Bluefish prevalent amid less than ideal conditions
After enduring our second consecutive stormy weekend at the shore, conditions finally began to stabilize this past Monday, although it did take a couple of more days for the water to clear and settle down.
Bluefish are dominating the New Jersey action right now, both in the back and out front and from Cape May to Long Beach Island. None of these are anywhere close to slammer size, but they are of the size that is much preferred for eating, say up to about 4-pounds or so.
Talking to some of the anglers who have been venturing out, they seem to agree that cut bait is working best. Both mullet and bunker are abundant so finding them should be little problem. Don’t forget a short piece of wire above the hook to keep the toothy blues from biting it off.
Those casting into the ocean from the beaches also are finding some impressive sized kingfish mixed in with the blues. Kingies are never a big fish but many being reeled in are around 11 inches.
While the blues and kingfish are dominating the numbers, there also are stripers and blackfish or tautog, especially in the inlets and the back bay sod banks. The stripers, some of which are close to 30-inches are biting best in the dark and they are preferring live bait, such as mullet, bunker or spot, although the spot may have vacated the premises.
If you enjoy catching weakfish or blowfish, Great Bay is the place to be. The weakies are gathered around the mouth of the Mullica River, while the blows really are schooled up in the vicinity of the old fish plant. There are weakfish reports coming out of Delaware Bay in the Fortescue area.
This coming Saturday, the 22nd, the black sea bass bag limit will again go back to 15 fish. The minimum size remains are 12.5-inches. This certainly is great news for the big partyboat operators who have had little to fish for once the summer flounder season closed and there was a single fish bag limit on taug.
Since the day it was opened the Longport Bridge between that Absecon Island town and the mainland had been a mecca for anglers who did not have a boat. Then a few years ago, some ‘Port residents who did not like the idea of fishermen on the bridge mounted a campaign to have it banned, ostensively in the name of safety, although no one can ever remember a fishermen being injured by a passing car. I remember what seems like a thousand years ago I was fishing the bridge one night when someone started shooting a BB or pellet gun at us, nice folks but they were a terrible shot! Anyway to satisfy the complainers, the bridge was put off limits to fishing during the tourist season and now that it is over you can fish it again, but just after dark between 6 in the evening and 6 in the morning. Some one of these columns I will relate to you my experience with a large striper caught there.
ACROSS THE BAY
As is the case in New Jersey, the Delmarva waters are producing plenty of small fish. Blues are dominating, but you also can expect to hook up with kingfish, flounder, taug and stripers. I even received a report of a 50-inch red drum caught at Cape Henlopen.
Some of the stripers are of decent size, up to around 30-inches. Anglers are finding them at Dewey Beach, Rehoboth Bay, the Lewes Canal and Indian River Inlet. The stripers seem hungry and they are chasing after both cut bait and various lures and plugs.
Along the beachfront, now that the water has calmed down and returned to normal clarity, there is a pretty good bite on stripers, kings and bluefish. There are taug being taken from the rocks around IRI.
I have to say the crabbing in Delaware has been super this year and that trend is continuing. Some of the “expert” crabbers who use commercial style pots are reporting up to 50 big blue claws a trip. Also, all of them are using bunker as opposed to chicken necks. Check your favorite bait shop to see what areas are the hottest crab spots.
As is the case in Jersey, the Delmarva black sea bass season opens this coming Saturday.