This Friday, the fish that dominates all in the Garden State, once again can be legally caught and kept. I hope that you have heeded my many warnings and you are ready to hit the water in full stride. In my opinion, the best fluking almost always come when the waters are still relaxed and haven’t had the chance to reach the par-boiling point. If there is a better weekend for fishing, someone will need to point it out to me. Right now there is a virtual cornucopia of species to target but it won’t stay that way. Water conditions, state restrictions and other factors usually find a way to curtail some of the fun. But right now, this weekend, it is as good as it can get. Read on and you will see what I’m trying to describe.
In Sea Isle, the waters both front and back are giving up all kinds of fish right now. Striped bass, weakies, croakers and drum fish are all common place. We have even had an early run on croakers. I touched base with the gang at
At Better Bait and Ice in Toms River, Chris tells me that there has been a decent striper bite by the big bridge, mostly on clam and menhaden. Bluefish in the bays for anglers throwing metal or drifting cut baits. The blues have been medium in size according to Chris. Perch action in the area has been slow. If you are looking to put your one weakfish in the cooler, Chris suggests the area by the power plant. BB&I carries all of the supplies you will need for a day fishing including most of the fresh baits and artificial baits you will need to get a jump on the fluke this weekend. If you are in the area, stop in and check them out.
Starting May 23rd, the Gambler 90’ Fishing boat out of Point Pleasant Beach will be running 1/2 day fluke trips and twilight striper trips. Flounder fishing leaves at 8am and 2 pm daily with twilight striper trips breaking port at 7:30pm daily. Lately Captain Bogan and his crew have had no problems finding nice blues and bass and I expect no different when fluke officially opens this Friday. These guys are pros and the Gambler is one of the best party fishing platforms in the area. Don’t take my word for it, check them out for yourself.
To get the scoop on fishing in the Cape May area, I like to hit on Nick at Hands Too Bait and Tackle. Sitting at the foot of the Cape May Bridge, nothing goes in or out of the area without passing by his shop. Nick told me that Cape May Point has been the “go-to” spot for striped bass lately. Anglers from the beach using clam, bunker or throwing Black Bombers have been doing the best. The drum fish run in Delaware Bay also seems to have started. George Graber came into the shop recently with three drums to be weighed in. The fish ranged from a low of 35 to a high of 65 pounds. All were caught close to the Jersey side and George released another 8 fish. Slaughter has also had some good nights as well. The black sea bass bite has been decent so far with one boat coming in with about thirty nice sized keepers. There are some bluefish in the area, up to five pounds or so and nice croakers along the beaches. Nick told me he is fully stocked bait-wise to accommodate any type of fishing you will take on this weekend.
If you are looking for a charter boat in the Barnegat area a little bigger than your standard 6 pack cruiser, I highly recommend the Super Chic out of Barnegat Light. Licensed for up to 35 passengers, the 56’ Super Chic, captained by Ted White is ready to put you on pretty much any target you name. Normally a charter only vessel the Chic does occasionally do tile fishing trips as open boat. Check out their website for additional details. http://www.superchiccharters.com/
I spoke with Captain Brooke Koenke of the Duke O’Fluke in Somers point this week to see what his outlook was for the upcoming flounder season in the Great Egg Harbor area. The Duke is a 45 foot pontoon boat which targets flounder in the back waters, twice daily seven days a week. It’s a great way to get the family out on the water for a half or whole day of fishing on a comfortable platform. Sailing twice daily (8 am and 1 pm), it is always a fun outing. I speak from personal experience as I have been on the boat many times and always had a good experience.
The Gang at Tony’s Bait and Tackle in Manahawkin is all geared up and ready to go for the opening on fluke season this Friday. If you are in the LBI area and need bait, you can stop your search at Tony’s. You can check out their online inventory at http://tonysbaitandtackle.com/baitboard.htm . Boaters north of Barnegat Inlet, trolling spoons, have been hooking up on a regular basis with fish up to forty pounds. On the local beaches, there has been some striper activity and plenty of blue fish action. Pods of bunkers along the shore have been active so make sure you pack a snag hook for some live lining adventures. There has been some puppy drum caught in the area so you may also want to consider carrying some clam in your arsenal for double duty.
The “Battle on the Beach” – 6th Annual Southern Rams High School Surf Fishing Tournament takes place on May 29th. The tourney takes place at 9th Street in Barnegat Light and there is a pre-tournament meeting a 3:30 pm. The tournament runs from 4pm to 7pm.
