Or is it August 10, 1997. Wow, what fantastic weather and fishing we have been having. If you were hanging around our store, you would still think it was summer this week. We have been so busy, it still feels like summer. We have as many bait boxes in the water as we did on Memorial Day weekend. There is 3 boxes of Grass Shrimp, 5 boxes of Green Crabs, 9 minnow boxes and 8 eel boxes. The dock just looks ridiculous for this time of year. But, I guess that's what happens when Stripers, Fluke and Weakies are all biting at the same time. Did I forget to mention Herring, Blackfish and Seabass?

If you still want to catch Fluke, I only have one suggestion. It's the Garden State South Reef site. This sight lies in 10 foot of deeper water than our closer Little Egg Reef Sight, and the fish are biting up there, not down here. So I figure the water depth is the answer. Best bet for bait and tackle is still squid & minnow combo on top & bottom rigs. Since it is in a little deeper water be prepared to fish with heavier equipment that can handle 4 to 8 ounces of weight. Also, be prepared with a pair of gloves or a towel to take charge of the many skates.

Several anglers are still catching Kingfish in the Inland Waterway in Great Bay in the area of 136 marker buoy. Not much action in the area of the Orange Ball reported except for tons of little Sea Bass. The Kingfish have been of good size and well worth the effort to catch them.

Want a lot of fun??? Then catching Herring in the mouth of the Mullica River is the thing to do this weekend. Fish with a 4 hook Herring Rig weighted with a 3 ounce Hopkins type lure. Baiting the rig with Bloodworms can help when catching gets a little slow. Anchor the boat along a drop-off and cast the rig out the back of the boat and jig the rig vigorously back to the boat. Beware, you can catch a whole lot of fish this way. Remember to have fun and practice a little catch and release. Only keep enough Herring to save for bait or food. Don't bring any extra Herring home with attempts to dump them on your neighbors or friends, unless that has already been pre-arranged. Many a fish has been wasted in this manner.

Ocean Tautog fishing on the wrecks has been picking up. Sea Bass are being taken in greater quantities than the Tautog though. The Fluke anglers have been getting a fair catch of Sea Bass when they are working the Garden State South Reef site. The Great Bay Tautog fishery really hasn't taken off yet. I guess the Taug are waiting for the water temperature to fall below the current 64 degrees that it is now.

Plenty of Weakfish still in the bays. Anglers have been catching Weakies early in the morning in front of the mouths of Oyster Creek and Motts Creek on the West bank of Great Bay. Bloodworms and Sandworms have been the choice baits here. Live Bunkers are working again for anglers catching large Weakfish in the area of the BrickPile in Marshelder Channel.

Ah yes, now to spill my guts on the Striped Bass info. It seems that this Fall Bass fishing is off to a good start. If I had to pick a tide period that is best, it seems that the last couple of hours of the out going tide would be it. However, that falls in the late morning on Saturday and the "G" buoy area is likely to have been buzzing with boats for several hours. That means spooked fish??? Guess we will just have to wait and see. The other area that has been producing is the 120 marker Buoy down to the 118 marker buoy. This area is commonly referred to as fishing off the Osprey nest. Live eels, Live Bunkers and fresh Herring baits are all catching fish. It seems that most of the keeper Stripers are being caught on live eels.