Fishing Reports Cape May Aug 16 to Aug 31

[CapeMayRay]

Left the dock 4:30 a.m. this morning with one person fly charter and found conditions much better than last night weather wise. Wind was blowing about 4 mph from the south not very much sea swell. We were able to get outside the inlet and work the rocks. Using bunker flies and clousers we had a steady pick of small blues with a few in the 3 lb size and one small 21 inch bass.
About a half hour after we started fishing the wind picked up pretty good off the ocean and the waters outside the inlet started getting rougher. We worked the outside of the rocks and the inside the whole trip. Lots of bluefish, but only that one early striper. Boat traffic was light so it made for a pleasant morning.



By the time we got in the wind was already blowing good and there were a lot of white caps on the ocean.

[CapeMayRay]

We had blasting winds at the end of the week and into the weekend. I have been using the time to work on the new boat. Would of finished up the last of the waxing today but we had on and off light rain most of the day. Thought about fishing but there was enough wind to make me think twice. Hope to get in a decent amount of trips this week if mother nature co-operates. Forcast is for showers and thunderstorms all week.

[CapeMayRay]

It was pretty nice all day Monday. Fairly calm and no rain till we left the dock at 5:00 p.m. Left the dock with a one person charter and it really looked like it was going to rain at any second. We both had foul weather gear and there were no signs of lightning so we headed out.

Got to the back bay just as the wind picked up to about 20 mph or better out of the northeast. Charter was using a popping plug and I got to fish and used a both fly rod and spinner.

Had no rain for the first hour and a half but the wind created nice white caps that made fishing a bit difficult. We managed a pretty steady pick of blues catching one small striper and missing one.

Around 6:30 the skies open and it came down in buckets. I haven't fished in that heavy a rain in awhile. The rain stopped but the wind didn't so I decided to work the inside of the jetty rocks on the lee side to keep us out of the wind.

It was dark by then and we were getting some blues, when out of no where a huge bolt of lightning flashed fairly close and the skies opened up again like a water fall. We stopped instantly and full throttled it back to the dock. It was the only lightning we saw the whole night, until late that night when there was a good thunderstorm.

Got pretty soaked to the bone and came in like drowned rats. At least we were not toasted ones. Charter has another trip later in the week so we are hoping for better weather and conditions.

[CapeMayRay]

Very tough fly charter tonight. All day it drizzled on and off with a fair amount of northeast wind. It looked like it was clearing around 5:00 p.m. when we left the dock.

I was excited about tonights trip as it was cloudy all day and we had a perfect tide for working the back. I was expecting a banner night. The tide had just started to go out, but just as we got to the back the wind kicked up 20 to 25 mph and the whole back had white caps making manuvering and casting difficult.

We tried about 8 prime areas. Creek mouths, points, grass bed and islands and could only get a few small blues. The wind was really causing a problem for my charter as he was use to only light freshwater fly fishing, but he was making casts that would of been good enough to catch if there were any fish.

I even got to throw the fly for a bit and I could barely get a strike only catching a couple of blues myself. We found decent amounts of bait here and there but nothing on it.

As a last resort we went to the inlet rocks knowing all the Mid Atlantic tourney boats would be steaming in. Worked the lee shore rocks and never even got a strike and all the boats coming back in wasn't that bad.

Only wild-card that could of caused the poor bite was the amount of freshwater. Back bay had more of a clear but Aqua look and the inlet was more of a creamy brown with a lot of weed.

What ever it was, it was as poor as fishing can be under normal ideal conditions. Don't know where the fish were but they sure were not feeding tonight. We fished to 9:00 p.m. and headed in a very heavy drizzle that added insult to injury.

[CapeMayRay]

Ran the first charter on the new boat last night. New boat didn't make a difference the fishing was still tough.

Last night we had the perfect tide for evening fishing and the sun came out in the afternoon and it looked to be a super evening. Left the dock at around 5:00 p.m. with a one person charter who wanted to plug or fly fish.

Thought we would start out with popping plugs and run and gun till we found some fish. Bottom line was we did the run and gun all night and never found a hot spot. Something has had the fish turned off. Water still has a weird color and even though we were finding baitfish there were only a few blues here and there.

Started out working some high grass areas that are usually very productive catching only two small blues. Moved on to a large wide creek where I caught about a 5 lb blue on a popping plug and we had a couple of small blue hits.

Moved to another prime creek mouth never getting a hit. Working our way around to another creek we got one decent blue and charter missed a really nice striper that hit like a Polaris missile with the whole fish coming out of the water. Here is shot of new boat and you can see the conditions looked perfect.

Right before sunset heavy clouds moved in off the ocean and we had to put on sweat shirts. We worked two great rip lines into the darkness with me picking up this one decent bass and a few more small blues.

Around 9:00 p.m. it started getting foggy and we were scheduled to head in. Decided to stop by the bridge light line to see if there was any activity. Found super small blues so got out the fly rod for client and let him have some fun with the blues. He got to catch a mess little guys with one decent one that bit him off. After about 3/4 hour he had enough and we headed in.

By the time I got the boat secured and clean the fog had set in heavy and it was misty enough to need the wipers on the way home.

