1. Long Beach Island/Great Bay
Summer flounder are plentiful in the back bays of Long Beach Island and in Little Egg Harbor Inlet. Intracoastal Waterway marker 112 and 113 and Middle Grounds are two of the most popular stretches of water inside Long Beach Island. Chestnut Neck Boat Yard in Port Republic reported flounder off the Mullica River. The keeper ratio of flounder is one for 10 in Little Egg Inlet. Drift with minnows, squid, mackerel and Gulp on half-ounce jig heads or bucktails and top and bottom rigs. Small bluefish arrived in the ocean off Little Egg bell. Troll for them about three miles off with small spoons. Big blowfish in the 10 to 12-inch range recently appeared at the mussels beds ICW 109. A couple of small black drumfish also were reported caught in Great Bay. White perch continue to be plentiful, and crabbing is picking up.
2. Atlantic County
Minnows, mackerel and Gulp also are working for flounder in the back bays of Great Egg Inlet. Ship Channel is one of the areas that consistently produces flounder. There are a lot of throwbacks but also a lot of quality keepers throughout. Everyone who fishes in the back bays of Longport and Margate and off Somers Point seems to be able to catch flounder. Robin Scott from Ray Scott's Dock in Margate says this is the best flounder fishing she can remember. The combination of great fishing and great weather has brought out the anglers and many with families, Scott says. A 10-pound flounder came out of Absecon Inlet recently. Triggerfish have moved in. Fish for them with green crab, clam and bloodworm. Kingfish are in the surf. They like bloodworm and Fish-Bites. Crabbing is getting good in the Margate back bays.
3. Cape May County
Flounder are improving every day, according to one report. They are moving more toward the deeper channels. Frank's Boat Rentals in Strathmere is now sending customers down to the toll bridge inside Corson's Inlet. They are catching flounder as soon as they put the lines in the water. Frank's weighed 5-, 6- and 7-pound flounder, and estimates half the boats they rent return with keepers and all catch fish. Plus, one of the anglers picked up a 28-inch striped bass with clam as bait. Crabbing is improving here, too. One Frank's Boat rental came back with 25 keeper crabs recently. Flounder also are thick in the back bays of Avalon, Grassy Sound and inside Hereford Inlet on the Stone Harbor side. Croaker, kingfish and flounder have been taken in the surf around Cape May Point.
4. Delaware Bay
Old Grounds and Reef Site 11, on the other side of Delaware Bay, is getting a lot of attention. A 7-pound flounder was caught recently at Reef Site 11.
5. Offshore
Big-game fishing is at a high level right now. Lots of small yellowfin tuna weighing 20 to 30 pounds, plus white marlin, mahi and the occasional blue marlin, are reported from the canyons. A warm-water eddy is drifting south offshore. Spencer Canyon has been one of the hot spots. A 220-pound bigeye was recently caught there. It still is mostly a trolling game plan. Inshore areas such as East Lump, 19-Fathom Lump, Lobster Claw and others have had some tuna and marlin, plus sharks are cruising through. Also, try 40-fathom and 30-fathom lines and Lemke's Canyon.
