Updated: September 24, 2010

DELAWARE BAY You can put a catch together in the bay if you are willing to fish for various species. Croaker came back this week with decent numbers caught from Bowers Beach to Lewes. Flounder are elusive with the best action directly over hard structure on the reef sites. Just to prove the big ones are still here, an angler checked in a 12-pounder at Cedar Creek Bait and Tackle in Slaughter Beach.

White perch continue to be caught in good numbers and size in all the tidal creeks and at Woodland Beach and Pier as well as Augustine Beach. In New Castle County some good-sized catfish have been taken along with the perch.

Tog season will reopen this week and you can expect a lot of boats at the Outer Wall and over the reef sites once the fish become legal to take. There should be some sheepshead and triggerfish on the same structure.

Bluefish have been mixed in the catch from one end of the bay to the other. I am sure the salt wedge is halfway to Trenton and the blues are surprising anglers in Pennsylvania.

INSHORE OCEAN I have seen and heard reports of keeper sea bass at sites 10 and 11 as well as the Old Grounds and B Buoy. Keeper flounder were caught in the same areas.

Right now this is the most productive fishing in the state. Private, head and charter boats are getting in on the action that I hope will continue until I have a chance to get out there.

Dolphin are still showing up in reports from inside the Lightship. This has certainly been an excellent season for catching them without a run to the canyons.

False albacore and a few dolphin were caught by trollers who scored more bluefish than anything else. Most of this action remains outside the Lightship and I hope it moves inshore soon.

OFFSHORE OCEAN Some really big seas cancelled more than few trips over the weekend, but when the waves subsided the fishing came back. Not as many billfish were caught, but a few more tuna and a fair number of dolphin were taken from the 50 on out to the deep.
As fall progresses we will see fewer and fewer boats making the long offshore run. This might change with the arrival of big yellowfin tuna, but fall weather is always a concern.

INDIAN RIVER INLET Blues still supply most of the action at the inlet. They are biting on day and night incoming water. Metal lures remain the best choice as blues have a tendency to destroy plastic, feathers and hair.

Live spot and live mullet have accounted for a few keeper flounder and rockfish. The blues also find live mullet and spot very tasty so be prepared to sacrifice a few baits before finding your target species.

Expect to see more tog fishermen along the rocks once the season reopens. Green crabs and sand fleas will produce most of the tog. Don’t forget to drift a few live sand fleas in the rocks to perhaps catch a keeper rockfish.

In the back bays it is possible that a few speckled trout could show up along the backside of Burtons Island and over grass beds in Rehoboth Bay. This is very far from a consistent fishery, but specks have been caught on jigs and MirrOlures during previous falls.

A few folks have asked when the rockfish will make a major appearance at the inlet. I look for some in late October and the best fishing during November. It all depends on the weather, water temperature and bait.

SURF FISHING One look at the size of the waves hitting the sand discouraged me from going up on the beach. We did have at least one surf fishing vehicle stuck by the full moon high tides at Cape Henlopen. I noticed some parts of that beach were pretty thin when we were up there two weeks ago and the storm driven water pretty much closed everything down.

I have not heard much of anything from the beach after the waves settled down. Hopefully this weekend will see improved conditions. With the mullet run underway we should have plenty of bluefish on the beach.

FRESHWATER The ponds are still quite warm and the best bass fishing has been in the early a.m. We are expecting rain and cooler temperatures this week and perhaps that will change the situation.

White perch in the tidal creeks along with some big catfish have kept bank fishermen happy. The Nanticoke River and Broad Creek give up bass, crappie and pickerel on falling tides.

KEEPING THE CATCH Every fall mullet move down the beach along the bay and the ocean. Since almost every fish we like to catch likes to eat mullet they show up in large numbers to feast on this bait.

Big flounder and rockfish are most likely to follow the mullet along with the bluefish. They will all be in the surf and Indian River Inlet just waiting for you to catch them,

However, before you can fish with mullet you have to catch or buy mullet. A cast net is the best way to catch them and you will see people standing along tidal creeks, the bay and the ocean beaches preparing to toss a net. One of the best places to catch mullet with a cast net is the Cape Henlopen Fishing Pier. The pier gives you the height you need to see the fish and a handy platform from which to toss the net.
Indian River Inlet also sees a lot of cast netters catching mullet. This takes the skill and agility to walk on the rocks while throwing a net. I do not possess either of these attributes.

For my money it is far better to buy the mullet I need. Fresh mullet will work for most fishing situations especially when fishing for blues from the beach. Live mullet is becoming a popular bait for flounder and rock. Do not use live mullet for bluefish as they will snip off the tail and leave you the head.

The run will last for the next few weeks and can bring in some exciting action. Buy it or catch it, but get out there and give those mullet a try.

*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.

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