sports

outdoors with Lou Rodia Things to Remember as Fishing Starts

Winter flounders may be the first real sign that fishing is about to break open on the Jersey Cape, but it is mackerel which seem to give the spring season its first big push. Anglers wait for the mackerel blitz to arrive. For many it is a chance to catch a lot of fish in a short time For others, it is a rite

of spring which heralds big ger and better things For some, mackerel sea son sets the calendar for fishing for several weeks. An early start to mackerel season means warm water and if the weather stays nice, it will mean an early arrival for weakfish and bluefish. THE SEASON gets off to a dramatic start. There are

a few signs of mackerel. Commercial netters are bringing in some fish. Suddenly, mackerel get turned on and the season is under way. Mackerel are flighty fish. Ordinarily they will stay around for from four to six weeks. But there are no guarantees with these fish and our advice is to get out for mackerel early in the season and go as often as you can. Boats from Ocean City to Cape May have started their runs for mackerel. Already mackerel were reported as close in as six miles, putting them within striking range of tots of outhoards. We have seen them within a mile of the inlet. IF YOIJ ARE a mackerel fan and fish your own boat, make sure you do not create a confrontation when approaching boats that are already fishing Some of the boats ( big and small ) seem to think that the way to approach other boats that are fishing is to zoom into the middle of the fleet at full throttle If you are at the helm, approach schools of fish and boats working over them quietly and at a slow speed Slow down away from the fleet and maneuver quietly and carefully to get your position established Each year when the mackerel season starts, we get calls from fishermen who have been harassed-by boat operators who lack good manners. It does not stop there. Some ill-mannered fishermen also plague

others during the weakfish and black drum runs, and on the bluefish grounds as well. A GOOD RULE of thumb is to approach a school of fish so that wind and tide will carry you away from surface action. Once the action dies you can ease back into the edge of the school of fish and start catching again. If you are trolling, troll around the outside of a school of fish rather than through it. If several boats have already circled a school, join in the circle rather than cut across and into the middle of the school Respect boats that are already at anchor. Be polite. Anchor up so that you do not foul the other fisherman's lines or foul up his anchor rope. If a boat is chumming, stay out of his chum slick. There are usually more than enough fish to go around, so create your own slick or stay far enough away so as not to cut the action for others. NOTHING IS more dis turbing than to have made an early start to a favorite fishing spot and to have fish coming only to be bothered by a later arriving boat which kills it for all. No matter what you may see or hear to the contrary, many times fishing action is . killed by motor noise, banging on the decks, flushing the hopper or in geqeral creating surface and subsurface commotion. The shallower the water, the more chance your boat will be a source of annoy ance. If you remember the game you played as a kid in I which you hit rocks together to see how far the sound 40 Surfers Compete, 5 Advance CAPE MAY - The South Jersey District of the Eastern Surfing Assocition held a 2A contest at Stockton Avenue in Cape May recently with 40 contestants On the basis of their high placings, Owen Miller. David Wilson. Scott Garner. Bill Bowman, and Angelo Pulini advanced to 3A ratings. FINAL RESULTS 2A Boys 1 Owen Miller. Cape May 2 David Wilson. Northfield 3 Pete Frenchville. Wildwood 4 Steve Matthews. Linwood 5 Adam Walcoff. Northfield 2A junior Men 1 Scott Garner. Avalon 2 Anthony Cutugno. Somers Point 3 Jay Smilyk. Wilmington DE 4 David Zeitz. Margate s Rob Callaghan. lanwood 6 Tom McClaren. Linwood 2A Men 1 Bill Bowman. Ocean City 2 Tom Tozour. Avalon 3 Joe Randazzo, Somers Point 4 Joe Pagan. Absecon 5 Mike Rosen. Margate 2A Masters 1 Angelo Pulini. Margate 2 Jim Karabaz, Norristown. PA 3 Craig Basile. Darby. PA - 4 Kevin Kudok. Avalon 5 Paul Will. North Hills. PA Kneeboard 1. Tom Kirk Avalon 2 Milch Leonard. Ocean City 3 Terry "Dr X" Xughes. Avalon 4 Lisa Roselli. Wildwood Crest 5 Tom O'Brien. Ventnor 6 Ed Lex, Wildwood Crest 7 Skip Jastremski. Wildwood Crest Top Judge 1 Tom Kirk 99% for three heats

