sports

outdoors with Lou Rodia

Big , Hungry Blues Passing Through

The Big BirdCatches big fish At least, it did for Daivd Pickril of Marlton. On a recent trip to Five Fathom Bank with Kevin Tinney on Tinney's boat Big Bird, Dave hooked and landed a 19 1/2-lb. bluefish. As bluefish go, that's a BIG bluefish Lots of blues are caught in the 10 to 15-lb. * class, but when these fish start to hear 20 lb. they are monsters and really do battle. And. it's only the beginning of what can and usually does happen in the fall when the big slammer blues depart from northern waters and pass through Cape May County on their way south to warmer climates. The blues in the fall are big, fat and sassy, having spent the summer

gorging themselves on bait up and down the Jersey Oast all the way to NewEngland. As they pass here they are moving rapidly and feeding as if there was no tomorrow. They migrate south from the surf line to as far out as the boats can - and do go, so you can catch a big blue just about anywhere. WRECK FISHERMEN who are picking up sea bass and tautog often lose their catch (and their rigs) to big blues which are lurking around the wrecks looking for lunch On many offshore trips anglers switch over to metal jigs and big bucktails to look for a shot at a slammer blue to break up the day. It is habits such as we see in the fall with

t blues which make them the prime target for fishmen all along the Atlantic Coast. Look for bird action I along the beach, in your > boat or from a sod bank in s the back waters. It may » well be a school of snapper i blues. Then, again, it may i be some of these monsters in the 10 to 20-lb. class. Or both. With the abundance .of weakfish in the one to fourpound class in Delaware Bay. the back bays and the Atlantic Ocean, Hon't forget that there is a good chance to catch weakfish under the bluefish if you come across a school of surface-feeding blues. A heavy bucktail, diamond jig or a Hopkins Lure will get you down under the blues for a shot at "the weakfish. Wire leaders ahead of the lures save the jig from being gobbled up by a slammer blue. Wire often slows down weakfish action, especially in real clear water. You might try a short shot of mono in the 60 to 80-lb. class ahead of the jig, but even the heavymono leadei hampers weakfish catches at times. BIG FLUKE: Big fluke continue to swell the catches for back bay, ocean front and Delaware Bayanglers. Ed Friebei of Millviile boated a 7 1/2-lb. doormat fluke while on a recent outing from Sun Penska's boat livery in Avalon. Ed was using a minnow for bait when he hooked his fish at 4A buoy. On Capt. Ed Olsen's Wildwood 111 out of Wildwood Crest, Henry Linker of Philadelphia boated a 9-lb., 6-oz. fluke at No. 9 buoy. Capt. Ed said there is a heavy concentra-

tion of fluke and weakfish from Brown Shoal all the way to the rips with lots of three to five-pound fish mixed in. Capt. Olsen sails daily for fluke. Tom Patterson of North Cape May took a Sea Star II pool with his 6-lb., 14-oz. fluke. The Sea Star 11 will also be sailing daily for fluke (through Oct. 21) and reports steady action on both weaks and fluke, with promise of continued good fishing ahead. WHILE THESE were not of doormat proportions, two youngsters 13, did catch nice fluke to take pools on Capt. Paul Thompson's Porgy HI. Scott Aigayer 13, of Philadelphia won a pool with a three-lb. fluke. Brad Wright of Lindenwold caught a 3 1/2-lb. pool winner. Weaks are mixed in with fluke catches on the Progy III with anglers averaging 20 to 25 fish per trip. The Porgy 111 is sailing daifv. REPORTS: In other action, bluefish trolling and chumming trips have been productive. Some good catches are also being reported by anglers who stop their boats and jig with metal lures and big bucktails. There is a big spread of blues, and while the various shoals and Five Fathom Bank are always productive, blu^ can be almost anywhere this time of year. Look for bird action. Later on, big blues will invade Delaware Bay and lots of fish in the 15 to 20 lb. class will be caught on light tackle. It's a prime way to fish. At Cape May, Capt. Dan Guss of the Huntress reported over 700 lb. of jumbo blues for the Carpenters Local No. 845 charter from Clifton I— Heights. Pa. Capt. Dan also reports good weakfish catches from two to four lb. off Hereford Inlet; excellent , fluke fishing off Cape May Point and top notch fluke action in the Rips. ROYAL FLUSH fourhour trips are producing lots of fluke, weakfish and small blues. Night bluefish action continues to produce lots of slammers. Bill Kurzeja of Oxford Circle, Pa., caught a 10-lb. weakfish on a day trip. Soody Bcvans of Laurel, d. was high hook with 10 fluke and six blues. Jerry Falon of Philadelphia caught a 12-lb. blue on a night trip and Bob Veager, also of Philadelphia, landed a 13-pounder. Jim Hendry had 19 big blues. He's from Linden wold. At Sea Isle City, Capt. Neill Robbin has been

dividing his days between weakfish and sea bass. His all day trips consist of a half day of weakfish action and a half day of sea bass fishing. Bill Wilson of Ontario, Canada, decked 37 sea bass and weakfish. They were up to four lb. Harvey Wilson'of Philadelphia boated a fivelb. sea bass. Capt. Jim Solley of the Happy Days said fluke fishing has been good all along the beach from Wildwood to Cape MayPoint. Some weak and blues are mixed in. The Happy Days is sailing all day leaving at 8 a.m. Big Blue: Scott Dudley of Vineland, a 7-year-old angler who was fishing on his dad's boat the Thumper, caught a 14 1/2-lb. bluefish around FFB buoy east of Wildwood. WEAKFISH TOURNAMENT. A fall weakfish tournament has been scheduled for the MargateOcean City area out of Anglers Roost marina. Charley Zaimes and Dmitri Zaimes, of Angler's Roost, set the dates for Sept. 28. 29 and 30. Registration is $60 and half of the fee goes to prizes. The other half will be donated to the Coast Guard Flotilla No. 84 building fund. Call Anglers Roost at 822-2272 for information or write them at Angler's Roost, 9401 Amherst Ave., Margate N.f 08402 for a copy of the contest entryblank and a copy of the rules. It's a three-day event but you do not have to fish all three days. It comes in time for the fall run of weakfish along the beach and in the back bays, and should be an interesting tournament.

