1) Great Bay/Long Beach Island
The sun was shining and the surf cleaned up on the southern end of Long Beach on Tuesday, and local surfcasters were glad to be rid of clumps of grass. Margaret O'Brien at Jingle's Bait and Tackle in North Beach Haven weighed a 20-pound striped bass for Jay Endrick of Beach Haven West as a result. He was fishing with bunker at Beach Haven. O'Brien said surfcasters reported catching bluefish in the surf Tuesday morning. There are some nice summer flounder in back bays of Long Beach Island at Middle Grounds. They are biting on minnows and Gulp. O'Brien said white Gulp replaced chartreuse as bait of choice for the local flounder fans. O'Brien weighed a 48-pound, 8-ounce striper caught by C.J. Janiszwski of Beach Haven Terrace. It was caught in a boat off Beach Haven Inlet with a live bunker.
2) Atlantic County
The mystery flounder fisher weighed another big one at Dolphin Dock in Somers Point. Last week, he caught a 7-pounder and this week he hauled in a 6-pounder. He leaves no name, no information and scoots out the door. Nunce Sacco of Linwood provided lots of data on a 2 1/2-pound flounder he caught with what Rob Barrett at Dolphin described as a killer minnow at the mouth of Elbow off Somers Point. There are a lot of nice flounder in the back bays of Brigantine. Bill Walker, who works at Bayside Marine Bait and Tackle in Brigantine, caught a 6-6 flounder in Broad Creek on Monday. Alex Sacchetti, who also works at Bayside, had four keepers to 24 inches, also in the back bays of Brigantine. The Brigantine surf on the north end had blues in the 12-pound range chase bunker. Kingfish are around the south jetty and in the surf along the beachfront.
3) Cape May County
Croaker and kingfish moved in to the surf around Cape May Point at Alexander Avenue jetty and Higbee's Beach jetty. Striped bass are slowing down in the surf during the day as the water temps warm up, so it has turned into a night activity. Clam is still a good bait. The flounder keeper ratio improves with warming water in back bays. George Slobodjian had the heaviest flounder weighed at Jim's Bait and Tackle on Saturday with a 4.87 flounder. Intracoastal Waterway markers 137 and 139, behind Sea Isle and Paddy's Hole, are two well-known and productive stretches of water. Kingfish are spreading out in the surf along beaches and in inlets. Philadelphian Harold Tilley used bloodworm for bait to catch whopper 18 and 19-inch kingfish from Dad's Place pier in North Wildwod. A few weakfish are reported at C.M. Point, including a six-pounder.
4) Delaware Bay
A decent flounder bite developed at Punk Grounds and along the ship channel at 14-Foot Light. The black drumfish fans are still picking away at them, but they are working the deeper water spots because there are a lot of sharks and cownose rays messing things up in the shallower waters. Clam as always.
5) Offshore
Wilmington Canyon has yellowfin and bonito, plus there are reports of white marlin and blue marlin. It's all on the troll with skirted ballyhoo, spreader bars and green machines for the big-game and Clark spoons for bonito. The first mahi have been reported. Yellowfin tuna are spread from the Wilmington up to Spencer Canyon. The Cigar and Misty Blue has mako sharks. Bluefish in the 10- to 15-pound class are at Sea Isle, Atlantic City and Barnegat ridges. Sea bass are on some of the inshore wrecks and reefs.
