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




By Eric Burnley Sr.*

Updated: July 29, 2010

DELAWARE BAY Most Delaware Bay fishermen target flounder and right now that target can be hard to hit. Hot water has moved the flounder deep and over the weekend we had a full moon and that made drifting deep water difficult. Those same strong currents also made it hard to present a bait to flounder sitting on top of rubble at the reef sites. The moon is waning now so this weekend should present better fishing conditions.

On the bright side, croaker have moved into the lower bay where just about anyone with a fishing rod and almost any type of bait can catch all they want. This situation is perfect for the headboat fleet as they frequently carry out of town anglers with little fishing experience.

The Cape Henlopen Fishing Pier is another location where less experienced anglers are likely to congregate. Here, too, croakers are in good supply and they have been joined by large numbers of spot. While croakers have a taste for almost anything, spot seem to like bloodworms above everything else. I recall a few years ago when I fished the pier for spot using FishBites and Gulp! Within a half hour of arriving I was at the tackle shop buying a dozen bloodworms because while all around me were catching spot on worms I was catching nothing on my imitations.

The Lewes and Rehoboth Canal has become another spot hot spot. Eating size spot have been caught on bloodworms and bait size spot have been taken with Sabiki rigs adorned with small pieces of bloods.

The canal has seen a few slot rockfish caught on clams and eels near bridge pilings. I would think a small spot on a circle hook would also attract the attention of a rockfish. Live spot and eels have caught rock at the Outer Wall in the evening and at first light. No doubt large flounder could be persuaded to take a spot as well.

In the upper bay, slot rockfish were caught from tidal creeks and rivers on bloodworms and peeler crab. White perch are thick in the same locations on the same baits.

The bottom line is fish are available throughout the bay and now is the time to get outside and do some fishing. Even in the hottest weather, it was comfortable on the water during the morning hours.

INSHORE OCEAN Dolphin continue to be caught from the Lightship to the canyons with larger specimens taken last week. The bigger fish tend to run alone or in small groups as compared to bailers that congregate under lobster pots and floating debris.

Not much in the way of bluefin tuna reports last week, but a few yellowfin were caught on the troll. According to my reports, the water temperature is the same from the 20-Fathom Line to the deep and without a temperature break tuna fishing will be difficult.

Sea bass and flounder were caught at the Old Grounds with experienced anglers recording decent numbers of keepers. One tip that may increase your catch of keeper flounder is to fish with a heavy bucktail adorned with squid, shiners, smelt or cut strips of fresh fish. Don’t be afraid to use a combination of several baits on the bucktail. Reef sites 10 and 11 also had flounder and sea bass. Flounder fishing in the ocean could improve as water temperatures in the bay increase.

The inshore wrecks and reef sites hold triggerfish and a few spadefish. It is possible that a cobia or two may show up in these same locations. Cobia fishing at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay has been very good, so it would not be surprising to see a few of these fish in our waters.

OFFSHORE OCEAN There was a decent bite of yellowfin tuna at the Baltimore Canyon last week, but by the time the boats got back out, the fish had moved away. The waters to our north all the way to New England are giving up big numbers of yellowfin.

White marlin have been in good supply along with a few blues. I have had reports of multiple releases from the 30-Fathom Line out to the deep. If the weather gives the boys at the White Marlin Open a break, it should be a great tournament.

Dolphin and wahoo have added to the fish box of offshore boats. Only a few wahoo have been caught so far, but more should be available in August.

INDIAN RIVER INLET Night time is the right time to fish the inlet for rockfish. While fish over 20 pounds have been rare, jetty jockeys have managed a fair number of keepers on live eels, black plugs and bucktails. As with all types of fishing, some nights are better than others.

Daytime anglers still find flounder with few over the 18.5-inch minimum size. Massey’s Ditch holds keepers early in the morning before boat traffic becomes a problem.

The area of Indian River around Buoy 20 is loaded with croakers. The fish are small, but can provide constant action.

Blues continue to run through the inlet on incoming water. As with the rockfish, some tides are better than others. Look for hickory shad mixed in with the blues.

SURF I was on the surf at Conquest Road Saturday and if anyone there caught a fish I didn’t see it. The air temperature was over 100 degrees and the water looked like coffee with cream and was almost as hot.

I did have reports of scattered catches of kings, spot and croaker. Early morning is the best time to fish the beach before the crowds and the temperature increase.

FRESHWATER My reporters indicated the excessive heat over the weekend had almost every freshwater angler at home in the air conditioning. I don’t blame them. Those who did venture out fished early in the morning or at night catching bass on surface lures.
The white perch and catfish crowd must be a hardy lot. I had reports over the weekend of good catches of both species from the tidal creeks. Bloodworms and peeler crab were the best bait.

WHERE'S THAT? Over the years I have been asked for the exact location of various fishing spots where my reports indicated a big fish or a lot of fish had been caught. First of all, that big fish is gone and it won’t be back. While it is possible another could take its place, the big one in the report is history.

Many fishing places have local names that can be confusing. For example, the Eights at the mouth of Delaware Bay are three navigation buys all marked with the number eight. You won’t find Bennett’s Pier in Bowers Beach; the spot where it once stood still bears the name, if not the structure. The Delaware Lightship is long gone, but the buoy that marks the entrance to the Delaware Bay entrance channel is still referred to as the Delaware Lightship.

Another thing to keep in mind is the fish may not have been caught exactly where the report indicated. When I say flounder were caught at G Buoy in the Anchorage that does not mean the boat was fishing right next to the buoy. It means they were fishing somewhere in the vicinity of the buoy.

There are several sources available to give the angler a good idea where many of these locations are. The Delaware Reef Guide put out by DNREC is invaluable for finding structure in the Delaware Bay and Atlantic Ocean. I have several charts from Captain Segull with many locations marked along with their Lat/Lon coordinates. Other charts with similar information are available in local tackle shops and boating stores.
Finally, if you have the exact location of a good catch taken from my reports and you go there and don’t catch anything, that is not conclusive evidence or any indication that I am a liar. It may, however, be an indication of your fishing ability.

*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.


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