Well, it was another lost Sunday. The only thing different from the last two weekends was that, unfortunately, we also lost Saturday to the excessive winds. Let’s hope things change for the coming week and the local captains and anglers can get some fishing in. Let’s check out what did occur.
First thing this week is a public service announcement that the first segment of the sea bass season has ended. The next segment will start July 1 and run through Aug. 31, and the bag limit will be reduced to two fish each day. The minimum length will continue to be 13 inches.
Boulevard Bait and Tackle weighed in some nice flounder recently. The back bay areas were slightly protected from the weekend wind, but not much.
Dylan K. and Dan got out and caught two good fish. The largest went 5.4 pounds and was 24 inches in length. Another good, even larger, flounder was brought in by an angler named George, whose fish pushed the scales to 6.6 pounds.
The Sea Star III had a good start to the week, as they were catching many fluke and sea bass, but then the winds of the weekend arrived and any hope of fishing with your dad was blown away.
Capt. Chuck tried to fish along the beachfront, but that only provided some short fish, as the 25 to 35 knot winds made fishing difficult. He, like all of us, is hoping for a rebound this week.
The daily pool winners, all with fluke, were Shannon Ruane (3.25 pounds), Jaime Corr (2.0), Frank Servocky (2.4), and Joe Venezia (2.55).
The Miss Chris started the week strong with good catches of sea bass and keeper fluke, plus many throwbacks of each species, and then saw the action lessen as the week ended and the strong wind increased.
A highlight of the week saw Elena Backer win a pool with a 19-inch flukewhile her husband Doug contributed three sea bass to the cooler.
They will focus on flounder and kingfish as they await the arrival of the next season of sea bass fishing.
Check out their schedule for half-day trips at CapeMayFisherman.com.
Full Ahead Sport Fishing, with Capt. Bob, had a “great finish” to the first segment of sea bass season, then proceeded to move right into fluke fishing. A recent trip saw them return with 12 keepers on a day that also had plenty of throwbacks.
Capt. Tom at Fishin’ Fever Sportfishing Charters is taking reservations for flounder and tuna trips. Check out his Facebook page for a list of available dates, then give him a call to grab one.
He recently took out George Poveromo for a tuna and tilefish trip. They “crushed” both species during a trip that was filmed for an episode of “World of Saltwater Fishing.” The show is scheduled to be broadcast between January and March 2023 on the Discovery Channel.
The Avalon Lady had a trip on Saturday into the teeth of the wind that resulted in a couple of keepers and some shorts. The problem was that there was not much of a place to hide from the wind and that caused havoc with the drifts. Regardless of the conditions, flounder and some kingfish were caught.
After the wind subsided on Monday, Capt. Brandon took a crew of anxious anglers out. They were able to land seven keepers, which helped to make the day a success.
The Avalon Lady will start to sail her summer schedule, which means trips Monday through Sunday, from 8:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday will feature afternoon trips, from 1:15 p.m. until 4:15 p.m. Wednesday evening will feature an evening trip, from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m.
Crabbing trips will be featured on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, from 1:15 p.m. until 4:15 p.m.
If you have any questions, please call 609-967-7455.
The Miss Avalon is fishing for flounder at the local reefs while they wait for sea bass to be legal again. Weakfish and kingfish are also being sought, as they await the arrival of some summer favorites, particularly triggerfish.
The Starfish is now sailing their summer schedule, which means two four-hour trips daily that leave at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. Monday and Wednesday night trips leave at 6 p.m. and are scheduled for five hours. You can call 609-263-3800 or book your trip online.
The Sailor’s Delight has been busy catching flounder, both shorts and keepers, but also had a young angler catch a nice weakfish the other day.
Annelyce caught her first fish ever, and finished the day with two keepers, the previously mentioned weakfish, plus a nice flounder. She was high hook in the family, as mom and dad each caught one flounder, with each fish being a keeper. It was a good day for everyone in thefamily.
Grassy Sound Marina reported three nice flounder and one puppy drum for Matt and his Uncle Wes. They were fishing from their kayaks.
Another catch of note went to Mary, who landed a 23-inch, 4.6-pound flounder, as she out-fished her husband. She was using minnows on the outgoing tide.
Don’t forget that the 9th Annual Duke of Fluke Tournament is fast approaching. The date is July 16, with a starting time of 7:30 a.m. The captain’s meeting will be Friday night, July 15, at 7 p.m. A kayak division will be included, and after the tournament concludes, there will be a pig roast, an awards ceremony and live music. Contact the shop for additionalinformation.
The mailbag was busy this week, as we received news from Nick Rambo about a trip on the All Hanked Up that saw Dillon Vanaman catch a keeper fluke and keeper weakfish, a first fish for 4-year-old Sammy Sacchetta, and a nice keeper fluke for Jerry Rau. Thanks to all for sending in a short report and pictures of their success.
Well, we had some activity this week, just not quite as much as we would expect. Uncooperative winds have a way of putting a damper on fishing. Hopefully, things will get better, and we can all get involved. Take care and I’ll see you around.
Submit fishing news and photos to mrobbins@cmcherald.com.
