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Delaware Bay Fishing Tops Hot Action ™ X

There is probably no better fishing anywhere on the East Coast than that to be found right now on the Jersey Cape* And. if the pieces fall into place, it. can only get better. The best action in Delaware Bay. where weakfish. fluke and bluefish are all biting well enough 16 make top notch action for one and all Private, charter and party boats are all making the run to Delaware Bay from Cape May-Wildwood ports

Boat ramps provide access from the Villas ane^Reed's Beach. The Cape May Harbor and its several boat ramps also provide access through the Cape MayCanal. Jersey Cape partyboats plan to fish daily as long as there are fares. Boat liveries likewise will remain open. FOB TIIE charter and party boats, the quality of the bay fishing right now should be a natural to extend the season. Customers

and good weather are the keys to making this month and October good season extenders. Each year, the fall fishing in Delaware Bay remains good long after anglers quit fishing there. By closing down their season early lots of fishermen miss the best that the Jersey Cape has to offer, and this year will be no exception. While the bay is hot. (here is still lots of ocean fishing ahead in the ocean and in the surf. IT USUALLY takes a couple of really big northeasters or some severe weather'' to move the weakfish out of Delaware Bay. The fluke start to move a little earlier, but as the water temperature drops, some big slammer blues move into the bay. Again, most anglers miss this really fine light tackle action on some of the biggest bluefish you will ever catch. These are big. fat. sassy blues that move up into Delaware Bay where they spend a few weeks nibbling away at bay bunkers • menhaden) and some of the other baitfish and small fish still hanging around. ANGLERS WHO have been fishing these blues find that the best method is to drift. A 20-lb to 40 -lb class fishing outfit is about normal for these blues Lighter tackle can be used, but be prepared for some exciting battles when these slammers take a bait Use a 6/0 to 9/0 hook on a short wire leader Attach the swivel at the" end of the wire leader directly to the end of the line. If you want to add some weight, a pinch lead or two will help get the bait down a little. Some anglers fish near the bottorn with a fish finder rig and a hook with a wire leader tied to the end of the line. Those fishing in this manner usually anchor up THE BEST bait is a whole small bunker or a slab or bunker filet Cut spot also produces blues, as does cut mackerel if any is still available A few are caught on mullet If vou

want a change in your fishing "diet", a trip to Delaware Bay when those big slammers move in is a must. As for the present time, weakfish can serve to keep anglers busy and pleased with the results. Most of the weakfish action will be on bait fished on top and bottom rigs. Anchor up on the edges of some of the shoals and sloughs or drift in the same areas. Those who drift have a better shot at catching fluke mixed in with the weaks HERE ARE some of the "hot spots" in the bay: The area around 14 Ft Light. The inshore edge of the Bay-shore channel all the way from the canal to Bug Light (which is located on top of Deadman!s Shoal). The mouth of Coxe Hall Creek. The area between Town Bank and Wildwood Villas about l'a miles off the beach. There are plenty more "hot spots" if you look on your baychart and seek them out. Best times for weakfish are right before and right after high and low water and in the tide times before the current gets too swift. As the tide flow picks up it becomes harder to keep baits on the bottom and to feel the bites USE AS LITTLE lead as possible. The lighter the weight, the less apt the fish are to feel it. and the lighter the tackle you can use to fish these bay weakies. Some anglers prefer a top and bottom rig fished with a hook with a 24-to-30-inch leader on the bottom arm of the rig and a 12-to- IB-inch leader on the top hook. This rig can be everything from a plain hook 1 1 /0 to 3/0 size ) to one with bucktail dressing, spinners and beads to help attract fish. These usually are marketed as some kind of a "Killer Rig" or a Weakfish/fluke combination rig. They do work well at limes USING A double hook rig often provides deuble action when fish will hit on both hooks These double headers can both be I weakfish or there are also fluke/weakfish twin bills at times Other anglers prefer to fish a single hook on a long leader for weakfish on the | premise that it is easier to I net a fish on a single hook ' rig and less tangles between rig and landing net result. Another advantage to the single hook rig is that | a much longer leader can I be fished. At times, leaders >] as long as four feet fished j I from a three-way swivel I one to four feet off the bottom work well for weakies. BAITS FOR weakfish are varied. Squid is the most popular It fishes easily and is readily available. All ) tackle shops stock frozen | squid It is also an easy bait ' to prepare for fishing. And. yet. squid is one of the most abused of all of the baits. It is a shame to see how some anglers treat their squid. We have a rule concerning squid. It says, simply, that if the squid is not fit for human consumption, it is not fit to use as fish bait. Squid comes frozen most of ^ the time. When you get the squid, thaw it in a bucket of salt water. Once the squid is thawed, skin off the

purplish outer membrane. OPEN UP the body sac and cut the flat piece of squid into strips. The length can vary from three or four inches to as long as possible from the squid body. Cut the strips a half inch wide at the widest end and taper the strip down to a point at the other. Once you get the squid cut up. put it into a plastic container and ice the container down. Take out only what you are fishing with and leave the rest on ice until you need it. Squid left out in the hot sun gets pink and mushy. It is actually spoiled and unfit to eat. Spoiled squid actually will repel fish rather than attract them. NO MATTER what bait you use. it should be prepared and kept refrigerated until you put it on the hook. Other weakfish baits include shrimp, clam strips, cut mullet, mackerel strips, cut bunker, strips of bluefish filet or even the white underbelly of the weakfish.

