1) Long Beach Island/Great Bay
The fun fishing on Long Beach Island right now is "dockside" along the back bays. Margaret O'Brien said from Jingle's Bait and Tackle in North Beach Haven that Sabiki rigs, small metals or small hooks with pieces of cut bait are popular for snapper bluefish and small weakfish. Every now and then a keeper weakfish shows up. Morrison's Marina at Second Street and the bay in Beach Haven is one of the best back-bay spots, but all the street ends are public property and open for fishing. A few kingfish are in the surf with an occasional flounder. Crabbing and white perch are "good" in Mullica River and its feeder streams.
2) Atlantic County
Sabiki rigs also take small bluefish in back bays from Absecon to Great Egg inlets. Keeper flounder are more plentiful in deeper channel inlets. Drift with minnows, squid, strips of cut bait such as mackerel and Gulp for flounder. The Brigantine north beach now isopen all the way out to Wreck Inlet for surfcasters in four-wheel-drive vehicles with valid city beach permits. Kingfish have been the main target for surf anglers at Brigantine, T-Jetty and front beaches of Atlantic City, around Ventnor City Fishing Pier and Margate. Bluefish are with them near Brigantine south jetty. Bloodworm and Fish-Bites are popular baits for kings.
3) Cape May County
Flounder have moved into deeper channels and inlets here, too. And, just like other back bays, small bluefish have invaded. Mary Ann Anagnou said it rained everywhere in the area but not at Dad's Place in North Wildwood on Monday, and anglers were out on the pier there catching a lot of snapper blues with cut bait such as mackerel and squid on the same hook. Plus, she said a 2 1/2-pound keeper weakfish and another short were caught. A few keeper flounder are hugging the rocks at Cape May Point. Use chartreuse, white or pink Gulp swimming mullet with a 3/8-ounce bucktail.
4) Delaware Bay
Good reports of keeper flounder keep coming from Old Grounds and Reef Site 11 off Delaware. Plus, mahi will take minnow and squid anglers put out for flounder.
5) Offshore
Big-game fishing was hot Friday but slowed up Saturday. Yellowfin tuna and a few blue marlin were trolled up at Spencer and Lindenkohl canyons. The lumps outside
20-Fathom Line and along the 30 and 50 lines also were in reports for tuna, marlin and mahi. Inshore wrecks and reefs are loading up with bigger flounder, plus some have sea bass and mahi. Norman Brione, 8, of Cape May, picked up a 2.96-pound sea bass from Wildwood Reef, Gianna Cole of Villas got a 6.4-pound flounder at Cape May Reef. Jim's Bait and Tackle in Cape May weighed them both.
