_sports

outdoors iwith_LoUBRodi^ Weakfishing Picks Up, Blues Loom Ahead

Last Wednesday, the first real signs that the weakfish run was underway were reported via radio chatter back and forth, and by reports filtering in to area tackle shops. On that day, almost all of the boats fishing in the bay reported catching some weakfish. The reports were encouraging because they included the Cape MayWildwood fleet, the Fortescue-Maurice RiverMatts Landing fleet and the Delaware fleets at Bowers Beach and Lewes, Del. At the same time, a few weakfish were reported on the jetties. Netters were catching more weakfish and the indicators were that milder weather was helping f to raise bay water temperatures. BLUEFISH ARE thick all along the Jersey Coast as far north as Pt. Pleasant. A big slug of bluefish is being reported all the way south below North Carolina. To make the bluefish picture even more encourging, one commercial tile fisherman who packs out at Pt. Pleasant reported back to the dock after a tile fishing trip to the Baltimore Canyon. In the process of bringing his baits back on board, the commercial fisherman caught over two tons of bluefish. That's a lot of blues, and that they are out in Baltimore Canyon indicates there is a big spread of blues.

AS FOR BETWEEN here and the canyon, all of the boats we have talked to that are heading offshore report seeing bluefish action as far out as they go. Blues are in delaware Bay and Chesapeake Bay. They are all along the beach, on the jetties and in the back bays and inlets. Some speculate that the upsurge in bluefish is healthy for that species, but they fear that the numbers of blues may have a bad effect (Mi many other species of fish. Wreck fishermen report losing sea bass to big blues when they attempt to bring hooked fish to the surface. Weakfish anglers in the b ay report seeing loads of blues. WHILE THERE are lots of big slammer blues being caught south of us, it is interesting to note that there are large numbers of blues in the two to eight-pound class as well. Whatever the bluefish population may do to other fish, it is apparent that unless something unforeseen happens, we can look to the bluefish for a lot of our future fishing. Fluke catches, too, have been surprising. Some early fluke catches in April surprised Delaware Bay anglers. Fluke were caught in Delaware Bay long before we expected them, and long before fluke fishing picked up in the back bays. It has been an unusual season in a lot of ways. Here are a few tips which might I

help make your fishing better. FLUKE REPORTS: While there have been no real big numbers, the best catches of fluke in the back bays have come on mackerel or herring strips or-strips of squid fished on bucktails tied directly to the end of the line. Some anglers are reporting good catches on minnow-bait strip combinations as long as the bait strips and the minoows are not too big. Again, bucktails rather than conventioinal fluke rigs have been the most productive way to fish in the back bays. Just get your bait down on the bottom and jig it with short twitches of the rod while you drift along channel edges and along the edges of sloughs. TRY ANCHORING up and casting the bucktaU-bait combos in a circle around the boat. If you do not do well, move to a new location. Remember that the fluke, too, are sluggish in cold weather. Therefore, if your drift is too fast or if you retrieve the bait at too fast a speed, it will be difficult to hook and land an early season fluke. The anchoring up technique works well at times when the wind and tide combine to make the drift too fast. Early Weaks: For early season weakfish in Delaware Bay try tipping your bucktail-plastic worm combinations with strips of mackerel or squid. Some of the best catches so far this season have com eon this bait-lure combination. OPENINGS: Dad's Place on Grassy Sound at North Wildwood, is now. open for the season. This boat livery provides a full line of crabbing and fishing supplies as well as a fleet of rental boats. Dad's Place also sells and services boats and motors. George Dunham said fluke have been reported in the back bays. Crabbing has also been good. Fpr information call George at 522-3911. AVALON REPORT: Al Springer of Avalon Hodge Podge reports a 29 Vi lb. striped bass for Harry Dulin of Westchester. Pa. Harry was trolling at Avalon Shoal with his brother. Jack, in their boat the Moon Shadow when the big striper hit a Rebel plug. The duo also boated a pair of blues. Springer reported a good I run of flounders in the inland waterways on < mackerel or cut herring < strips and bucktails. There | are lots of tog on the ] bridges, as well. Springer : said he is stocking crabs for < blackfish bait on weekends. He will be open daily from Memorial Day weekend. STRATHMERE: Frank's Boat Rentals is now open for the season. Frank's is 10 minutes from Ludlam's Bay, where one of the livery boats boated seven fluke to , 3.2 lb. over the last weekend. , Crabbing has also been good ' at Strathmere. JETTY REPORT: John 1 Marsdrn of Rio Grande i landed five blues to nine 1 pounds on a float rig and / mackerel bait at the Second Street Jetty at Cape May. s REPORTS: Michael f Poekert and his brother, (

