Near doormat caliber fluke are making their way to the scales.
The mild nor'easter this week should really stir things up in a good way, bringing warm water and clean seas to put fish on the chew. Only a few more days until Labor Day and the end of fluke season on Sept. 6 -- make the most of it.
Croakers finally appeared in good numbers off the Ocean City beachfront according to John Grzymko, Fin-Atics, Ocean City. "Some decent sized schools have been hanging out in the 17-to-30-foot depths off the Ferris Wheel and north and south of there. Mainly, the croakers are hitting hi-lo rigs tipped with squid or 2-inch gulp shrimp. The gulp are out-fishing squid 3 to 1 though." Some kingfish and fluke are also mixed in when croaker fishing. Larger fluke have been caught at the Ocean City and Great Egg reef sites, and those reef sites are also holding a few small mahi, bonito and occasional skipjacks for trollers dragging spoons and feathers. Back bay action has been a dawn and dusk affair with striped bass. The bridges are giving up bass to 30 inches for striper hounds dropping live eels or jigging with bucktails.
"Flounder action improved this week, with some anglers catching their limits at the Cape May Reef, the Old Grounds and Reef Site 11," said Cathy Algard at Sterling Harbor Bait and Tackle, Wildwood. Frank Gregorio, of Medford, and crew limited out on flounder to 7 pounds at the Cape May Reef. Bill Laxton of Audubon weighed in a 4-pound, 1-ounce sea bass caught at Reef Site 11 and reported a nice catch of flounder as well. Flounder are also being caught in the Delaware Bay from Bayshore Channel to the Point with a ton of throwbacks and some croakers also in the mix. Inshore, trolling small feathers and cedar plugs around 4 FB and inside of the East Lump is producing mahi-mahi with an occasional wahoo. Yellowfin tuna seem to be congregating from the 30 Fathom Line out to the Canyons. Dr. Michael Lobianco and crew nailed three yellowfin to 65 pounds, a 44-pound wahoo, two mahi-mahi and two skippies while trolling near the 35-to-40 fathom line.
"Near doormat caliber fluke are making their way to the scales now on a regular basis," said Matt Slobodjian, Jim's Bait and Tackle, Cape May. "The Old Grounds, Cape May Reef and Reef Site No. 11 were all top spots to find big fluke." Frank Kohler landed a 6.76-pounder from the Cape May Reef, Jim Butcher of Ambler Pa., scored an 8.14-pound beast and Howard Steinberg hauled in an 8.04-pounder from Reef Site No. 11. Trolling has been a promising endeavor on the inshore grounds as of late. Wahoo have been found at the Cigar, Lori Dawn wreck, Elephant's Trunk and the 19th Fathom Lump, as well as further inshore at the East Lump and even Reef Site No. 11. Mahi, chub mackerel and false albies have been milling around at the 5 Fathom Bank. Even more wahoo, mahi and yellowfin tuna have been trolled up at the expanse between the Lobster Claw and the 40 Fathom Line. This week, the hot and heavy white marlin bite was at the 1,000 fathom line outside the Wilmington and Baltimore Canyons.
