<b>Brooklawn</b>

Flounder were picked off Fortescue and at Flat Top and Flounder Alley, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b>. The bite near Cape May Point seemed to drop off. Cold waters from constant south winds kept flattie fishing from turning on in the ocean. No catches of weakfish or croakers were heard about, and croakers swam warmer waters at Ocean City, Maryland. The ocean was warm all the way to Indian River, Delaware, but plummeted temps around Jersey apparently kept migrating fish from coming. Bluefin tuna were on a tear at almost any of the humps along the 20-fathom line, and the biggest were south, like at the Hot Dog and Hambone. Closer to home, catfish were always on tap in the Delaware River. Chuck out cut baits or dough balls on moving tides. Largemouth bass could be reeled in from the creek mouths and along the island at National Park in the early mornings and late evenings. Schoolie striped bass, throwbacks but fun, also gathered around the island. Toss small, 1-1/2-ounce jigs like a Hopkins, small bucktails with bait or Gulp swimming minnows on jigheads. Big Timber Bait & Tackle carries bait and tackle for all fishing from freshwater to bays to offshore. That includes a complete supply of lures and jigs for the river, rigs and tackle for Delaware Bay and offshore lures like spreader rigs.

<b>Pennsville</b>

Customers who flounder fished headed to the 6 buoy and waters off Fortescue, said Wade from <b>Shag’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Many of the fish were small, and not much was heard about flounder fishing around Ship John closer to the store. On the Delaware River near the store white perch, catfish and small striped bass could be hooked. Blues and spots sometimes swam around, too. For the perch dunk bloodworms, and for the cats, soak chunked baits like bunker or bloods. Shedder crabs, bunker or bloodworms worked for stripers, and try fishing behind bridge pilings on outgoing tides. Crabbing was decent in the tributaries. Shedder crabs, fresh bunker when available, bloodworms and frozen baits are stocked.

<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

The waters along Cross Ledge seemed to be the place where flounder were boated locally, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. Customers were buying more shedder crabs than before, so maybe they were looking for weakfish. Little was heard about weakfish catches, and the shop’s netter pulled a few but found more spots and blues. Higbee’s Beach was the only location that reportedly turned out croakers. The ocean beaches including at Avalon, Strathmere and Sea Isle City, but the whole surrounding stretch, gave up more kingfish than usual this year, excellent fishing at times. Plenty of bluefin tuna gave anglers a work out on the inshore lumps. Shedder crabs are stocked daily, and minnows, fresh bunker and a large supply of frozen baits is carried. Sardines, butterfish, ballyhoos and other offshore baits are stocked, enough for anglers in a pinch, and the shop can order any offshore baits with a couple of days notice. Crabs are sold for eating from Fridays to Sundays, and large amounts like bushels can be ordered with a day’s notice.  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 picked right back up last week after the full moon, and customers came back with half-bushels to three-quarters of a bushel through this week, said Linda from <b>Beaver Dam Boat Rentals</b>. Full and new moons trigger both shedding and mating, when crabbing can slow down somewhat. But not all crabs shed or mate at the same time, so catches are still made. The new moon was now coming up, so the cycle will start all over again, and crabbing should remain good through the weekend, but might taper off a little afterward. Pregnant females were starting to be seen, and crabbers usually release them for the future and are certainly encouraged to do so. Beaver Dam’s customers are towed up Oranokin Creek on rental boats to trap the blueclaws. The staff checks on the boats every hour, and if any crabbers want to take a break in the meantime, they simply cell phone the shop to be picked up. The boats were busy, even during weekdays, and calling ahead to reserve them was a good idea. Canoes and kayaks are also available for full-day rentals, and customers usually use them to paddle up the creek and enjoy the area’s abundant wildlife. Nature tours are available with the staff on weekdays by reservation, because the timing depends on the tides. Beaver Dam also hosts youth groups such as Boys or Girls Clubs or Cub Scouts or Girl Scouts. The staff can help with activities for scouts to earn merit badges. A gazebo with a grill can be reserved for birthday parties or such functions. Beaver Dam carries all supplies needed for a day of crabbing from traps for sale or rent to bait, crab spice, crab crackers, suntan lotion, drinks, snacks and ice cream.

<b>Dividing Creek</b>

Most customers plucked one to three dozen keeper blueclaws during the weekend and seemed happy with the crabbing, said Ann from <b>Wildlife Crabbing</b>. A thunderstorm Sunday chased them off the waters by 1 p.m. Wildlife caters to crabbers who fish the many places along the roads at the creeks and ponds in the area, and the staff can point you in the right direction. All crabbing supplies, including everything from bunker baits, traps, nets and weights to bug spray, are on hand. Fresh grass shrimp, the favorite perch bait, is carried when available, and frozen grass shrimp and squid are stocked. Live crabs are sold for eating.