Robert, decked four weaks to 1316 lb on an outing on Capt. Charles Selby's party boat Rainbow. "Hie fish were weighed in at Audrey Rodia's Tackle Shop. CAPE MAY: Capt. Al Dulinski of the Big Jim is sailing daily for Delaware Bay. The Big Jim is sailing Friday and Saturday nights for drum and weaks also.. .Capt. John Pop pert will sail nightly for Delaware Bay at7 p.m. for weaks and drum.. ..The Happy Days is sailing weekdays for Delaware Bay for weaks and blues. ...Capt. Rich Sosnowski of the One of A Kind reported 26 blues around two pounds and an eight-pound weakfish for Lou Muchnick and Joe Balush of Glen Mills, Pa. ...Capt. Paul Thompson of the Porgy ill is sailing daily for Delaware Bay. A recent high hook catch of 17 blues was reported by Dom DiStefano of Mays Landing.. .Sea Star II Skipper Bob Schumann reported lots of blues and weakfish showing on bay trips. The Sea Star II sails twice daily for the bay. The a.m. trip leaves at 9 and the afternoon trip is at 4 p.m.... The winner of the Mig* Chris fleet's Penn 710 reel for the first weakfish of the season was Ed Marnoch, of Bensalem, Pa. He caught an 11 lb. 1 oz. weak on a white bucktai! and a purple worm. SEA ISLE CITY: The Starfish is fishing daily for sea bass... The Capt. Rob bins is also sailing for sea bass. OCEAN CITY: The Challenger is sailing sixhour trips through May 23 and will start half day trips May 24. WILDWOOD CREST: The Loy Hoke party boated 31 blues and two weaks on light tackle on a bay outing on the Dotti Lin II. The weaks went 12 lb. 5 oz. and 10 lb. 5 oz....The Royal Flush reports good sea bass and blackfish action days. The Flush is also sailing nights to Delaware Bay 7 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. WILDWOOD: Capt Jay Beecroft of the Sea Raider is sailing daily for Delaware Bay... Capt. Joe McTommoney of the Adventurer II reports good sea bass and blackfish catches days. The Adventurer III will start night fishing in the bay. Robert Davenport of the Villas, boated an 8%-lb. blackfish to win a pool . . . Bob Johnson of Ocean City caught a 9 lb. 3 oz. weakfish on the Rairibow to win a pool. Vince Talarico of Philadelphia boated a 9 lb. 2 oz. weakfish to take the second place pool. Bingham Sent To Griffiss AFB COURT HOUSE - Air Force Airman 1st Class Scott M. Bingham, son of Claude D. and Martha E. Bingham of 474 Dias Creek Rd., has arrived for duty with the 416th Security Police Squadron, Griffiss Air Force Base. N.Y. Bingham, a security specialists, is a 1984 graduate of Wildwood Catholic High School.

ALMANAC ) MAY MOON PHASES/POSITIONS CORRECTION TIMES 5hf '* Compute approximate ttmee £ l a? ./S'fS R low WOl.r far your ' ■•■""'at »«» Sua , A Cart), /oliowta, lumtte, a, aZ, 2"°" ,°" rnl.ul,. /or eaeh M. phae. I, I ™. . "to Tide TaPle pressure systems and/or strong winds /depending upon direc lion I may null in flooding I and/or extremely low tides " j Moon Phaon LOW * HIGH I l.ait Quarter to Great Egg Harbor Inlet « Nr» Moon R Plu» 12 pluslO First QMrtar ,« Ocean City (9th Si Bridge > , 'U"M00n 23 plus 35 plus 22 j \poi err io Corson Inlet i bridge' rmm a pto!' *" I ! Sea Isle City < i l.udlam Thoro Bridge i V TIDE TABLE plus 66 plus 43 \ Computed for Cape May City Sea Isle City Beach ( beachfront for other areas, see minus 2 minus 21 Co.. .Car, rime. Townwnd lnl.1 plus 21 plus 4 . Illt.ll * LOW Seven Mile Beach <m pni P"m plus 15 0 1 Thu 2 20 3 05 H 9:07 Stone Harbor 2 Kri 3 25 4:11 9 45- 10 12 < Great Channel Bridge > 3 Sat 4 30- 5 10 10 38-11 10 plus43 plus 40 : HereRed Inlet i Anglesey I 5 Mon 6 21 6 48 12 10 ni...,, n S 6 Tur 7 06 T 25 12 45- t2 51 P ID . £ 7 Wed 7 45 8 01 1 30- 1 31 Wildwood Beach 8 Thu 8:22 8 34 2:12- 2:10 Minus2 minus 17 t 9 En 8 58 - 9 08 2:52- 2 47 West Wildwood S 10 Sat 9 34- 9 41 3 31 - 3 20 i Grassy Channel bndge i It Sun 10 II 10 16 4:07 3 54 p|us46 plus 43 12 Mon 10 50 10 53 4 42 4 26 Cat* Mav Harhor . 11 Tur II 35 II 33 5:20- 4 57 * . 14 Wed - 12:23 5 59- 5:38 P minus 15 Thu 12 IB- I 13 6 48 - 6 34 Flv* F«U»m Bank 16 Eri 1 13- 2:09 7:48- 7 53 plusll plus I * 17 Sal 2 09 , 3-05 8:47 9:07 Cape Ma^oint t 18 Sun 3.13 - 4 07 9 44- 10 09 plus46 MB plus 34 r 19 Mon 4 18- 5 05 10 35- 11 U5 McCri(|P|ti 20 Tur S 21 6 00 II 21 12 00 Mctn«™a,~ 21 Wed 6 19- 6 51 -U II P"*28 plus 22 .22 Thu 7 12 7 38 12:54— s 02 — Delaware Bay _ 23 Eri 8:02 8 27 I 49 1:54 ■* Bayshore Channel * 24 Sat 8 52 9 16 2:42- 2 46 « Bay-Canal Junction' 25 Sun 9 46-10:08 3:34- 3 39 plus 47 plus36 3 » Mon 10 41- II 04 4 26- 4 31 M«m. Beach JB Tue -11:41 5:19- 5 26 i <. akwed 12:02-12:42 6 14- 6 26 P " ^ . p,UlSI 29 Thu 100- 1:42 7:12— 7:35 Dennis C reek 30 Eri 1 56- 2:40 8:12- 8.44 P1"*"* pllis97 la 31 Sat 2:55- 3 38 9: 10 — 9:45 Brandywine Shoal Ltghl p, plus 77 plus 52 £ J v J P

