As of today, we are two weeks from the start of flounder season in the Garden State. And it goes without saying if you haven’t finished tying up your rigs, sharpening your hooks and pulling the tarp off of your ride, it’s time to get your butt in gear. We keep get whittled down, season after season so wasting even a day is a crying shame. As for now, there is more than enough fishing out there to get you to opening day. Unless of course you are looking to do some bottom fishing. In the south, that could make for a long day. Right now, most bottom species are closed. But looking elsewhere, you should be able to “drum” up some action if you get my drift. Let’s see what our scouts have to say this week.
Bill Heitzman of Bill’s Surf and Tackle tells me that the fishing off the beaches has been very good this week. Striped bass off the beach are picking up. Tide doesn’t seem to be a factor but bsait does. Fresh clam and bunker have been bringing fish up to 32” to the scale. Bill has heard some rumbling of puppy drum south on the island. Clam would be the preferred bait there as well. There are weakfish in the bay on pink Finesse rubber baits and blood worms. There have also been anglers catching blowfish off the beaches in LBI on clam worm pieces. Bill told me he has fresh bunker on hand and all of the other baits waiting for a dip in the water.
As I mentioned earlier, if bottom fishing is your choice, times can be a little tough. But in Ocean City, you can hop on the Captain Robbins Party Boat this Saturday and run with them in search of ling, cod and any other deep water denizens of the wrecks. The boat departs at 8:00 am and no reservations are necessary. The Captain Robbins is berthed at 228 Bay Ave in OC along with its sister the Miss Ocean City. Tell Captain Vic I sent you.
To get the low down in Sea Isle City, I put a call in to Mike Cunningham, owner of Sea Isle Bait and Tackle. He informed me that the striped bass catch on the ocean side has been steadily picking up as the water temps climb. Clam is the bait of choice and Mike says tide does not seem to matter. Some nice puppy drums are also being caught up in the action. If you are throwing plugs, Mike recommends Townsend’s Inlet and Bombers. In the back bay, weakfish are still the prime target at dusk and dawn. White or pink Swim Shads are having the best hook up ratio. Mike also asked me to remind everyone that their Annual Opening Day Flounder Tournament will take place on the 23rd and 24th of this month. Call or stop by the shop for details. You can also get information on their FB page.
The Gambler Deep Sea Fishing boat in Point Plesant Beach is currently sailing for Striped Bass. If you have never fished off this 90-foot beauty, I strongly recommend you give it a try. You won’t find a better platform to put you on the fish. If there is a more experienced Captain than Bob Bogan, I haven’t run into him yet. The Gambler will be targeting Fluke come Memorial Day weekend.
Lenny Hahn of Capt’n Hippos fame in Toms River tells me that this week’s big fish in his ongoing perch tourney was a 1.3 lb. white taken by Ron Rapp in Mayo. In the river, short stripers are all getting more active in the upper Toms and best baits for them have been Blood worms. Farther up the river, Rob Lenox landed a 5.4 lb. rainbow trout at the TCA.
Tackle Direct in Egg Harbor Township is having its Penn Tent Sale this weekend at the store on Tilton Road. If you are looking to upgrade or just need to replenish your stock, this is the time to do it. There are some great deals to be had. I spoke with Ed Berger, retail manager about the sale and more importantly, fishing conditions in and around Absecon Island. The water is clear and the best bet for striper action is to fish the sod bangs in the back with rubber or swimming lures. Some anglers are having success with clams in Ships Channel. Rainbow has given up a few weakfish on bloods and white rubber. Ed also told me he crushed the bass around the OC toll bridge throwing a Vision Sand Eel (paddle tail) into fast water. Corson’s is the hot spot for weakfish.
The Carolyn Ann III will resume sailing for Sea Bass as soon as the seson reopens on May 19th. Located on 18th Street in Barnegat Light, she sails each day at 8 am for a 6 hour trip. Cost is 50 per person for adults.
