Fishing Reports Cape May Aug 1 to Aug 15

[CapeMayRay]

Been a very hectic week with morning and evening charters everyday and little time to work on the new boat. Weather has been super and blues and schoolie stripers have been providing lots of action. Blues have been no stop action on all trips but one outside the inlet. Stripers we have had to work for a bit with the night trips providing the best action on them.



Had father and son Fly and plug charter out with a beautiful calm night where will pulled blues up to 4 lbs and stripers along the jetty rocks on the incoming tide.

Got out one morning at 4:15 a.m. with an experienced fly fisherman and we had to work hard for every fish taken. Water was super clear and we could see the rocks along the jetty down to about 15 feet. Here is a couple of shots taken at 4:30. One of the moon at the end of the inlet that I thought would not turn out.


It was a slow pick this morning on blues and stripers up to 23 inches working the inlet rocks and this one wimpy sea bass while searching for some weakies along the beach.

We had our last bass of the day in bright sun and crystal clear water. We saw the bass and a mate come out of a dark section of the jetty and come up and strike. It came from 15 feet away like a rocket, turned and woofed it down. Quite neat to see.

[CapeMayRay]

Tuesday night, Wednesday morning and night were more of the same. Tuesday night we had non stop blue action for at least two hours. Two plug fisherman only keep a few blues to eat but couldn't resist catching. They were both hooked up at the same time most of the two hours and the boat was a mess with puked up bay anchovies, blood and fish slime. Even had two, two fish on one plug catches. When the action let up a bit we moved to the inside jetty rocks where we picked a few small bass and then to the back bay where they got more blues and bass on popping plug for a total of nine stripers up to 23 inches.



Cleaning one of the blues I felt this big bait inside the stomach of one. Turned out to be a 5 inch storm bait that the fish had chomped off some other angler.

Next morning was more bluefish one after another with most being small and with a few decent ones mixed in. Only had three small bass along the inlet rocks.

Last night was an adventure. I had a father and son out and we again got into the non stop blue action. As I was taking the sons fish off the hook the father,(very experience angler) decided to take his fish off and got a treble deeply embedded in his finger with an nice 4lb blue wiggling on the end of the lure.

I grabbed the fish and stopp it from going crazy. Very tought to remove hook out of blue while attached to someones had. The hook was in way too deep to play with. The son was very disappointed that we had to stop fishing but we had to go in.

Took him into Urgent Care (Emergency Doctors Office right at the end of the Parkway.) They said it was right not to try and remove it as it was really in there. He was out in less than an hour and we were back out in the boat again. We head to the back bay and on popping and swimming plugs pulled some blues and 6 stripers to finish off the night.


Son was excited to finish the trip. Dad said he was feeling no pain and it was another beautiful calm night on the water.

We left the fish bitting as they had to drive back to Phila. and I was too beat to think about going out for a persoanl trip. With all the bait the outgoing tide would of really been hot.

Talked to father this morning and his finger still feels pretty good.

[CapeMayRay]

Had two friends down from the fly club to enjoy a night of good fishing down here in Cape May. Turned out to be a very painful night.

Left the dock at 5:00 p.m. with the tide just starting to come in. We had WIND coming in straight in down the mouth of the inlet around 18 to 20, which was the only place we had to work with the low water. Tried to work the tip but with the current and waves it was just too nasty for our small boat to work safely. We worked the inside rocks only to get a few small bluefish hits and a lot of weeds.

As the tide got a little higher we tried to find a sheltered spot in the back where the wind would not be such a factor. We had a couple of weak hits and a swirler.

Wind never calmed down and even with the higher water we tried some great spots without even a hit. I even through a fly for awhile and couldn't get a strike.

With all the good fishing we have had it was a tough night and all three of us got the BIG ZERO.

[CapeMayRay]

After last nights wind and tough fishing, I was not too excited about this mornings charter. Left the dock at 5:00 a.m. It was still windy but not as bad. We got out to the end of the inlet at dead low tide.

Conditions were barely fishable. Started catching right from the first cast and a steady pick of bluefish. As the tide started to pick up we were getting some stripers mixed in.


When it got a bit light I let the one guy who had some freshwater fly experience use the fly rod. He did pretty well with the wind and waves and landed one striper on the fly and a few blues, but with the increasing wind and tide it was getting too difficult for him.

After about an hour and a half and catching 7 stripers and a mess of blues we were forced to move due to wave conditions. We worked the inside of the jetty for 3 more blues and then the south outside for 7 more blues.

We had a much better morning than I thought we would with the conditions we had. When we left at 9:00 the wind was starting to blow pretty hard.

Tonights father and son fly charter is looking so so unless the wind shifts from the west or calms down some. No real good places to fly fish with dead low water in the back and if this wind keeps up the inlet will not be the place to be.

[CapeMayRay]

Cancelled tonights father and son fly charter. They were disappointed. They had fun on the fly rod last year and were looking forward to getting out again, but we have dead low tide and close to 20 mph wind straight out off the ocean. Ocean has big waves and white caps so we can't work the beachfront or inlet which are go to low tide spots. In the back the water is low and brown.