Don’t forget to stop in Sea Isle Bait and Tackle this weekend to enter in their Opening Day Tournament. This year it will be spread over two days with calcuttas for heaviest weakfish, flounder and blue. You must be entered by 6am on Friday the 23rd so don’t delay. I believe you can enter via the phone. Call Mike Cunningham at 609-263-6540.
Captain Kenny Namowitz of the Mimi IV will be running an “Open Boat” trip this Friday. The Mimi will be targeting sea bass. Call ahead for reservations at 732-370-8019. The Mimi IV sails form Point Pleasant Beach.
Tom Wolfe and the gang at Jersey Tackle in Brick are hard at work getting ready for the opening day crowd. You name it, they probably have it and much of their inventory is custom. I especially like the pics they send me of the lead head painted to match perfectly with the Gulp line of baits. Locally, the Mantoloking Bridge has been the hot spot this week. Blues up to 12 pounds were brought into the shop by Larry Newman. They had several entries into the striper cup as well, one a 33 pound bass. If you are looking for a new jigging/multipurpose rod, I suggest you stop in and check out the Jersey Tackle custom line. A very versatile, and for a custom rod, very affordable fishing tool.
Ocean City will be a hopping place this holiday weekend no doubt about that. And the timing is perfect for some fishing in the area according to Justin at Fin-Atics Marine Supply. The southern leg of the island at Corson’s Inlet has been the hot spot. Big stripers following bunker in at dusk and dawn. Angers using clam, menhaden or swim baits are having the best hook up ratios. And bluefish of size finally showed up in the front and back of OC and as you know, they will hit pretty much anything they come across. You might be advised to tie on some wire leader material. If you are looking for some flounder action, Justin recommends the new fishing piers off the 9th Street Causeway. Anglers chasing blues and weakfish there have been throwing back tons of keeper fluke. Speaking of weakfish, the crab shed is closing in so they should be active in the same areas. Justin recommends pink or white swim shads on a lead head or a Gulp 4” Swim Bait. Forgot your rod in your haste to get to the shore, no problem, Fin-Atics can rent you one for the day.
At Bill’s Surf and Tackle in Harvey Cedars, owner Bill Heitzman is ready and waiting for the party to begin. The first guests, fish of all kinds have arrived early and are waiting to be served some appetizers. Bill tells me there are nice stripers and big blues on all sections of the beach and inlets. The blowfish seem to be done their spawn and have moved off. In the back, weakfish and blues dominate the waters. But with fluke opening tomorrow, Bill believes that will be the primary target. He brought in some dyed squid strips special for the occasion. And he also has a load of spearing, my favorite early season preference, on hand for the festivities. Sounds like all he needs is a group of hungry anglers to fill out the menu.
I stopped in to visit with Kurt at Absecon Bay Sportsmen’s Center today to see if they were ready for opening day. Captain Dave was out checking the minnow traps as he is expecting a run on them tomorrow and as always, wasn’t to be more than well stocked. Dave was out on the bay yesterday and jigged up a few short bass. Several bigger bass were weighed in this morning one topping the thirty pound mark. Both were taken on fresh bunker chunks. If you are looking for that hard to find bait, lure or Gulp products, stop by AB, I wouldn’t be surprised if you found it there. He has all the SS Rattletails and more Gulp products than shops twice the size. For live baits, they are second to no one.
Spoke with Ed Berger at Team Tackle Direct who informed me that the fishing in the back bay of Absecon Island is guaranteed to be the local hotspot for flounder when it open tomorrow. Anglers testing the waters are raving about the fishing in the ICW. Blues bass and stripers all in play. Rainbow is the most likely place to take a weakfish of keeper size using pink or white swim baits. Ed also wanted me to remind you that Tackle Direct is offering free shipping the entire Memorial Day Weekend on all items with the exception of oversized products. BTW, Ed also told me that a customer just came into the shop who was on Blue Fin yesterday south of the Cape feeding on Sand Eels. Yes sir, the game is on.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Sometimes, it can be a challenge writing a fishing forecast. You would think that the hardest times would be when the waters heat up and the fish get a little sluggish. But it can be almost as challenging when the waters are teeming with activity. Such is the case this weekend. There is so much action, it is difficult to make a choice. All I can say is to make sure your tackle box is loaded for all opportunities. The weather looks to be good and there is most certainly a variety of species to choose from. I am sure that most will be targeting flounder this weekend but there are other options. Make sure you have rigs ready for weakfish. With crabs heading towards the shed, they should be very energetic. Stay safe out there, the waters are still a might chilly. And it’s a holiday and people get careless. Be aware of your surroundings. See you on the incoming.