<b>Newport</b>

The moon was new, but no matter, many trips scored a half-bushel of crabs, and one caught a bushel, during the weekend at <b>Beaver Dam Boat Rentals</b>, Paul said. New and full moons can cause crabs to mate and shed, and blueclaws won’t eat then. That can slow down crabbing, but not all crabs mate and shed at once, so some can always be caught. Most mating and shedding seemed finished for the year in the creek. Crabs stop mating and shedding through winter. Crabs were seen from a supplier that showed signs of shedding, so a shed definitely happened elsewhere. But the catches were good news, and the crabs were healthy-sized, including 5-1/2- and 6-inchers. A fair number of 6-1/2-inchers came in. Two rental-boaters remained in the lead for the year’s biggest crabs, 6-3/4-inchers, like before. The year’s rental boater with the largest will win a free rental next year. Bunker caught better than chicken, by far, but that can change. One trip that used chicken trapped nine keepers, and a trip beside the boat, using bunker, trapped 85. The staff are glad to let crabbers know the bait that’s producing. They’re also happy to teach crabbing and give tips. Many female crabs were around, apparently a remnant from mating season, when females seem to push males out from creeks. Customers who fished sometimes landed 23- and 24-inch striped bass, and as waters cool, action with stripers will probably increase. Waters warmed in the warm spell, reaching the high 70s at one point. Days now started to cool, forecast to reach highs in the low 70s, so water temps will drop. White perch swam the creek, and sometimes puppy drum turned up. Someone hooked a pinfish, the southern species. Crabbing will be available 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Friday through Monday, Columbus Day. That will be the year’s final day of crabbing, unless there’s demand. Afterward, if at least three boats are reserved for a date, crabbing will be available. Customers already want one boat for October 19, so telephone if interested in crabbing that day.  Always telephone ahead to reserve boats to ensure they’re available. Take advantage of the Friday special: Reserve a rental boat ahead for 6:30 a.m. to 12 noon that day for only $35, a great price. Catch the Football Widows Special on Sunday, when the Eagles football game will start at 1 o’clock. Any rental boat with only women and/or children then will get a dozen free crabs, when the boat is reserved ahead. Though crabbing ends for the season at Beaver Dam, the store will remain open afterward for supplies and other activities, including duck hunting. Exceptionally large minnows that the store stocks will remain available through winter, and are unusually good bait for freshwater fishing for chain pickerel through the cold months. Canoe and kayak rentals will remain available after crabbing ends, if customers call ahead, and autumn can be beautiful on the creek. Customers at Beaver Dam crab and fish from rental boats towed up Oranokin Creek. The staff checks on them every hour, and if customers want a break in the meantime, they simply cell phone the shop to be picked up. Beaver Dam hosts groups like scouts and family reunions, and can offer an educational day about the environment. Beaver Dam stocks everything needed for a day of crabbing, from bait, traps and nets to snacks, drinks and suntan lotion. <a href="http://www.crabulousnj.com/" target="_blank">Visit Beaver Dam’s Web site</a>.

<b>Fortescue</b>

Capt. Howard from the party boat <b>Salt Talk</b> fished aboard Sunday with two of the vessel’s mates, a neighbor and another angler, he said. Bluefish, spots, a kingfish, blowfish, small sea bass, porgies and one 10-inch, out-of-season summer flounder were hooked. Fishing was in-between seasons, really, or between flounder season closing and the striped bass migration to begin, when waters cool. Trips aboard fished for flounder until flounder season was closed some weeks ago. Striper fishing aboard usually begins at the end of the month. Then trips will fish for them with chunks of bunker and livelined eels, if the fish take eels. They don’t always, but Howard likes eeling. The bay had warmed to 73 degrees on the trip, during the warm spell. The waters had cooled to 69 degrees for a few days previously. The neighbor landed two stripers 35 and 30 inches and a couple of drum 25 to 30 pounds from the bay two weeks ago. Open-boat trips are available daily when enough anglers want to go. That’s most likely during weekends, until striper fishing begins. When stripers start to be caught, open trips are likely to run more frequently, especially on weekends. Anglers can telephone to confirm. Charters are being booked for stripers. 

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