<b>Fortescue</b>

Anglers from <b>Al’s Bait & Tackle</b> boated flounder, quite a few, at the 6 buoy, the second drop-off and 25 feet of water while drifting minnows with squid or mackerel, Dave said. Baby sea bass that arrive in the shallows during summer were around, and spots that hold there at the same time were mostly scarce so far. Bluefish bigger than snappers, decent-sized, were everywhere. Surf fishing for them was excellent at Fortescue on mullet and mackerel. Perch could also be beached in the suds on bloodworms, and the slabs were thick in Fortescue Creek. No weakfish appeared in the bay, but a handful of croakers reportedly popped up at Flat Top. Puppy drum to 20 pounds always take up residence at certain places along Miah Maull, Flat Top and the Elbow in summer, chomping down on blueclaw crabs, green crabs or any shellfish. Shedder crabs, minnows, bloodworms and frozen baits are stocked.

Flounder fishing was about the same, and maybe 50 or 60 would be hooked for every two or three keepers, said Capt. Ralph from the <b>Buccaneer</b>. He fished in 24 feet at a slough along the Elbow that seemed to produce. Many of the shorts included 15-, 16- or 17-inchers, and telling a charter that a 17-1/2-incher had to be released was tough. Plenty of small blues also bit, and no croakers showed up so far. Neither did weakfish, and none of the captains Ralph talked with came back with weaks.

A trip Saturday angled up five black drum, a few weakfish and a few croakers, said Capt. Dave from <b>Andrea Charters</b>. The drum were resident fish that stay in the bay all summer at certain locations, and some of the weakfish were landed on anchor in the wash behind a lighthouse, and others were hooked on the drift. Dave heard about a handful of weaks located in close, and planned to take a look on trips this week. The main body of weakfish should arrive anytime and usually sticks around into September, although they used to show up earlier. Dave’s weakfish catches in the last weeks were somewhat better than in recent years, and Andrea Charters specializes in weakfishing, even though the trout were scarcer than in the past. When the trout do turn on, his charters find them closer to shore. All the fish on the trip Saturday were fooled on shedder crabs on rigs with green bucktail on the hooks. Andrea Charters did no flounder fishing lately. The bay was warm, well into the 70s.

Anglers on the open-boat trip on the <b>Salt Talk</b> on Saturday reeled aboard probably a dozen 14-inch blues, two keeper flounder and lots of throwback flounder, Capt. Howard said. Many of the flounder were close to keeper size. No croakers, kingfish or weakfish came up, but sea robins bit. The trip fished pretty much all over, starting in the shallows toward the wreck buoy and moving to 18 to 22 feet and then deeper.  Open-boat trips are fishing for flounder 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, unless a charter is booked. Charters are also sailing for flounder.

<b>Bivalve</b>

Vera Angerman boated a 5-pound, 4-ounce, 25-inch flounder, said Pat from <b>Longreach Marina</b>. Dennis Weaver and Tony bagged two flounder 21 ½ inches and 18 inches and hooked lots of blues, keeping five. Frank and Charlie Kammerer caught 40 flounder including one keeper, an 18-inch weakfish and two blues more than 19 inches apiece. Jim Bowers Sr. and Jr., Bob Fauver and Alex Tuttle picked up three weakfish, a croaker and six spiny dogfish. George Banks and Skip Monroe tackled a drumfish, and Puddle and C.J. Thomlin bailed 40 perch in close. Most customers fished around the 1 buoy or in close. Shedder crabs, minnows and frozen baits are stocked.  The annual Longreach Marina Kids Fishing Tournament will take place Saturday, August 9. First, second and third prizes will be awarded in both a boys’ and a 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.

<b>Dennisville</b>

Weakfish started to get caught off Thomspson’s Beach, and many were small, but plenty were keepers, said Tim from <b>Captain Tate’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Shedder crabs for bait were stocked, though the supply was tight everywhere. Back-bay anglers along the coast also stuck a few weaks from Ocean City to Avalon. Flounder were pulled from Delaware Bay at the Anchorage on the Delaware side and in waters toward Fortescue. They were also taken from the ocean at the Old Grounds and Reef 11. Brian Payne made a trip to Reef 11 that creeled 22 keeper flounder to 3 ½ pounds. Small blues swam the bay and the ocean at 5-Fathom Bank, and a few bonito and false albacore appeared at 5FB. Croakers were sometimes hooked at Higbee’s Beach and 60-Foot Slough. Offshore boaters walloped bluefin tuna, all big fish to 100 pounds and larger, at 19-Fathom Lump and Massey’s Canyon, and some connected at the Cigar. Lots of mahi mahi gathered around the Hambone. Little seemed to be caught at the canyons except scattered yellowfin tuna, and waters were an even temperature, with no fish-holding breaks.

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