Normally at this time of the year I would be reporting some of the best fishing that we have to offer and a couple of weeks ago it was starting to look like I would be able to do just that however since the passing of tropical storm Hannah our fishing has been rather hit and miss. There is no doubt that the unsettled weather and recent Full Moon tides have played at least some part in our fishing success over the last several days but hey, it's the middle of September this should be easy and it's really not.Variety catches are still normal on my all-day trips and I have to say the fishing really hasn't been that bad it's just that I feel it should be a little better. We have struggled most of the summer trying to catch Flounder that had to be nearly as big as a doormat just to keep and we have still been seeing a few of these nice fish come in almost daily but not the numbers of just a few weeks ago. The Sea Bass are most definitely on the move and at times we are really catching them however the majority of these Bass are still falling short of the minimum size required to keep. I have seen more keeper sized Sea Bass in the last seven days than I have seen since the spring of the year. Croakers have been making up the bulk of our catch but even they have been quite elusive at times and their feeding pattern and their variance in size from day to day right now seems to be beyond my comprehension! I do know that the Croakers are spread up and down the coast at this time for nearly 30 miles and we should be catching some of them for several more weeks and a lot of these fish are very nice in size.
For the most part the majority of our fishing has still been on the drift and most of our time has been spent fishing the rocky ledges and coral bottoms of the "old grounds." The way these fish are spread out over the bottom now drifting continues to be our best option for catching them. There were a couple of times last week that the drift was such that fishing on the anchor was the better choice and this is where we saw our best numbers of the keeper Bass however again the bulk of these fish had to be thrown back. We did see several Bass though that were in the two plus pound category while anchored which is a good sign for what might lay ahead when we are strictly anchor fishing.
Only the fish Gods know for sure how this is all going to play out in the upcoming weeks. For now I expect to continue with the drift program anchoring only when I have to. Our "Fluke Fishing" I would have to say is nearing an end for this year. We will still see some Flounder until the bitter end but the days of dragging the long baits just for these big Flatties are coming to a close. With the variety of fish that are on the grounds it's best to just bait up and take your chances with whatever bites your hook! I expect to continue seeing a variety with Sea Bass, Croakers, Bluefish, and Flounder what we see the most of will vary from day to day.
Capt. H.D. ran another offshore deep drop trip this past weekend however Mother Nature dished out way too much wind that was not in the forecast to blow away all hopes of finding the bottom and catching these Tilefish. There were dozens of charter boats that had spent the night out in the canyons on this night and all accounts were pretty much the same; shifting winds anywhere from 25 to in some cases an excess of 30 to 40 knots would blow for several hours making it a long night for everyone involved. Shortly after daybreak these winds did moderate but it was too little too late. After a valiant effort for the Tiles Capt. H doubled back in and anchored over a wreck and caught just a handful of nice Sea Bass and quite a few Red Hake providing a fresh fish supper for some of the weary anglers.
As the days continue to get a little shorter and the water temperatures that we waited for what seemed like forever to get to normal degree begin to go in the opposite direction these fish will continue to migrate along the coast and we will be waiting for them with baited hooks. I am sticking with my original statement that fabulous fall fishing has indeed arrived and I am certain that I will be able to prove it on some days in the immediate future. Our Full-Day trips will continue to sail daily departing the docks at 7:00 a.m. Our Half-Day trips are now sailing just Friday's through Monday's trying to bunch up the patrons. Half-Day trips depart at 8:00 a.m. and then again at 1:00 p.m. We also have a multitude of special trips on the schedule that you can view from the special trip link on the home page. If you would like any more information about trips sailing out of the Wharf or you would like to book a charter or reserve a spot on one of the special trips please give us a call at (302) 645-TUNA.
Until Next Week Happy Fishing!
Capt. Rick Yakimowicz
Thelma Dale V
catchfish@verizon.net
Old Inlet Bait and Tackle
Rehobeth Beach, DE
