NJ - Atlantic Waters Hot Spots, July 7 2005

[Simon Bao]

FYI, NJ Atlantic waters report -

Shep’s Hot Spots
July 7, 2005
Press of Atlantic City

Cape May County

Back-bay flounder fishing surprisingly turned back on
Monday at Strathmere. Frank Jankowski at Frank's Boat
Rentals in Strathmere reported flounder to seven
pounds were taken with minnows, spearing and squid at
Whale Creek and Flat Creek behind Strathmere and Sea
Isle City. Some of the back-bay boaters were using top
and bottom rigs. Jankowski prefers bucktails. He said
the most likely reason for the sudden improvement was
warmer water. He said the temperature was 69 on the
incoming tide, rising to 72 at high water and 73 on
the outgoing. He also said there were a few striped
bass along the sod banks at high water and night and a
few stray weakfish. Kingfish are in the surf at Whale
Beach in Strathmere and Sea Isle, if you can get
through the thick grass. With the water temps hitting
72 degrees behind Avalon, a 10.5-pound flounder was
weighed at Moran's Dockside in Avalon. Tim Davis at
Moran's said the Miss Avalon partyboat reported sea
bass also improved, with 20-30 keepers for some
patrons. Kingfish are around, too, but local anglers
are trying to learn how to use small pieces of clam
for bait because bloodworms, artificial and real are
scarce.

Delaware Bay

Croakers are already plentiful in Delaware Bay off
Fortescue, but Cliff Higbee at Higbee's Marina said
they are getting better every day. The problem fishing
off Fortescue is not water temps, not the lack of
bait, nor water conditions, it's the greenheads. They
can be brutal at times, but Higbee says they are a
plague right now. Wear long sleeves and pants and take
the bug spray. Also take clam and shedder to the first
drop off close to Fortescue Creek or off False Egg
Island. That's where the small-boat captains can get
into croakers, some flounder and the occasional small
weakfish.

Cape May

The Old Grounds 20 miles south of Cape May has been a
legitimate hot spot for doormat flounder. Some of the
flounder go more than 10 pounds, plus sea bass
weighing more than four pounds have been taken there.

Great Egg Inlet area

Kingfish are thick along the Ocean City beaches. Fish
with artificial bloodworms such as Fish-Bites Bag O
Worms, Berkley Saltwater Gulp or with real bloodworms,
small pieces of clam and small pieces of the Nuclear
Worms to catch kingfish. Fish the odd-numbered street
beaches in Ocean City because the lifeguards patrol
the even-numbered beaches, says Bill Wiggins at
Fin-Atics in Ocean City. Troll the Stone Beds and
Avalon Shoal for bluefish with Ponytails. Try the
28-Mile Wreck, the Cigar and 750 Square for bluefin
tuna with small feathers, spoons and junior cedar
plugs. Don Brown at Capt. Andy's Marina in Margate
said to troll 9-10 knots for tuna to get away from the
bluefish, which are also cruising the offshore fishing
areas. Brown said Tommy O'Brien did not slow down even
while fighting tuna because when he did, the blues
were all over his lures. He was fishing the Wreck and
Cigar and hooked up 15 bluefin. Joseph Winer of
Margate caught a 7.82-pound flounder Tuesday from the
Ocean City-Longport fishing pier. Three days earlier
he caught a 7.5-pound flounder from the same place.
Robin Scott at Scott's Dock said he was using plain
minnow as bait. Scott said the back bays of Margate is
loaded with bait fish: peanut bunker and either tinker
mackerel or mullet. Shad have been reported in the
Ocean City surf. Croakers invaded Lakes Bay from
Atlantic City to Pleasantville high schools.

Atlantic City-Brigantine

John Brooks docks in the Margate area, but according
to Brown, he fishing at Absecon Creek and Broad Creek
behind Atlantic City for flounbder. Brooks jigs them
up with white bucktails. Black Point and toward Great
Bay is another good flounder spot, according to Joe
Conway and Conway's Brigantine Marine. Kingfish are
all over the Brigantine beach. The flounder ratio is
picking in the bays of Brigantine. Ashley Shisler, age
7, reeled in an 8-pound, 2-ounce flounder on her
grandpa's boat Pig Out. There are signs of weakfish
action picking up, according to a report from RipTide
Bait and Tackle in Brigantine.

Long Beach Island

Flounder are improving at Double Creek and Oyster
Creek behind Barnegat Inlet. George Martin at Bruce
and Pat's in Ship Bottom reported blowfish, 20-25 per
angler sometimes. Kingfish are increasing in the surf
and bluefish are at the Barnegat Ridge. Martin said
big striped bass were taken under a school of bunker
in Beach Haven Inlet. One weighed 46 pounds. Crabbing
is good over the back bays of LBI.




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