July14, 2022 – The Boy Is High Hook on His First Fluke Charter – Atlantic County, NJ

The boy and a keeper fluke.

I joined the Ward team for our annual fluke charter this week.  We were blown out on Tuesday, the originally scheduled day, and the usual boat that goes offshore to the Old Grounds and such was booked the rest of the week, maybe summer, so we jumped on an impromptu slot this morning out of Atlantic City.  This was a bay and inlet trip, so no monster fluke in 100 feet of water on heavy bucktails, but it was probably a better baptism for the boy, anyway. The A-Bomb is a nice 24 foot Angler center console with plenty of room for 4 or 5 to fish, and we had 3 adults and a couple teens, so it worked out well.  We got 6 keepers and a few that were close to that slot size, along with some shorts, sharks, and robins, even some coral with a baby blue claw inside to which Ward’s niece took a shine.  She even brought home some coral.  We were covered up just in case, but thankfully Brigantine’s infamous green biting residents were not too bad, especially with a land-ish breeze.  For an hour, it was hot as heck with zero wind, but a breeze eventually provided some relief after lunch.  For a make-up trip, I think Ward and I agreed that it was a fun day on the water.

A good, low-key day with Team Ward.

Just six hours and close to the dock, so a little different than the more macho trips of the past, but it was still a good time with a good, friendly Captain Mike, so we may use him again for bass.  It is pretty convenient to use that Farley public marina, too.  There was a big game offshore tournament in progress, with a big tuna tail in the sink at the cleaning station to prove it, and we still found some free parking at the other end of the marina.  The boy did well, catching two keepers and four more shorts, and he definitely lost another keeper contender on the way up. Everyone else tried to carry his or her weight and put a little meat in the box, and we did end up with some fish for the table and a small fish fry for the Wards as they finish out their vacation this week and next.  The water was a bit cold on the flood tide, and fish were not chewing all that well, but the outgoing did produce enough to keep us happy. Next stop for the boy and me is an overnight/split trip on the Susky with Chris Gorsuch next week.  It should be hot but also a blast.  Chris does split trips this time of year to beat the heat a little, so we will fish next Thursday evening, and then “rough it” and sleep in a climate controlled RV for the night, and then head out Friday morning for a half-day on the water.  I am hoping the boy gets into a nice smalljaw or 12, and I get a couple to blow up on some topwater.