July 22, 2024 - 08:18:03
Down in Cape May at Hands Too Bait and Tackle, Joe said that big croakers moved in full force and that big bluefish up to 15 plus pounds and even 20 pounds are ravaging the oceanside hitting bunker chunks. Some beauty weakfish in the 22- to 24-inch range are hanging near the jetty tips and hitting bloodworms or bucktails, along with some fluke. Joe also said they are stocking fiddler crabs now for the sheepshead and that Delaware Bay is loaded with kingfish.
July 22, 2024 - 08:18:01
Catfish continue to be the main source of action over at Ponderlodge Lake, said sources over at Hands Too Bait and Tackle in Cape May. Anglers fishing cut baits and worms, especially in the evening are pulling some nice channel cats from the lake. In addition they told us the shop is still getting reports of bass and panfish action in most of the campground lakes and ponds.
July 22, 2024 - 08:18:00
Jeff from Hands Too Bait & Tackle says the Wilmington, Baltimore and Lindenkohl have been reliable for 100- to 200-pound bigeye on the troll. Yellowfin are spread all over, with the 18-inch zucchini Sterling wide tracker especially deadly on a 7-knot pull. The southern canyon lobster pots are producing chicken size to 20-pound mahi. Chunks ‘n pieces are effective, with trolled small ballyhoo putting the bigger ones on ice.
July 22, 2024 - 08:17:58
Some larger flounder are starting to show up at the nearshore reef sites including the Cape May and Wildwood Sites. Hands Too Bait and Tackle tells us that anglers are scoring fish to 24 inches on strip baits and 6-inch Gulp Grubs fished on white bucktails. Delaware Bay and the ocean off of Cape May Point was giving up a mix of spot, weakfish and just a ton of croakers. Boaters fishing the Cold Spring Inlet Jetties found a few sheepshead on fiddler crabs, while the back bays were giving up really good numbers of sheeps from Cape May to Avalon. Back bay flounder action slowed down a bit this week, but there are plenty of other options including croakers, kingfish, spot and snappers being caught. The resident striper bite is also still holding on despite warmer water temps. These fish to 26 inches are being caught at night from the bridges and sod banks. Soft plastics like pink Zooms are getting the job done, but a heavier leadhead was needed this week due to the full moon tides.
July 15, 2024 - 10:01:48
We got a very different report from sources over at Hands Too Bait and Tackle in Cape May this past week. They told us early and late day largemouth fishing in the small ponds and lakes in the lower part of the state was decent on topwater baits and several small ponds also produced some good crappie fishing on small minnows and jig combinations fished under floats. The only report they had from Ponderlodge Lake this past week was some fair evening catfishing.
July 15, 2024 - 10:01:48
Over at Hands Too Bait and Tackle in Cape May, Jeff said croaker fishing remains pretty spot on with small hooks and squid or Fishbites as baits especially around the top of the tide. Cocktails blues have been in tight on metals and spearing and spinner blades plus mullet chunks. Flounder fishing on the Delaware Bay beaches has been mostly shorts but a few keepers mixed in. A few bass are still milling around during the night hours. Crabbing has been lights out for those looking to get pinched with blue claws.
July 15, 2024 - 10:01:47
Joe from Hands Too Bait & Tackle reported a quiet week on the southern canyon tuna front as the weather put the kibosh on many of the boats getting out. Shop owner Nick Dutton did manage to squeeze a trip down to the Baltimore where the boat hit a couple of yellowfin on trolled bars and ballyhoo.
July 15, 2024 - 10:01:45
Dawn and dusk striper action has been very good this week in the back bays of Cape May according to Joe with Hands Too Bait and Tackle. These fish have been aggressively taking topwater poppers and subsurface hard plastics like Bombers, Mag Darters and SP Minnows. These have mostly been resident fish in the 16- to 22-inch size range, but several anglers did report fish in the bonus tag and keeper slot range. The back bays from Cape May to Stone Harbor have also seen a good bite from sheepshead. This species becomes more popular every year. The demand is so great that the shop is now carrying live fiddler crabs to cater to the sheep anglers. Flounder action in the back bays has been hit or miss again this week with some sharp water temperature changes between incoming and outgoing tide. A more consistent bite for flounder is being found at the Cape May Reef Site and The Old Grounds. Here anglers are using 6-inch pink shine Gulp Grubs fished on 1- to 3-ounce bucktails in order to cull out short fish and put keepers to 24 inches in the box. Both of these sites are also seeing catches of keeper seabass, the occasional barely keeper weakfish, small blues and the first triggerfish of the season.
