<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Most news about summer flounder fishing rolled in from the ocean, and customers sometimes reported good catches from the Old Grounds, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. That’s off the coast of Delaware, and ocean flounder fishing also seemed to produce at places like Reef 11 and Cape May Reef. A few customers talked about picking founder from the northern bay toward Fortescue in deep waters. But because flounder fishing seemed best on the ocean, waters 20 or 40 feet or deeper in the southern bay, like toward 14-Foot Light and other spots, would probably be a best bet. Flounder fishing in the deep waters at the Anchorage, on the southern, Delaware side of the bay, has traditionally been good in summer. The season might be a little early, but the area seems worth a try. Weakfish were reported caught at inshore areas of the bay like off the E.P. Tower and Thompson’s Beach. One is the bag limit, but the weaks were around. Nothing was heard about croakers. For offshore anglers, tuna catches were good relatively close to shore to the south on the chunk. All baits, including minnows and shedder crabs, are stocked. Offshore baits like flats of baitfish can be ordered. The Girls Place is located on Route 47, just after Route 55 ends. It’s the long, one-story, yellow building on the right, with a large parking lot, including plenty of room for trailered boats.

<b>Newport</b>

At <b>Beaver Dam Boat Rentals</b>, crabbing was just fine, Paul said. Experienced crabbers nabbed two-thirds  of a bushel or more, and the keeper blueclaws averaged 5 ½ inches. The population of larger blueclaws “kind of backed off,” Paul said, and crabbers will have to wait for crabs to shed and grow for large ones like that again. Big crabs had been unusually abundant because of the mild winter. But the population of large ones dropped off apparently because many were caught. The new moon this week will probably trigger crabs to shed, and new and full moons will do that. Crabbing can slow down during shedding, because crabs won’t eat then. But not all crabs shed at once, and not all moons trigger a shed. One of the staff fished Oranokin Creek, and the catch included a couple of large, 2-pound white perch. Crabbers at Beaver Dam are towed up the creek, running past the shop, in rental boats. 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. Beaver Dam stocks everything needed for a day of crabbing, from bait, traps and nets to suntan lotion, bug spray, snacks and drinks. Crabs for eating are for sale. Kayak and canoe rentals are available to paddle the scenic creek. <a href="http://www.crabulousnj.com" target="_blank">Visit Beaver Dam’s Web site</a>.

<b>Fortescue</b>

A mixed bag of fish bit on a trip Sunday on the party boat <b>Salt Talk</b>, Capt. Howard said. A couple of keeper summer flounder and probably a dozen throwbacks were reeled in from around the Elbow. A dozen blues were decked. A variety of small fish were plucked that each summer invade inshore of the shipping channel. The fish included spots, small croakers and small sea bass. Clams and squid provided on the trip caught them, but worms that anglers brought worked especially well. Wesley Medykowiski won the pool with a 3-1/2-pound flounder. The bay was 85 degrees, and all in all, the day was good. The trip also attempted to fish for weakfish close to shore at first, because boaters caught weaks there the day before. But conditions prevented  anchoring, so the trip moved on. Open-boat trips are scheduled daily when no charter is booked and enough anglers show up. Call ahead to confirm. One of the port’s party boats, but not the Salt Talk, sailed Saturday, had enough anglers to go. The Salt Talk was the only party boat from the docks to fish Sunday, was the one with enough anglers. 

<b>Cape May</b>

If anglers want summer flounder from the bay, they could try for them at Brown Shoal, Brandywine Shoal or near the shipping channel, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. Small blues schooled off Cape May Point and at the ocean shoals. Croakers, weakfish and kingfish likely swam Bayshore Channel. They did before. Croakers and weaks were beached from the bay’s surf. Kingfish and a few sharks roamed the ocean surf. Good flounder catches could be made on the ocean at Reef 11 and the Old Grounds. In the back bay, flounder seemed headed for deeper waters in the ocean and Delaware Bay. So in the back bay, the Intracoastal Waterway was a place to find flounder. Flounder also carpeted the inlets and waters surrounding inlets.

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