Doris Ward SMOOTH STROKE — Helen-Ann Lloyd of Court House gets some tips from tennis pro Tony Fittipaldl of Dias Creek at the Cedar Lane Tennis Courts Route 9 in Clermont.

Students Winners In Poster Contest

COURT HOUSE - The Tourism Committee of the County Chamber of Commerce sponsored a "National Tourism Week" poster contest for county students. The contest was ' divided into two divisions of school grades, K through 6th, and 7th and 8th grades. Committee member Yetta Smith chaired the pro- i ject. Eighty-eight posters < were submitted from < Ocean City, Sea Isle City, 1 Middle Township 4, and i Wildwood's Glenwood 1 Avenue School. 1 A TIE FOR county winners in 7th and 8th grade ( division was awarded to 1 Alicia Parker, Middle ( Township School 4, and f Justin Sgalio, Sea Isle City t School. Kelly Nutter, Sea c Isle School received, second place. i Each student will receive a $50 savings bond from the J county chamber, sponsored by First Jersey National Bank South and First C National Bank of Toms I River. I Winners in the K-6 7 grades are: 1

* First, Amy Diaz, 610 Central Ave., Ocean City. She will receive a clock sponsored by McDonald's Restaurant. Second place was awarded to Tequilla Carter, Wildwood Glenwood Avenue School and she will receive a Ronald McDonald Beach Towel. RECEIVING honorable mention in the K-6 grades Andrew Becktold, Ocean City School ; Stanley Wildwood Glenwood Avenue, Susan Choi, Isle City, and Ginger Sea Isle City. Winners' posters will be displayed in area bank lobies, local and County of Commerce InCenters and National Tourism Week events. National Tourism Week is celebrated May 18-25 Deborah Meet AVALON — The Upper Chapter, Deborah Foundation, will hold its monthly meeting tonight at the Borough here.

Lower Township Chamber of Commerce Drumf ish - Weakfish Derby June 30, 1986 Fish for over $1,000 in Cash and Fishing Tackle Prizes $250 and a Trophy for the Biggest Weakfish and Orumfish PLUS al least four other prizes in each division Pre registration required $2.00 per angler REGISTER HERE: Bill's Bait & Tackle Miss Chris Dock Mill Creek Marina Happy Days Dock Budd's Bait & Tackle Bree Zee Lee Marina South Jersey Marina Rodia's Bait & Tackle Wildwood Yacht Basin Jim's Bait & Tackle Bayview Marina SJ. Fishing & Hunting Ctr. Hinch Marina Cape Atlantic Marine Fish the 51st ANNIVERSARY of the CAPE MAY COUNTY FISHING TOURNAMENT LOTS OF PRIZES - CITATIONS Entry Badges • Enter Your Fish For information CaH: 609-886-0901 0r Write ' FISHING ^TOURNAMENT & 80X385 CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE, HJ 01219