Article by Larry Jock
Joe Morris at Lewes Harbour Marina said that wind plagued boaters most of last week, making it difficult to get out and keep track of recent flounder movement. A few crews did endure crappy conditions, and found flatties still hanging around on the Old Grounds and at Site 11. Captain Brent plowed his way off to Site 11 in rough seas on Thursday aboard the charter boat, “Katydid”, where his flukers managed to put 13 keepers in the box, despite challenging circumstances. They also had some triggerfish and sea bass mixed in. “Max” Maxwell was perched in his usual position on the pulpit as the charter boat drifted the Old Grounds in lumpy seas on Friday. His persistence in jigging bucktails tipped with cut bait paid off, and he caught many flounder, allowing him to cull a limit of four nice keepers.
Retired Washington DC police officer Leroy Flemmings fished the Old Grounds on Saturday in a stiff breeze aboard the “Martha Marie”. He did pretty well with sea bass and flatfish in spite of the weather, boating his personal best flounder that tipped the scales to 5.75 pounds.
Snapper bluefish were saviors for the few boats that braved sloppy seas on the lower Delaware Bay on Saturday. The rip over the shoal outside the Outer Wall’s north end was alive with blues during the running flood tide. The little choppers fed actively on silversides, anchovies, butterfish and peanut bunker schooled up in turbulence on the structure. Bucktail jigs cast amidst bluefish grazing on baitfish got bit in short order. Blues also blasted bottom rigs baited with a shiner or strip of mullet or squid.
Captain Brian’s group on the charter boat, “Lil’ Angler II” celebrated it’s youngest member Hyden’s birthday on Saturday by catching 60 bluefish outside the Outer Wall. A crew from Dover Air Base came down to get in on some fast snapper action with Captain Pete aboard the “Top Fin” on Saturday and returned with a load of 60 blues. Captain Brent headed to the Wall for a couple hours of catching aboard the “Katydid” on Saturday and his anglers carried home 50 fish.
Croakers and spot are still in the Bay and some of the largest specimens have been caught near shore. Dustin Best and his family were vacationing from Ohio and fished the Port Lewes Pier on Thursday and Friday. They had a cooler full of big hardheads, jumbo spot and even some trout while working speck rigs with Fishbites in close.
Reef Site #8 held hardheads, kingfish, spot and trout, but wind made it rough getting there and staying in position on many days. Captain Brent’s fishermen on the “Katydid” put up with nasty seas on Friday morning for a short trip, and did manage some “Cadillac” croakers, chunky sea bass and a bonus black drum. Persistent northeast wind pushed baitfish and bluefish into the surf and surfcasters reported decent catches of snappers on Saturday at Herring Point. Fresh mullet on float rigs was the preferred offering.
Further south at the Hook’em & Cook’em Tackle Shop in the Indian River Marina, Capt. Bert Adams reported that anglers fishing in the Indian River Inlet are finding plenty of croakers, a few weakfish and flounder, some small striped bass and snapper bluefish during the incoming tide.
Headboats fishing out of the Indian River Marina battled the weather all week, but when they were able to hit some ocean structure they found flounder and sea bass taking offerings of squid and cut bait. Capt. Bert said the bite all depended on getting the right drift and the rough weather made it very difficult last week.
From the beaches in lower Delaware, surfcasters are mainly finding a few kingfish and some snapper bluefish.
This is the final issue of the Coastal Fisherman for the 2014 season. I would like to thank Joe Morris and Bert Adams for providing quality fishing reports throughout the season. I would also like to thank Bert and Deanna Adams at Hook’em & Cook’em, “Pockets” at Bill’s Sport Shop, Libby at Fenwick Tackle and Capt. Mike at Rick’s Bait and Tackle for sending in pictures every week of their customers with some great catches.
Until next year, tight lines!