Last two dayd the stripers have been no where to be found. Can't figure out what is causing it. Water has been 70 to 72.5 and there has been bait and ideal conditions. It has just been ever since the heavy rains earlier in the week that the fishing deteriorated.

[CapeMayRay]

Third night in a row where the fishing has been difficult with ideal tides and weather.

Left the dock at 5:00 p.m. with one person fly charter. Little more wind than yesterday but great tide and 72 degree water in the back bay. We work great spots that looked picture perfect. Lots of bait everywhere declining light, nice tidal lines and outflows from creeks, but no stripers. Little two pound blues were the only action and they were not hitting like normal.

Charters arm was getting sore so he switched to a popping plug and got a 23 inch bass. I got to fish and I couldn't get a bass. Even my black mullet fly did not catch after dark. Did get a few blues but couldn't buy a bass.

The blues we did catch were loaded to the gills with baitfish. Small, large and big white worms along with bay anchovies and spearing.

Can't figure whether it is too much fresh water, the PH is off, the fish are just stuffed, or they are plain not there. Can't remember three days where tides were right and conditions perfect and feeling like the bay was void of bass.

Only fished till around 8:30 as charter had a dinner appointment. I normally would of went back out if there was a sign of fish but called it a night too.

[CapeMayRay]

Had some old friends down for the weekend and took them out for some fishing. We left the dock at 5:00 a.m. With the last three nights of little or no bass activity in the back I decided to hit the inlet rocks in the dark. We worked it hard with swimming and popping plugs. Water was a ugly greenish brown. We worked all four sides with a little sea swell and only caught small blues.

Next we tried the beach front and only found a few small blues there.

Then we then hit the back bay with the out going tide and found our best action. All blues but ones we that three hook ups on at the same time. Had a steady pick of blues until we quit mid-morning.



No bass in the back and none around the jetties. Don't know where they are. Very unusual not to catch any with ideal conditions other than water color.

[CapeMayRay]

Sunday night was the first night that things were getting back to some what normal. Left the dock at 5:00 p.m. with husband and wife spin charter. With the tide still coming in we decided to try the inlet rocks first. They like bluefish and thought we would have a shot at some bass or decent blues along the rocks.

Water was still pretty dirty at the end of the rocks for close to high tide and there was bird activity. All the blues that we caught or saw were real dinks, maybe 12 inches long. We worked the outside of the rocks and nothing so we headed to the back bay.

Got there right at the top of the tide and at the same time the wind died to zero. It got hot and humid and the gnats and green heads decided to make our day so we had to break out the listerine and the skin so soft.

Water looked much better than it had earlier in the week and there was still a lot of bait fish. We worked around and found a couple of spots with some small blues and then Walt got the first striper of the night on a smack-it with his two teasers. (I always kid him about taking that crap off and just using the plain popper in the back)

His wife got the nicest blue of the night which put up a nice fight.


Just as the sun was setting we were visited by a Marine Police Officer who just stopped by to see how things were going. Just a friendly visit doing his job. Sunday nights not many boat or problems on the water. As we talked we hooked and landed another short striper that really blasted a top water plug. He watched us release it and we both went our separate ways.

We had three more bass and missed one on all on black and purple bombers and then worked the bridge lights where we got some more blues for them to take home for dinner. (Here Walt's teasers worked well as most of the fish were caught on teasers)
There is a time and place for them.

Weather wise it was perfect and calm as we headed in. With still a lot of tide to go out I was thinking about going back out with the fly rod, but I was tired from working in the sun all day on the old boat. After cleaning their fish and having to clean up bluefish blood in the boat I called it a night.

[CapeMayRay]

With some bass showing up on the outgoing tide Sunday night, I decided to try a personal trip Monday night with Peter. Decided to go out right as the sun was setting at what was suppose to be the changing of the tide.

Wind was blowing northeast all day and it was a full moon tide. We got to the back as it was covering the sod banks and it was still pretty breezy. It was suppose to be starting out but the water was still rising. Got so high it looked like water back to the Parkway.

Could not tell where the sod banks were at all and the moon was out bright and white.

We got two little blue fish bites in the short time we tried. We worked under the bridge lights at dead tide, with no signs of fish and headed back in after a super short trip as it would be awhile before any of the good spots would have conditions worth fishing.

Think it would of been pretty good later but didn't want to do a late night long trip.

[CapeMayRay]

Pete couldn't make it tonight so I did the solo thing. Started out at the end of the inlet and it was wall to wall small blues. With the hard pushing full moon current they were feeding on bay anchovies with birds working.

It was a fish on every cast. After catching about 10 in quick order I left the feeding blues and I switched to a big bunker fly. I moved along the rocks looking for something better, but only found a few more blues.

Moved to the beach front looking for weakies, croakers or fluke and got a couple more small blues.

Around sunset I went to the back bay flats. Conditions looked great other than the water still having a brownish look to it. It was as dead as I have seen it. I worked a lot of sod banks with out any bites. Just before I left I tried a little grass island that had a good tidal flow. I could hear some bass popping in the grass so I worked the edges. At 9:00 and 9:15 I picked up two 20 inch stripers and two small blues on the old faithful black silicone mullet on intermediate.

Moon was out bright and I the island was totally covered with water, so I decided to head in.