Recent reports coming in from Captain Dave Showell of Absecon Bay Sportsmen’s Center tell me that we are heading for some good fishing in the area around the bay and Brigantine Island. There has been some nice black drum taken in the mouth of Great bay and off the beaches of Brigantine. Anglers using fresh clam are seeing the best results. The Mullica River has been the best spot for keeper striper as the bait is still pooled up back there but anglers plugging the sod banks with either buck tails or top water lures are boating stripers, mostly of the school variety. Perch are hit or miss but if you find them schooled up, you can fill a cooler. Grass shrimp are hard to find but Dave is carrying them along with blood worms and fresh clam. And while he hasn’t heard of many weakfish in the area, the crabs are out and about in numbers which tells me that the weakies are here as well.
According to Nick at Hands Too in Cape May (at the foot of the bridge going in) there is more than enough action to go around in that area. Weakfish seem to me the main target and they are all over the place, not just in the back. Good signs. The Cape May Point and Higbees beach are two hot spots. Blood worms and clam pieces for you anglers who need to fish bait and Darters or Bombers for those of you who want to toss artificial. Nick did recommend that if the water gets a little swift or choppy, a swim shad will work a little better. He recommends the Gulp 4” on a lead head in either white or chartreuse but any similar rubber bait will work as well. There have also been stripers taken in the D-Bay, mostly on clam or Bunker heads. Note that there are abundant adult bunker in the bay so the shop is well stock. Match the hatch. If you are in Wildwood and want to fish the beaches, have a rod rigged with smaller hooks in addition to your striper or drum setups. Blowfish are off the beaches in some numbers according to Nick.
In Ocean City, Justin at Fin-Atics Marine Supply reports that the action has definitely moved up to the next level. Adult bunker are crowding the inlets on both sides, especially under cover of darkness. And where the menhaden goes, the striped bass will follow. Fish up to 40-plus inches have been reported. Nice weakies are also in the area, more in the back than the front. Justin has been using Gulp Swim baits on a lead head and taking fish up to 6 pounds. No specific spots but I would think that the usual suspects are in play. Rainbow Channel would be my best bet as would be the Mud Hole area. Once again, if you are looking for some dinner fair, there are blowfish in the area so have some smaller rigs available. I asked about blues and drum and while there have been some whispers of both in the area, Justin had no confirmed weigh -ins. I believe they are around so make sure you have some clam if you are looking for drum and some shiny things for the blues.
Tony at Jersey Tackle took a break from his custom Rod building to give me a run down on the local fishing action in the Brick area. BTW, if you are looking for a jigging rod that can handle multi-tasking, stop in the shop and check out their custom line. Nice stuff. Tony informed me that the striped bass bite is definitely moving up. There have been some nice fish taken around Kingfisher Cove and Eagle Point. Clam and bunker seem to be the bait of preference but don’t rule out swimming baits like Daiwa SP Minnows and Bombers. Tony hasn’t heard of any weaks in the area but has further south at Gravelling Point and Great Bay. He has told me that there have been unconfirmed reports of bluefish in the local waters. Time is about right for the runners to start showing, especially with the amount of adult bunker around. Let me know if you hear anything.
Best Bets for the Weekend
First and foremost, I shouldn’t have to remind you that this Sunday is Mother’s Day. If you are lucky enough to still have one in your life, make sure you take the time to tell them you appreciate their work. You only get one mother, whether it is your own or the mother of your children. Once that is done or the plans are made, there is plenty of fishing available. Weakfish would be my choice as the good ones are here now and there is no telling how long they will stay around. Plenty of striped bass around but most still seem to be of school age. The inlets seem to be the main point of congregation. The beaches all seem to be holding blowfish right now, so make sure you pack some appropriate rigs. And the drums are on the move beach side. It would be nice if some other species were open but you play the cards you are dealt. Most of our sponsors shops are loaded with bait so fish fresh and fish hard. But stay safe out there. You only get so many days in the game, spend them wisely. See you on the incoming.