_sports

outdoors with Lou Rodia

Forget Gloria: Fishing Has Bounced Back

Cape May County was spared by the recent hurricane and while there was still considerable damage, we were lucky. Some of the losses sustained could not be avoided Wind and water took their toll. Property damage was kept from being considerably higher by prompt preventive action by many of the county's residents. Public officials issued the warn-

i ings and almost everyone cooperated. ; Boats were taken from the water early as warning of the storm were broadcast repeatedly Furniture I on patios was taken in or tied down. Windows were boarded up or taped up. Boats which in slips were tied with additional ropes. Some were moved to safer locations AROUND TIIE boat

ramps we have occasion to observe the urgency to get the job done. We saw a lot of cooperation as boaters pitched in to help others get their boats onto trailers and on the way to safety. Some ignored the early warnings and then attempted to get their boats out at the last minute. Some lucked out when they were unable to get to the boats and the boats survived the storm. Others were not so lucky. Those who accepted the warnings and removed their boats from possible danger early helped those who arrived later by keeping the ramps relatively free from jamups. The early reaction also took traffic out of the area and off the road before a real crisis occured ANYONE WHO thinks there was overreaction need only think about the areas which have actually been hit in the past and realize how lucky we are to have escaped the full brunt of the storm. Even though the storm took a passing swipe at us. good fortune positioned the storm of our shores instead of on land and passed us other than at high tide. There is a warning for the future in what happen ed in the storm. It states that if there is a storm war ning. prompt and early action will save property and lives. It would seem that it is better to be prepared and not need the precautions than it would be to sit around and wait until the last minute and then suffer the consequences. NOW THAT the storm has become history and the damage is in process of being assessed and corrected, we are getting calls concerning the quality of the fishing in the storm's aftermath For many who took their boats out and home, the season has come to a premature end The fishing has bounced back in many ways Party boats are try ing to pick up after the storm but there have been few customers Fishing has held up but there is little effort to take advantage of it

Surf fishing has had its successes. Bluefish and some weakfish are being reported on cut bait as well as on lures. Just off the beach, there are bluefish and some weakfish as well. Boats are finding bigger blues offshore but these fish are scattered. DELAWARE BAY is still holding weakfish and blues. The wrecks offshore are holding sea bass and blackfish. All that is needed to make a good fishing season out of what is left of the season is some fishermen. We'd suggest you call ahead to see if your favorite skipper is still sailing. Boat ramps are still available for use, so unless you totally mothballed your boat for the winter, and if it is not too much trouble to do so, you might consider a few more fishing trips before packing it in. Of interest is the number of weakfish still around. As the cooler weather sets in these fish will start to school up along the beaches as they get ready to move south. The weaks and the blues could easily provide good fishing well into November. WRECK FISHING will pick up with ling, cod and pollock being added to the potential for the sinker bouncers. Cold weather does not necessarily end party boat fishing. Surf fishing should also pick up for the next few weeks as blues and weakfish move south along the coast toward warmer water. Jetty anglers and pier fishermen as well can enjoy the southerly migrations. We might even see some striped bass. While there has been a scarcity of these noble fish largely because of pollution in the Chesapeake Bay, some are still around There are some basic changes in striped bass laws along the coast Chesapeake Bay has been closed to all fishing for striped bass for three years. FOR JERSEY Coast anglers, the change is reflected in the new regulations which require all striped bass under 24 in ches long to be returned to the water Anglers are also restricted to five stripers per day The five-fish limit and the 24-inch minimum are designed to bring NewJersey into line with regulations adopted by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to reduce stiper catches along the coast by at least 55 percent Striped bass populations have been declining sharply all along the Atlantic Coast. The efforts to reduce the catch are designed to assist more fish to return to their native waters in Chesapeake Bay to spawn If sufficient stripers make the return trip and in fact to create additional stocks for future striper fishing, the short term inconvenience will have been well worth while. IN FACT. IT would serve all of us best if all stripers were returned to the water unharmed To assist in the conservation of stripers, a number of coastal contest have eliminated the striped bass from consideration Cape May County is one of them There will be no

striped bass prizes in the 1985 and future county contests until such time as the striper is in plentiful supply. Perhaps the moratorium in Chesapeake Bay came too late and perhaps the efforts to save the striper are too little as well as too late. But something is being done and hopefully we will all benefit from the efforts in the long run. REPORTS At Stone Har bor, Lou Bachaman at Smugglers Cove said he has taken all of his rental boats out of the water but the bait shop is still open. Lou's is a good place to go for information this time of year. He reports that blues are being caught in the surf and blues and weakfish are also being caught in the back bays. At Sea Isle City, Capt. Neil Robbins of the Capt. Robbins said his fares are doing well on sea bass. Bernie Wright of Philadelphia boated 125 sea bass. Don Warren of Philadelphia caught 80 sea bass and one slammer bluefish. Eric O'Donnell of Philadelphia caught 138 sea bass At Cape May, Capt. Jim Solley of the Happy Days said his fares were enjoying fair to good fishing. Allen Bowen of Court House caught an 18-lb bluefish to win one pool. Capt. Jim and Mercy extended thanks to all of their customers for their support in 1985. Information for 1986 charters and sailing schedules is available at 609-886-7725. Fields Are Named for Ex-Mayor PETERSBURG - The new sports fields at the Upper Township Middle School here will be named the Frank A Kruk Memorial Athletic Fields The formal dedication ceremonies will be held Tuesday. Oct 22, approximately 4 or 4 15 p.m.. with the ceremonies taking place between periods of a soccer game. Kruk was one of the prime movers in promotion of improved sports facilities and activities for the young people of Upper Township, he had a strong interest in various competitive sports and was in attendance at many games A lifeboat for the Upper Township Beach Patrol was named in his honor in 1984 when special ceremonies were held on the Strathmere beach as the boat was launched. A FORMER mayor of Upper Township. Kruk served his community for several years as a member of its board of education. The Upper Township Board of Education received the assistance of the township committee in making land available between the Middle School and the Upper Cape Branch Library on Route 631. The fields include playing areas for baseball, soccer and field hockey