ODD CATCH: it' Bogschultz of Wildwood caught a 1 1/2-lb: fluke in Grassy Sound on cut flounder bait. Apparently this fluke had a hard time telling which side was up, since it had spotted pigmentation on both sides instead of the usual brown and spotted top and white underside. One of the ways to determine how long fluke have been in the inland waterway is to check the coloration. Light colored fuke have either come from a white or light sandy- bottom or they have just come in from outside. Darker fluke are coming from dark bottom and generally have been inside for a while to affect that dark pigmentation. *

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Cape May County ALMANAC - 1 OCTOBER

MOON PH ASKS /POSITIONS Thr Moon's ajftct on the Tide is greatest when closest to Earth I in perigee I and when in direct alignment with Sun 6 earth (full k new moon phases) On and about these dates, low pressure systems and/or strong winds ( depending upon direction; may result in flooding, and extremely Moaa Phur» Pint Qaartrr — Ijl Full Moon i Lust Quarter 17 New Moan 24 Perigee 3 8 tide table Computed for Cape May CUy beachfront , for other areas, see Correction Times date high low 26 Wed 9 22- 9 42 3:01- 3:27 27 Thu 10 11 10 32 3 47- 4:16 . 28 FVi 11:03—11:25 4:E- 5:06 29 Sat 11:54- 5:19- 5:59 30 Sun 12 18- 12:49 6:10- 6:57 1 Man I 16 — 1:45 7:09- 8:05 2 Tue 2:17- 2:45 8:15- 9 11 3 Wed 3:3- 3 49 9 24-10 11 4 Thu 4:30- 4:51 10:25-11.02 5 Fn 5:31- 5 47 11:18-11 48 6 Sat 6:20- 6:35 -12:07 7 Sun 7 02- 7:15 12:3-12:54 8 Moti 7 38- 7 S3 1:12- 1:35 9 Tue 8 13- 8 28 1:51- 2 16 10 Wed 8 45- 9:03 2:28- 2 54 11 Thu 9:17- 9:35 3:01- 3:31 12 Fn 9 49-10:10 3 31— 4:05 13 Sal 10:21-10:47 4:03 - 4 40 14 Sun 10 58-11 28 4:30- 5 16 15 Mori 11:41- 4:56- 5:58 16 Tue 12 18-12:34 5:39- 7:00 17 Wed 1 19— 1:35 6:41- 8:16 18 Thu 2:24— 2:42 8:12- 9:27 19 Fn 3:36- 3 56 9:3-10:34 20 Sat 4 44- 5 04 10:39-11:18 21 Sun 5:44- 6 04 11:3622 Mon 6 40- 6 58 12:06-12:3 23 Tue 7:3- 7:47 12:56- 1:27 24 Wed 8:14-8:3 1:47-2:18 I

CORRECTION TIMES Compute approximate limes of high k low water for your area by adding or subtracting the following number of minutes for each tide phase in the Tide Table LOW HIGH Great Harbor Inlet Minus 12 plus 10 Ocean CUy ttth St Bridge) plus 35 plus 22 Corson Inlet (bridge) plus2l piu, 7 Sea Isle City iLudlam Thoro Bridge) plus 66 plus 43 Sea Isle City Beach mmus2 minus 21 Townsend Inlet plus 21 plus 4 Seven Mile Beach plus 15 o • Stone Harbor ■ Great Channel Bndgei . Plusti plus 40 Hereford Inlet < Anglesea : plus 19 o Wildwood Beach Minis 2 minus 17 West W ildwood (Grassy Channel bridge i plus 46 plus 43 Cape May Harbor « phs 1 minus 4 Five Fathom Bank phB 11 plus i Cape May Point Plus 46 plus 34 McCne Shoal plus 28 plus 22 Delaware Bay Bayshore Channel ( Bay -Canal Junction ) Pi® 31 plus 36 Miami Beach Plus 75 plus 71 Dennis Creek Entrance Plus 98 plus 64 Brandywine Shoal Lagbt phM77 plus 52

Run Set Oct. 13 OCEAN CITY - A three- i mile Masters Run will kick off the city's second annual Indian Summer Weekend, Oct. 13-14. ] The run will start 10 a.m. j Saturday, Oct. 13, at the | Music Pier, Broadwalk and Moorlyn Terrace. It will continue to the south end of i the boardwalk, then return i to the Pier. ] REGISTRATION is open 1 to men and women 40 and over. The fee, prior to Oc- < tober 10, is $3. On the day of i the run. registration will be j $5 at the Music Pier. Allen- < tcants will receiv^ an « Ocean City Masters Run f "T" shirt. The run will be directed i by the Ocean City Recreation Department and is sponsored by the Ocean City Retail Merchants Association as part of the ' city's Indian Summer Weekend. OTHER FEATURES of the weekend will be a block party and crafts show in Ocean City's downtown business area, a seafood festival and sale on the boardwalk and a sand sculpting contest on the beach. The following week, on Saturday, Oct. 20, Ocean . City will sponsor the Fenton Carey Half-Marathon run for men and women of all ages.

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