<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

A few small black drum were boated on Delaware Bay toward Cape May, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. A few bigger were decked on the Delaware side of the bay, but some drum swam the Jersey side. Fresh sea clams, favorite bait for drum, are scarce like they have been in recent years. Windy weather also kept clam boats docked often. But the store’s doing its best to keep them stocked. Other bait can be fished for drum. Some anglers, including old-timers, fish blueclaw crabs for them. Sometimes the anglers soak the crabs in shedder crab oil. The crabs are effective bait. Lots of throwback striped bass bit for shore anglers at Fortescue along the bay. Not much was heard about stripers along the ocean coast. Anglers will begin to try for weakfish along the bay’s jetties, like at Cape May, casting bloodworms on a float. This is the time of year when the weaks show up, though weather’s been cold. No crabbing was good yet, but crabbing should pick up soon. Weather that’s more stable could help fishing. This unsteady springtime weather might begin to stabilize. Forecasts look like that, maybe. Still, fish were around to be caught. The Girls Place, located on Route 47, just after Route 55 ends, carries a large supply of bait and tackle, and is the long, one-story, yellow building on the right. It’s on the way to the bay. The shop began stocking the new Bona Fide Baits from Fortescue. The frozen bait is made from squid and meant to imitate other bait like shrimp and bloodworms. The bait is cut into the shape that’s meant to be imitated, like shrimp, and is scented. The shrimp is scented like shrimp, for instance. The parent company, Fortescue Bait Company, is headquartered at the old Al’s Bait & Tackle in Fortescue, its Facebook page says.

<b>Newport</b>

Crabs were yet to skitter around, said Paul from <b>Beaver Dam Boat Rentals</b>. Not even minnows were seen yet in the creek, and the water was cold. The creek was 51 degrees when he checked Sunday. Commercial crabbers were yet to catch locally, and just a few crabs began to be trapped in Virginia. Beaver Dam’s rental boats for crabbing will become available beginning on the weekend of May 19, the weekend before Memorial Day. Then they’ll be available on weekends until becoming available daily in late June, when schools let out for summer. Customers crab and fish on the boats on Oranokin Creek, running past the shop. The store carries all supplies for crabbing, from bait, traps and nets to snacks, drinks and suntan lotion, and a few supplies for fishing. The shop’s not really open currently, but if somebody stopped by while the crew is there, the crew would help the customer. A few black drum began to be boated from Delaware Bay, Paul heard. Striped bass were slid from Fortescue’s surf. At first, the stripers were small. Then a few bigger began to be clocked. Currently, a few that are even bigger, like 38 inches, are coming in. Visit <a href=" http://www.crabulousnj.com/Home_Page.php" target="_blank">Beaver Dam’s website</a>.

<b>Cape May</b>

From <b>Fishin’ Fever Sportfishing</b>, Capt. Tom knew about crews who bagged up to five black drum in a trip on the New Jersey side of Delaware Bay, he said. The fishing began, and Fishin’ Fever is available for the angling on open-boat trips and charters.

Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> heard about a few black drum heaved from Delaware Bay, he said. Charters fish for them aboard. Not a lot of boats were in the water yet at Cape May.

Sounded like fishing began to pick up, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. Puppy black drum started to be eased from Delaware Bay’s surf. The fish seemed to swim shallows. Few anglers probably tried boating for drum on the bay yet. Throwback stripers were beached from the surf from the ocean to the bay. Cape May is located at the confluence of the two waters. A few spike weakfish began to be reported hooked along jetties and bridges. Bluefish are due to invade inlets and the back bay any time.

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