<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Friends fished for drum Saturday evening, hooking none, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. Drum fishing seemed finished for the season. Summer flounder catches seemed somewhat to pick up. Lots of minnows were sold for flounder bait during the weekend. Not a lot was heard about the fishing, but catches were heard about from east of the 19 buoy.  Flounder this time of year are usually heard about from farther up the bay toward the Southwest Line and Cross Ledge or the drop offs around there. The Southwest Line is an area with stakes north of the E.P. Tower with lots of ups-and-downs along the bottom that attract fish. One angler talked about catching a 20-inch keeper flounder and a few throwbacks. Another reported landing four keepers and 30 or 40 throwbacks. Nothing was heard about bluefish from the bay. One angler kept reeling in weakfish along the surf jetties. This is the time of year when weaks are usually hooked along the jetties, like on the bay side of Cape May, on bloodworms or shedder crabs under a bobber. Customers sea bass fished on the ocean, piling up good catches. Offshore boaters shark fished, fighting makos and other sharks. All the baits including fresh clams, shedder crabs, minnows and bloodworms are stocked. Offshore baits, like flats of butterfish, are available. Calling to order offshore baits by Wednesdays is best. Many of the shop’s baits arrive on Thursday mornings, sometimes on Fridays. Located on Route 47, just after Route 55 ends, The Girls Place is the long, one-story, yellow building on the right, with a large parking lot, including plenty of room for trailered boats.

<b>Newport</b>

Fabulous crabbing was nabbed during the weekend at <b>Beaver Dam Boat Rentals</b>, Paul said. The season’s been phenomenal. Inexperienced crabbers trapped a half-bushel or more, and experienced crabbers busheled-out, or caught more, keeping only their limits, releasing the rest. The blueclaws were good-sized. Many were six inches, and a few were larger. Most jumbos from last year were probably caught by now. A rich crop of large crabs was around earlier this spring, because they grew during the warm winter, instead of hibernating in the mud. Commercial crabbers on the bay recently saw 7-inch crabs that were shedding. Crabs shed to grow, so the 7-inchers should become monstrous after shedding. Crabs last week shed around the full moon on Monday, and full and new moons often trigger crabs to shed. White perch and croakers swam abundant in the creeks. Customers at Beaver Dam crab from rental boats towed up Oranokin Creek, running past the shop. The staff checks on them every hour, and if crabbers want a break in the meantime, they simply cell phone the shop to be picked up. Crabbing is available at the shop on weekends, and will become available daily starting June 23. However, crabbing will be available this Friday. Beaver Dam is open daily for crabbing and fishing supplies and bait and more. Canoe and kayak rentals are available for paddling up the scenic creek.  <a href="http://www.crabulousnj.com" target="_blank">Visit Beaver Dam’s Web site</a>.

<b>Fortescue</b>

A few summer flounder were bagged, and more throwbacks were let go, Saturday on the party boat <b>Salt Talk</b>, Capt. Howard said. The flounder catch was slower on a trip Sunday, with fewer anglers aboard. The trip Saturday fished at the stakes, the Ditch and the shipping channel to the south. The trip Sunday began fishing farther north toward the Elbow, then returned south toward Miah Maull along the shipping channel. Most flounder on the trips were hooked in that area in the deep, around 40 to 45 feet. Not much was hooked shallower, including at the stakes. A few blues were reeled in on the outings, and so were junk fish like sharks and skates. A 40-pound cownosed ray was battled to the boat. The bay’s drum fishing seemed finished for the season. Open-boat trips are fishing for summer flounder daily when no charter is booked. Open trips this time of year might not fish in the middle of the week. Call to confirm.

<b>Cape May</b>

The season’s final drum trip aboard fished Wednesday on the bay, managing one of the fish, said Capt. Bob from the <b>Down Deep</b>. Drum were marked and were heard booming lately, but few were hooked. The fishing seemed finished for the year. Another charter aboard wreck fished on the ocean last week, pumping in plenty of sea bass and ling and a few cod. Trips now will wreck fish and sail for sharks and tuna on the ocean. Little was heard about summer flounder fishing yet from Delaware Bay near Cape May or the ocean. But trips will flounder fish when catches kick in there. Flounder might’ve bit in the back bay for anglers on smaller boats.

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