Delaware Fishing Report
When, Where, What and How They're Biting



By Eric Burnley Sr.*

Updated: Sept. 16, 2011

DELAWARE BAY Fishing is still recovering from the heavy rains with a variety of species being caught.

In the upper bay and lower Delaware River a few keeper rockfish were taken from shore at Woodland Beach with peeler crab the best bait. The same area has produced white perch on bloodworms and peeler crab.

Big catfish are available from the lower river and tidal creeks as well as the C&D Canal. Peeler crab, bloodworms and cut bunker all work on catfish.
Flounder, kings and a few trout were caught from boats sailing out of Bowers Beach. This is the first report of trout over the minimum size so far this year. Let’s hope some return in 2012 after growing larger.

The lower bay is still holding keeper flounder on the various reef sites. The fish are tight to structure and will take live minnows, squid or bucktails with Gulp!

We are approaching the time when larger rockfish will be invading the bay. There are certainly plenty of bunker for them to feed on and I hope once the rock arrive they will stay around for awhile.

INDIAN RIVER INLET We are hearing about more big flounder caught by anglers drifting live minnows or mullet from the rocks. This is becoming a directed fishery and could also produce rockfish as the weather cools.

More conventional methods are also seeing results as boaters continue to pick at flounder. Minnows and squid, Gulp! on a bucktail or Speck rig and live spot have been the best bait choices.

Night time jetty jockeys are having some success with rockfish. Live eels or spot as well as black plugs or bucktails will produce keeper rock. This weekend will see strong northeast winds and those who brave the elements may find excellent rockfish action. The same winds will produce dangerous surf conditions so make sure safety is the first concern.

On Saturday big croakers made an appearance in the inlet, but were gone on Sunday. Croakers and spot are more reliable in the back bays where bloodworms are the top bait.

SURF FISHING Blues continue to be caught on fresh mullet with most of the fish under 20 inches. The action is spread all along the beach from Cape Henlopen to Fenwick Island.

We fished Herring Point on Tuesday and Wednesday registering one blue, several dogs and skates plus two toothy sharks of about 10 pounds. The sharks gave as good a fight as any 10-pound blue and were quickly released.

INSHORE OCEAN The rough weather has brought croaker into the ocean where they have been caught between B Buoy, A Buoy and the Old Grounds. This same area has seen good numbers of keeper sea bass and flounder. As of this report, the area is producing the best bottom fishing of anywhere in Delaware.

I have not heard much on trolling the inshore lumps, but false albacore and bonito should be available from the Lightship on out to Massey’s Canyon.

OFFSHORE OCEAN The hot white marlin bite continues in the canyons. We were out to the Washington on Monday and found good numbers of marlin, releasing two. Dolphin were also caught. The larger boats recorded eight to 10 releases the same day.

he passage of a cold front this weekend should concentrate the marlin again and next week we will have one more good shot. After that the tuna will return as the water cools.

FRESHWATER The recent heavy rains did not affect the entire state. New Castle County had much more rain then Sussex with the exception of Seaford. Ponds and streams in the northern part of Delaware are still pretty high and dirty while the southern waterways are more fishable.
Pond fishermen are reporting good bass action while using various plastics and hard baits. Crappie and sunfish are also available.

The Nanticoke and Brandywine rivers both saw considerable flooding and may not be fishable for a few more days.

The good news is no more heavy rain is forecast for Delaware in the near future.

THE MULLET RUN The fall mullet run is underway, but you may not be able to tell it due to the bad weather and dirty water.

Mullet are a primary feed for just about everything we like to catch and once they school up for the fall run blues, rock, and flounder soon follow. Most of this feeding is done close to shore as mullet hug the shoreline for protection.

Fresh mullet is available in all local tackle shops unless weather conditions have prevented commercial fishermen from netting a supply. When this occurs, frozen mullet is the best substitute.

It is possible to net your own mullet. You will need a cast net and some practice in throwing one effectively. Once you have mastered the required skill, try the shoreline along the Delaware Bay where the smaller waves make for easier fishing then along the ocean. You will see several net casters working the Indian River Inlet, but this requires rock hopping skills many of us do not possess.

One of the best locations for netting mullet is the Cape Henlopen Fishing Pier. Working from the high vantage point it is almost possible to drop the net on the mullet.

Fishing with live mullet is deadly on flounder. Rig the mullet the same as you would a minnow using a circle hook. I have found any further decoration unnecessary.

In the surf, live mullet will be bitten in half by blues before a flounder or rockfish can find them. If we get a run of blues over 12 inches try using a rig with a hook attached to a wire that is run trough the bait. The end of the wire where the hook is attached comes out the vent so when a short striking blue hits there is at least a chance he will be hooked.

I prefer to cut my mullet baits into chunks when fishing the surf. I use a circle hook and make sure the point is exposed. In my experience, bluefish will hit a chunk as quickly as a whole mullet.

The ultimate thrill is to find a school of blues, rock or false albacore feasting on mullet in the wash. At this point, put the bait away and break out the metal. Normal retrieve speeds are good for the blues and rock, but false albacore require a much faster retrieve. False albacore also rip off more line than blues or rock and will remind you they are members of the tuna family.

The mullet run should last for a month or more so get out while the fishing is good.

*Eric Burnley Sr. is a native Delawarean who has fished the waters of his home state for more than 60 years. He has been a full-time outdoor writer since 1978, with articles appearing in most national magazines as well as many regional publications. He has authored two books, Surf Fishing The Atlantic Coast and The Ultimate Guide To Catching Striped Bass.