Article by Larry Jock
When the wind blows 20 to 25 mph EVERY day, it certainly makes it tough to get some fishing in, and that is exactly what is happening this spring.
No doubt, the fish are out there for the taking because when anglers are able to hit the water, they are coming back with some nice catches.
Action in the Indian River Inlet and Bay has been understandably slow. Bert at Hook’em & Cook’em reported small bluefish and very few stripers were caught by anglers fishing from boats and around the Coast Guard Station. Those looking for tautog found some under the Indian River Bridge.
Flounder fishing really suffered in the bay due to the windy weather that also caused the headboats to remain at the dock.
Joe Morris at Lewes Harbour Marina said Lewes Canal fishermen picked away at flounder despite challenging conditions from cool east winds all week. On better days, guys even managed to put limits in the box. Joe and Drake Crowley teamed up for a fine pair of flatties scaling 4.8 and 3.6 pounds while drifting squid and minnows. Ryan Weiber was casting a white Gulp! at the Canary Creek bridge when he connected with a 4.14 pound flounder. Best results came with clean water during outgoing tide. Minnows, shiners, smelt, cut bunker and Gulp! in chartreuse, white or orange were favored by flukers.
Fishing should be prime by the time the annual Lewes Canal Flounder Tournament takes place Friday May 17th. Anglers interested in participating can register at Lewes Harbour Marina any day before the tournament with a $25 entry fee, five dollars of which is donated to the Camp Awareness Youth Program. Full details regarding the event can be found in the fishing reports section at www.lewesharbourmarina.com.
Tautog continued to cooperate for Delaware Bay anglers getting in on the last of the Spring season that ends May 11th. Easterly winds made it tough to tog the Outer Wall, but blackfish were caught there on decent days. Doug and Scott Riniker, Steve Kiibler and Scott Haas scored their limit in short order at The Wall with clean water during the first of flood tide. The Inner Wall and Ice Breakers also yielded tog to those using green crabs, clams and shrimp. Jacob Webb wound in an 8.1 pound citation winner at the Inner Wall. Jay Schlink checked in a 7.8 pounder he got aboard the “Martha Marie”. Fishing was good on artificial Reef Sites 6 and 7 as well.
Boaters baiting with clams had a handful of black drum around the submerged pilings off Slaughter Beach. That action should improve through the month, with the best of it going on around the full moon on the 24th. Joe urged drummers who want surf clams to call early in the week to make bait reservations for the weekend.
Surf fishermen along Broadkill Beach found a few drum and stripers, plus fair numbers of puffers. Blowfish were plentiful along the ocean beach from Cape Henlopen to Bethany. Bits of bloodworm or clam on small hooks did the trick on tasty puffers.
An occasional keeper striper came from the suds. Lance Cochran landed a 21.7 pound rockfish using bunker at Herring Point. Jetty Jockeys at Indian River Inlet caught shad, blues and mostly short stripers while tossing small diamond jigs.
Researcher Dewayne Fox reported encountering the first Thresher Sharks of the year while netting for sturgeon south of Indian River. He said they were sizeable, over 200 pounds.
Offshore, there looks to be interesting water behind the Baltimore and Poor Man’s Canyons where commercial longliners reported yellowfin tuna and mako sharks being caught.
Until next week, tight lines!
