August 6, 2010

DELAWARE BAY I fished Delaware Bay two days this week. I ran out of Cedar Creek Marina on Monday and out of Lewes on Thursday. Both trips were about the same. On Monday three of us put two keeper flounder in the boat and on Thursday four anglers caught four keepers. Both trips centered on reef sites 5, 6, 7, and 8. We used ball jigs and Delaware Bay Green Machines tipped with squid or bluefish strips and a live minnow. I would describe the action as a slow pick on both days. We caught more flounder on Monday, but had more keepers on Thursday. I tried without success to catch some croaker on Monday.

Spot are still available at the Cape Henlopen Fishing Pier and in the Lewes and Rehoboth Canal. Bloodworms and FishBites will catch all the spot you want.

Reports from the Upper Bay indicate some slowing of the flounder action around the Cross Ledge and Ship John Light. Slot rockfish are still in this area, just be sure you are in Delaware waters because New Jersey has a 28-inch minimum size limit.

In the lower Delaware River catfish and white perch are available in good numbers. The tidal creeks that feed the river also hold plenty of cats and perch. I had several reports of big numbers of perch caught on bloodworms and grass shrimp.

Small blues are spread out from Augustine Beach to the mouth of the bay. They will chop your flounder bait in two, bite the hair off your bucktail and attack anything that moves. The good news is they are the perfect size for eating and can be prepared anyway you like.
Reports indicated tog, sheepshead and triggerfish at the Ice Breakers, Outer and Inner walls. Crabs, sand fleas and clam will take these fish.

INSHORE OCEAN Good catches of flounder, sea bass and ling have been made at the Old Grounds and around B Buoy. This week we had a quarter moon so the current was weak and fishing in deep water was easier. Reef sites 10 and 11 also saw some good bottom fishing action.

With warm water extending from the canyons to the buoy line, dolphin have been scattered over this area. Some of the larger dolphin were caught in open water with the smaller fish congregated around floating structure. The warm water has diminished the number of bluefin tuna available for anglers around the inshore lumps.

Trollers working the area near the Lightship have found large schools of small bluefish. Limit catches have been reported giving charter patrons lots of good tasting fish to take home. A few false albacore were mixed in with the blues to add a bit of excitement to the trip.

OFFSHORE OCEAN This is the week of the White Marlin Open and so far the action has not disappointed. For the second year in a row a grander blue marlin has been caught. This time the big blue weighted 1010.5 pounds and was caught by Brian Roberts on the Shelly II. As of Thursday the leader in the White Marlin Category was James Kontos with a 97.5 pounder caught from the Let It Ride. The white will be worth $800,000 and the blue will bring in $360,000.

Billfish have been in good supply from the south to the north. Most have been white marlin with a few blues and sails mixed in the catch. Reports of boats covered up with billfish are not uncommon.

Dolphin are available around any floating object and tuna are scattered with the best action still in the northern waters.

INDIAN RIVER INLET The vast majority of flounder caught out of Indian River Inlet and the back bays have been small, but the occasional doormat keeps people fishing. Live spot have been the bait of choice for trophy flounder with some big flatfish still caught on the more standard minnow and squid.

The best rockfish action is at night with live eels, black Bomber Long As and bucktails accounting for most of the fish. The occasional rockfish is caught during the day on a live spot fished for flounder.

Spot and croaker are thick in the back bays. Buoy 20, Massey’s Ditch and Rehoboth Bay all hold plenty of the small fish. Some are caught for bait, but reports indicate more than a few of these fish are big enough to be invited to a fish fry.

FRESHWATER The heat has diminished a bit, but fishermen still prefer the predawn and dusk hours for bass fishing in the local ponds. Some ponds are covered with algae and scum frogs have been working in these areas.

White perch fishing has been very good in tidal creeks for those using bloodworms and grass shrimp. Big catfish have been caught in the same locations.

The Nanticoke River and Broad Creek give up good numbers of bass during periods of falling water. White perch and catfish are also available here.

BOAT RAMP RULES I know everyone who reads this report has never caused a problem at a boat ramp, but just in case someone new happens upon this site lets review the boat ramp rules.

Rule One; Never wait until your boat is halfway down the ramp to begin loading on your fishing tackle, lunch, PFDs and other various gear. This will cause a long delay in the orderly launch and recovery system and elicit unkind comments from your fellow boaters waiting to launch their own craft.

Rule Two; Never tie up the ramp by unloading your boat before moving it out of the way. This is pretty much the reverse of Rule One and will bring about similar comments from others waiting to recover their own boat.

Rule Three; All boat launch areas have a place for you to load and unload your boat. Please use the former before launching and the latter after recovering your boat.

Rule Four; Always remove the tie-down strap and insert the plug before launching.

Rule Five; Use a heavy wheel chuck to prevent the entire rig from backing into the water as you crank the boat on the trailer. Those large black rubber ones will work much better than the small plastic models. Don’t ask how I know this.

Rule Six; When the ramps are crowded put someone ashore to get the truck and trailer before your turn to recover the boat. Waiting until you are next in line so send for the truck will hold up the process and once again you will be the target of unkind comments.

Finally, Be Careful. I have seen some very bad falls at boat ramps. Sometimes it is people getting in or out of the boat. Other times it is someone walking on the trailer trying to attach the cable. I have seen guys fall on the ramp because of the marine growth that makes the surface slippery. Boating and fishing are supposed to be fun, but that does not diminish the dangers associated with any activity around machinery or water.


http://www.fw.delaware.gov/Fisheries...ingReport.aspx