Fluke, Drum, Stripers and Blues

Up north, Cod may be God, but in the Garden State, fluke is the reigning king of the seas. More people spend more time and more money chasing summer flounder than all of the other species combined. And the opening day of trout season may be a much anticipated date on every fresh water angler’s calendar but it cannot hold a candle to the excitement that comes with the opening day of the flounder season. And while the opening day of most other fishing seasons is often the biggest attended day for that particular season, fluke season seems to get stronger as the season goes on. One reason for that, in my opinion, is the fact that more anglers will eat their catch of flounder compared to many who chase others species for the pure sport but not the sustenance value. But these are just my observations. Let’s see what our local professionals have to say about conditions so you can be prepared when the starting gun fires.

Team Tackle Direct has its annual Penn Tent Sale this week (Thurs, Fri and Sat) so if your Penn equipment is in need of replacement or repair, you need to head over to their facility on Tilton road in Egg Harbor Township. The event takes place in the parking lot from 9 to 5 each of the three days. Penn repair guru Tom Blecker and his team will be there to help you with any fixes and there will be some awesome giveaways to attendees. If you are a Penn equipment aficionado, this is a “can’t miss” moment. The deals should more than outweigh the effort to get there.

According the staff at Tony’s Bait and Tackle in Manahawkin, conditions are pretty close to perfect for the opening day of fluke in the vicinity of Long Beach Island. Water temperatures on the beach front are hovering in the mid-50s and substantially warmer in the back bay areas. Boaters trolling silver spoons have been doing quite well with the striped bass. Stretch lures are also producing in big numbers. Forty feet of water seems to be the best starting point. The bays and inlets have been loaded with blue fish. There have been some early reports f blowfish in the area so don’t forget your smaller rigs. Speaking about rigs, they have been doing a yeoman’s job on cleaning the area water, post-Sandy but there is still a lot of work to be done. I would think that carrying extra rigs would be the smart move when bottom fishing for some time to come. Most of the big obstructions have been cleaned up but I would imagine there is plenty of small debris around just waiting to steal your equipment. Just a heads up, would not want anyone to get caught short.

Looking for a way to get out on the water but don’t want the expense of owning your boat? I have a solution to your dilemma. Head down to Two Chums Bait and Tackle and rent one of their fleet of back bay vessels for a day on the water. I spoke with Nicole at the shop this week and she told me that Two Chums is running a special on minnows to celebrate the open of the season and that they also have their entire rental fleet in the water ready and waiting for you. Call the shop to reserve yours as soon as possible. Fishing wise, the striper bite is still going strong off the beaches with John Rau of Pa. weighing in a 37-inch linesider this Wednesday. Blues are all over the back and Townsends Inlet. Water temperatures in the back are in the in the 60 which is just about perfect for you flounder hunters.

My home port is Absecon Bay and luckily, I live within walking distance of one of the best stocked live bait shops along the coast. Absecon Bay Sportsmen’s Center and owner Dave Showell are fully stocked and waiting for you to visit. Dave tells me that minnows could be in short supply this weekend depending on demand. The brood is still a little light as has been the norm for this time of year. But he has one of the widest varieties of Gulp bait and most of the other live baits you can use as an alternative. Fishing has been good on the striper end and better than good on the weak fish side. Captain Showell also asked me to remind our readers about his free opening weekend customer appreciation tournament. Details are available on his website at www.abseconbay.com .

In Ocean City, Ed Bronstein and the crew of Fin-Atics Marine Supply are hard at work preparing for the opening day of summer flounder and the influx of visitors into NJ’s most “family friendly” city. They have informed me that the all the new fishing piers on the 9th Street causeway are open and producing some nice striped bass. They expect that area to be an early season favorite for fluke fishing as well. There is still a beach replenishment program on the north end of Ocean City and they are trucking sand into the south side. Fishing in both areas is somewhat restricted. Reports of bass blues and some weak fish are c coming in from Corson Inlet. Fin-Atics has a full cache of baits and equipment to supplement your fishing adventures this summer. If you are in the area, stop in and check out the store.

Mike Cunningham , owner of Sea Isle Bait and Tackle was putting away an order of the SS Bucktails (one sweet lure) when I reached out to him for local conditions but still took the time to chat with me for a while. Striped bass are still the call of the day off the beaches, most anglers using clams. Mike told me he hasn’t had many cows come into the shop but has had many in the 20-pound range. Low tide has been the best producer. Bluefish in both the inlets and surf. Most of the blues are in the 3-pound range but there have been days where they have doubled in size. Weakfish, mostly in the far back of the bay. They are still having the best success on white or pink plastics. Mike also told me that the shop is running an opening day flounder tourney, call Sea Isle Bait and Tackle for details.

Delaware Bay is a must part of any report, especially this time of year. I spoke with Rusty at Off the Hook Marina to get a handle on the current situation. The guys there always know the latest and greatest happenings in the bay. Rusty told me that there has been a good bit on the striped bass but and this is a big but, you need to stay in the shallows. Eight to twelve foot waters is Rusty’s recommendation. Deeper water is thick with dogfish. He is recommending that most heading out on the bay for a day of chunking, double up their bait inventory. That’s how thick the doggies are this year. Drum fish action is still a little iffy on the Jersey side of the bay. Most of the reported action has been on the Delaware side of the Delaware. North Wildwood beaches have been the best place for you surf hounds with blues and stripers working fresh menhaden chunks. The inland back water has also been the place to go for weakfish action. Use any kind of pink or white rubber on a jig head and Rusty predicts a nice outing.

Best Bets for the Weekend

For many anglers, this is THE weekend that kicks it all off for the season. Fluke opens on Saturday, Sea Bass on Sunday and with the exception of blackfish, you have a full menu to choose from. I have been getting good reports from the back on the flounder stock so that would be my recommendation. Not many have been bottom fishing so there is still some mystery regarding debris from Sandy still littering our bays. I would be careful and definitely add a few more rigs to my arsenal. I have a hunch there will be more than a few lost to that debris. There have been some massive striped bass caught of late and most of them have been taken on the troll (stretch or bunker spoon) and or the chunk (fresh bunker). That includes a 55 incher which was longer than the current world record holder just not as thick. That fish was caught by Amanda Nutt while fishing with her father aboard the The Striper. They hooked this beauty while trolling a bunker spoon off Long Beach Island. Weakfish, perch and even blowfish are all in the area as well. As I mentioned, there is a full menu to pick from. Which way you opt to go, please be careful out there. The water is still chilly. You only get so many days in the game, spend them wisely. See you on the incoming.