Article by Capt. BJ Pietryak
This week brought a big cool down, however it didn't really affect the fishing. Surf fishing as well as inlet and bays have really started to pick up.
Sea Bass
Sea bass remains strong! For those who have good numbers for near shore wrecks that have not been cleaned off, limits are still easy to catch. The well known spots like the NJ/DE reef and site 11 are still holding some nice fish however there are more undersized fish you have to wade though to get close to a limit. Try finding some of the near shore wrecks for a better chance at a limit. The ratio I'm hearing is about 4 throwbacks to 1 keeper. Joe Cianele from Millsboro was out on the Katydid with Capt Brent on Tuesday and caught a big 3.36 lb sea bass. Was caught on fresh clam and weighed in at Lewes Marina. The headboat Judy V out of Indian River Marina had a few nice trips this week when the weather cooperated. Several nice keeper sea bass were reported on their full day trips. Fishing for sea bass is still on fire so get out soon because this coming week is predicting warmer weather. Temps in the 90’s, so the water is going to warm up quickly sending the sea bass out to deeper water. The Savanna Lynn reports good catches of sea bass on the northern end of Delaware along with some nice flounder now showing up in the catch.
Flounder
What a difference a week makes. Most anglers targeting sea bass began catching flounder as well. Reports from Fenwick Tackle as well as Hook ‘em and Cook ‘em are that the flounder have shown up. The inshore coral near B Buoy seems to be the go to spot this week. Areas around the A Buoy are also a great place to target these fish. Michelle Schnaitman was out on an ocean reef site and caught a huge 21” flounder with squid. Luke Wiest along with his sister Emory were more than happy to show off their big flounder at Lewes Harbour Marina this past week. Flounder in the Delaware Bay as well as Indian River Bay areas have also started to show up. The hot spots in Indian River are the main channel near the Coast Guard station as well as the main channel in front of the red roof building. The area of Massey Ditch is also showing some nice fish being caught. This area is the well known sandbar party area and as more boats anchor up for the weekends fishing will begin to slow. The main channel of Massey’s seems to be producing a nicer quality fish. Tip of the week: when targeting fish in this area, head out early about one hour before to one hour after high tide. Squid and minnow combos are a killer combo during these times. In the Delaware Bay reports are that the fish are on the edges of most of the shoals in a depth of 6-12 ft. Gulp on a long leader are the key baits this week for this area.
Sharks, Rays & Rockfish
The surf is full of sharks including some bigger sandbar sharks. Rays are really becoming a problem in the surf. Cut bait on a fish finder rig is working the best for targeting the blogger sharks and rays. If you can find fresh bunker, that would be my recommendation, however, frozen is a close second. A few slot and over slot stripers are still being caught in the surf as well as Indian River inlet. Bucktail tipped with a shad or plastic worm are the top producers here. Target these fish on a moving tide just prior to or after sunset. Kingston Ferenbach was fishing off a pier in Lewes when he caught his first striper. It's always great to see a young kid getting into fishing and a rockfish is a great catch!
Surf Fishing
Delawaresurffishing.com reports more and more rockfish are being caught in the surf this year. The past couple of years have not been the greatest, so its nice to see fish returning. Kingfish on top and bottom rig or a small kingfish rig are also accounting for good numbers of keeper fish. Weakfish along the Cape Henlopen pier are also making an appearance. Many of these fish are reported to be filled with roe, so releasing them will really help out the population. Bloodworms are the top bait for surf fishing this week however fish bites are a close second and much more affordable.
Clams & Crabs
Crabbing remains strong with lots of big males in the pots. Bunker is the top bait with averages of 5-9 keepers per pot. Clams are getting much better with the clams being closer to the surface.
Until next week...
Tight lines and fins up