Wind is suppose to die down late tonight, but again, charters last day of vaction and they have to leave tomorrow morning and late night trip is out, so I am going to just relax tonight.

[CapeMayRay]

After working on the new boat a few nights and no charters or personal fishing I got out this morning with a one person fly charter. Left the dock at 5:00 a.m. and we were lucky. It was overcast and looked like rain with all the rain and nasty stuff passing to our north.

Worked the back bay with the outgoing tide. It was a bit slow for such ideal conditions. Had a good number of hits. Some were bass but most were small blues, but hook ups were tough.

Pulled three stripers from the back on EP fiber bunker flies with the biggest this 26 1/2 incher. Thought we had ideal conditions with the tide and weather, but had to work for every fish.

Moved to the inlet rocks were we picked up two blues. A small one on an olive/white clouser and this better size one on a pink/white small buck tail deceiver.


Fished a little longer than normal with it being so cloudy but it didn't make a difference. Around 10:00 a.m. the sun was getting bright and time to get out of the sun.

[CapeMayRay]

This evenings charter was two freshwater fly guys that wanted to use spin rods due to the strong winds this afternoon. Charter wanted to leave early and get some of the incoming so we left earlier than I like to. It was dam hot. Strong warm wind from the south west. Sweating to death on the water, fair amount of green-heads and tons of bait in the back bay.

Only thing missing was fish. Worked the both sides of the sound. Lures were blowing up bait all over the place with some fish bites but not much aggression. For three hours we pounded all sides of the sound. with only two small bass and a few blues to show for our effort.

Right as the sun was setting the wind died to nothing and we found a spot that had good action with two 4 lb blues on at the same time and shortly after a nice little striper.

We finished off with a nice flurry of fish. As I was unhooking a striper I heard a huge splash behind me as his dad hooked, using a smack-it top water plug a big fish.

It peeled off some nice drag and made some good runs. Then it did and aerial flip and we saw it was a big blue. Got it to the net without biting off our plug and found it to be a 34 1/2 inches long

We ended the night with three more bass up to 26 inches and more smaller blues but it was a great way to finish a otherwise hot tough night. I think I sweat off 5 lbs as it was stinking hot even in the boat.

Ended up staying out a little longer as the bite was good with a last minute rally to make the day.

[CapeMayRay]

Was out early again this morning, 5:00 a.m. with a one person non fly charter. Pre dawn still warm but not too bad, with fair breeze out of the north. Started out in the back bay working the sod banks with dead high tide.

All small fish this morning. Picked up 4 small stripers(19 to 21 inches) on popping plugs and small blues with two up to around 4 lbs.

Also worked the inlet rocks with swimming plugs, picking up more blues and missing one nice bass. Wasn't a keep but maybe around 26 inches. Came in around 9:00 a.m. as the sun was getting high and the wind started kicking up.

[CapeMayRay]

Left the dock at 5:30 p.m. this evening with a fly fisherman and his wife. They were from California and he had only freshwater trout fished.

Weather radar looked good before we left. The wind was blowing 15 to 20 from the South west. He was doing pretty good with a 300 grain line for his first time but was having a tough time with line management due to the wind.

Picked up a few real small blues on bunker flies. He was all excited as they were his first saltwater fish on the fly and he couldn't believe the fight such a small fish could provide. He had to have a picture of his first blue.

Plan was to work the incoming tide along the rocks and at the top of the tide swing to the back bay to work the out going around the creek mouths and points.

Were only out for an hour and it got ugly dark and looked like rain and a thunder storm coming. Just to play it safe, we raced into the dock as the temperature dropped into the 70's. Wind picked up to around a steady 28 to 30 mph and showed no signs of letting up.

Called it a night. I wouldn't of wanted to even fish in that wind myself. Took this shot of sheltered Mill Creek as I was leaving to head home.

Just not a user friendly night.

[CapeMayRay]

Got that needed trip out on the water for some personal fishing. Daughter and her husband were headed out on the town and my wife wanted to to go to the Coast Guard Band Concert in town. Any other night than a dead calm high tide and I would of went too.

Tried to get the local fly boys to see if any one could go on quick notice but they were either not home or busy.

Left the dock at 8:30 p.m. and got to the back bay flats just as the tide was starting to ebb and there was zero wind. On the about the 10th cast I got a 20 inch striper and thought I was in for a banner night.

Got my next bass about 1 hour later without a hit prior. Worked a grass bed where I heard and could see fish popping and caught two small bass there. Had the best fishing as the tide was rolling strong on a current line where I would cast out across and slowly long strip across. I got all my fish in 3 to 5 feet of water on a black silicone mullet using intermediate line.


Fish were from 19 to 23 1/2 inches long with a couple really chunky. It was the most beautiful night for fishing of the year. Pleasant temperature, no bugs, no wind, some shooting stars, no other boats around and fish.

Fished till 12:15 a.m. and called it a night. One of those nights you would if you could duplicate weather wise. (Would of liked bigger fish) but you take what you can get in August.