Coastline conditions slowly coming back after Hermine

Anything has to be better than last week’s report when the shore was dealing with that crazy storm that kept most people away from the water.

That being said, the fishing conditions have been slowly coming back to where they were before the storm, but the big word is slowly. Often after a big blow a day or two later the hungry fish are out there striking at just about anything. This time, however, the improvement has been taking some time. Each day seems a little better.

One important factor is that there is an incredible amount of bait, both in the back waters and out in the ocean. That tends to hold any predators in the area but because of the vast abundance of bait sometimes a fisherman’s offering gets lost.

On Monday of this past week I was standing on my dock watching bait swirls all over the place. My curiosity got me and I dug out my cast net and had five consecutive casts with at least a dozen bunker in the net each time. These were the small peanut bunker but that doesn’t mean they don’t make good bait. Unfortunately, bunker are not very hardy and they are difficult to keep, even in a raw water live well.

In addition to the bunker, various areas are loaded with shiners and finger mullet. I always get a kick out of shiners because they are almost like circus fish. They seem to enjoy actually flipping over small pieces of reed or debris in the water and they will do that all day, unless something that can eat them shows up.

In the surf the anglers are picking up snapper blues, kingfish and brown sharks. Surf fishing gets more popular at this time of the year because there is increased beach access for the fishermen with little chance of interacting with bathers or surfers.

Right after the storm there was a brief surge of flounder activity on the Atlantic City Reef. However, that did not last long and as of the last report I received that reef had all but shut down. Things were somewhat better at the Ocean City Reef where most of the Atlantic City and Brigantine based boats headed when their reef got slow. Along with the flounder on the reef there is some action on croakers, tailor blues and spike weakfish.

Down around Sea Isle City, the surf casters also are bring in some pompano along with everything else. And behind SIC there are reports of after dark stripers chasing down spot. I don’t think any of the bass are of legal size.

Out in the ocean, in say 30 feet of water, you should be able to find small weakfish, up to about a foot in length. It is good to see a resurgence of the weakies and perhaps next year we may see a loosening of the state’s ridiculous one fish bag limit. I still remember the days when the tide-runner weakfish and slammer bluefish made up the bulk of south Jersey’s recreational fishery.

There are a number of theories as to why the weakfish population dropped almost over night. My idea blames it on the commercial industry that knew the weakies number one breeding ground was Delaware Bay. To take advantage of the abundance, they developed what is known as pair trawling, where a large net is strung between two trawlers and nothing could escape. After just one or two seasons of that the fish all but disappeared.

No matter what type of fishing you are planning, just remember to bring a good bug spray. There are all sorts of tiny critters flying around that can make even the most successful fishing trip a nightmare. And, don’t think that because you are heading offshore the bugs won’t find you. I have had to deal with biting black flies even 60 or 70 miles offshore in the canyons.

One reminder, New Jersey’s summer flounder season comes to a close next Sunday.

ACROSS THE BAY

Fishing in the Delmarva also is having a slow recovery from the storm. The folks at Bill’s Sport Shop in Rehoboth tell me mullet seem to be in short supply but there are plenty of shiners in the bays and inlets.

Some night anglers are hooking up with short stripers in the bays as the fish chase down something for supper. In the surf there are quite a few small bluefish and the kingfish are back in good numbers.

As far as flounder go, the Old Grounds and Site 11 have returned to normal. A few also have been reported in the surf.

Offshore, last week’s run of very nice late summer weather provided all the opportunity the big boats needed to head for the canyons. The bite was not spectacular but there were some nice catches of yellowfin tuna, mahi, wahoo and even a few king mackerel.

All-in-all, the salt water fishing from New Jersey to Maryland is back after the respite and hopefully we will enjoy a booming fall season.