<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Before weather nixed much fishing, weakfish and kingfish still schooled the bay, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. Weather since included remnants of the hurricane Thursday to Friday, deluges of rain and frequent wind. Inches of rain must’ve fallen around the hurricane, and rain was falling yesterday when Sharon gave this report. Friends were supposed to fish the bay that day, and she was yet to hear results. The bay’s anglers are hoping striped bass will migrate into the water this season. Stripers used to show up in October years ago. But the migration has happened later in recent years. Customers still crabbed before all the weather. The last Sharon knew, crabs were trapped. But she heard no results in past days. Sea bass fishing sounded good on the ocean early last week on the first days of sea bass season, before the hurricane. 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>Fortescue</b>

Capt. Howard ran the <b>Salt Talk</b> onto the bay Sunday, mostly to check on maintenance he did to the boat, but trolled Stretch lures a short time, about an hour, when he did that, he said. Nothing bit, but he was trying for resident striped bass. Last year at about this time, locals hooked a few resident but decent-sized stripers 40-some inches from the bay. So on the trip, Howard tried for those. One boater from the marina on Saturday decked a few bluefish and kingfish from the bay. Weather was often rough lately, and Howard didn’t even know whether surf anglers caught anything at Fortescue. The water was so dirty because of the weather. That might’ve prevented fish from biting in the surf. The Salt Talk used to be a Fortescue party boat. Howard sold that vessel, and the new Salt Talk is a charter boat for up to four passengers.

<b>Cape May</b>

A report rolled in about good fishing on Delaware Bay for kingfish, croakers and weakfish near one of the buoys on a trip, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. Surf anglers at Cape May found the water full of bluefish 12 to 20 inches, a few bigger. Fresh mullet hooked them, and mullet still migrated the surf last week. Were any striped bass beached from the surf? Yes, Nick said. A couple were clammed, and an occasional was hooked on fresh mullet. Blackfishing was slow along surf jetties. Customers fish the surf in Cape May from the ocean to the bay. The town is located at the confluence. Stripers bit in the back bay. One woman boated two keepers 29 and 30 inches on a creek. On the ocean, sea bass fishing went well, and seemed best in 100 feet of water or deeper.

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