sports

outdoors with Lou Rodia After Mackerel , Are Blues Far Behind?

By the time you get to read this one of several things might have happened One. the mackerel will still he here, biting like crazy in the midst of one of the best seasons on these spring run fish in many years Two, the mackerel may have headed for elsewhere, usually to the northern waters where they spend the

summer. Three, they may be bouncing in and out. showing some of the elusiveness which is a trait of these flighty fish. MY CRYSTAL BALL is a little murky when it comes to most fish, but it totally blacks out on mackerel. I'd like to think that the mackerel will stay around at least until the last of April or the first part of May. And

I'd like to believe that as soon as the mackerel go they will be replaced by fluke, weakfish and blues It is Utopian to think this would happen But it would be nice Imagine a shutdown on mackerel one day and a break-open the next day on any or all of the fish listed above. Some are already psyching themselves up for the transition between mackerel and what is to follow. Party boat skippers are telling their fares that they plan to swing over to wreck fishing for sea bass, ling and tautog when the mackerel peter out FOR OTHERS. the hope is that mackerel hang in un til the blues and weakfish are here Boats from Wildwood and Cape May will have a choice if weaks and blues show early. Mackerel will not remain around long when schools of blues move in. since mackerel provide instant lunch for the big chopperlike jaws of the blues It is a fascinating time to fish on the Jersey Cape. Any day now, the picture might change totally There are some reports (as yet uncomfirmed) that a few fluke have been caught on dia mond jigs by mackerel anglers who let their lures down all the way to the bot tom. Last year's fluking in Delware Bay got an earlystart and stayed with us all summer long. INLAND WATERWAY fluke action also started ear ly While the back bay cat-

ches dropped off in summer for most, there were lots of fluke to be caught until fall The biggest problem for late summer fluke action is the water temperature Usually summer back bay water warms up so much that it makes the fluke slug gish. But they will take baits presented properly and on light tackle Early in the season, fluke catches skyrocketed. Small fluke by the hundreds were boated by back bay anglers all along the inland waterway. Some were miniature size Lots should have been throwbacks SOME (FORTUNATELY not the biggest part) of the back hay anglers, kept every last fish, big or little, and proceeded to throw a lot of them away. The waste was appalling Now, a size limit of 12 inches is in the offing for 1985 That will jump to 13 inches in 1986 and 14 inches in 1987 That's where the fluke limit should have been in the first place - for the commercial as well as the rod and reel angler The waste of fish prompt - ed the legislation on size. If the mackerel disgrace keeps-up we'll see limitations on mackerel by numbers. One of our skipper friends who sail a party boat each summer got visited by the New Jersey State Police NO. HE WASN'T in trou ble. It was just that the police stopped down at his dock to ask the skipper to pass the word to other captains and their fares. The word was that over 50 bags of mackerel had been discarded along the north bound land of the Garden State Parkway in just three days around last Weekend. The fish had apparently been discarded by anglers who boated more than they could use and kept the fish only until they could trash them along the highway. Better these fish should have been given away on the boat or returned to the water alive Hopefully, some of those slob fishermen who choose to dump fish rather than to give them away, release them or stop catching so many when they have enough for their own use will get caught by the State Police It would be fitting to see some of the slobs fined for two reasons ONE IS THAT they are wasting fish The second reason is that they are also trashing up the side of the road. Only a slob would consider throwing a bag of fish along the side of the road for someone else to pick up. And, what's worse, as the summer wears on, the fish will spoil quicker. That makes the pick-up job even more unpleasant for someone. We've had the same reports about bluefish. weakfish. ling and whiting and even black drum. We also saw a half dozen marlin dumped along a back road near where we trained our hunting beagles some time back Sharks also wind up being dumped after they are photographed or weighed in in many instances. We're pleased to see that many charter and party boat captains are cautioning fares about wasting fish. Some make it a point to insist on releasing game fish

which are not destined for mounting as a trophy or unless they are too badly injured to survive. FlSHING ACTION: We look at the calendar, the water temperature and past performance to try to guess what the fish are going to do. We also keep in touch with our counterparts to the south At Virginia Beach, the word was that bluefish were already on the horizon last weekend (April 12, 13, and 14). While no blues had been reported, the contact there indicated that mackerel were already north of Rudee Inlet at Virginia Beach and that blues were on their way from North Carolina. By all normal schedules the blues were on their way from North Carolina By all normal schedules the blues should be around Virginia Beach by now and even north of there by the time you read this THAT MEANS mackerel will be chased out of the area The first sign other than a disappearance of fish suddenly will be mackerel with their tails bitten off or mackerel being lost to big ger fish when you reel them to the surface. The first blues are usually lean and mean They are long and skinny from chas-

