July Fishing Report Cape May

[CapeMayRay]

It has been a tough month overall. Still catching stripers but finding a noticable lack of bait and over all number of fish around. Water looks good and even fishing prime tides and times (dusk and dawn) the fishing can only be described as slow.

Still getting fish but have to work very hard to find them and there are no more easy trips. It is search to you find some decent bait.

The pictures make it look like it look better than it is.

[Floridatransplant]

Hell of a night CaptRay! That brings back memories. Well, not fly rods at night, but big spinning surf gear in the early mornings at Hereford Inlet. I hear the point on the north side is protected ground now. No more beaching bowriders full of shoobies! I might have to head up for the fall run; sepecially if the phils can get it together.

Quick question though if you don't mind. I moved to the west coast of Florida, a little north of Tampa Bay, and the closest thing we have to bass are Snook. I haven't boated (kayaked) one yet, but there is like a movement going on about "holding the fish horizontal" when getting pictures. Ever heard of it, and do you think it would apply?

The local fishing show did a study and the report was that the fish's spine would stretch just a little bit from gravity, and it lowered its chance of survival if released. Now, I have cleaned my fair share of Striper and they seem to have pleanty of meat around the spine. I havent had the pleasure with snook, but they appear frail.

I never heard anyone talk about the sideways thing with stripers, but it might be worth looking into. I know a lot of guys who catch slobs in the bay, take pictures, and release them to keep better eating fish. Think they might be releasing injured fish without knowing it?

Thanks for the trip down memory lane and your thoughts.
I miss rigging a chunk of bunker, fish finder, and some lead on any line you had. I'm sick of tieing mono leaders on my braid so they don't see it in this clear stuff.

[CapeMayRay]

I have not heard of it being a problem with smaller size fish but have heard some talk about it with larger cow size bass and other really large fish, which makes sense when they start getting huge bellys on them.

[CapeMayRay]

Still picking away at the fish for both fly and spin anglers with the best fishing late afternoon into the dark. Day time fishing, catching a lot of throw back fluke using gulp swimming mullet on a jig head.