travelled you might get an insight into how much noise is conducted by the water TRY TO FISH quietly no matter how big the boat is that you are fishing on Strange noises might hinder or help you. An old time skipper told us once that a shaft squeal, a clanging rudder, a loose itern rolling around in the bilge or even a strange motor noise might change the ability of any boat to catch fish. In one shallow water area we fish, weakfish can be caught for a couple of hours each day on both sides of the high water. The deepest part of the bay is four feet at low water: Some of the bay goes bare at low tide. Several of us had enjoyed good weakfish action for several days in a row. One day a friend who had bought a brand new cathedral-hull-ed boat anchored in the midst of a half dozen boats catching weakfish. THE ACTION quit for the day, as it did each time our friend in the tri-null showed up. Blame it on the boat? Well, maybe. It might have been coincidence. It might also have been noise being created by the anglers inside the boat. We fished a number of years with a man who was well into his 80's when we just showed up down here. He rowed his boat out into Delaware Bay He never fished over six feet of water at high tide He never allowed us to make noise A throw rug padded the bottom of the boat. Sneakers were per mitted, but he preferred bare feet. Tackle boxes were metal or wood back then. If you had a metal one he preferred you leave it home. Metal tubs for fish were a no-no. IF YOU DROPPED something in the boat, be it

a bait knife, a sinker or a piece of fishing tackle, you got a look which would chill the marrow of Satan himself. Did it all help? We know it didn't hurt to be quiet, because we caught a lot of fish on our shallow water trips, Do motors scare fish? Ask any angler who has had a school of night weakfish up under the lights around any of the back water bridges. The first boat through the bridge kills all of the action. Of course, a big issue is not whether or not noise disturbs fish. It is one of simple courtesy. Fishing is supposed to bring out the best in all of us. We see countless examples of this. ANGLERS SHARK their boats with others. They share their catch. They share bait and lures. They offer assistance in time of breakdown. They pass on good tips via the radio as to where the fish are biting They pass on weather information They help each fither tie down boats in case of ftnpcnding storms. They bail out boats for anglers who are not around when bad weather hit. Anglers for the most part respect their role in nature's way of things. They do not trash up the environment. They do not pollute with engine waste oil. They do not waste fish They engage in good sportsmanlike behavior. At least most do. Sure, it is fun to get caught up in the action. It is fun to catch a lot of fish. It is fun to catch bigger fish than your buddies, and in fact, fun to catch more. All are worthy goals. Fishing is for salving the ego. It is for putting food on the table. It is for relaxation. It is for fun and fellowship. Be a sport Keep fishing a true sport.

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Cape May County ALMANAC APRIL 1985

MOON PHASES/POSITIONS The Moon * affect on the Tide i* greatest when clotetl to Forth (in perigee) and when in direrl alignment with Sun A earth (full A new moon phates I On and (depending upon direction I mav result in flooding and extreme Iv Moon Phase* Full Moon S Last Quarter II New Moon 20 First Quarter 2« Apo*ee 10 Perigee S TIDE TABLE Computed lot Cape Mav City beachfront, for oilier areai. tee Correction Timet DATE HUSH U)M 10 Wed 11:50— 5 28- S 36 11 Thu 12:16-12 50 6 32 - 6 44 12 Fn 1:14— 1-56 7 3ft— 7:57 13 Sat 2:19- 3:04 S(43- 9:04 14 Sun 3:27- 4 10 9:38-10 02 15 Mon 4 26- 5 03 10 28-10 S3 16 Tue 5 19- 5 47 11 13-11 39 17 Wed 6:01- 6:24 II 5318 Thu 6:48- 6 59 12:22— 12:33 19 Fri 7:1ft- 7-31 1:06- 1 11 20 Sat 7:13— 8 06 1 44— 1 46 21 Sun 6 i! _-ft*3S 2 20- 2 :18 22 Mon 9 01- 9 07 2 55- 2 50 23 TUe 9:38 9:42 3 30 3 IB 24 Wed 10:17- 10 20 4 04- 3 47 25 Thu II 02-11 07 4:43- 4 22 26 Fn II 55- 5:33- 5 12 27 Sat 12 03- 12 S3 6:37- 6 29 28 Sun 2:03- 2:59 8 46- 8 56 29 Mon 3 II- 4 07 " 9 45-10 06 in Tbe 4 22 5 10 10 43 11 06

^CORRECTION TIMES OSfepute approximate lime* of high-* low water for your area by adding or subtracting (he following number of / minute* for each tide phate in I he Tide Table LOW HIGH Great Egg Harbor Inlet Plus 12 . pluslO Ocean City <9U> St Bridge) plus 35 plus 22 Corson Inlet (bridge) plus 21 plus 7 Sea Isle City • Ludlam Thoro Bndge) plus 66 plus 43 Sea Isle City Beach minus 2 minus 21 Townsend Inlet plus 21 plus 4 Seven Mile Beach plus 15 0 Stone Harbor (Great Channel Bridge) plus 43 plus 40 Hereford Inlet (Anglesea) plus 19 0 Wildwood Beach Minus 2 minus 17 West Wildwood , (Grassy Channel bndge) plus 46 plus 43 Cape May Harbor I plus I minus 4 1 Five Fathom Bank plus II plus 1 Cape May Point plus 46 plus 34 McCne Shoal plus 28 plus 22 Delaware Bay Bay shore Channel (Bay-Canal Junction) plus 47 plus 36 Miami Beach " plus 75 p!ua6l Dennis Creek Entrance plus 114 plus $7 Brabdvwine Shoal Light plus 77 plus 52