Locals still find success despite wet weather
You go into each new fishing season with the understanding that somewhere during that season most of some week will be lost to bad weather. Hopefully, the Jersey shore has gotten that week out of the way. Temperatures that did not hit 60 early in this past week were accompanied by some of the heaviest rains we have seen since Sandy. At my recording station we had 3.86-inches of rain and wind gusts to 48 mph. On top of that, pouring almost 4-inches of rain into our waterways does a number on the salinity and that also can have a negative affect on the quality of the fishing.
All of that does not mean there are no fish around but it does mean that it is not too pleasant to try to go get them. I got a bit lucky when I received an invitation to go out with our long time friend, Capt. Norm Hafsrud, on The Viking. We made sure to get an early start to possibly avoid the stronger winds that had been blowing as each day wore on.
We ended up with several flounder and bluefish but for some reason we also lost an inordinate number of flatties and blues. We just couldn’t keep them from spitting the hook.
We were using a triedand-true rig: a bucktail on top with a bluefish or shark strip and a small shad dart type stinger with a small minnow. Both parts of the rigs seemed to have received an equal number of hits.
Actually, there were a fair number of area residents who did manage to get onto the water recently and many of them did quite well for themselves. One notable exception was the Burkey family of Devon that brought the remains of a flounder into Ray Scott’s Dock in Margate. The hapless flattie had been bitten in half by one of the big blues in our back bays.
The Rivituso family from West Chester ventured out behind Brigantine on a Babu Charters trip and their results were a 19.5 and a 23.5-inch flounder and several tailor blues. Cameron Axellson of Perkasie was having his 11th birthday and was treated to a fishing trip on the back bays of Wildwood in a No Bones rental boat. Cameron’s present resulted in a 4-pound, 11-ounce flounder.
The bluefish seem to have gotten a bit smaller than all those huge slammers of a couple of weeks ago. Right now they seem to be averaging closer to 10-pounds than the 15-pounds earlier. Steve and Sean Donnelly of Downingtown were fishing fresh bunker around the Townsend’s Inlet Bridge and they got to take home eight of those 10-pounders.
Weakfish seem to be turning up more-and-more in our bays. Just remember that in New Jersey waters there is a one fish bag limit and that fish must be at least 13-inches long.
Last weeks Across the Bay section of the column noted the arrival of kingfish, especially along the Maryland beaches. Well, it didn’t take long but the kingies now have reached New Jersey. Anglers are finding them in the surf and off some of the jetties. Avalon’s 8th Street jetty and Atlantic City’s famous T-Jetty, Whale Beach at Strathmere and most of the fishing piers have been good.
Striped bass remain active. Mike Schickman of King of Prussia was casting into the Brigantine surf when he hooked and landed a 43.5-pound bass he weighed at Riptide Bait and Tackle in Brigantine.
Black drum fishing continues very good in Delaware Bay. Anglers continue getting them close to shore at Town Bank and The Villas but they also are moving out into deeper water at spots such as Brandywine, the 20 and 60-Foot Sloughs and Tussey Slough. Big wads of clam are your ticket.
It is not the sort of thing I like to report, but if you take rental or partyboats out of Fortescue call ahead because extreme shoaling means you can get out and get back only around two hours of high tide. Even the Coast Guard, which has a small boat station there, can’t get out and must defer to other stations when answering some calls.
Got your New Jersey salt water fishing registration card yet? It doesn’t cost anything but you must have to fish in the state’s waters. Get it instantly at www. countmyfish.noaa.gov.
Early this past week the House of Representatives passed a bill to reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Act and sent it to the Senate. This revised act finally recognizes the importance of recreational fishing. I believe the Senate will give the OK as well but the president has threatened to veto the bill.
ACROSS THE BAY
Fishing in Delaware and Maryland waters sounds pretty good, with action reports coming from just about everywhere. Flounder activity can be found in the Lewes Canal, under the King’s Highway Bridge and Roosevelt Inlet. Looking for stripers? Head to Indian River Inlet, the Ocean City Inlet and beaches and the Route 50 Bridge. There are big bluefish mixed in among the bass. Just head into Delaware Bay if you want big drum.
Along the Delaware beaches you can expect to find kingfish, croakers and plenty of skates and big rays to keep you busy.
The offshore action has been spotty because of the wind. Site 11 has had a lot of seabass but they seem to be small. There was a 5-foot hammerhead shark that was caught at the Site.
Out in the deep, boats heading to the Washington Canyon have been finding a fair yellowfin tuna bite. There also have been some white marlin and mahi down there. I wasn’t able to get any catch confirmations, but the scuttlebutt was a Wilmington Canyon has been very good. The Poorman’s had a few mahi and yellowfin.