1) Long Beach Island/Great Bay
An overnight drop in water temperature Monday night affected the fishing in the back-bay waters and in the surf on the southern end of Long Beach Island. Margaret O'Brien said Tuesday from Jingle's Bait and Tackle in North Beach Haven that it went from lower 70s to mid 60s. That can chill the fishing. Chestnut Neck Boat Yard in Port Republic weighed in a nice flounder that was pulled out of Little Egg Inlet. Paul Verdi of Mount Laurel used squid and minnows for a 5.8-pounder, according to Mary Ann Schutz at Chestnut Neck. Schutz said it looks like the bigger flounder are migrating out of Great Bay to the inlet and into the ocean off the green towers. Schutz said crabbing is good in Mullica River and the surrounding creeks and streams.
2) Atlantic County
Flounder fishing is, without a doubt, the story. The waters inside Absecon Inlet and Great Egg Inlet have plenty of flounder and a good percentage of nice keepers. A number of 5-pound-plus fish have been weighed. Fish from the stakes off Absecon Creek, Broad Creek, around Mankiller Island out to the channels off Harrah's and the Coast Guard Station in the Atlantic City area. It's the same excellence inside Great Egg Inlet to the bays behind Longport, Margate and Ventnor back through Ship Channel to Somers Point. Drift for flounder with bucktails (red and white are popular) and minnows, squid, mackerel or bunker strips, spearing and even salmon belly. A wide variety of fish gather around the T-Jetty in Atlantic City: flounder, kingfish, tautog, triggerfish, small weakfish, bluefish.
3) Cape May County
The Eighth Street Jetty in Avalon has the same kind of combinations going, but anglers fishing there have also picked up a few striped bass. Kingfish are picking up in the surf at North Wildwood and Stone Harbor. According to Matt Slobodjian at Jim's Bait and Tackle, kings are biting best on the last of the incoming ride. Flounder are plentiful in the back-bay waters and inlets. The recent Duke of Fluke tournament run from Sterling Harbor Marina in Wildwood had at least four 6-pound flounder registered. A report from Avalon Hodge-Podge put a wide spread of herring and bunker bait fish in Townsend Inlet out to the 35 feet of water off the beach. Croaker are around the Alexander Avenue Jetty in Cape May Point.
4) Delaware Bay
Old Grounds and Reef Site 11 on the other side of Delaware Bay have decent flounder fishing, too. Slobodjian reported a crew of three racked up 12 keepers at Old Grounds, and John Wurley of Chester, Pa., picked a 7.33-pound flounder off Reef Site 11. In addition, flounder are improving at Bug Light and off EP Tower in the bay.
5) Offshore
Flounder also are improving on the inshore reefs and lumps all along the beachfront. Captain Andy's Marina in Margate advises that you have to be right on the structure to catch them, which means you should bring extra rigs because you are likely to get hung up. Fish off the green towers on the southern end of Long Beach Island for flounder. The big-game fishing continues to be strong. Yellowfin tuna are spread over a wide range, from Wilmington to Lindenkohl canyons and inshore along the 30-fathom line. White marlin and mahi are taken in some of the same areas. It is still mostly on the troll with spreader bars, green machines and ballyhoo with skirts or plain. The occasional blue marlin and mako shark are caught.
