Fishing Reports Cape May Aug 15 to Aug 31

[CapeMayRay]

I think we have some major problems as the Full moon tides have not changed the quality of the water. It is still has a sick ugly greenish brown look with very low visability.

More painful fishing tonight. Had one of my regular customers out tonight who are good fishermen. Normally a great tide and good fishing but not tonight. We left the dock this afternoon on the change of the tide. The water near low was very dirty and looked like mud. Worked the beach front where it was better but still a sick greenish brown. We had a couple of small hits but no fish.

Worked the inlet and saw some birds working some small bait with some herring working it and caught a couple of small herring and the inlet rocks were void of bait or any fish.

With the tide in a bit we worked the back and worked it to death. Water was very ugly but was getting a little better as the tide got higher but it never got good looking. We worked every creek mouth and miles of sod banks only catching one small blue and one small fluke with 2 small hits along the way.

Never have seen it this bad for so long. Did see some bait here and there along the way but nothing around it or working it. Even the bridge lights after dark had no bait or fish around them.

Saw the best bait of the night in my marina next to the boat and the water even at full high tide still looked sick. I think we need a northeaster or a hurricance to clean up the water.

[CapeMayRay]

Full moon tides failed to clean out our sick water! Went down to the boat this morning to fill up the gas tank at high tide and the water is still that sick brownish green color and even at the top of the tide you can only see down 12 inches.

Not looking forward to fishing this week. Will have to give my charter tonight the option of whether he even wants to try. Water looks the same up on the beach front.

I do not think it will change until we get a storm or strong east winds. This summer we have had none.

[CapeMayRay]

Just canceled another charter. Went down to the boat and had dead low tide. The water looked like liquid mud and the water along the beach and inlet still looked like sewer-water. With no place in the back to fish till the tide comes in and a strong southeast wind honking pretty good I did not want to go out and waste the charters time and money and go through another painful night.

[CapeMayRay]

Despite the poor water quality we decided to go out Tuesday night. Tide was just starting to come in when we left the dock at 5:00 pm. the Water in harbor looked really bad but it was a little better in the ocean.

Worked the beach front with two plug anglers and one fly fisherman with the water around 71 degrees. We saw a fair amount of small bait but only got three small hits with one biting off the tail of a rubber bait.

On way back to the inlet we saw tons of very small bait on the surface but nothing on it or under it. The inlet had lots of birds working the small bait but there was no sign of any fish as we worked it for a while. Unusual to see so much bait and not a sign of any fish.

We moved to the back bay where the conditions looked idea other than visibility in the water was only 12 inches. Saw a fair amount of small bait and worked some really good spots that should have produced. In the back we got one small fluke, one 12 inch blue and one 21 inch striper.

Pretty pathetic for such ideal conditions. The algae bloom or what ever it is that has the water so ugly, might have taken the oxygen out of the water and the fish are just deep and eating off the bottom and making them not willing to chase food. I have never seen such a long period of ugly water and poor fishing.

[CapeMayRay]

Fishing in the sewer continues. Thought the northeast winds might help clear up the water down here. Left the dock at 4:00pm. and headed to the ocean to look for clean water. Water was the same ugly greenish brown that it has been for over a week now.

We worked the beach front for a while and had the tail of a rubber swimming bait bitten off. Water was ugly and no other signs of life.

Moved to inlet rocks with the incomming tide and it was more of the same ugly water. We worked it super hard and no bites or signs of life.

Moved to the back bay and again it was more of the same. Water here was the worst. Very brown and even the incoming water was the ugly greenish brown and we never got a strike anywhere in the back.

[CapeMayRay]

Thursday afternoon decided to take a family and two young kids out. They just wanted some action for their two young boys who were 2 1/2 and 4 1/2.

Went out with the tide still coming in and wanted to work the out going tide. The water at the top of the tide was still that sick ugly brownish green color and you could only see down 12 inches.

Using squid minnow combinations we caught a mess of 5 inch sea bass and small croakers about the same size along with some sand sharks. Not a single fluke or anything else and never saw any thing other than the sea bass take by any others fishing around us. The kids and the parents had a great time. Kids especially liked the sand sharks.


Water got worse as the tide got lower and I believe the algae has taken the oxygen out of the water and the bigger fish have either moved out or are not exerting themselves.

Canceled tomorrow mornings fly trip, not worth even trying with these conditions.

[CapeMayRay]

Just keeps getting worse. After canceling this mornings fly charter, I went down to the marina at high tide to check out the water quality and the water still looks like sewer water with maybe one foot of visibility. Checked the ocean and it didn't look much better.

It only gets worse as the tide goes out. I canceled tonights fly trip and my client couldn't believe it. I told him we could go out and try but I thought it would be a waste of time and money. I have now canceled more trips with beautiful weather than I ever do in a year with bad weather. Just plain horrible water conditions with no end in sight.

With flies they have to see it to eat it. I am having no fun and no desire to go out and even try myself.

[OneMoreCast]

Ray,
That is tough fishing. Things just started to turn good for us in the bay.
Macs, blues, and stripers are finally all over the place. Hope things change for you real soon

[CapeMayRay]

One More Cast. Good to here fishing is good somewhere. It appears we are stuck with these conditions until we get a good push of good water.

Sunday, After explaining the poor fishing conditions to my fly charter today, they still wanted to give it a try. We decided to leave the dock this afternoon on the top of the high tide when the water would be the cleanest. The water at the dock still looked like sewer water with about a foot of visibility and it was still that ugly greenish brown.

To make things worst the wind was blowing about 15 to 20 mph out of the southeast which meant working the inlet and the beach front were not an option.

With all the boat traffic and the greenish brown water every where we headed to a sheltered deep creek in the back hoping to get a break from the wind.

In the first 2 hours we caught 4 small bluefish out of 9 hits using white and light colored spearing type flies with some flash. The wind was not a factor as we were fairly shelter and we were able to work it pretty good. When we started we had about one foot visibility and as the tide started going out strong the water got to the point where we had 6 inches or less of visibility.

In the next two hours we tried 4 other spots and never got a hit at any of them and every where we fished there was 6 inches of visibility. Both the guys I had were good fly fisherman making great casts with the wind blowing and they worked hard for all four hours.

Fishing but not having any fun.

[CapeMayRay]

More of the same crap. Called the N J water monitoring comm. today. They never got back to me but I am totally convinced we have a good algae bloom and all the oxygen has been sucked out.

Down at the dock to day before father and son charter came down and water at high tide is still that sick greenish brown. I could not even see my stainless steel prop.

We tried the inlet and the water was just as ugly there. Using small rubber baits we were getting some bite offs from small blues and landed one 10 inch one.

Moved to the back bay where we had super good tide, no wind and we should of been able to find some fish some where. After working prime spots under prime conditions other than water quality I shorten the trip and and only charged them a small fee for the night to cover fuel.

We never had more than 12 inches of visibility anywhere and most of the time it was 6 inches. I think everyone else is giving up too as there were no other boats out fishing other than another friend.

I stopped to talk to him and he was having similar luck. With such a good tide and weather he said he had to give it a try.

I think I am going to cancel all my charters the rest of the week. It is Prue torture trying to get fish with these conditions and we are working toward the end of the third week now with no end in sight.