- 50

Herald & Lantern 2 November '83

sports.

outdoors

with Lou Rodta

Plenty of Fish, But Few Anglers

i with *

mu* difficulty that we write a fishing col umn a! times when there are plent) of fish around, few if any anglers pursuing them and little hope that tw many anglers will dust 'iff the rod and reel and the warmer Hothes and pay However for the few wtm are still fishing, he advised that while there is a nip to the^pir the water temperature is still warm enougft to keep the fish in the area in large numbers Surf fishing heats up a little at this time of year Bait moves ou> of the bays and along the coast to warmer climate and the fish tend to follow the hait Blue-fish, weakfish. striped bass and spotted weakfish are .imong the fish which follow this pattern And as the concentrations of these lish build up along the coast, there is a tendency tor them to group up in

tight schools which feed voraciously at times Sea gulls screaming and diving at the bits of bait are a give-away when surfacefeeding fish are in the area. For the light tackle enthusiast. no fishing time of fers more pleasure than now if you want spectacular action. The intensity of the sport heightens if you happen to have an affinity for catching fish which you can see hitting a plug or lure on or near the surface WORKING A school of breaking fish is an easily mastered art if you remember that fish will react to noise and commotion The best way to approach a school of working fish is to slow down well away from the school and ease into the area quietly. Shut down your engine apd begin casting Stay around the edge of the school rather than

^ VILLAS FLOOR COVERING ACROSS FROM VILLAS LUMBER CO Bayshore & Weber Ave. 886-5500

through it or in the middle of it Stop on the up-wind side of the school so that wind and/or tide drift will take you away from rather than into the school Fished properly, schools of fish will remain on the surface for a long time before they submerge and move on Spinning tackle or revolving spool baitcasting reels work best for this kind of fishing, although lots of fish are caught at this time of year with a conventional boat rod and a diamond jig or Hopkins lure which is dropped to the bottom at the end of the line and reeled hack in in an erratic jerking movement called ‘jigging.’ Lure choice includes bucktails with or without a trailer such as squid, pork rind, twister tails or even strips of cut bluefish Added effective lures include shiny lures which can be cast or jigged such as the Hopkins in an Assortment of sizes, all shagies and sizes of Diamond yjigs or Able lures, surface plugs such as the Atom popper and deep running or swimming plugs ^uch as Rebels and Rapa las. Another advantage to late season fishing is the relatively little boat traffic. Week-ends draw more boats than weekdays, but there are lots of days when few, if any boats are our fishing in perfectly fishable weather. HOWEVER. IT is onlyfair to point out that for safety’s sake, the days are shorter, fewer boats are around if there is a mechanical problem and since few, if any, people are frequenting the marinas and boat ramps, no one might miss you if you do not make it back to the dock. Someone should know where you will be fishing and when you should reasonably be expected to return to the dock Airplane pilots call them “flight plans" and we urge boaters to tell someone when and where they will be at least as far as general

MONAGHAN'S AUTO TIRE CENTER

EXPIRES NOV. 19TH '•oiow raw in MOtr Front-End Alignment • '"ioect J'W Co-'Pfl *.« D*rw<M • bei •eon' •*«•*■

Lube, Oil Change & Filter

MONAGHAN

AUTO TIRE CENTER jisMuan nouuM iuiiu cm au m: x u a > »a. ui i u •• •«

area is concerned. Marine Police and Coast Guard personnel find it much easier to locate vessels in distress if they know about where to look for them. Bluefish: Reports from north of the Jersey Cape indicate that the warm water off the coast is holding at above 60 degrees, slowing the arrival of the big slammer blues from New England and New York, a few have shown up. Some have hit the surf and some are attacking sea bass and porgies hooked by bottom and wreck fishermen who are reeling in their catch only to have a bluefish gobble it up. Surf fishermen have also seen a scattering of slammers The early beginning of a Northeaster always is a good time to hit the surf. The water is just starting to churn up, fish feed actively before the storm, and bait seems to be pushed in and along the beach Our early striper fishing years found us on the beach and/or jetties on the first day of the northeaster and for the remainder of the blow we would fish the inland waterways, trolling and casting lures around the sod banks, looking for the bass which had moved out of the ocean and into relatively calm waters. THE BEST TIME to fish following any blow is as soon as the water clears up, which may take a tide or two after things settle down. Weakfish are still being reported up in Delaware Bay and as these fish drop out of the bay they will add to the supply coming down the coast to make for some hectic action. However, anglers will have to keep an eye toward the ocean so that when the migration of blues, weaks and stripers passes here they are ready for them. Best weakfish catches have been from the beach out to about two miles and in water 50 feet in depth or less. As far as other fish are concerned, there is still a good supply of sea bass

along with porgies and blackfish on the wrecks. Some boats are sailing weekends. Others are available for wreck fishing on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday schedule and some are fishing just weekends. Charter boats are still available for this late fall surge of action. Private boats can launch at

several of the ocean-area ramps within minutes of the inlets. Check availability of gas, bait and ice when you launch. A call ahead to someone close to the area you want to fish will help. Tackle shops are open on limited schedules and a call to them or to your favorite skipper will help.

Bikers Raise $1,598 For Hospital Drive

BIG MARLIN — Anglers Scott Pagliughi, Fred Cahvater and Rich Maineri, of Vineland, with Capt. Marty Pagiiughi of Avalon, show off 285-Ib. blue marlin caught on the “Mar-Lyn” out of Sport Fishing Center, avalon, in late September.

Coaching Call C/fc MAY - The City is looking for coaches to volunteer their time for Youth Basketball and Hockey leagues. Any person interested in coaching is asked to contact the Department of Civic Affairs at 884-8411, ext. 20 or 27.

COURT HOUSE - Local bikers raised $1,598.40 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital on Sept. 25, as they pedaled in the Middle Township W’heels few Life Bike-a-thon. "Tbe ride showed that Middle Township understands the importance of research being done at St Jude Hospital,” Bike-a-thon chairman Mayor Michael J. Voll said in announcing the ride's results. “Everyone who participated did a wonderful job. I would like to personally thank my CoChairman Alan Morris for a great job !” Voll also thanked Susan Sea brook, Sam and Joan Brewer, and the Cape MayCourt House McDonald’s for refreshments. CHENEEN DAILY and Anne Staples were the two participants who collected

the most money. Each will receive a $50 U.S. Savings Bond donated by Marine National Bank and Guarantee Bank. They will also receive a St. Jude’s Tote Bag for collecting over $75 in pledges. Other participants who collected $75 or more in pledges are: Hans Krown, Clay Smith, Jane Ault, Agnes Maroszek, John Higgenbottom, Brad Faircloth, Steven Sinkway, Christine Meany, and Kelly Mulvenna. Kara McVey and Samantha Brewer for the Middle Township High School Key Club, Chris Martin, Stephanie Svard, Tim Dehoratiis, Lisa Osmundson, Nicole Cinowski, Scott Newbold, Melanie Porch, Gwenda Accardi, Holly Hevener and Cathy Peterson each collected $25 or more in pledges.

BOB & J0N‘S TV IALES. SERVICE - RENTALS ★★★★★★★★ TV RENTALS ON SALE NOW

*50 AND UP ★ ★★★ ★★★■* 2501 DUNE DR. AVALON 9-5 DAILY. EXCEPT SUN EVENNGS BY APPT

[TT 9674491