A few bigger striped bass continue to show up throughout the area. John Kadany often travels from the Poconos to fish the Avalon area. He caught a 23-pound, 4-ounce striper Thursday night with a live eel in Townsends Inlet that took over first place in the Moran's Dockside Fall Striper Tournament. Kadany now holds first and third in the tournament, adding this one to the 17-8 bass he caught Thursday of last week. Kadany is a "maniac" for fishing, Moran said Friday. Kadany bumped Pete Fricano with a 17-12 bass into second place in Moran's contest.
It was not a "blitz," said John Bushell from Betty and Nick's Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park, but some 11- to 12-pound bluefish hit the beach this week in that area above Barnegat Inlet. He said they have not been around in the surf since the winds blew up this week with small blues returning in their place. Betty & Nick's weighed in two 12-pound bass, one Thursday and the other Friday, Bushell said. Here's news that will make surfcasters south of there from Long Beach Island to Cape May happy: Bushell said they still have a strong run of mullet going on along the beaches of Seaside Park. Bushell said this is the best streak of mullet he's seen in 20 or 25 years. Mullet, as surfcasters know, is one of the prime bait for stripers and blues, plus weakfish.
Margaret O'Brien weighed in a couple of 15-pound striped bass Thursday that were caught an hour before low water on the south end of Long Beach Island. She said anglers in boats drifting Beach Haven Inlet on Thursday night with live eels found 69- to 70-degree water and no stripers.
The Week 3 winners in the Atlantic County Surf Fishing Derby were Don Brown of Margate with an 11-8 striped bass, Tom Van Duyne of Ventnor with a 4.7-pound tautog and Firth Bowden of Bridgeton with a 1-5 kingfish. No bluefish were entered. The third week of the Derby ended Sunday.
So far in the fourth week, Linda Davoli of Brigantine has a 13.5 striper registered, according to Tony Eaton at tournament headquarters Captain Andy's Marina in Margate. The Derby continues until Oct. 31.
Captain Andy's weighed in a non-Derby 5-pound, 9-ounce tog caught Friday morning on Tog Island in the Margate back bays by Bruce Blaine of Ventnor. Tog have been thick around rockpiles, bridges and sod banks throughout the area for weeks.
In yet another confirmation of phenomenal offshore big-game fishing last weekend, Timothy Horsky of Milmont Park, Pa., caught a 107.12-pound wahoo on an Over/Under charter out of Avalon. The state record is 123-12 set in 1992 by Robert Carr and The Press Fishing Contest record wahoo is 114 pounds caught in 1976 by Charles Dooner of Philadelphia. The Over/Under overnighter also racked up 13 yellowfin tuna and two swordfish, Moran said.
Generally, it was a dusk-till-dawn bite offshore, and the tuna were in the 25- to 30-pound class.
The best area was Spencer Canyon. There was also a miles-long weed line offshore and trolling along it produced mahi during the day. Moran said offshore bait and gear were "flying out of here" last weekend because "everybody" went deep. Two of the area's popular contests are coming up.
The Women's Surf Fishing Club of New Jersey is the host for an Association of Surf Angling Club tournament Saturday, Oct. 22 in Brigantine. Registration is from 6-7 a.m. and is $50 for six-member teams and $10 for individuals at Brigantine Elks, corner of Bayshore and West Shore Drive. Prizes are offered for women, men and youth. Call Christine Pancoast at 609-264-7754.
Utsch's Marina in Cape May runs its annual striped bass tournament from Oct. 27-29. Captains and crews fish two of the three days and can weigh their three heaviest fish each day for a limit of six.
The overall title is determined by the total weight of fish caught. According to Drew Hinton, a bluefish Calcutta has been added this year. There is also a Calcutta pool for single heaviest bass. The entry fee is $350 through today and $450 beginning Sunday. Call 609-884-2051.