Last day of August and it's blowing a gale...

No worries, we've been spared a lot of bad weather along the beaches of the mid-Atlantic this summer. The payback might be brutal; Ernesto's not it!

The fishing part of this report won't vary much from my last. It's still the heart of August - traditionally the slowest bottom fishing.

It's not been without bright spots though.

Just a pick. Couple decent shots of fish in the last week but mostly working hard to get something going on.

We did have an 8 1/2 pound flounder and a few 5s and 6s but the catch rate has decreased of late.

This happened last year too. I don't know what to make of it. (except dinner!)

In the last few days sea bass have tapered mightily and flounder have come on strong. There's been a few dandies, up to 8 pounds, but most are a just an inch or 2 over the 15 1/2 inch size limit.

I almost sent a 'fish report' after 3 rock solid great days last week. It really was May in July. Many limits. Nice.

Now it's July again!

This summer's roller coaster of sea bass fishing continues. Yesterday we had all we could do to scratch dinner out of the day - high man had 16. The day before that, high man was a girl - age 11 - she had 16 too.

Consistent. I actually used that word to describe the fishing in my last report. At the time it was true!

You could say there's variety in catch levels now.

Fishing has been what you might want it to be - consistent.

The majority of trips have seen limits of sea bass around the rail or dern close to it. At exactly 12 inches that's 25 feet of fish per person. 28 feet more likely.

Early on in the week fresh northerly winds had us boxed in but eased as the day went along. Improving sea conditions allowed a 'save' that day; most fishers were in the upper teens and a few were pushing a limit of cbass.

Shuffling anchors, changing bait - working through a day to make it productive for each day's passengers; that's what the fishing has been. Then, Tuesday, it seemed to loosen up. The bite lasted longer, there was a nicer grade of fish and even a few tog slid into the net.

Sea Bass, while hardly 'easy', are definitely here. We're averaging 1/3 to 1/2 the customers finishing with a limit; the rest have to suffer with high teens / low twenties.

Always a cheerful thing - to have someone declare the first cbass limit of the year. Three limits yesterday, seven or eight today; most everyone else just shy. Nice.

I was just kidding! Really Mr. Murphy, when I said I'd catch a limit of cbass before May 1st, I didn't mean to insult you! Will you ease up on the wind now??? Please!

We've had a few decent shots of tog this week. Seems like fewer jumbos and the fish are getting fussier too. Still, there've been some 8s and 10s along with many limits.

Short and sweet: Tog fishing isn't fantastic every single day but it's been at least OK. (And then there was a day that you had to be under 16 to catch.

Toggin' along, almost to a wreck, when I had several mid-water marks on the machines.

Nicked a few of 'em too on Saturday. Mixed with small herring; it was the first time I'd personally bowed up on mackerel in many a year.

Been toggin'. Most days have been pretty decent; last Friday was just so-so, but even then almost everyone had a limit. There have been scattered 10 pound fish - couple few north of 14 pounds too.

Toggin' today, for most, was as good as I can imagine. Bit of a pain in heavy current for a while but almost everyone aboard had a 10 pounder - Some had a limit of 'em!

Lost Saturday and Sunday to weather. Friday though was as pretty a day as could be had - little chilly in the AM, but gorgeous thereafter. Set up on a big piece of structure and had a nice grade of fish. Sweet. When I had tried that same spot 2 weeks ago we drew a blank.

Last weekend's toggin' was pretty decent - all the more so because of a super light rail. Old Man Murphy (you know him - he wrote Murphy's Law) rode along with us on Sunday feeling jestful. As is often the case, a father and son team came fishing too; by mid-day Murphy was swinging from the outriggers in a belly hurting, knee slapping guffaw: he just couldn't stop!