sacca returned with three drum from 50 to 70 pounds, and Al Buran put the brakes on a 73.5-pounder. Minnows, fresh bunker and all the frozen baits are stocked. Slips are available, and grab them before the summer rush. The annual Bay Days celebration takes place locally in two weekends.

<b>Dennisville</b>

Drumfish anglers continued to get into excellent catches at Tussy’s Slough and the Pin Top, said Tim from <b>Captain Tate’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Steve Gee and crew on the Half Past Three boated six on Monday evening and two on Tuesday morning. Tim confirmed that last week he weighed in the pending state record drum that everybody was talking about. The 109-pounder was landed Wednesday evening on the Bodacious from Port Norris and was officially weighed at the store the next morning. Customers checked in a few flounder from the bay. Rick Ciani bagged a couple of keepers including a 20-incher and released throwbacks at the 19 buoy. Sue Erickson showed off a 21-1/2-inch 3-1/2-pounder.

  <b>Cape May</b>

All anglers on charters landed at least one drum apiece, outstanding fishing, said Capt. Bob from the <b>Down Deep</b>. Andy Goneringer’s party’s catch included two 70-pounders, and Roger Yerdon’s crew scored at least one 70-ponder. Two 11-year-olds, Mike Higgman and Brandon Poe, boated a 74-pounder and a 67-pounder, respectively. Russ Mount drilled a 65-pounder, and Randy Roash’s group limited out on the fish Thursday night. Trips will start shark fishing in a couple of weeks, and an opening might be available to compete in the South Jersey Shark Tournament. Tuna trips are also being booked.

Plenty of drum kept biting for <b>Legal Limit Charters</b>, mostly a little west of Tussy’s Slough, Capt. T.J. said. Both incoming and outgoing tides produced, and it didn’t matter, so long as the current was moving, he said. T.J.’s other boat fished from Tuckerton and loaded up on sea bass Friday. Previous trips also bagged good numbers of the lumpheads.

A bunch of drum were muscled up on trips Friday through Sunday on the <b>First Cast</b>, Capt. Rob said. Chris Lutz’s gang on Friday walloped a great catch of the boomers to 75 pounds, and Paul Strenger’s group pinned down a healthy catch to a 94-pounder! Paul himself subdued the whopper. A flounder charter will sail Tuesday, and shark trips will begin soon.

Three drum were boated and several broke off on a trip west of Tussy’s Slough on the <b>Daisy May</b> on Sunday night, Capt. Dave said. There were lots of swings and misses, so the fish were still around. The boat will sail for drum through the weekend, and the best of the bite might last through then. Afterward charters usually request other types of fishing, and drum catches usually begin to peter out by mid June anyway. Sharks, flounder and sea bass will become focuses.

Eleven drumfish, including 10 big ones, like 70-pounders, were hauled aboard Sunday on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, Capt. George said. One of the fish weighed about 80 pounds, almost spooled the reel and was foul hooked. Ray and Rob DeCrane’s group were the anglers. On Saturday six drum, including a 70-pounder, were taken on Paul Frank’s charter. That trip got interrupted by a storm, when the boat headed back to port, but the weather started to clear when the vessel reached the Cape May Canal, so the anglers turned around and went back out. On Friday Brian Ritchie’s gang boated four drum and broke off several in strong currents. On Thursday Alex Limbanovnos’ crew limited out on 12 drum and came back early. All the trips fished 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. The Heavy Hitter will probably fish for drum through next week, before other types of trips take over the schedule. Last call for drum, and the peak might not last too much longer.

An angler was fighting a drum with <b>Jaftica Sportfishing</b> as Capt. Ray gave this report Sunday night, and the charter had been on a drum bite for two hours. The fishing’s been great, he said, and all the drum seemed 50 to 80 pounds, good-sized. Charters will probably keep drum fishing through the month’s full moon.  Not much was heard about flounder fishing, and catches of the flatties seemed slow.

<b>Copacetic Sportfishing</b> switched gears a bit and targeted sea bass at wrecks 10 miles offshore, Capt. Mike said. Lots of small ones hit, probably 10 shorts for every keeper, but a few keepers were bagged. Charters will also keep drum fishing probably another week before placing all attention on ocean fishing. Then bottom fishing will continue, and flounder will be chased, and the first shark trip is slated for Sunday. Tuna charters will start plying the inshore lumps for bluefins by the end of the month.

Drum fishing picked right back up through last week, after slowing down during boat traffic on Memorial Day weekend, said Matt from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b> in a fax. Double-digit catches were once again scored just west of Tussy’s Slough and the Pin Top. Brandon Poe, 11, checked in a 67-pounder he hefted aboard on the Down Deep. Grace Moore, 5, caught a 30-pound 8-ouncer with a little help from the gunwhale. Karl Jones’ 85-pounder was the biggest weighed in. Flounder fishing remained mostly a back-bay deal. To land the best numbers, but a 1-in-8, keeper-to-throwback ratio, fish the edges of the channels, where most fish were holding. The only reports about flounder catches from Delaware Bay still only came from Flounder Alley from the 19 buoy to Miah Maul Lighthouse. Grace Barnhart showed off a 6.22-pound flounder, and Colin Quinn claimed bragging rights for a 5.44-pounder. Surf fishing tapered off quite a bit, and only a few striped bass were beached through the week. But the weakfish population picked up along the suds. The Higbee’s Beach and Cold Spring Inlet jetties were most productive for the trout, and the best fishing took place at night. Try bucktailing or bloodworming. Christian Torres nailed an 8.23-pound weak, and Dan Jeffers bagged a 6.77-pounder.

Back to Top