ing food Some anglers call them racers since they are so streamlined. The same length blue in the fall would weigh two to five pounds heavier in the big sizes. Don't sell early season blues short, though. They generally eat better. They also have a tendency to move into the back bays on occasion. The blues in back waters are usually not in schools and they provide exciting light tackle action in shallow water on the flats. ANOTHER INDICATOR for us is the invasion of Chesapeake Bay by bunkers (menhaden) That came a week or so early this year, indicating that the blues should be up that bay a week or 10 days sooner than last year. Shad season also started two weeks earlier than usual up the Delaware River. At Lambertville anglers' fishing the wing dams there started last Sunday to catch big shad Usually that action comes in late April rather than at mid-month. A lack of rain and low runoff from fresh water should be a big plus for early season bay action. It might make a difference in how many weakfish show up in the spring of 1985 Hopefully, more than last year

Johnson GET UP AND GO Come in and let us match a fishing sailing or cruis ing boat to one of these solid performers from Johnson They're all loaded with the latest outboard technology including VRO automatic variable ratio oiling for added economy and convenience 884-7272 MARINE SUPPLY 1203 ROUTE 109 CAPE MAY NJ

MR. ADVERTISER... "Don't You Miss the Boat!" Catch The Biggest One of All...The Herald and the Lantern FISHING & BOATING SECTION Last year this special section of papers ran all season long and was very popular! Well, this year we plan to make it bigger and better with related stories and photos! Here's your chance to reach over 23,000 potential customers every week! Call Today For Reservations 465-5055

Rio Grande Army & Navy SUMMER DRESS PANTS BEE-MAR SHOPPING CENTER 886-6868 VILLAS Mon-Sat. 9:30-5 Cape May County ALMANAC APRIL 1985 MOON PHASE/POSITIONS ASKS, POSITIONS CORRECTION TIMES The Moon affect on the Tide Compute approximate I, met is greatest when closest to Earth of high & low water for your (in perigee) and when in direct area by adding or subtracting alignment with Sun & earth (full the following number of & new moon phases) On and minutes for each tide phase in about these dates low pressure the Tide table systems and/or strong winds LOW HIGH (depending upon direction) may mZ,. ... "i"** low tides Pl«4>2 ph»10 Mooa Ph.se. City (9lh S< Bridge) Full Moon i Plus 35 plus 22 Ust Quarter 1 1 Carson Inlet (bridge) New Moon ....» piugz, plus 7yFtrsiQwarter » Sea Isle City K Xoaeer iLudlarr. Thoro Bridge) " - £& « " u»« • pi«.« _« i Sea Isle City Beach TIOF TtRI F minus! minus 21 Computed for Cape May City ^ , Townsend Inlet beach/ront. for other areas, tee Plus4 Correction Timet . « Seven Mile Beach IMT*: HIGH low plus 15 ' o a.m. p.m. a.m. p.m. Stone Harbor 24 Wed 10:17-10,-20 4 04- 3 47 Great Channel Bridge) 25 Thu 11:02-11:07 4:43- 4 22 plus43 plus 40 V Sat 12:0^12:33 5 ^ 8 29 ^ ' ' 3 Mon 3:ul IS IS^l' S Wildwood Beach 30 Tue 4:22— 5:10 10 43— II 06 Minus! mint* 17 West Wildwood (Grassy Channel bridge i f \ f P1"8* plus 43 # \ j Cape May Harbor / I ! P*1" 1 minus 4 I I Five Fathom Bank j / Ph*» II phis l V M m. / C\ \ J Cape May Point y 'a ."*1 Lr V pha 46 plus 34 I fy V I / \ McCrie Shoal W sli jl j pltan plus 22 ^WSNpaw^Vf I Delaware Bay • ^ / ) CM \ \ / Baysbore Channel / ./ \ \ I (Bay-Canal Junction) ^ I plus <7 phase f' fri | jlTTTiii V I Mi*m' Btmcb ' ^*41 fs I ry / piu*7s. plus si mill I. y^lj W / Dennis Creek Entrance / Pk"U4 plus 97 f f \_ / / Brandywine Shoal Light ph« 77 phaSS