My wife and I towed the Striper down to Cape May NJ on Saturday for an over night trip to fish for Black Drum on Delaware Bay. May and June, night time, full & new moons , at the high tide , are the best time to target these great fish. With all of these conditions coming together on Memorial Day weekend, I just could not resist.
Arriving in Cape May around 2:30 pm , we checked the free launch ramp at Spicers Creek just to see if we would get lucky and find one of the only 25 or so parking spots available. Yea right. Just had to check. So down the road to Bree-Zee-Lee Yacht Basin for the $20 ramp with ample parking. They also have a bait & Tackle shop, but I don't like to wait until the last minute to get my stuff. The ramp is double wide concrete, with dock on each side. Launching was quick and simple, a little tight navigating out between the slips to get to the harbor, I guess that's why they limit the ramp to nothing larger than 26 ft.
We traveled across Cape May Harbor, then into the Cape May Canal. 20 minuets from the ramp and we were exiting the canal into Delaware Bay. Another 14 miles and we were at the famous Slaughter Beach Delaware Coral Beds. Some call this area "The Drum Fishing Capitol of The World".
We found a spot within the fleet of about 25 boats already in the area and anchored up. FYI , you do need a Delaware fishing license when fishing in Delaware.
We lowered our chum pot and set our lines, the wait was on. These fish come into the bay during May and June to mate. They mate, rest and eat, in a continuous cycle. We read a lot of fish , just needed them to get hungry. We enjoyed a good BBQ and sunset , catching a few other species as we waited for the tide to rise and the fish to eat.
These fish are called Drum for a reason. They produce a sound that is just like beating a drum. You can actually hear them "drumming" while they are swimming under the boat, which is very cool to experience, it is even louder when they are on the deck of the boat.
As with any fishing trip, the first big hit was met with cheers and the landing celebrated with beers. Through out the night we picked away at the Drum, as did others in the fleet, which was evident at the sounds of cheers in the distance.
After sunrise and breakfast, we headed back to the N.J. for the 1 1/2 hour drive back home, well I actually went to one of my hometown shops, Jersey Coast Bait and Tackle, for some official weights and bragging rights/photos. Back home I cleaned the fish and boat, took a shower, and man did I sleep good last night. It was a long trip, but well worth the effort, and hope to do it again in June. Oh , by the way, my wife Jean caught the biggest fish! <'((((><
