Offshore tuna fishing is hitting its peak

I haven’t written much about the offshore fishing this season.

Probably some of that is due to the fact that the billfish seem to me to be rather scarce. Some whites have been taken and a very few blue marlin and a couple of swords, but overall the pointy-nosed ones just don’t seem to be very abundant.

Of course, that can change almost overnight.

What has been very good out in the deep has been the tuna fishing. A good example comes from skipper Bob McCormick of Downingtown and his crew on the Happy Hour.

They made a recent trip to the Hot Dog and the net result was a half dozen yellowfin in the box. The largest weighed 57-pounds. The group was chunking butterfish. They also had some mahi so Bob and friends have been eating pretty high.

Closer to shore, the trolling from 5-to-30 miles off the beaches continues to be productive for football tuna, mahi, false albies, some blues, Spanish and king macks, bonito and cobia. I like to use a Clark Spoon when trolling out there, but cedar plugs, Green Machines and any number of other lures should produce strikes. I also like to drag a large oval bucktail tipped with a Gulp! or Uncle Josh Hook-Strip. Unfortunately, Uncle Josh is no more; so you might have to visit a number of shops to find someone with some still in stock.

Surfcasters continue to report loads of action on kingfish with some smaller blues and larger rays thrownin.

Moving inside, those fishing the inlet jetties, bridge pilings and sea walls suddenly have started catching triggerfish and sheepshead. Fishing for sheepshead last year was excellent and it appears this season may be a repeat.

The peanut bunker also have arrived and they are being closely chased by some of the smallest baby bluefish you ever have seen. Some of these blues are about the same size

as the bunker but be careful since they may be tiny but they are mean with very sharp teeth.

Then, there is the summer flounder. The number of flatties being hooked this season is amazing.

As you know, there is a very high throwback-to-keeper ratio, but those keepers are tending to be impressive fish. Remember, New Jersey’s summer flounder season comes to an end on Sept. 5.

There should be a very interesting off-season as the regulators have made it clear they want to severely punish New Jersey for openly defying their order to drastically reduce this season’s catch. But, the U. S. Secretary of Commerce is on Jersey’s side in this one and he can overrule the regulators, just as he did this year.

Naturally, the regulators took that personally and they have vowed a vendetta. Stay tuned!

Also in the back bays you can find some nice weakfish. Mark Barimani of Downingtown was fishing behind Avalon with a bucktail and Gulp! and landed a 4.19-pound weakie. That fish measured 24-inches long.

Finally, dig out the crab recipes because catching blue claws this season seems almost too easy. It has been a long time since I have seen as many people crabbing as there are this year.

There is no one spot that seems any better than the rest, so if you have a favorite bridge, bulkhead or flat just head there. The area around Ocean City’s 34th Street Bridge has been packed with crabbers all summer. ACROSS THE BAY The big news in Delaware concerns tiny fish.

Bluefish, to be exact. A 5-incher is a big one but what they are lacking in size they are making up in numbers.

Some anglers reported numbers in the hundreds. These little blues are much more palatable that the big choppers so they will make you an enjoyable meal. They are in places like 3Rs and Roosevelt Inlet, or to be honest, just about every back water spot you can name. They are there chasing peanut bunker and spearing and because they are so plentiful they have forced other species to get out, including croakers and flounder.

Off on the wrecks and reefs, you will find triggerfish and big humpback sea bass.

Successful anglers say they are using clams and green crabs. Along with the big sea bass, the Old Grounds is heating up on summer flounder; and you probably can expect that to keep getting better for the remainder of the season, especially with the back waters getting a bit too warm for the flounder’s comfort.

I haven’t heard any reports yet on fishing on the Tamaroa, the famous Coast Guard cutter that was sunk on an artificial reef a couple of months ago. I would think that by now the fish would have discovered it, and if I had to guess, I would say it should be productive.