By Eric Burnley Sr.*

Updated: October 29, 2010

DELAWARE BAY Great news! Big rockfish have arrived in the bay. Rock over 30 pounds were caught along Blake’s Channel with bunker chunking the most effective technique. They are also available along the rips at the mouth of the bay where trolling with Stretch 25s or 30s has been successful. I did not expect to see these fish for another week, but they have blessed us with a special surprise.

Keeper rock were caught out of the upper bay and lower Delaware River by anglers soaking bunker from shore. This puts big rockfish in the range of all Delaware fishermen.

Another surprise is the good croaker fishing still available. On Tuesday one angler fishing near the 10 Buoy at the end of the shipping channel had an excellent catch of croakers.

Tog fishing remains very good at the Outer Wall and over bay reef sites. Fish to 8 pounds have been taken on sand fleas and green crabs.
We seem to have some of the best fishing of the year right now. If you want to have real fun and put fish in the freezer for the winter, this is the time to get out on the water. It is not too cold to fish from a trailer boat and most of the head and charter boats are still running.

INSHORE OCEAN Last weekend saw the full moon and the accompanying strong currents made bottom fishing difficult. Boats that did fish the inshore wrecks found tog and triggerfish willing to bite. They also reported sea bass that had to be returned. Monday, Nov. 1, however, that season reopens and hopes are high for some excellent action.

We had a report from a boat that trolled Stretch 25s right outside the inlet over the weekend. They landed two big rockfish between 20 and 30 pounds..

OFFSHORE OCEAN It has been over three weeks since I have had an offshore report. With good fishing inshore I don’t expect to see anyone heading to the deep unless we get some perfect weather and that is unlikely.

INDIAN RIVER INLET Rockfish are being caught here on live spot during the day and on black Bombers, bucktails and live eels at night. Harry Aiken and friends fished the rip from the Green Can to the entrance to Southshore Marina at the beginning of the incoming current after dark catching 16 rock including two keepers, on white bucktails and a white worm. Harry said the bite lasted about an hour and then shut off.

Tog fishermen are being rewarded for their perseverance with decent catches of keepers in the 3 to 6-pound range. Green crabs and sand fleas are the time-proven baits.

SURF FISHING Still waiting for the first big rock or bluefish out of the surf, but I don’t think we will be waiting much longer. With rock caught in the bay and the ocean all it will take is an east wind to move the bait and the fish in range of my pitiful casts.

FRESHWATER Bass fishermen are in their glory right now as the fish feed in preparation of the long winter. Ponds and tidal rivers all hold good numbers of fish just waiting for the right lure to pass by.

Crappie fishing is also hitting its fall peak with the spillways in Seaford and Laurel as well as the ponds providing good action.

The white perch action continues unabated in the tidal creeks and rivers. A few big catfish have been taken from the same waters.

White Clay Creek is seeing renewed interest from trout fishermen who are finding excellent action from holdovers and newly stocked fish. The fishing pressure is much less than in the spring, and fall is a beautiful time to enjoy the White Clay creek area.

FISHING MANNERS With the fall rockfish season underway there will be conflicts between trollers, chunkers and drifters. Each school has its devotees and each is entitled to a fair share of the water. Problems occur when one, two or all three schools descend on the same piece of water at the same time.

The prudent angler will prepare for all three techniques before leaving the dock. This not only gives flexibility should one method fail and another become more effective, it also allows the angler to participate in whatever technique is in use at his favorite location.

It is very bad manners to infringe on someone who may be drifting eels by trolling close to their boat. It is also bad manners to troll through the area behind a boat that is chunking. On the other hand, chunkers should not set up in an area where all the boats are trolling.

Always take time to observe what is taking place in any area where you plan to fish. As an example, the Eights off of Lewes are a traditional eel drifting area. It is possible to troll here and I will do so on slack water when dog sharks, not stripers, are more likely to eat my eels. Slack water also spreads the boats out over a larger area.

Once the current begins to run hard, rockfish and boats will congregate in small areas over rips, and trolling in those locations is very bad manners. If you want to keep trolling, try moving over the Overfalls Shoal where this technique is more common.

Indian River Inlet can become a battleground. First, you have too many boats in a very small area and when you add in trollers, bait fishermen and casters it is going to get tight. Then there are the shore-bound fishermen on both sides of the inlet who believe they can cast as far out as they wish without repercussions.

I realize most people have to work for a living and therefore must fish on the weekends. This puts even more strain on an already crowded situation and calls for even more control by the prudent angler.

Finally you have the complete idiots who insist on running full bore through the fleet creating havoc in their wake. As if the current did not create enough rough water, these blundering boaters want to add more.

Drifting eels or spot and casting bucktails can usually be done simultaneously. Trolling however, creates problems because the boat is under power and working against the flow of the current. Last fall I actually had a trolling boat pass so close to my bow that I could have easily stepped aboard. When I mentioned that perhaps he was a bit to close he informed me I was fishing on the trolling side of the rip. I guess you really do learn something new everyday.

The bottom line is don’t get in the way of another angler and if you can’t fish the way you want, where you want, move.

*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.