f Rodia s Tackle Shop in Rio Grande reports good ! bluefish action in the surf I and some tautog and sea bass on the jettie. A good i catch of weakfish was also reported on the Dottie Lin II vbith Capt. Lou Haubois. BLUEFISH CLUE: Schools of bluefish often can be located by spotting 1 birds hovering over the working blues. The birds scream and swoop and dive down to the water to pick up bit of food. Spotting the birds in the distance often enables anglers to make a catch by casting to the feeding fish. At times such as this, the blues with hit surface plugs, swimming plugs, bucktails, Hopkins and other metal Jures and just about anything which can be cast to the fish. Another good trick is to let the lure settle through the school of feeding bluefish. Weakfish often follow the bluefish to feed on the remnants of the bait which settle to the bottom. If you can get your lures down below the blues you have a chance to catch the weakfish. WHEN YOU approach a school of surface-feeding blues, do so quietly. Busting in one the fish wide open will only serve to put the fish down or scatter them Approach the schools so wind and tide will drift you away from the school instead of toward and into the school. The less boat activity the better the action for the anglers who come onto a school of feeding fish With the calendar and the shorter days tell us that summer has passed us by and that winter is on the way. fishing season is far from over There is the winding down of the fishing and the approach of the hunting season. It is a good time of year to go camping. The leaves are starting to turn. Nights are cool and daytime weather is mild to good It is a great time of year for the outdoor person GOP Social VILLAS - The Villas Women's Republican Club will hold a social 7:30 p m Wednesday. Oct 23. at the clubhouse. Bayshore and Weber Roads All are invited

Cape May County - ALMANAC OCTOBER 19X5

MOON PH\SKS/P<lSlTION> I he M<».n t effect on Ihc Tide it grea test when clotevl to Forth nn perigee/ and when in direct alignment with Sun i Forth • lull I new m.x.n phuve si On and utxHit tfcrtr dalev low pretture tvtl emt and or %tru Of winds i depending upon di ret tmn I mils retail in fl, ruling und law tide\ Mi inn Pha-m. full Mann "IM I asl t|u4rlrr * Nrw MMtfl " K.rsl tfiurlri Pall Moon -** .'C" TIIIK TAHI.K < 'imputed for Cape Mm City beachfront for other u-rus tee Correc tion Timet l»\tt UK. II low J m p m j ni |« n» 1 Tip- B 54 hi I.I I K 4 IM 2 Will In 27 Hi W 1 16 4 :» i Thu II U2 II 25 1 14 14 4 Kri 1 1 4n 5 <ti 5 M Sill 12 117 I.I 22 LI f. 4.' i. Sun IJ 58 I I I i. IK 7 SI ; Mt* 1 56 1 12 7 II H OI K Tip- I m i 2" K 9 in < .- I WH 4 12 4 2B I" i* III 54 Hi Thu S II. 5 II II IU II 44 II Kri r. II I, 27 11 S7 12 Sill i. * 7 14 12 Hi 12 .Ml I I Sun 7 41 K iC I 17 141 14 Miin H 2K H 47 2 02 2 H 15 Tue B 14 i 14 Mi I 2:1 Hi W11I in IC in 25 i 15 4 12 17 Thu IU XI II 211 4 21 5 04 IK Kri II 4li . in 5 SB IB Sill 12 211 12 4B I. 16 7 0.1 211 Sun I 22 I Mi 7 1:1 HI) 21 Mull 2 2S 2 54 8 27 B 211 22 TIP- 1 » 1 SB B 17 111 IH it Weil 4 45 5 IU III Ut II 117 21 riui . I" . Y| II II 1 1 Mil 25 Kri 6 28 f. 41 12 IB 26 Sill 7 16 7 21 12 :l> I H4 27 Sun 6 4:1 ii SB I 14 12 46 2K Man 7 IK 7 :15 12 52 I 25 2B Tut' 7 Mi H nn I 2K 2 16 :sn Wed H 2-1 K 44 2 IC 2 42 .11 Thu 8 55 B IB 2 « -I 16 '

•CORRECTION TIMES Compute approximate times of high A low water for your area by adding or subtracting the following number of minufei for each tide phase in the Tide Table IOW lllt.ll ' (Jreal Egg Harbor Intel ! Plus 12 plus 10 ! Ocean City Bth St Bridge* ■ plus as plus 22 ■ Corson Inlel * bridge plus 21 plus 7 Sea Isle City ' l.udlam Thorn Bridge * plus 66 plus 43 S^a Isle City Beach minus 2 minus 21 >]T»wnscnd Inlel plus 21 " plus 4 Seven Mile Beach plus 15 0 Slime Harbor • Ureal Channel Bridge plus 43 plus 40 Hereford Inlel * Anglesea • plus 19 0 Wild wood Beach Minus 2 minus 17 West Wildvvond * Grassy Channel bridge, plus 46 plus 43 Cape May Harbor plus I minus 4 Kive K.i I horn Bank plus 1 1 plus I Cape May Point plus 46 gJus .14 McCne Shoal plus 28 plus 22 Delaware Bay Bayshore Channel • Bay Canal Junction' plus 47 plus 36 Miami Beach plus 75 plus 61 liennts Creek Entrance plus 1 14 plus 97 Brandy wine Shoal l.ighi plus 77 plus i?

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