We are firmly in vacation season now-that time of year that Jimmy Buffet used to croon about in sometimes disparaging terms, full of crowds and noise and heat. Despite all of those things the fishing continues to hold up on a variety of fronts, most notably the flounder fishing. For anglers bouncing bucktails on the ocean bottom, things have held on nicely. This action has primarily been and continues to be found in the region of the shipping lane approaches to the Delaware Bay known as the Old Grounds. And, to be sure, there were some pretty catches made.
The crew on the Katydid has some more nice trips to the 'Grounds. The Seltzer family came back with a nice load of 19 flatties for their group. The boat returned for a limit catch for the group of Lauran and Ian Wolk, Dave Furio, Randy Tindle, Joe McNeil, Andy Lane and Marvin Krouse. Capt. Brent managed to snake a bucktail down through his anglers to come away with a pretty 7.68 pound doormat. The Katy Did also managed a nice 5.26 pounder for Chuck Kammerer. The boat also returned with 21 flatties for Alfred Baromi, John Schnaitman, Bob Fleming, George MacVesh, Wesley Major, Bob Bryant, Al Riberio, Dan Heron. Plenty of other boats got in on the fray as well. Capt. Vince "Killer" Keagy on the Miss Kirstin, put seven year old Cameron Sellers on to a fine 3.42 pound flattie. Just imagine how many flounder Capt. Vince has put folks on over the years.... Speaking of accumulated time on deck the crew of Bill Swords, David Walker,Joe Walker and Robert Karpovich landed their limit of flounder on a recent trip. Another old salt, Bill Talbot, ran his well-deserved new acquisition out to help lure a 6.75 flounder for Jamie Sweitzer. The Salt Boat also returned with a flounder for Jim Meyer, Sheila Stohler, Rober Meyers. Anthony Hojnicki, aged ten, also corraled a trio of flatties from the canal using minnows. The kids were at it again with Jacob League landing is first flounder from Massey's Ditch. Capt. Carey on the Grizzly put some years of experience to work to help 14 year old Keith Benton ice down a 6.25 flattie, while not to be out done 11 year old Savanah Benton turned the tables on a nice 4.5 pound slab. Capt. Rick Yakimowicz on the all day headboat out of Fisherman's Wharf agreed that flounder action had remained steady of the last week despite the fact that weather conditions haven't done anglers any favors.
It seems, the savvy skipper explained, that the wind and current direction has constantly been against each other, making for difficult drifting conditions. Despite that plenty of keeper flounder have been pulled over the rails. Wes Pollitt, mate from the Morning Star took a busman's holiday and landed an easy limit of flounder with a 6 pound pool fish to boot! Continuing the bus "person's" holiday theme, Capt. Alicen took a day off to tangle with dinner and landed a nice limit. Bill Haines was at it again with an absolute fluke beat down landing a total of 11 legal fish, an astonish eight of which were on one drift! Benjimin Jordan landed a limit with fish in the three to five pound class.
According to Capt. Rick Don Juan of Philly landed an easy limit on a day that he needed to use 12 ounces to stay down (and bringing to question just how much weight would it take for Capt. Rick to consider it a "tough limit!) Capt. Rick also passed along that "The Hammer" pounded away for a limit and a six pound poolfish, while Jason Hewes had an early limit with three to four pound fish on jigs and custom flies. There is still some mixed bag fishing in some sections of the Delaware Bay though the fish remain small. Capt. Carey of the Grizzly said that on a recent trip seven year old Madison Wyant landed a total of five different fish species, while brother Bud Wyant pulled in a surprise twelve pound black drum. There have been a fair amount of baby boomers boated this summer so hopefully that bodes well for the future. It would be a pretty sweeping understatement to make the claim that chunking action along the twenty fathom lumps has slowed. Reports suggest that the pretty water has moved off and that dirtier water has taken it's place. Tuna landings have nose dived accordingly. Hopefully all of this easterly of late will help push some more pretty water in.