<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Some good catches of summer flounder were boated on Delaware Bay, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. The catches were heard about from near Fortescue, Kyle from the store said. A few customers nabbed croakers, not big, in Maurice River and maybe in the bay near the river. Weakfish were tugged from the bay. So were kingfish, but more toward Cape May. Triggerfish were landed along jetties in Cape May. Brown and tiger sharks, both required to be released, were fought from the bay. One surf angler let go four or five at Sunset Beach. Lots of crabs were trapped, and many were undersized. But a few customers picked up a few dozen keepers per trip, 4 ½ or 5 inches. The Girls Place, located on Route 47, just after Route 55 ends, carries a large supply of bait and tackle, and is the long, one-story, yellow building on the right. It’s on the way to the bay.

<b>Newport</b>

Shedding and mating slowed crabbing around the full moon last weekend at <b>Beaver Dam Boat Rentals</b>, Paul said. Still, catches were better than expected and decent. Less experienced crabbers trapped two dozen keepers, and more experienced trapped four or five dozen and occasionally a bushel. Female crabs were in, arriving two weeks ago, though they usually show up in August. In past days, probably 15 percent of crabs were females, though they seemed to disappear now. Full and new moons can trigger crabs to shed and mate. That can slow crabbing a few days, because shedding and mating crabs refuse to eat. But not all crabs shed and mate at once, so some can always be trapped. During some years, crabbers might only scrape together a dozen crabs caught during shedding or mating. Results were better during this past moon. White perch were sometimes angled from the creek, but not a lot of customers fished, because crabbing was so good. Rays swam the creek, though that’s unusual. Customers fish and crab from rental boats towed up Oranokin Creek. Rental kayaks and canoes are available to paddle the scenic creek. Beaver Dam can host events like birthday parties and family reunions and groups like scouts, including for an educational day on the water. Catch the new Coastal Day Celebration that will take pace Sept. 16 along Delaware Bay’s communities, including at Beaver Dam, replacing the Bay Days celebration that used to be held. The event will feature various activities to celebrate the bay, including a crabbing contest and a dinner, featuring the caught crabs, at the end of the day. Visit <a href=" http://www.crabulousnj.com/Home_Page.php" target="_blank">Beaver Dam’s website</a>.

<b>Fortescue</b>

Two charters worked Delaware Bay this past week aboard, and did catch summer flounder, said Capt. Howard from the <b>Salt Talk</b>. They bagged a few flounder to 18 to 22 inches and a few small bluefish, the size of blues that school the bay throughout summer. The flounder were angled at the stakes in depths 18 to 20 feet, though the depth changes depending on the tide. On one of the charters, wind blew up, making seas rough, but the fishing still caught. One of Fortescue’s party boats reportedly scored a decent catch of flounder this past week. Assorted fish including weakfish and kingfish reportedly bit along lighthouses along the shipping channel. Out-of-season blackfish supposedly did, too, and one blackfish will become the bag limit beginning Monday. Howard’s machine includes no water-temperature gauge, but the bay was warm to the touch. He saw a couple of pods of bunker on one of the trips. The Salt Talk used to be a party boat from Cape May. Howard sold that boat, and the new Salt Talk is a charter boat for 1 to 4 passengers.

<b>Cape May</b>

A buddy hooked summer flounder from the bay at a reef on the Delaware side while the boat drifted, Joe from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b> said. The buddy began to hook weakfish there, so he anchored and landed very good weakfishing for spikes to 24- or 26-inchers. Flounder were bagged from the back bay and ocean reefs, including Wildwood Reef and Reef 11. In the surf in both Delaware Bay and the ocean, kingfish, spike weaks and brown sharks hit. Release browns by law. Cape May is at the confluence of the bay and ocean. A bunch of tuna bait arrived at the shop, Joe saw. A good number of anglers must’ve ordered the bait for tuna fishing on the ocean.

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