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outdoors

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Herald & lantern 17 August "83

wrth lou Rodia

Small Fries Catch Fish, Fun at Park

Any doubts that kids like to fish would have easily been dispelled by attending the annual (’ape May (,’oun ty Park Fair Fishing Con test Saturday at-the (’ape May County Park While inclement weather kept the number of anglers down somewhat, the 27 anglers who did participate had fun. as did their parents or sponsors The fresh water event targeted bass, sunfish, catfish and pickerel. \n three hours of fishing, lots of sunfish were caught One big largemouth bass got away and a couple of big fish (unidentified) broke the lines of the youngsters who were lucky enough to hook them. No

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pickerel were caught in the three hour fishing contest, but three eels were caught. The day prior to the contest. the New Jersey Fish and Game Division stocked nearly 500 fish in the pond, including sunfish and 150 catfish. That no catfish were caught is an indication that fishing is often frustrating and that fish do mysterious things. For anyone who likes fresh water fishing, there are catfish to three and four pounds which were stocked in the pond and which were not caught in the contest. FOR SIX-YEAR-OLD Carrie Malin, the day was an adventure because she caught her first fish ever — a sunfish. Carrie lives in Scavillc When her first fish finally was captured, the youngster was as excited as anyone could be, and it renewed her interest in fishing. For John Duncan. a five-year-old angler from Town Bank, the day was equally as exciting, for he too caught his first fish, also a sunfish. But, he caught an eel about a foot long to add to his excitement. Steve Camp, 4, and Mike Rocks, 6, of Villasf'shared first place in the under six boys’ division with three fish each. John Duncan and Dave Mayer, 5, of Town Bank, tied for second place in the under six division. On the up-to-six side for girls. Dana Atkinson of North Cape May, tied with Carrie Malin for top honors. They also tied for first place honors for girls under six and each won Penn reels for their efforts.

In the seven to 13 competition for girls, Chris Rocks, 9. of Villas, took the honors with seven sun fish. She also was awarded a Penn reel for her efforts. In the boys seven to 13 class, top honors went to Ed Rocks, of Villas, and Jamie Errico of Cape May. The two tied for first with 11 sunfish each. Second place went to Kevin Taniguchi of Green Creek, who had 10 sunfish. PENN REELS went to Dana Atkinson and Carrie Malin, Ed, Rocks and James Errico for their prize-winning efforts. All of the prize winners received plaques and all contestants received a free Mai Tai fishing lure, a citation and a contest entry badge and pin. The contest was sponsored by the Cape May County Department of Public Affairs as part of the County Park Fair fund raising effort. While the contest was aimed at the smaller members of thfr^-family, parents and diner adults joined in by assisting and rooting for the young competitors. Several families entered all eligible members and the others picniced or enjoyed other park atttractions while the contest was in progress. The county park pond, incidentally, is fishable amost year 'round and a lot of young anglers do enjoy catching the fish that are available there. The county park is quite an attraction in itself with picnic areas, the zoo, a host of recreational opportunities and facilities from a barbecue for a family to a shelter for a group or family reunion.

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If you haven't checked out the park and its many facilities, stop In. In salt water activity, about the time the fish started to cooperate again, we had a blast of northeast air which slowed the enthusiasm of the anglers. Boats did fish Saturday, however, and the top fish reported to us was a ninepound fluke decked on Capt. Jack Blake's Wildwood II out of Wildwood Crest by Lisa Minnick, of New Castle, Pa. Lisa is 13. Capt. Blake said two long drifts were productive and that anglers boated as many as 15 on the trip. FLUKE FISHING should remain good in the ocean and lower Delaware Bay well into October. Unfortunately, many anglers give up way too soon on fluke and the best fishing often escapes them. If the fall weather remains good, keep your boat around and ready a few weeks longer than usual and you can enjoy those fantastic fall runs of weakfish, fluke and bluefish which come dawn the coast. Fluke usually are the August-September mainstay for the party boat bottom fishing fraternity. Some sea bass, tautog and a few porgies are being caught, but usually these fish are sought after as an addition to fluke fishing or when there is a temporary late summer lapse ih fluke activity. Check with your favorite skipper to determine what he is going after. Bluefish chumming is another fishery which gets ignored as the season winds down. Weekday and weekend nights in September and October offer an excellent opportunity to fish with lots of rail room and bigger fish. Those same bluefish, which weighed 10 to 15 pounds on the scale during the summer, will be 12 to 18 pounds in October. They seem to fatten up once they settle down on their northern migration and again for the trip back down the coast. Blues also migrate right along the coast and it is not unusual to catch some of those big stammers right in the surf on cut bait and atom or other surface poppers. WEAKFISH. TOO. school up and follow the coast south in the fall. Make plans now for some of that fine light tackle action as weaks, blues and even striped bass coming down the coast in September (late), October and November will take jigs, Hopkins Lures, Diamond Jigs and an assortment of other plugs, bucktails and bait. As summer passes and fall comes, look for wreck fishing to pick up as blackfish, ling and sea bass move in. Some cod and pollock will move onto the inshore wrecks. Big Fluke: John Jackominich of Churchville, Pa., boated a 12 pound fluke (see photo) while fishing aboard the String Ray with Ray Rizzi. John was using minnow and squid bait in the Rips. The fluke was weighed in at Joe Rodia's Tackle Shop in Rio Grande. Joe Damico of Philadelphia weighed in a

53 pound tuna he caught on Bob McNulty’s Canyon Whaler in a trip to the 40-fathom line. Fran McNulty was aboard on the trip which also saw two white marlin released and a 45 pound tuna boated. John Binder of Rockledge Pa. caught a 10 pound 11 ounce weakfish and nine fluke while fishing from Stan Penska's Avalon Anchorage near 9 and 11 Markers in Ingram's Thorofare. Laura Stecklair of St. David’s, Pa., boated a 5 pound 5 ounce fluke on a minnow, also between markers 9 and 11 in Ingram's Thorofare. Stan reported a pickup in crabbing action. Delaware Bay weakfish activity has picked up in the Bug Light vicinity. Some weaks are also being caught along the edges of the Four Fathom Slough. Lower bay catches center on fluke from the Ferry Slough down to the rips. Best weakfish catches have been made on top and bottom rigs fished with squid and a piece of clam or shrimp. Upper bay (Fortescue-Maurice River area) weakfish catches have been best on shedder crab. Some anglers are picking up weaks mixed t with fluke. TOURNAMENT WINNERS: Sal Sorace's Five Stars, out of Cape May, won the Fish for Life Marlin Tournament with 209.5 points in a three day event which drew 136 boats for the benefit of the Leukemia Society of America. The tournament

BIG FLUKE — John J. Jackominich of Churchville. Pa., with the 12pound fluke he boated in the Rips from Ray Rlzzi's boat Sting Ray on a minnow-squid combination bait. was a two-port affair with boats sailing from Atlantic City's Frank S. Farley Marina and from South Jersey Marina. The marlin competition was won by the Twin Tees, from Atlantic City with 211 points. The Second Time Around out of Cape May took the tuna event and the End of the Line out of Cape May won the dolphin title with a 25 pound fish. The Wahoo award was taken by the Sunny Omega out of Atlantic City with a 47 pounder. A three-way tie for the top marlin award went to the Nine G’s out of Cape May, the Gina Lisa out of Atlantic City and the Twin Tees out of Atlantic City. All three boated identical 61 pound white marlin. The Five Star took the largest tuna honors with a 281 pound fish, but the Twin Tees took the tuna title with the most cumulative points.

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