^ spuria outdoors wrth Lou Rodia

Herald & Lantern 31 August '83

Weakfish Are Making S. Jersey Comeback

Nature has its own way of confounding us Weakfish had nil hut disappeared from most of the areas north of Delaware Bay for many years. Then we had good weakfish catches for the past 10 years. Weaks literally exploded in numbers and size and Cape May County became a weakfish watchword for spring fishing During the past two or three years, weakfish tapered off. both in numbers and in size. We had a so-so spring season

which saw only a relatively few big weaks caught. Many of the North Jersey boats which had been coming to the Cape for the weakfish run in the spring stayed home. We are again seeing what may be the forerunner of the quality fishing which 'We enjoyed a few years back. Weakfish in the half pound to 1'*? pound class arc being caught all along the Jersey coast, but there is a big concentration of these fish both in Delaware

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Bay and in the Atlantic Ocean. Party and charter boats as well as the private boat fleet have started to look with renewed interest in the weakfish. They offer plus action for the fluke fishermen who are also picking up snapper blues as well as weaks in their quest for big doormats Fishing top and bottom rigs, anglers get a chance for a fluke on the bottom or weaks and snapper blues on the top hook. Small bits of squid about two inches long are producing best, since the weaks are feeding on small shiners. Lots of weaks are being caught on minnow baits fished with short pieces of squid, bluefish strip or fluke belly. SOME OF THE fish being recorded on the graphs are small bunkers. If your fish finder shows a schooV of fish and they do not bite, try jigging a few of them with a snatch hook. Bunkers will not hit a lure or bait. Fish the bunkers Jive on or near the bottom. They work well on blues and weakfish. FileLs of fresh bunker are one of the finest fluke baits available, by the way, so try fishing cut bunker - on the bottom on your fluke rigs. Unfortunately bunkers do not live long in a live well or minnow bucket. You can do best with keeping them alive in a

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55-gallon trash pail (plastic) with a 12-volt aerator to provide oxygen. Bunkers will pocket in corners in a live bait well and smother, so you will need a round container to keep them alive. They are a great bait for blues, weaks and fluke. It may be worth a try. At Sea jfcle City, Capt. Charles Staffer of the Stor/ish reported that his halfday trips' are producing weakfish-»mt fluke. Although the weakfish are small, they are plentiful, Capt. Shaffer reported. Stor/ish pool winners included Jim Russell of Douglassville, Pa., with a 3- lb. blackfish; Bill Femly of Millville, with a 3Mb. fluke; Tom McGuckin of Philadelphia, with a 3-lb. weakfish and Tom Connell of Wilmington Del., with a 4- lb. sea bass. Ntght bluefish chumming trips have been producing 500 to 700 fish per night. Fish run 10 to 15 lb. and anglers are averaging 10 to 15 fish per trip. Frank Hoffman of Cheech-O’s Lounge in Folcroft, Pa., boated 45 big blues and Ron DiOrka of Franklinville, caught 55. Capt. Nelli Robbins of the Capt. Robbins said the beachfront off Sea Isle City has been productive on weakfish and fluke. Tom Gallagher of Bensalem, Pa., boated 42 weaks and three fluke with the weaks going 3/4 to 1*6 lb. Light tackle fished with a top and bottom rig and small strips of squid work best on the weaks, Capt. Neill said. This kind of fishing lends itself to a good 12 to 15-lb. spinning outfit or baitcaster, he added. A1 Kemp of Philadelphia took Sunday’s pool with a 4-lb., 3-oz. sea bass. Night bluefish catches have been excellent with fish nine to 14 lb. and anglers averaging as many as 30 per trip. Capt. John Royles of the Royal Flush out of Wildwood Crest said daytime fishing centers on mixed bag catches of fluke, weakfish, snapper blues and sea bass. Woody Bevan of Laurel, Md., boated a 4-lb. fluke and Fred Janisziewski of Philadelphia weighed in a 3-lb. pool winner. Blaine Jelus of Secane, Pa., boated a 3'vlb. fluke. Ray Hammond of Westchester, Pa., was high hook with 15 fluke. Don Kelly from Wildwood Villas caught 13 fluke. Night Skipper Mike Weigle reports excellent bluefish catches with blues nine to 14 lb. Recent pool winners included Father Paul frdln N. Wildwood with a 16-lb. blue; Paul Kornish from Melrose Park, Pa., with a 17-lb. blue and Tom Kaiser of Philadelphia with a 16-pounder. High hook for the week was Father Paul with 49 blues. Joe and Eileen Garrity of Philadelphia decked 55 blues between them and Lou Sarnese of Philadelphia caught 36 slammers. AT STONE HARBOR. Capt. Jim Solley of the Capt Cra mer said weakfish and fluke catches have been good at Hereford Inlet. Cluick Aitkens ofGlenside, Pa., and a parfy of three boated over/40 fluke. Wayne McGinnis of Pittsburgh, Pa., was high hook with 12 fluke/ The

Capt. Cramer is taking large charters from groups for September. At Wildwood Crest, Capt. Jim Cicchitti of the Starlight haid night bluefish catches have been ranging 300 to 800 fish each night on blucseight to 15 lb. Ray Duerr, Augie Giardinelli and Dom Viteri of Turnersville, teamed for 122 blues Sunday night. Gary Braddock of Reading, Pa., took the pool with a 16-lb. 2-oz. blue. Daytime fishing on the Starlight is producing spike weakfish and fluke. The weaks range from a half pound to three. K unds. Rob Wilkins of ilaware Valley Florists boated 32 weaks on one four-hour trip. The Starlight will be sailing on its annual Labor Day offshore Wreck Trip for sea bass at 6 a.m. Sept. 5., returning about 5 to 6 p.m. It is an open boat trip with first-come first served rail space. Saturday's six-hour trip on the Twilight from Blake's Dock, Wildwood Crest, produfted 24 weakfish for Tom Whelan of Philadelphia. Cape May Skipper John Poppert of the Fiesta's night bluefish chumming trips from South Jersey Marina said bluefish catches were coming over the rail in hot and heavy action. Rich Todd and Tim Burke of Springfield, Pa., combined for 43 blues. Pool fish have been in the 15 to 18 range on the nightly trips. At Wildwood Yacht Basin in Wildwood Capt. Bill Henfey of the Sea Raider said his week has been good on fluke and some small weakfish, snapper blues and sea bass. Trigger fish are also being boated. Night Captain Ed Watson said bluefish chumming catches have been good on blues averaging 12 lb. Pool winners included Bryan DiGiantomasso of Port Jervis, N.Y. with a 3-lb. fluke; George Kelly from

FLAT OUT - Nick Tomasso of Cliffslde Park holds 4's-lb. fluke he caught while fishing on the Sea Raider with Skipper BUI Henfey out of Wildwood Yacht Basin. Philadelphia with a 3-lb. 2-oz. weakfish; Mack Yocum of Lansdale, Pa. with a 15-lb. blue; Spites Nicholas of Philadelphia with a 2-lb. fluke; Betty Souders of Flourtown, Pa. with a 4Vlb. fluke; and Jack Polcino of Richboro, Pa., with a 12M»-lb. blue. High hook honors went to Greg Rydzewski of Philadelphia with 37 blues.

Race Put Off

vj/ CAPE MAY - The 1983 Cape May Pro-Am Bike Race previously scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 15, has been postponed. A new date will soon be established and released. For information call the Department of Civic Affairs 884-8411, e&t. 20 or 27.

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