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



By Eric Burnley Sr.*

Updated: November 19, 2010

DELAWARE BAY Tog fishing in the bay will not get any better. The reef sites are producing limit catches for most folks who know how to anchor and fish. Green crabs and sand fleas are the primary baits with clam and Gulp! crab also productive.

It is amazing how many fish are coming to the dock. I was at Lewes Harbour Marina on Thursday and Joe had two wheelbarrows full of just the racks.

If you would like to catch some tog and don’t know how to set up your own boat, I strongly recommend a charter or head boat trip. Both are catching plenty of fish and both have knowledgeable personal to show you the ropes.

Rockfish action is a bit slow. We went out of Cedar Creek Marina on Thursday running the 14 miles down to Overfalls Shoal. We had one 34-inch rock on an eel and that was the only bite of the day. We caught it during the outgoing current. We trolled Stretch 25s on the slack and the beginning of the flood, but the current never did run in as hard as it ran out.

I would say our success was about average. One charter boat had eight rock for 10 head aboard. One other private boat also had one fish. We marked very little bait and there were only a few gannets in the air. I believe the best rockfish action is still to come. Last year we had our best day just before Christmas.

Up the bay, bunker chunkers are still catching rock out of Augustine Beach, Woodland Beach and Port Mahon. There seems to be a mixture of shorts and keepers here with enough of the latter to make a trip worthwhile. Reef Site 2, the Yellow Can, Blake’s Channel and Ship John all saw action.

The tidal creeks continue to see excellent numbers of white perch. Bloodworms have been the top bait. Big catfish have been caught out of the Delaware River on cut bait and homemade stink baits.

INSHORE OCEAN The few boats that were able to sail over the weekend reported fair fishing for sea bass. The huge ground swells left over from a strong low pressure area to the north made it difficult to keep a bait on the bottom.

Trollers working along the oceanfront had rockfish on Stretch 25s. This was not red hot action and not everyone found success, but those that did had fish over 20 pounds.

INDIAN RIVER INLET There seem to be more shorts here then keeper rockfish. Even live spot does not guarantee a big fish, but you should be busy cranking in shorts. This week the current will be running in during the morning hours so rockfish action could be better. Those who do not have or want to spend money for live spot can do well casting a white bucktail with a white worm. Some anglers have been trolling stretch 25s here with fair success.

Tog fishing has been steady with many more shorts than keepers. Sand fleas and green crab will be the top baits.

SURF FISHING I am receiving reports from Herring Point and Three Rs Road of the occasional big rockfish coming to the beach. Cut fresh bunker will be the top bait, but the frozen product will also work.

There was a good run of bluefish at Three Rs Road on Tuesday. Blues to 11 pounds were caught on cut bait.

FRESHWATER It is getting to be live bait time at Delaware Ponds. Shiners and shad have been bringing in bass and pickerel while small minnows on a jig have been effective on the crappie. In the lure department, Rat-L-traps and worms are catching bass if the angler has the patience to work the lure very slowly.

Yellow and white perch have been caught from the creeks and ponds on bloodworms, nightcrawlers and small minnows. Big catfish are also in the lower Delaware River with citation size fish taken on cut bait and bloodworms.

Bass and crappie were caught from the Nanticoke River and Broad Creek. The crappie fishing has been excellent at locations such as the Bethel Hole and the spillways in Seaford and Laurel.

ROCKFISH RIGS On of my faithful readers asked about the type of leaders used when fishing bait for rockfish. I will try to explain my personal choices.

When fishing chunks it is not necessary and may be counterproductive to use a fish-finder leader. A fish-finder is designed to allow a fish to run off with the bait without feeling the weight of the sinker. When using chunks, the rockfish will simply eat and swallow the bait in one very quick motion. No need to let him run with the bait. You want the line to come tight as soon as possible so the circle hook can do its job.

In this situation, I use a three-way swivel rig tying the hook to no more than three feet of 50-pound leader material. The tag end of the leader will be tied to the three-way swivel. I drop the sinker about 5 to 8 inches below the three-way and secure the running line to the third eye.
I use a fish finder rig when fishing a big live bait. This would include eels and large, live spot, herring or bunker. In this situation the rock will grab the bait and move off while turning it around to swallow head first. This does not take long. My guess would be a few seconds.
Once the pickup is detected, the angler must engage the reel, crank out the slack and when the line comes tight, the fish may be hooked or not. When I ran charters for cobia in Virginia I did away with my fish-finder rigs because most inexperienced anglers would miss the fish. I used a three-way swivel rig with a 6-foot, 100-pound leader and seldom missed a strike. Of course, this rig is also very efficient at catching rays, skates and sharks.

When surf fishing with big chunks I will use a fish-finder with a very short leader. Casting a fish-finder with more than a few inches of leader will cut down on the distance you can throw. I use no more than 4 or 5 inches of 80-pound leader tied to a large black swivel. Since I have reels filled with braid, I employ the new yellow fish-finder sleeves that are made strong enough to prevent the line from cutting it.

I have no doubt that the three-way rig would work in the surf, but I would have to stand there and hold the rod instead of putting it in a sand spike. Hooking a big rock or blue with the rod in the spike is a good way to wave good-by to your tackle. The fish-finder allows the fish to move off while I try to get out of my chair, hobble to the rod, lift it out of the spike, crank out the slack while hoping the fish will still be attached to the hook.

As I said these are my personal choices. I know they work for me and feel certain they will work for you.

*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.