Shedder crabs are hard to get, expensive and the ultimate in weakfish bait. Some anglers swear by them. At times, the successes when shedder crabs are used speak well for this bait. Use them when you can or if you choose. But shedders are not necessary for a successful weakfish outing. STRIPED BASS: Bob Kiely of Glenmore, Pa. stopped in for some bait for a casual trip to the surf at 79th Street in Stone Harbor. Lou Bachman. at Smuggler's Cove in Stone Harbor. provided some spot. Kiely treked down to the beach and his trip was rewarded with a 21-lb., 3'2-oz. striped bass which measured 354 inches long. Bachman said the back bay was producing some kings, sea bass, weakfish and snapper blues. The best news was that crabbing was excellent. CATCH: At Sea Isle City. Capt. N'eill Bobbins of the Copt. Robbins said wreck fishing continues to pro(Page 53 Please)

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Cape May County ALMANAC SEPTEMBER 1985 Wt>ON PHASES/POSITIONS CORRECTION T1ME.S The Moon's effrct on thr Tide is Compute approximate times greofest when closest to Earth of high * tow water for your (in perigee I and when in direct ; ar*a by adding or subtracting alignment with Sun A Earl h 'he following number of l/ull A new moon phases) On minutes for each tide phase in and about these dates, low ">e fide Table pressure systems and/or strong winds l depending upon dtrec lion) may result In flooding and/or extremely low tides Moon Phase* 1.0W HIGH Full Moon 2* Great Egg Harbor Inlet Last Quarter 7 p. N'» " „ P"»10 Lint Quarter si Ocean City (9Ui St Bndge. plus 3S plus 22 Apogee i Corson Inlet i bridge) Perigee 16 plus 21 plus 7 Sea Isle City i Ludlam Thoro Bridge t plus 66 plus 43 TIDE TABLE Sea Isle City Beach Computed for Cape May C.fy minus2 minus 21 - , i*™-,-.. Sra.HU. Bad, « 28 Wed 7 12- 7 30 12:86-12:57 p,US lS 0 29 Thu 7 56— 8 13 1 36- I 4fl „ St00f tUrbor 30 Fri 8 28 8 53 2 20- 2 34 (Great Channel Bridge) 31 Sal 9 16- 9 31 3 00- 3:15 Ph»«3 plus 40 1 Sun 9 54-10 08 3:36- 3:55 Hereford Inlet t Anglesea i 2 .Won 10:30-10:45 4:11- 4:32 plus 19 o 5 tiZl'"* fff" Wildwood Beach * ™ea " *> 5.11— 5:46 Minus 2 ,, 5 Thu 12:02-12 23 5 46- 6:26 , u, , . '6 Fn 12:44- I 08 6:23- 7:24 West Wildwood 7 Sat 1 32- 1 56 7:13- 8 34 'Grassy Channel bridge) 8 Sun 2 28- 2:52 8:22— 9'40 P'uS46 plus 43 9 Moo 3:37- 4 00 9:32-10:38 Cape May Harbor 10 Tue 4 46-- 5:06 10:31—11:28 plus I minus4 11 Wed 5:48— 6:04 11:28— Five Fathom Rank 12 Thu 6:«- 6:58 12:19-12:31 F"*°™ , ' 13 F2i 7:26— 2:42 1:M— 1:H . I*"' 14 Sat 8 11- 8:25 1:51— 2:03 , r*l* May Point 15 Sun 8:54- 9:09 2:38- 2:54 Plus* plus 34 16 Mon 9:39- 9:55 3:18 — 3:41 McCne Shoal 17 Tue 10:26-10:43 4:01- 4:29 plus 28 plus 22 18 Wed 11:17-11:38 4:45- 5:19 Delaware Bay 19 Thu -12:10 5:32- 6:15 Ravshore Ph.nn.1 20 Fn 12 34- 1 08 6:28- 7:21 . 21 Sat 1:35- 2:10 7:30- 8 33 "Boy-Canal Junction) 22 Sun 2 42- 3:15 8 44- 9:42 P,U8<7 plus 36 23 Mon 3:54— 4:23 9:53—10:42 Miami Beach 24 Tile 5:07- 5:29 10:54-11 36 plusTS p|us6l 5 t2 I £! :;S=iS „ s^r 29 Sun 8:47- 9:02 2:27- 2:52 P1"*77 phis 52 30 Mon 9:20- 9:38 3:03- 3:29 L*